10 times I was a laid back mom and totally felt like I was #winning

Some of you may not know this, but I'm fairly Type A.

I like the bathroom door closed so I can't see a toilet while I'm eating supper. I cannot STAND wet towels being left on the floor. I like being put-together and on time for church. I spend most nap times picking up/cleaning the house.

Then there are things when it comes to Maverick...and child-raising in general...that I'm so laid back I can hardly stand it. I really feel like I've overcome something here you guys. Sure there isn't a speck of grass on my kitchen floor but my kid accidentally drank some lake water last weekend and I didn't even bat an eye. WHO AM I?!

1. It all started at Christmas with Josh's extended family. Maverick was laying next to me watching Home Alone and some sweet cousins were lovin' on him a little too hard. Bopping his little legs back and forth and all around kind of rough. He wasn't in any real danger, their parents weren't around to tell them to knock it off, and he didn't seem mind...it was just vaguely kind of annoying. Guess who was all calm and cool about it? This mom. Then Uncle Charlie told them to stop it and I was secretly like...'thankyouthankyouthankyou' but on the outside I seemed reallllll laid back.

2. This week Maverick has eaten:
    - A stick
    - Some grass
    - Sand at the lake
    -A crunchy leaf
    -Some cardboard from a paper towel tube I let him play with
I'm a boy mom raising a boy! Eat more stuff off the ground Maverick, see if I care!

3. One of Josh's friends from High School came for a visit a couple weeks ago and I believe she has three under four (bless). Her middle kiddo who is 2+ kept climbing into Maverick's baby bouncer, he was obviously too big, and being a little rough...but I didn't move a muscle or say a word (she's a rock star and can obviously handle it). I just sat and drank my coffee, peacefully savoring every minute that my child is not yet mobile.

4. Mav and I are on the go a lot...we stick to a nice schedule but I have no problem popping up his pack'n'play wherever we are if a nap needs to happen. During Nikki's bridal shower? He napped in the church office with a sign on the door that said, "Baby Mav is Sleeping." Decorating for said shower a couple days before? I set up his bed and noise app in the corner of the room I was decorating, covered him with a blanket and got back to work. Hashtag. Boom.

5. This is pretty much all I hear at our house for the past ten months, "Is he too hot? Is he too cold? Why is he crying? Are you sure he's comfortable? I think the sun is in his eyes. We need one of those window covers to keep the sun out of his eyes. Why is he coughing? Did you just hear him cough in his room? Is he choking? We should go check on him. Is his room too cold? His feet are cold I think he needs socks. Check the water before he gets in the tub, is it too hot? *repeat*repeat*repeat*" - Josh

Want to know my answer to all of these?
"No, he's fine."

One of us has to at least pretend to be laid back.

Minutes before the lake water incident that had me gagging and scarred for life. 

6. It's no secret Maverick is petite for his age. G'mas get all bent out of shape about how much and when and what babies eat...I guess it's just a thing for all grandmas everywhere. At our last appointment, it became obvious that Maverick has invented his own growth curve. Way to go buddy! He's tracking right along a nice curve...just slightly below most babies his age. I don't even mind! Growth curve, schmoth curve. His clothes fit longer and he's waaaay easier to carry around.

7. At about two or three months when I started to establish a real nap schedule instead of just letting him sleep when and where he wanted...I'd plop him in the crib, give him a quick swaddle, say "happy nappy Maverick!" and leave the room. This hasn't always gone as smoothly as it does these days and every. time. my mom was around listening to him cry she would say things like, "Whenever you're ready to give in, I'll go in and get him for you."

I don't give in. I win this game every time.

And now I have a champion napper! WOO!

