11 Months Old

Oh Max, you are one crazy kiddo. So hard to believe that you will be celebrating your first birthday in 4 weeks. Amazing how time flies when you are having fun. You are so funny, constantly copying and mimicking our faces and noises, laughing and grunting like a monkey. Trying so hard to talk and say what is on your mind. Mama, Dada and Bahbah are still the words you shout out to us while banging and shaking your crib siderails at 1am. Oh and not to mention you are a biter, but only to Mommy, no one else deserves your bites I guess :) Lets see you get into absolutely anything and all things; cupboards, food, pantry, kitty food, shoes, closets, lamps, books, magazines...sheez the list goes on forever. Not to mention you have bruises and bumps constantly on your forehead from bumping into things or falling. You cruise like a pro from couches, chairs and tables but no first steps alone yet...look out house when you do! Love you Max, Happy 11th Months Old my little boy!

10 Months Old

and crazy as ever! In the past month Max has taken off (literally) and developing so fast. Not only is he crawling, he is fast and so cute on the hard wood floor with one foot planted on the floor. He pulls up on anything and cruises around it to get any type of electronic. He LOVES remotes and phones, and will scream his head off if you take them away. He walks while holding your fingers or behind his push toy. He is a talker, boy can he babble with the best of them, gee wonder who he takes after? He is so lovable, giving the best hugs and squeezes you could ask for. Still loves to pull hair and bite ya when he gives kisses. Had a successful and fun Halloween as you can see as Elmo and with his first taste of chocolate by devouring a Twix bar! His days are spent driving his car to the park, swinging, watching Baby Songs, Elmo or Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, eating books..yep not reading but eating them, banging his toys on the hard wood floors, and wrestling with daddy. Since being treated for his GERD eating is a bit easier, still challenging a little less messy. And yes last but not least still getting up every few hours at night...sigh....he picked out a shirt that says "All mommy wants for Christmas is a Silent Night!"...how appropriate Max!

9 Months Old

We are truly blessed to have Max, very blessed. He brings so much joy and laughter (and zero sleep of course) to all of our lives. You can be having a horrible day and Max flashes his toothy (5 of them) smile at you and all comes back to priorities. Its been an exhausting month, he has been sick 2 out of the 4 weeks and hopefully all behind us now. He weighs in at 19 pounds 12 ounces and still hates table food. Infact when he is done with his jar food and finger snacks, he will gag to throw it all up when he is finished....yep it was lovely tonight at a restaurant he showed everyone how he pukes up his dinner (sound affects and all). He says mama, dada, ba-ba and shakes his head no no. His crawl is a bit strange he keeps one foot on the ground to push off then falls on his face and starts over, I am sure any day he will figure it out and take off. He loves to stand at his toy table and push toy to pound his hands and squeal. Anything outside is a hit, especially if he is in his new wheels (his own buggy/truck that he honks the horn a 100 times). Figuring out very quickly how to get his way, and has his daddy completely wrapped around his finger. They are a team and must hit up Home Depot together at least 3 times a week! Off to bed to get some sleep since Max still gets up some nights 3 times...yes you read that correctly, its like he is 9 weeks old!! Crazy kid!

8 Months Old (already)

This month we have seen the most change in Max. He is very vocal, babbling, blowing bubbles, saying Da-Da, Mum (which daddy still somehow can't hear) and hi. He does hi-5 with his sisters and will move his fingers slowly to wave bye-bye. He has discovered how much fun water, splashing and floating in his baby raft can be, he could spend all day in the pool. Well until he saw a swing then he would cry to do that. Or if he saw anything technology related; loves phones, remotes, calculators, you name it and he has to have it. We won't talk about sleeping....at all.
He is growing like a weed, wearing 6-9 months clothes and loves to feed himself crackers and cherrios. Hates sippy cups, would rather drink from our cup and spill water all down the front of him. And trust me when he is done eating he will let you know, he fakes gags until he throws up...lovely Max, just lovely. He has 3 teeth all on the bottom and more to come any day!
Just today he was playing on the floor he got up on all fours and rocked back and forth till he got the toy he wanted, then flopped down and rolled onto his back. Rolls everywhere and scoots backwards with his heals. Loves to stand, sometimes we can't get him to sit.
Well that is about all for Max these days, his little brain is working over time and he is cute as ever! Feel free to come and see him to get your share of slobbery kisses.
Till next time...

