Happy Christmas from Max

Max wasn't so into posing for me, but I did catch a couple shots of him laughing and laughing. He's such a happy boy. And I happen to think he looks handsome in his new brown sweater...

Hello P, Hello Psychic Detective

Joanna and I both love Psych. We are fans of delicious flavor.
Max has a Hello Kitty book all about careers. For P, they have Pastry Chef, and they show lots of different foods. And a pineapple. I always have Max "spot the pineapple" on the page and I'm trying to teach him to say Psych Out when he sees it. I told Joanna of my quest. And she created the above picture for Max to color. It now hangs in my cube with pride.

Preschool...

Max has been accepted into a preschool. He will start on January 6th. I'm sure he will have a great time. I am not so ready.

Weather-willing we are going to go there today to check it out again. I have seen the place but it was about a year ago. NannyJo will meet me there and we will take M&M with us. Hopefully Max will do well on his first day after seeing the school today. He'll just be there for 3 hours a day, two days a week.

Broken Clavicle

So Max has had a very exciting week...

Right before the time change he came in to my bedroom. He was coughing and I could hear him breathing. The time was 1.55am. I wasn't sure if it was the first 1.55am or the second. I let Max crawl in the bed for a little bit, until the clock went from 1.59 to 1.00. And then I got up and got the nebulizer. I gave him a dose but it didn't seem to do anything. Since it sounded a bit like croup I turned on the hot water in the shower and kept him in the bathroom for a bit. That also didn't work, so I bundled him up and got ready to go to the ER. The cold air helped a little, but he was still not sounding very good. We went in the ER, they listened to him, and gave him a dose of steroids. We got home around 4am and went to bed.

Later in the morning, Max fell down the stairs. No one is real quite sure what happened. But he fell. He cried. I snuggled him. He calmed down. His eyes were reactive, he wasn't crying, and he calmed down. So we did not go back to the ER.

On Monday Mark took him to the doctor for his breathing issues. She checked him out for the fall and saw no real issues. Mark took Max for an xray of his adenoids (they are HUGE) and then came home.

Tuesday Mark took Max to NannyJo's house. When I picked the babies up, she commented on Max not using his left arm. I brought him home and noticed that even when offered two drinks, he wasn't using his left arm. So I called the doctor's office and they agreed to see us if I could get there before they closed. I am so happy we changed to a doctor just a mile from the house!! We got to the doctor's office with 15 minutes to spare. They confirmed that he was not using his arm and recommended we go to the ER to have them do xrays.

So I put the 4 kids back into the van, ran home to get some snacks and to change out of my suit, and we went to the ER. I really like the Springfield HealthPlex! They are very quick to get you to a nurse and although it almost always takes 2 hours, you are not often left alone to wait for a doctor or nurse. They did xrays and confirmed Max has a broken clavicle! They gave us a tiny little sling for him and sent us home wtih instructions to get him in with a specialist the next day.

So on what would have been my third day at my new job, I teleworked and took Max to the orthapedic specialist. They checked him out, told us the sling was good as long as Max wanted to protect his arm, but that we could stop using the sling at the point Max seemed willing to start using his arm again. That's handy information! They also gave us a brace for him to wear ALL THE TIME to help keep his shoulders back so his bone will heal straight. We go back in 3 weeks for a checkup. It could be up to 8 weeks before his bone has healed. And his swimming classes are cancelled.

He seems to be doing very well. He's not taking much medicine (and he was only getting tylenol) and he seems to be mostly running around and being his normal ActionMax self. He did try to run across our bed last night and fell and then cried, but other than that he doesn't seem to be hurting himself and seems to remember to take care of his arm. We've also mastered some tricks like putting his jacket on "bad arm" first and we have figured out how to lift him up without putting any strain on his broken bone.

Halloween Max

Let's Go!!!!

I love the tiny little tail!

The moment we got in the house he sat down, unwrapped a tootsie pop, and started eating! He got a second tootsie pop open before we could stop him and was in toddler heaven!

Max with his haul...

This was Max right before we went in the house. I think he enjoyed his first trick or treating experience! And lucky boy, he got to ride in the stroller the whole time!

Max the Ring Bearer

Max is all ready to be a ring bearer. Daddy and Mommy are still working on getting Meggie ready!

Max and Mommy in their wedding finery.

Max, after his duties are done. Chilling out in the high chair. He later danced with Wes until Wes was unable to stand...

Brush Mommy Hair!

Last night I had just put my hair up in a bun when Max appeared with the hair brush. He very nicely said "brush mommy hair" so I took my hair down from the bun and let him brush it. Any time he is willing to string 3 words together, I'm all for it!

