Max's First Birthday Party

Max's first birthday party was on Saturday, July 7 in our backyard. We wanted to have a low key barbecue with friends and family to celebrate Max's first year. Not only did we want to celebrate Max, we also wanted to have a party to thank all our friends and family for all their support over the last year and a half. We are so blessed to have such a wonderful son as well as an amazing support system. We are so thankful for you all! I've been thinking about what I wanted to do to celebrate Max's first birthday for many months, and I wanted to make sure it was really special. Other than it being 102 degrees outside, it was perfect!! It was everything I hoped it would be and we enjoyed spending time with people so special to us. Here are some photos of all our great memories we made that day...

the set up

the birthday boy's throne

banner of Max's first 12 months 

Tyler and I made cupcakes and owl sugar cookies for our guests

Max's sweet teacher, Ms. Abby, made him a birthday sign at school. How sweet!

Emery playing with Walker

Hannah, Emery, and Brooke

Hannah and Pop

Ms. Abby and Tripp

Jake

Walker

Walker, Allison, Laurel, Matt, Thomas, and Tripp

What a sweet baby!

Eating a little barbecue and "fixins"

My cousin, Daric, and his wife Jamie, and their son, Grayson. Mimi, Max, Uncle E, Aunt Paula, Aunt Christy, and Pal

Allison and Walker

Ms Abby with the birthday boy

Daric and Grayson

Grayson taking a little break to swing

A little chocolate does everybody good :)

Meg and Laurel

Nick and Lilly

The cool guys

...and the fun begins! Max LOVED his cake and he dug in with both hands. 

the boy likes his sweets (just like his parents)

What a messy boy...

...we went straight to the pool to rinse off...

...and boy did that feel good since it was so hot outside!

Then, we opened presents. It was so much fun and Max got great toys. We are so excited about playing with them.

Tyler said he's going to teach him how to mow the grass at an early age :)

Uncle E got Max a really cool water table to keep cool in the hot weather. We are so excited to try it out!

What a little cutie!

After opening all the gifts, the babies wanted to play with them. How cute is that!! Is there anything more fun than having so many friends to play with?!

Mimi and Pal gave Max a really cool rocking horse and all the kids loved it!! We actually had to pry Tripp off of it he was having so much fun.

Lilly loved it too!!

Grayson even took a turn. He showed all the little babies how it's done!

Mimi and Pal sat down and played with all the kiddos for awhile.

It's so cool to think that Max is going to grow up with so many great friends

Dede, Pop, and Aunt Hannah got Max a Radio Flyer wagon. What a great gift and are so excited about many great wagon rides to come! It will be perfect for walks around the neighborhood as well as for Trick-or-Treating with friends. 

What would a Muesch party be without a little cornhole?

12 Months Old

Let me just say that I cannot believe we now have a one-year-old baby! I'm sure everyone probably feels that way about themselves, but, wow, time really does fly. I remember when we first found out we were pregnant and told our families. I remember when we first found out Max was a boy at 16 weeks. I remember when we decided on naming him Max. I remember when we first found out his heart was damaged and everything we had to go through to get him here safe and healthy. I will never forget meeting him for the first time and what a unique feeling that was. I remember when they wheeled him off to surgery and what a helpless feeling that was but that so many of our friends and family showed up to support us and comfort us. I also vividly remember the day we took him home and having no idea what to do with him or ourselves. Thank God for supportive friends and family!! 

To think that was just the tip of the iceberg, so to speak. Since then, we've grown to love this little boy more than anything else and we've learned so much about him, ourselves, and life in the process. Parenthood is definitely the most wonderful blessing I can imagine, and at the same time, it's the hardest job I've ever had. What a wonderful blessing Max is, and I now cannot imagine life without him. We've made countless special memories over the last year and it's overwhelming to think about all the memories to come. 

Tyler and I would like to acknowledge all the friends and family that have prayed for us and supported us through our pregnancy and first year. We honestly could not have done it without you and I know all those prayers helped Max have a good outcome with his surgery and continued health. God is good!! 

Now, looking back, I'm so glad we've done this blog because it actually serves as Max's baby book for his whole first year. I'm sure, one day, he will love looking back at it; I know it has become incredibly special to me. When I first started it, I promised to post for a year. Now, I'm not sure what my goal is, but I will continue to post, although it might be a little less frequently. 

Now for what's going on with Max...


When he was born on July 5th, 2011, he weighed 5 pounds, 9 ounces and was 19 inches long. He was a teeny little squirt and, according to the charts, weighed in at the less than the third percentile. At his 12 month check up, Max now weighs 21 pounds and 3 ounces and is 29 3/4 inches long. He now measures in the 50th percentile for height and weight!! I couldn't believe it. He has now caught up to his peers!

Max loves...

1. opening and closing doors and playing peek-a-boo behind them.

2. being chased around the house and then tickled.

3. climbing the stairs. When he gets to the top, he wants to be praised, like he's just mastered something great.

4. pulling up on furniture and cruising around. 

5. playing ball. He loves to throw you the ball and then catch it again.

6. his bed. Max still loves taking 2 long naps a day and then sleeping 12-14 hours a night. 

7. table food. He's pretty much done with baby food and loves to feed himself table food. The boy is definitely a good eater and his favorite foods right now are roast beef, roasted chicken, and whole pears and peaches.

8. to cuddle when he's sleepy.

9. saying "ma-ma" when he gets frustrated and wants something. (it totally melts my heart because I've just been waiting for him to say that).

10. Mama. Plain and simple. He really loves his daddy too, but he's very attached to me right now and has a "stranger danger" complex. Although it can be a little embarrassing at times, I also love that he loves me so much and I enjoy the extra cuddling.

11. getting into everything he's not supposed to. Max is a very adventurous and curious boy and he loves exploring every inch of the house. 

12. echos. One of his favorite things to do is to see how his voice echoes in a new room. Bathrooms and churches are his favorites. It's really funny, but can also be inappropriate sometimes. I can't help but laugh though! 

Max riding "Clyde," his new rocking horse from Mimi and Pal. It was his first birthday present from them and he loves it!

Max is now pulling up and cruising around. 

He loves his ball; it's one of his favorite toys

On July 5th, his birthday, we let him have his own giant cupcake. As soon as we set it down in front of him, he immediately devoured it with both hands. There was no singing "Happy Birthday." It was gone in less than 5 minutes!! I think the boy has a sweet tooth like both of his parents!