7 Months Old

I know I start say this all time but I really can't believe he is 7 months old already. Time really is going way too fast...as mommy just celebrated her 35th bday yesterday. We cherish the time we get to cradle him in our arms which is less and less these days as he arches his back, hangs upside down to look at the girls. Thanks to Grandma Kathryn he now has a wagon the girls named and decorated "The Max Express". He loves riding in it and watching the big kids in the court playing. Sleeping is a hit and miss thing at night, although in the day he is good for atleast a 2 hour nap in the afternoon. We are working on getting a 3rd tooth, which is making him a bit cranky. He is such a happy go lucky content little guy who loves to laugh, go on walks, swing, swim, play with his new big boy toys, watch Elmo and sitting up so tall. I do see on the horizon a little crawler before we know it. Thanks for continuing to check on our crazy life, love you!

Excuse Me, Excuse Me!

Very excited here, just got my first tooth!! That thing was tough to break through but the bottom left did it today!! Yippee! Only what 26 to go? Whew-
And I can sit up now all by myself and play with my toys! LOVE IT!
Gotta go play...love you! Max

6 Months Old

Whew! Half way to my first birthday, whoa!! Things are awesome here, I cry and people come running. Although today at my 6 month check up, the doctor told my parents to let me cry it out??? What's up with that? I like making my mom get up every 45 minutes at night to feed me and rock me, why would the doctor say that? I weighed in at 17 pounds and 25 1/2 inches tall (or 2 feet one and half inch as I like to say). We just got back from Lakeside where we played hard for a week, rode bikes, fished, ate ice cream and saw fireworks. I learned to roll into other rooms and under furniture and can sit alone for a minute before I dive for toys then scoot on my tummy. I finally decided this baby food stuff they kept trying to feed me isn't too bad, especially washing it down with some juice. I love to feed myself and make a huge mess for my mom to freak out about! hehe! Summer is great, lots of fun and I get to pull my sisters hair all day long :) Life is Great!!! Except for this crying it out thing...

5 months old

Haven't been the best at blogging lately. So much going on with end of school activities, but glad to say now summer is finally here and we have all pinky promised to keep it relaxed, fun and in the sun. Max is so awesome, such a happy boy, always smiling so big, eyes big and bright and his laugh is the best! He is a mover though, he is rolling all over and can't be trusted. His legs are so strong, Pat thinks he will walk before he crawls. All he wants to do is stand. He weighs in at a little over 16 pounds and just over 2 feet tall. His birth hair is falling out and lighter blonde hair is coming in. He has some crazy pieces though, I tell ya some of them are 4 inches long and stick straight up!!! His sleeping habits are not the best, he goes about every other night where he will do awesome (like 10 hours) then the next night he will get up 5 times. He hates baby food of all kinds and cereal, just spits it right back out and laughs at us. He spends his days going on walks, watching Elmo, reading Elmo books (which he grabs and eats him), wrestling with daddy, laughing and watching the girls, playing with his toys and now swimming. He has been in the pool a couple times and just is amazed. Lets see..did I forget anything??? Oh yeah, and he is super super cute and gives the best wet slobbery kisses!!!