Max was also very excited to have a visit from Bob last night. He was literally jumping up and down in the kitchen yelling "Yay Bob! Yay Bob!" and then as soon as he saw Bob he stopped talking and stayed quiet! He did go into his play kitchen and made Bob a series of snacks, including the lettuce and baked bean sandwich. I'm sure Bob is very happy Max only has access to plastic food at this point...

Mommy Do!

Max and I were playing with chalk on the driveway on Monday night. I drew a little bit, but then I took over Margaret leaving Max to draw by himself while I stood nearby. I said "Max do!" and he turned to me and said very firmly "Mommy do!"

I was laughing. I still didn't draw for him any more. But I was laughing. And glad he came up with a little sentance for me. Yay Max!

I'm also pleased that when I *was* drawing he was able to identify the shapes and animals. Drawing is not my skill. But I did well enough for him to get the basic idea!

Trade?

Last night I was brushing Margaret's hair with the pooh-bear hair brush. Max decided he wanted to play with that hairbrush, but Margaret had it in her hands. I offered him the green hairbrush. He didn't want it. But then he reconsidered. He took the green hair brush from me. And then he offered it to Margaret and said "trade, baby" and she gave him the pooh-bear hair brush! Smart boy Max!!!

Once he figured this technique out, he was happy to use it later in the evening. Unfortunately for Max, Margaret is a little more discerning. She had a book. He wanted the book. He offered her the Lambchop toy. She wasn't about to trade for that. So he offered up the toy blackberry. That was a worthwhile trade. :)

Ring Bear

My favorite photo of Max from the weekend...

And here Max is showing off his whole "ring bear" costume before the wedding.

Ring Bear and Best Man

Cheese!

Max and his baby...

They love to "play" with the Mr Potato Head toys.

Max and his Big Boy Bed!

Max was very excited about the idea of his very own Big Boy Bed!

He went to bed in it for the first time on Friday night. And got out of it to turn on the night light. And then got back into bed. And then got out of it to shut the door. And then got back into bed. And then got out of it to open the door. And then got back into bed. And on and on. He did finally go to sleep in his bed, but in the night he got up and came and climbed into bed with me and Mark. And then drooled on my pillow.

Saturday night did not go so well, partially because Mark was at home with all 4 kids while I was at Angie's Bachelorette Party. So it was after 11pm before Max was finally in his bed asleep. And when I got up in the night I found him sleeping on the floor next to his bed, with his head at the wrong end of the bed. And at 7.22am he was staring at me!

Sunday night didn't go so smoothly because I messed up the Sunday afternoon nap. He slept too late in the day and for too long. And then I let him have candy after dinner. Because sometimes Mommies make bad decisions. So it was another rough night and it was after 10pm before I was able to get into my bed and go to sleep. When I put Margaret in her bed after her 3am feeding I found Max asleep "on" his bed with just his head and upper body on the bed. The rest of his body was in a kneeling position on the floor. I was able to move him back into his bed without him waking up.

We are making progress but it has been a slow process. He did *choose* to nap in his bed yesterday instead of napping in the baby's bed like he did on Saturday, so I think he is adjusting. It is just a slow process that is having quite the impact on his sleep deprived mother...

Big Boy Bed...

Tonight is a big night. We are going to move Max from his crib into a big boy bed. Well, a toddler bed. But still. It is a big step. Margaret is going to move into Max's crib and Max's new bed will be set up where Margaret's crib has been. I think it is also time to buy him a wee little pillow. I am hoping that will help him transition into his new bed...

In Which Max Demonstrates Some Questionable Style Choices

Max dressed himself. Mark did not veto the choices. So Max was wearing a blue and white stripped romper, undone at the bottom, over inside out and backwards plaid pants. With olive crocs on the wrong feet.

But he was happy!

Beach Max (plus other photos)

We went to Virginia Beach last weekend for Julie and Jason's wedding. We were able to get to the beach by 2pm for a 230 wedding so Max got to play on the beach. This was his first ever trip to the beach and we weren't sure if he was going to like it. He would either see it as a giant sandbox and love it, or he would see it as something that made him dirty and he would hate it. Happily he took the giant sandbox approach and had a great time. When it was time to go to the reception he willingly said "bye bye beach" and toddled off. Yay Max!

This is Max in the middle of the wedding. He was quiet. He was off to one side. I was totally ok with his decision!

Max started wanting to play with my sling, so I got the idea of making him his own sling. Here he is with his Tigger in the sling. I have since improved the design of the sling and I am going to try to make some for the Burke Fall Festival. Hopefully they will sell well for Virgin Crafts!

This is Max blowing bubbles at the Delt Reunion on August 14th. Thanks to Carol Caylor for the VT shirt for Max!