8. As Maverick has started to work on going mobile...he's hit a phase where he's back to toppling over every so often. And no amount of pillows propped up behind his back (JOSH) will save him from it because of the way he changes direction and scoots around on his bottom. I think he's bonked his head three times this week on my watch and once on Josh's. Our reactions are significantly different:

"Ooops! You went bonk on the deck!" -Me
(so you don't think I'm super mean, I do pick him up for cuddles until he's done crying)

"BUDDY I'M SO SORRY! Baaabe he just hit his head really hard on the floor!" -Josh
"That's how they learn." - Me

9. Some parents get all emotionally attached to their children's hair. Not this first-time-momma. When the kid needed a haircut...he needed a haircut. He looked homeless. He's had two already and he'll be getting his third one soon.

10. When Maverick is around older kids, friends, cousins, etc. and kid's will occasionally take his toys away...just watch me sit back and not even care. Why? Because he's not old enough to care yet! I just give him something different to play with and he's just as happy as can be. If parents are around, usually they'll say, "Don't take that toy away from the baby, give it back!" But if they don't? I'm, like, super cool with it. It's just building character.

I will say...I am not laid back about naps and bedtime. I do not mess around with an overtired baby for reasons like shopping, fireworks, errands...even trips or holiday's with family. No but's about it, just not how we roll for this baby/toddler season. To make sure I'm not totally crazy, I texted a friend this week to ask how she handles fireworks with her 2-year-old and she said, "He's never seen them. I don't think I'll keep him up for them until he's at least 4." And I was like...*praisehands*praisehands*praisehands* "PREACH."

MmB

Maverick: Nine Month Update

This month marks the first month that Maverick has officially spent more time OUTSIDE in the real world, rather than INSIDE of me. I know I was only pregnant through one summer...but I keep thinking to myself how nice it is all my summer clothes fit again and I can lay out on my stomach and I don't instantly start sweating the minute I step outside. Mmmm...we are all pretty excited for summer over here, but I might be the most jacked.

So Maverick is nine months old (and three days) and here's what's going on...

We joke that Maverick has developed an annoying 'attitude' about certain things...which we lovingly refer to as 'Mavitude' (credit goes to Jamie on that one) and it has started to really show itself in recent weeks. If our walk gets too long...he whines. If he's been playing somewhere a little too long...he whines. If he has to be laid down for a diaper change...he whines. If it's time to go in his car seat and he would rather be held...he whines. If I leave the room...he whines. I think it's just the age and I keep reminding myself some babies scream and cry over some of those things...I'm lucky it rarely gets to that point. So annoying as it might be, I'll take it over hysterical crying any day.

On that same note...Josh's dad was here a couple weeks ago when it was time for jammies (he was already having a crabby night) and Maverick threw a full-on crying/screaming/tantrum about being changed into jammies before eating/bed. A few members of Josh's family firmly believe that 'he never cries!' even though I assure them that is definitely not true. I think Vern was a little concerned at the level of crying he witnessed for the first time that night...even though it really is a common occurrence during growth spurts/off-days/etc.!

That all sounds like I'm complaining and I'm really not...in fact, Maverick isn't a whole lot different this month than last as far as his happy disposition most days...he's just growing and learning so what scares him or makes him crabby changes as he becomes more aware of stuff. When he was a month old he slept through a train whistle. On Saturday when it blew twice at the Farmer's Market he got super scared and had a meltdown about it (to be fair...it scared me too because I jumped!). We cuddled for a few blocks and he got over it when he saw a puppy. If he can see me moving around in the house he's content and happy, but as soon as I go into the hallway the whining starts. I ignore it all day every day and let him keep playing on the floor by himself...but if we're out and about or with family/friends and the whining starts we eventually give in and carry him so he doesn't annoy other people. Because there's nothing worse than being around crying/annoying kids who aren't even yours. lol.

As you've probably guessed from my pictures, we've had a LOT of water-time last month and we're just getting started. In May, Jamie and I walked to tons places with fountains/ponds/sprinklers to put Maverick's feet/hands in. Then last week before the pool was officially open I caved and bought a tiny blue back yard pool so we can swim at night or in the morning if I don't feel like going to the big pool twice in one day. So far Jamie and I have enjoyed it as much as Maverick (or more) because it makes cooling off while laying out really easy. Full disclosure...we've both gotten in more times than is probably appropriate for an adult to be splashing in a baby pool.