4 Months Old

I know, I know I always start off by saying "so hard to believe" he is 4 months old but seriously time is flying and we are having so much fun!!! He is so social (and a flirt), the minute the girls get off the bus he squeals and kicks his legs like crazy. He is so entertained by our neighborhood kids, you can tell he wants to play so bad. He loves Elmo now and not to mention his soaps:) We had his 4 month check up today, he weighed in at 15 pounds even and is 2 feet tall! He is developing perfect and is ahead of the game so far for his age. His bottom right tooth can be seen and will be poking through any day. The only fault of his is ours to blame, a bit too spoiled when it comes to sleeping. When he whimpers we come a running!! Some nights he will sleep 10 hours and others he gets up 3 times a night. Off to go try cereal for the first time, we shall keep you posted on that mess...

Exciting Day!

Max rolled over today! He was doing tummy time which he has been doing so well and getting so strong with his upper body, then all of a sudden he was on his back and the look on his face was priceless, absolutely priceless. He didn't know what to think and was so surprised in himself that he was now on his back. After the bottom lip stopped quivering enough, he then continued to do the same trick over and over....until I got the video recorder out of course, then it was all tears on his tummy. Now we shall see if he does it for daddy tomorrow!

Time sure does fly..

So hard for us to believe Max is 14 weeks old already. He cracks us up, we have never heard a baby toot or burp so loud in our lives (some day he will hate us telling you that!). He is sitting up so well with just a little help from us. He is grabbing everything; mostly necklaces, hair, and lips. We are anxiously awaiting to hear him laugh out loud. He squeals and comes so close to a good old giggle...but not yet. He loves dancing, listening to music, watching TV, reading books, baths, going on walks and even shopping! He is really only unhappy when he is hungry which seems to be a lot lately. Not sure if he is going through a growth spurt or what but he is going backwards in his sleep habits. Was almost sleeping through the night from 9p-6a and now for some reason getting up at 2a, 5a and 7a (sometimes at midnight too)...urgh....needless to say we are trying to get this switched back around as quickly as possible. Could be teething too, since he sucks on his fist all day and drools like crazy. Keep ya posted...

Happy Easter!

What a joy having a 3 month old brings to the holidays and family. He went to visit the Easter Bunny and sat on his lap, he was so small in the bunny's arms, the hand pretty much covered up Max's face! Too cute! The girls loved dressing him and making sure the Easter Bunny included him Easter morning. So hard to believe how fast time is going. He is developing everyday, smiling like crazy, copying our faces, strengthening his neck and legs. He loves listening to singing (well except for when Mom does it, Kylie says :) and watching baby Einstein. His eyes glaze over and he stares...but nothing tops staring at his ceiling fan and light! He is so content and such a happy boy, unless he is hungry or tired, then watch out. His sleeping is still going awesome, most nights getting up once, maybe twice every once in a while. Looking forward to the weather warming up so he can experience the fun of being outside.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

How cool to have a holiday named after my dad! And I got to go to a Delaware Police award ceremony for my dad too on his day:) I have been giving my mom and a dad a break the last few nights and going to bed between 9-10p and waking up around 4-5am then up at 8a to watch their ceiling fan go round and round. They put me in a Johnny Jump up the other day and i love it! Its kind of like my own lazy boy that turns and I can bounce in....well after about 10 minutes though come on, thats enough of that. Everyone tells me I am growing like a weed, just over 10 weeks and my 3 month clothes are getting a little snug. Guess we will have to go shopping! My sisters are constantly making me smile....they make very goofy faces. Life is good here!

2 Months Old!

Max had his 2 month check up today and his little legs are growing!!! He is 22 1/2 inches tall and weighed in just under 12 pounds! He is doing awesome and passed all of his tests. The sad part is his pathetic scream when he endured 4 shots today. The good part of the deal is he got his dad and mom to hold him all night LONG. He is so much fun to watch him see things for the first time and get so excited about the simplest things; like pretending to walk and then run with his daddy. Yesterday was almost 70 degrees and we took him on his first walk, which he loved and of course slept through. He is a talker...(gee wonder where he got that from)...he babbles all day long. He is still center of attention no matter where he goes and we are so proud of him and how incredibly perfect he fits into our crazy house and family!

What a difference hours make...