Max loves to blow out candles and was excited to help Grandad!

Max is saying "Cheese!" and showing off his suit! Yay suit! Hurrah for Marks and Spencer! This is the same suit he wore last year to be in Uncle Michael and Auntie Sheena's wedding but this year we didn't have to roll up the legs of his pants!

A few England Photos

Mommy and Max on Tower Bridge with some of London and the Thames behind us.

Max at the Royal Observatory, very close to the Prime Meridan.

Max and Margaret at Nandos (where we ate dinner with Rob Vignerot) apparently demanding their food. This was the first time they got to sit in high chairs next to each other since Margaret doesn't really sit in a high chair yet.

Max is looking a little worried as we ride the tube during rush hour to go to Covent Garden to meet Rob for dinner. He was in his buggy, but he still felt like he needed to hold on.

Max is saying "Cheese!"

Preview of things to come...

Here is a picture of Max, in England, wearing the shirt Uncle Michael and Auntie Sheena got for him. He's also wearing a silly hat, because sometimes that is how a Max needs to be...

He's still working on lots of new words. He's saying "la la" for llama but it using the word milk along with the sign for milk and the word more with the sign for more. He's also saying carry and help and up. And he used the word up to signify he wanted to have a box of toys lifted up two steps, in addition to using it to mean he wants to be lifted up into his chair.

Max is also pretty fascinated by the baby's bed. He took a nap in her bed on Saturday, and last night he wanted her blanket in addition to his own blanket. She's still too young to have a blanket in her bed, so I let him have both. Unfortuantely he is also all too willing to scream when the baby is sleeping just so that she will be awake. This is not ideal. He isn't doing it at night, but he is interrupting many of her naps. Especially in the car.

Reading leads to Talking...

Last night I was reading Max one of his library books -- Hello Kitty Hello Shapes. He had me read it to him over and over and over again. And for the last couple of times he wasn't just saying ball (for circle), star, and moon. He also said the word shapes! Yay Max!

More of the Official Photos

I put all the photos of just Meg on her blog, so Max can be the one to host all of the multi-person photos...
When Mark and I saw this one in black and white we decided we liked it, other than it not being in color. We had gone past it as a color picture initally, but we went back and purchased it. :)

Margaret doesn't look too comfy, but this is otherwise a pretty good photo of us...

Max is pulling on my shirt while standing on Mark's foot. Shows you the pecking order... everyone is here to serve Max!

Here Margaret is TRYING to play with Max but he isn't very excited about sharing with her. This is slightly different from the top photo where he looks like he likes having a sister...

If they had been looking at the camera this one would have been better...

Here they look a little startled..

Mark hugging his family.

Max and Margaret each have a toy now, but they still don't know quite where to look...

Closeup of Mark hugging his family.

This is the family picture we purchased. Me hugging the kids. I think Margaret's little expression is sweet. And I love how tiny her little hands are compared to Mark's.

Similar photo but with more of our bodies showing and less of the smiling baby face...

If Max hadn't been totally done with the whole picture taking experience this one could have been a winner... But he was DONE!

Official Photos

We took the babies to do pictures yesterday. It was time for Margaret's 6 month picture. Happily she is now very good at sitting up and posed beautifully. That picture will arrive after we get back from our vacation since it is a special order. In the meantime I have these two pictures to share...

Max and Margaret (in big brother and baby sister shirts) playing with a toy.

The family together. :)

Busy Max is Busy

Max has been very busy in the last month. Those toys aren't going to play by themselves...

Max has now learned about the exciting world of playdoh. He is a big big fan of playdoh. He likes to put on his smock before he plays and definitely needs to wash his hands afterwards. And the time in the middle is just pure joy for him.

Max has a new toy kitchen and he is LOVING it! He loves to put the little dishes in the toy sink or stack up the play food or talk on the play phone. I picked up the play spaghetti and asked him where the sauce was and he picked up the bottle of parsley and gave that to me. I'm going to give him full points for that.

Max is also very excited about playing with his sister. He wants to pick her up and carry her around, which is not so exciting for us. Once we can convince him to leave her where she is, he is pretty happy to play lego or blocks or Mr Potato Head or kitchen with her. He definitely tries to get her to play with him. He's engaging her.

At night he still has to read Colors, Thomas, Chicka Chicka ABC, and then Good Night Moon. He will sometimes read them to Margaret. He turns the book around so that she can see the pages.

Max is still adding words to his vocabulary. He now sometimes points at himself and says "me" especially when he wants to go whereever Mommy is trying to go without him. He also says "carry" when he wants to be picked up. We are still working with him to add more and more words. He's being observed on the 29th so we should have a better idea then of how things are going with his language development.

And now on to a few photos...