The two biggest questions I get this month: Is he crawling??? Does he have teeth???

Answers: No and no.

Every mom I talk to says the longer it is before those things happen, the better off we will be...so I don't know why people are so gung-ho for the crawling and the teeth! If he doesn't walk or have teeth until he's over year old...I WILL BE THE HAPPIEST MOM ALIVE. Right now he sits and plays and doesn't care about toys that are out of his reach. I couldn't be more ok with it.

It's a lot easier to get Maverick to laugh this month. We eat his neck/tummy/hips/sides/armpits/legs and we get some really good giggles out of him. It's still easy to make him smile and our favorite game is, 'Maverick, where's Mommy?' where I basically keep repeating that over and over until I run over and say, 'Heeeeere comes Mommy to get Maverick!' and he loooooves it. And I love that he's so obsessed with me. It will be short-lived in the grand scheme of things and I'm enjoying it while I can. Not that he doesn't love daddy too...you should see this boy light up when Josh talks to him on the phone. Oh my gosh it makes my day every day. Seriously...he can be crabbing and whining and as soon as I hold the phone up to his ear and Josh goes, 'Maverick! It's Dadadadadada,' he gets the BIGGEST smile. Gah. It's so fun.

He still likes bath time, though the slogan I posted to Facebook earlier this week will definitely be true for us this summer. I think the last time he had an actual 'bath-bath' was last Saturday maybe? Or Sunday? Like I said...'Chlorine is the new bath.' The kid has been in water every single day this week. Good enough.

Schedule this month is:
4/5/6 - Eat
8/8:30 - Wake up/eat
10/10:30 - Nap
12/12:30 - Wake up/eat
2/2:30 - Nap
4/4:30 - Wake up/eat
8:00 - Eat/Bedtime

Super easy. Super simple. Easy to get stuff done at home, as well as errands out and about. If we drive to Manson, he will still nap in the car. If we come home from somewhere in the evening, he will usually stay awake (as long as we give toys/play Baby Einstein). Whenever I go to lay him down for a diaper change before nap, LIKE ACTUAL CLOCKWORK, he rubs his eyes and is instantly ready for nap. Getting him to stay awake in the evening isn't even a battle anymore...some nights we just have to stay busier than others depending on his mood of the day. That's not to say I cater to his every mood...just if he's crabby it's an excuse to get out of the house for a walk or go to Sam's Club.

He goes down happy about 75% of the time and wakes up happy about 75% of the time I would say. He's usually done fussing in five minutes or less, unless we're in a different place. The church nursery has been a real WildCard this month, just when I thought we had it figured out. Whatever. Sunday's are just whatever. I think 6/7 days a week on a perfect schedule is good. enough.

Big news this month, Maverick sleeps through more and more noises every day! Sirens, semis, mowers, trucks, parties, floor creaks, toilets flushing, laundry going...he's becoming a better sleeper every day and I'm so proud. Though loud kids bounding around the house or slamming doors...notsomuch. I do still try to make sure he gets one good nap a day in a crib if at all possible. I wouldn't like napping in a car/stroller/shopping cart for four hours a day, so I certainly don't expect him to do it. Plus it keeps me on a nice, structured schedule where I'm forced to be home for four hours a day cleaning and working on the computer which isn't fun, but it's necessary.