Maybe we should knock on wood, but Max for the last 2 nights has been going 4 hours at night between feedings! We would feel all refreshed if the flu hadn't attacked our household. Max is fine and doing awesome. Every day he grows up more and more. He is bright eyed and awake most of the day and only takes 2 naps a day. He LOVES standing on our laps and running his legs really fast. His head is getting stronger by the day and he now follows us in the room with his eyes. And he loves reading, will sit and listen to his books forever. You know its the small simple things in his day that makes our day so incredible and focused on what truly is amazing! Hard to believe he is almost 2 months already. We are so lucky to have him :)

Happy Valentines Day!

Max was all of our "Valentine" this year! Today we went to the girls school for lunch and so many girls oohhed and ahhed over him. It wore him out (thankfully) so he came home and took a 2 hour nap!!! He is 6 weeks old today and over 10 pounds. Getting better on sleeping at night, up every 3 hours. Seems to be in a routine of going to bed at 11p, getting up at 2am and 5am and up for good around 8. He loves to stare at bright lights, grab onto our hair and necklaces, LOVES to be held, play on his floor mat and grab for the toys. Speak of the little valentine....off to tend to the little guy.

One Month Old

Whew! Time sure does go fast when you are sleep deprived. Actually (knock on wood) the last 2 nights Max has done incredibly well and surprised us. He is going 3-4 hours between feedings; went to bed at 11p last night and got up at 2a and 6a. Not Bad! He is growing like a weed, infact today we had to sadly pack up all his newborn clothes and move him into 0-3 month clothes. He has his one month check up tomorrow, very curious how much the little guy weighs in at. He went to church for the first time today and needless to say was the complete center of attention and loving every minute of it....okay he slept through the whole event. Heather goes back to work tomorrow, and Max is looking forward to his daddy time as Pat will be watching him everyday until he goes to work at 2p. Off to watch the SuperBowl, his lungs are all ready to cheer on the Patriots!

Slowly but Surely

Yeah! 3 weeks old yesterday and only got up twice last night!!!! Yippee! He is such a good boy and so happy and content. He is reaching out for objects and grasping onto things, smiling (or gas?) and copying us with what faces we make to him. The girls are such a huge help with entertaining him, holding and dressing him. Oh and Kylie loves to put his hair in a mohawk! Poor Max...he has no idea what he is in for growing up with 2 older sisters. Patrick goes back to work next Tuesday :( What a true blessing it has been with us both home for the last month together to bond with Max. We will always look back and cherish this time we have had with him.

Routine Smoutine

We have already come to the conclusion that yes Max is stubborn and does things on his schedule, so I don't know why we weren't surprised when we were wanting him to sleep in his bed he wanted nothing to do with it. But now I guess he is ready in his time, he will sleep in his crib at night now wanting fed every 1.5-2 hours. Small steps, but I think we are slowly getting there. Yesterday his Uncle Chris from Chicago came and did a photo shoot with him, Max did awesome. Even managed to pee on daddy!!!!

Can anyone say Spoiled????

Whew! It was alot easier to sleep with him in :) Haha! Max is doing awesome as long as someone is holding him, which isn't too hard to do being that cute. He is wide awake from 9p on and boy is he tired come morning time! Oh well all part of the fun and games! But what do you expect being 5 days old. The girls have been a huge help and love playing dress up and bath time with him!!

may we introduce Max Donover Gerke

Finally Max has arrived with much anticipation to say the least on Thursday January 3rd at 8:36pm weighing in at 8 pounds even and a little over 19" long. It was a long day of laboring until the doctor's broke Heather's water and shorlty thereafter Max arrived with many family members awaiting to snuggle him. He is such a dream come true to so many hearts. His hair is blondish, brownish, reddish and CRAZY! He is nursing perfectly and working on getting his days and nights back to normal (to say the least we haven't slept for a couple days!) Sorry for the delay in letting you know, the wi-fi wasn't working at the hospital, as I know you all have been waiting to hear from us. We are home now, getting settled and trying on new outfits with his big sisters :)