As far as night sleeping goes...Maverick probably hit five or six nights out of seven. The other one or two he was up at 1/2/3 and I've given up any form of sleep training because Josh is working way too hard to be laying awake listening to a crying baby for hours at night in the name of 'Sleep Training.' I'm not thrilled about it, but I'll admit...it's WAY easier to let him cry for 10 minutes, feed him, and let us all get back to bed instead of CIO for hours on end until we hit the 5am mark (which has always been his usual early morning breakfast time). Maybe it will be different with the next baby. For now I'm kind of over forcing the overnight sleep. I'm in a super encouraging Babywise Group on Facebook where moms from all over the world are always asking questions and giving advice...and I've decided that even though Maverick wasn't sleeping through the night at 12 weeks like the book suggests...he's still doing pretty. darn. good. He has a 12 hour night, and four hours of naps during the day and that falls into the normal range for his age, so done and done.

Plus the napper he's become...my gosh. So good. We've worked hard enough on his schedule, I'm just not going to stress about it.

Please note the excited toes in this picture. That is my favorite part.

Maverick gets more fun every day (even though some days that comes with crabbiness!)...he wants to stand all the time, is still the chattiest, loudest baby I've ever been around, and loves 'wrestling'/crawling all over us. Lately we've been spending an hour in the front yard every night on a blanket or beach towel playing and watching the cars go by and he loves that. He's also become quite the cuddler...it's usually pretty quick, but he will lay his head on my shoulder for a couple seconds for a quick cuddle before he goes back to squawking and playing and bouncing. Maverick has started growling a lot this month and makes 'puppy' noises by going 'rrrrrruff...rrrrrruff' under his breath. It's hilarious. Speaking of puppies, his tongue has been hanging out like a puppy almost non-stop while he investigates things and practices new skills. He also loves watching puppies and reeeeally studies animals when they pass by on walks or at the park. He makes friends at every store we enter, and people comment on his blue eyes and blonde hair and it's almost starting to get weird how many people say he's cute. Like...what do I even say? "Thanks! I made him!" I just...I don't know. Of course I think he's cute, but I need people to stop validating that or we're all going to get big heads over here.

We try and read to Maverick but it usually ends with him closing the book on us 20 times so he can slap the front cover and then eat the edges. Eeeeeeverything goes into his mouth to study and I'm not too up tight about giving him things off the floor but I draw the line with phones, money, and toys from dirty restaurant floors. Everything else I'm cool with (Jamie once said something along the lines of, "It's good we don't let Maverick eat our phones. After taking microbiology, I don't even want to think about how gross our phones are," and that's all it took for me to make the phone rule a done deal). Maverick decided he was sick of food this month, so I wasn't too obsessed with pushing it. He's little, but I can't exactly shove food down his throat. This last 'Leap' hit and he's been even more easily distracted than ever before with every movement or sound...he's quicker at breastfeeding, but once he starts 'talking' and eating, I know he's done whether he's truly finished or not. Same goes for real food...he'll play with his fruit for a while, and then I try to give him 5-10 ounces of baby food each day, but lately, I'm lucky if he gets three. He's going to have a rude awakening when we are DONE breastfeeding in three months...cows milk and real food is coming for you Maverick!

He does love cottage cheese. No surprise there. We are a bunch of cheese-lovers in this family.

That's basically all there is to tell about our little Maverick. He's pretty sweet and I think we'll keep him. I can't believe in less than three months he'll be a year old!

MmB

Maverick's Summer Bucket List 2016

Jamie and I were commenting the other day on how we needed to make our list of fun things to accomplish this summer. But since most of those things now revolve around Maverick (and his awesome stroller WITH CUP HOLDERS...we'll never have to hold our drinks again!!!) I figured making a 'Maverick's Summer Bucket List' would be a better idea. :)


Hi guys. I guess my mom wants a list of all the fun stuff I want to do with my summer...I'm excited for summer because here's all the fun things I'm gunna do...

1. Strollering through Reiman Gardens

2. Tot Time at Furman Aquatic Center (every. single. day.)

3. Blank Park Zoo with G'ma and G'pa (mom loves that I'll be FREE everywhere this summer!)

4. Ames Farmer's Market (repeat 10+ times)

5. Trips to Twin Lakes (the more water included in my summer...the better)

6. Picnics with daddy at work

7. Walks around Ada Hayden (maybe not the whole way...that would be a LONG walk)

8. Lazy Rivering at FAC

9. My first Manson Grater Crater Days experience

10. Cousin time at the farm (to include sprinklers, pools, hoses...)

11. Spending hours outside on the deck

12. Trips to the Manson Family Aquatic Center

13. THE IOWA STATE FAIR (I was so mad I was stuck inside for this last year)

14. Walks around campus

15. Coffee and lunch dates at places with outdoor patios (obviously important to me)

16. Trips to visit G'ma and G'pas DeGroot's farm

17. Walks around our neighborhood

18. Auntie Sarah coming to visit!!!

19. Jumping on the trampoline

20. Spending time around the fire pit

21. Walks around Manson (we can walk on the streets there without being yelled at)

22. Ames Fourth of July Parade

23. Visiting Kid's Camp at Hidden Acres (when do I get to be a camper?)

24. Learning how to crawl (why is this on the list...I'm happy to just sit and play)

25. Celebrating daddy's 28th birthday!

26. Visiting VBS at Faith

27. Growing so all my summer clothes actually fit...?

28. Playing at every Ames park within a 10 mile radius of my house

29. Titus 2 Play Group

30. Tropical Smoothie Happy Hour

31. Friday Clothing Frenzy's at Overflow (please...we all know this one is for mom)

32. Coffee dates with all my G'mas (why does every day revolve around coffee? I don't get it)

33. Planning my first birthday party

34. Dates with Auntie Jamie while mom and dad go on real dates (the frequency with which my parents go on dates is actually pretty impressive)

35. Uncle Justin finally coming home from the Navy!!!

36. Playing at the library on rainy days

37. Maybe I'll learn to walk this summer...maybe I won't

38. Mom and dad celebrating their SIXTH anniversary!

39. Nana and Papa watching me (so mom and dad can go to Nikki's wedding)

40. Memorize the ISU Fight Song before kick-off

-BabyMav

A Lawncare Guide for Dummies

Today, I'll be sharing a few things I've learned from the past nine years that I've spent sitting at the feet of the lawn care master...Josh Boersma, CEO of Boersma Lawn Care.

Or as we sometimes refer to him in this house...

The Kanye of Lawn Care.
The Michael Jordan of Lawn Care.

The Tony Stark of Lawn Care.

Ehhh...we're not very humble...are we?

All that to say...he knows what he's doing and most of the time it feels like Boersma Lawn Care is ALL we ever talk about. So after this constant chatter about grass turf, I've actually learned a few things and I'm here to impart some of that valuable knowledge to all of you...our supportive friends, family, and customers.

This blog title is NOT to imply that any of you dear readers are dummies, or that any of our customers are dummies. My goal this year is to INFORM our customer base as much as I possibly can...because if we keep our customers informed, I believe that will alleviate a lot of the miscommunication and misinterpretation (which occasionally results in conflict) about why Josh does/recommends some of the things he does. It's hard to keep customers in this industry informed when there are soooo many companies out there doing it wrong...but I'm determined! If anything, those other companies are the dummies okay I digress...I guess a more appropriate title would have been 'BLC: Lawn Care FAQ's' but let's be honest...that's not as catchy. Then no one would have read it and I would have written all this for nothing and I just can't afford to waste nap time like that.

When Josh applies what the industry calls, 'Round 1'...this is a fertilizer with pre-emergent control. It is NOT going to kill dandelions. Round 2 does that. Do you know what pre-emergent means? Yea, neither did I. It helps keep seeds (OF ALL KINDS) from growing in the spring and into the summer. Meaning...if Josh puts down Round 1, then you go out and buy some grass seed from Lowe's to throw on a bare spot in your yard...thaaaaaaat's not going to grow either.

There are real reasons Josh has continuing education classes and pays for yearly certifications, you guys. He's always yammering on about getting his spreaders/sprayers 'calibrated' and I'm all like...'What's the big deal? You're just walking behind a push spreader? Or riding on a sprayer.' Then he tells me there's apparently a dial and you have to know your walking/driving speed and how wide you are spreading (plus overlap!?) and how much product is coming out in order to be sure you're putting the correct amount of chemical down. How in the world...? Do any of you precious homeowners know how to accurately calibrate a spreader/sprayer? Some might, but my guess is the vast majority do not. You run the risk of putting waaaay too much down and subsequently needing to mow your yard twice a week or more (I'm looking at you Nathan Boersma ;)...or not putting down enough and doing all that work for nothing. OR just not reading your label correctly and accidentally killing parts of your lawn.

Josh can legally only put down two rounds of weed control per yard per year because he puts down the highest rate allowed by the label/state. So while everyone is going berserk about the dandelions that came out of NOWHERE a couple weeks ago (I know, it DOES seem early...here's a helpful article Josh posted explaining why that is), there's something important you should know. If Josh puts down a weed control application in April...that has to last you...UNTIL SEPTEMBER. Right? That's a long time! I had no idea! Most people (me included) assume if they see weeds in their yard, he can just come out anytime, as many times as it takes, and spray for weeds. But that is not the case. I'm sorry about it, but we don't make the rules.

We're talking about a blanket application, here. Josh is able to come do some spot spraying (within reason) in certain situations.

Here's a helpful (loose) chemical application timeline for you to follow...this varies depending on the soil temperature and the weather...and occasionally overlaps one way or another. But you get the idea:

March/April = Round One Spring Fertilizer with Pre-Emergent Control (Dimension - Granular)
May/June = Round Two Weed Control (Spoiler - Liquid)
June/July/August = Round Three Summer Fertilizer (Slow Release Granular w/ Iron)
September/October = Round Four Fall Weed Control (Spoiler - Liquid)
October/November = Round Five Fall Fertilizer (Granular)

Josh can also spray for bugs around the interior and exterior perimeter of your foundation if that's an chemical application option that interests you. Aside from a few renegade ants who invaded my kitchen a few weeks ago (and were taken care of within 24 hours) we almost NEVER have bugs/spiders/ants/creepy crawlies in our house (or in the basement!). In the past six years, I've probably killed a spider twice. Seriously. The man gets results!

I cannot tell you how many times I take calls from potential customers requesting Josh get them a quote for "a simple weed'n'feed application." I know that's how stores like Lowe's and Home Depot and Menards market a product that claims to be a fertilizer and a weed killer all in one cute catchy-named product. But how do I put this delicately...fertilizer and weed control bought in a bag...umm that's not a thing. And it's not something we're going to try and sell you. The high-end chemical products Josh is able to use because he holds a license, (and the way he meticulously schedules each of his five applications) are WAY better for your yard than any 'weed'n'feed' approach other companies and home improvement stores offer.

These statements might be good to reference prior to questioning The Michael Jordan of Lawn Care...these are things I hear him saying over and over and over, so now I have them memorized too!

• "A healthy weed is easier to kill."
• "Planting grass seed in the fall is better."
• "Long grass always looks greener than freshly cut grass."
• "Round 1 is fertilizer. It's not going to kill your weeds." (repeat 300 times ;)
• "A thick, healthy yard is your best defense against weeds."
• "Letting the grass grow longer before the first mow of the season is better for it."
• "Don't cut your grass so short."
• "Don't cut your grass so short."
• "Don't cut your grass so short."
• "If you want the grass seed I just planted to grow, you need to water appropriately. It's not going to grow if you don't water it."

I'll leave you with this tidbit that blew my mind while we were on a walk last week...

"Josh, why is that grass yellow? Is that a weird kind of weed that just looks like grass?" - Mollie

"They planted the wrong kind of grass seed. Grass is a weed to a farmer if it's in his field. A weed is anything that's growing somewhere you don't want it to be growing." - Josh

#micdrop #mindblown

I hope that someone learned something new from all that. Thanks for reading!
-BLC Team of Three

Maverick: 8 Month Update

Mother's Day hangover is a very real thing...I woke up on Monday morning after 10 hours of glorious sleep and literally felt like I was drunk. It's like my body doesn't know how to handle that much sleep anymore...I spent most of the morning wandering around the house, sitting and staring into my coffee cup, and giggling about nothing while Jamie and Josh looked at me and asked, "Ummm are you ok?"

Mother's Day. It was a totally new experience this year now that I have a real baby boy who calls me Maamaamaamaa. Josh kept asking what I wanted and I said I wanted to NOT talk about Boersma Lawn Care the whole day, I wanted him to ignore his phone, and I wanted to go to the movie Mother's Day...I got exactly what I asked for! It was such a fun day and an excuse for us to sneak in an extra date to the Cafe on Sunday to cap off the weekend. We ended up talking a little business (but it was strictly about 'Boersma Rentals')...and we started planning our vacation to Galena in October! 

But enough about Maverick's parents...this is supposed to be his eight month update! He IS the reason I celebrated Mother's Day yesterday, after all.

BabyMav (said like one word, our favorite nickname this month) is still in 3-6 month clothes (starting to fit into some 6-9), size two diapers, and has most of the same likes and dislikes as last month...although they're starting to be articulated a little more strongly with each passing day. Every once in a while we get a little glimpse of some serious attitude that is NOT going to be pleasant to deal with in a couple months. My mom melts every time Maverick whine-cries and I barely hear the that anymore. Owie cries I hear, sad/scared cries I hear...everything else gets ignored if mom has chores to do because 'independent play' for at least a half hour has started to be a 'requirement' during 'wake-times.' ;)

That was an annoying sentence for me to write. But it's true.

I love our schedule right now. It's exactly the same as last month but we've gotten better at it. At some point in the past couple weeks Maverick naturally started shifting to an earlier morning and an earlier bedtime (that I'm surprisingly enjoying!). He's up between 8 and 8:30 every morning and in bed by 8:30 every night. Looking toward the summer, I think this schedule will work well with our mandatory pool time and the earlier bedtime gives Josh and I a little bit more of a 'night' together...though sometimes that means Josh misses out on Maverick-time altogether. :( 

Maverick is just such a fantastic napper. Two, two-hour naps are solid almost every day we are at home in our usual groove. If we're gone somewhere I can still usually count on hour and a half, though he's still always a wild card if I try and get him to nap at Nana's.

Speaking of naps...I discovered last weekend that they keep a pack'n'play in the bathroom in Maverick's classroom at church...this. is. a. game changer. I usually throw our schedule out the window on Sunday's and that makes an already busy day a lot harder/longer. I don't need to put the pressure of a schedule on the sweet church nursery ladies, but NOW I can just instruct them to toss him in the pack'n'play, ignore the 10 minutes of crying, and he should be *out* for the whole service. PERFECT! Last Sunday when we came to pick him up they met me at the door saying, "It worked! He's been in there napping the whole time!" I was thrilled. Another unexpected Mother's Day present from my sweet little boy.

I think the biggest change this month came when Maverick finally became sturdy enough to sit up all by himself. It took a couple days of me sitting with him when he was playing to 'catch' him when he got too excited, but now he sits up like a big man and plays with his toys all the time. I think this means I can finally get rid of our play mat now that he's never laying under it. HORRAY! He loves sitting up in his stroller and looking at puppies, kitties, cars, and other little people we walk by. I've noticed he gets bored of toys more too...I rotate things every couple of days and make sure he doesn't get overwhelmed with too many things surrounding him to play with. He seems happier with just two or three things at a time. Or a whole bucket of Legos to play with.

Maverick doesn't throw a fit quite as much anymore when he gets put down, which I'm attributing to how much better he is at playing. Laying and trying to play just wasn't cutting it anymore last month, so that's been good. He has gotten pretty vocal about me leaving a room. If I'm around the kitchen/dining room/living room he's content to sit in his bouncer or play, but if it's getting close to nap time and I shut the door to go to the bathroom or go into the hallway/bedrooms and he can't SEE me anymore...he loses his mind about it.

As for sleeping, this month we're averaging about 3-4 good nights and 3-4 bad nights per week. I haven't been able to find a correlation between his days and nights that might fix the problem. Naps during the day can be either amazing or terrible...and our night can go either way. There's just no rhyme or reason to it! The other night he was suuuuuper distracted by his daddy while he was eating before bed, and I was convinced he hardly ate anything...he slept until 6am! On the nights I try offering a couple extra ounces of milk and he chugs it I think, "Ok...this is the night he will crank out 12 hours...I have a good feeling." And he will be up at 1:30. He's eating some food 2-3 times a day and there are days he eats a lot and days he doesn't eat as much...and our nights don't seem to have a correlation based on that either. So I'm just riding it out. He's still pretty easy and great...so on the nights that have been extra rough I allow myself an extra cup of coffee in the morning and an afternoon in front of the TV instead of staying busy doing stuff. I've done everything 'by the book' and he has ZERO bad habits...so I've done what I can. It's whatever.

Maverick is doing a mixture of BabyLed and Traditional weaning now. After he had so much fun playing with food there for a few months, I decided it was time to get some extra calories in him during the day...since...you know he's tiny. He probably eats 5-8 ounces of baby food per day and gets to play with fruit or avocado or cheese at some point during his day. And as you can see...he hasn't exactly 'bulked' up even after all the extra food. So that's just whatever too. He's still breastfed 5-6 times a day and that's where he's supposed to be getting his nutrients anyway.

We've really killed it with the play dates this week. On Monday we went swimming with Baby Gabby and her mom at a hotel pool...Tuesday was Titus 2 Play Group at church...Wednesday we had a Chic-Fil-A breakfast date with the Becker's...and today we went swimming again with Beckett Hoben and his mommy! Tomorrow we're spending the day with Nana before we pick Uncle Winston up from the airport, so it's been an eventful week for sure. I've even stayed totally on top of Josh's invoicing and voicemails...probably why this post is 12 days late. :)

A few 'new' funny things about Mav...he thinks it's funny to 'wrestle.' Sometimes he'll reach out and grab my arm when I'm changing his diaper and I rock him around and he loves it. I throw couch pillows at him and he wrestles those too. He does this thing Jamie and I have named 'Scuttling' which is a combination of scrunch-cuddling. It's when he gets so excited about whoever is holding him that he tightens/scrunches/pinches/smiles/cuddles right up to your shoulder. It's one of my new favorite things. We also play a miniture-version of airplane with him on our legs. This month Maverick has gotten a lot better about falling asleep in the car and then continuing his nap in his crib once we've unloaded. YAYAY!

We still have a big talker. His squeals, squeaks, and screams remind us of a taradactyl...so sometimes we call him a Baby Taradactyl because it can get reeeeally high-pitched. He has figured out how to blow bubbles, make a few boy noises, and use his fingers to make noise with his lips. He pays special attention to his toys and moves things around in his hands a lot better. He grabs anything and everything to put in his mouth (mail, clothes, tags, leaves). Mostly he just slaps and kicks all his toys.

Josh and I are planning our trip to Galena this fall and Maverick is excited about spending FOUR DAYS with G'ma and G'pa doing fun fall Manson things. Three nights and four days...this is a test-run to see if they can handle when we take a longer, tropical vacation at some point in the future.

That's what was up with our little man this month. I cant believe we're halfway to month NINE! Time for pictures with Libby, the pool to open, and all kinds of fun stuff on our summer bucket list!

MmB