Maximilian Colin

Let's Go, Hokies!

2012-01-04T07:17:00.001-08:00

Perhaps the Hokies were also distracted by Angry Birds? Max was doing his part wearing his special Hokie Pirate sweater to cheer them on. He's such a sweet boy. As we went upstairs to bed he thanked me for making his special sweater for him.

Taking a Break

2011-12-01T07:27:00.001-08:00

Max totally LOVES to play Angry Birds on our Kindle Fire. I think it is my Kindle. He thinks it is his. We seems to be doing ok with sharing. He cracked me up yesterday when he took the Kindle and sat in his little chair with his feet up on the lion walker toy thing. He was taking a little break!

Max loves dessert

2011-10-31T04:54:00.000-07:00

After eating his dinner last night, Max got a donut hole, a ramekin of whipped cream, and his beloved cupcake from Wes and Laurie's party. All three were round. And he lined them up before starting to eat.

World of Wonder Toys

2011-10-13T12:25:00.000-07:00

Max is playing with Max the Motorcycle and the policeman and police dog from the police car set. Happy Max. He said I was the Mommy with the baby in the sling. :)

Max and "his Baby"

2011-10-11T08:31:00.000-07:00

Saturday evening Max said he wanted to go with Daddy when Daddy went to Home Depot. I stayed home with Meggie and Grandma. They were gone for about 2 hours. We heard the car door and Meggie was off the couch and running to the front door yelling "Max! Max!" When Max came in, he ran to the top of the stairs and yelled "Baby, I need to hug you!" and then they gave each other the biggest hug ever. It was so amazingly sweet! I still get a little teary-eyed just thinking about it. I'm so glad they love each other.

Don't worry, but Sunday morning they were back to fighting over scarce resources (who was going to have the best view of Elmo on the portable DVD player).

Max may not like Movement at school

2011-10-10T06:12:00.000-07:00

But take him to a wedding reception and there is no stopping him!

This was September 26, 2009, Michael and Sheena's wedding. Reposted to share with Max's school. :)

Blocks!

2011-09-22T12:11:00.000-07:00

NannyJo took this picture of Max with the "house" he built, and then knocked down. As you can see, he has had QUITE the haircut since school started. :)

Max's First Day as a WWP 3-day 3!

2011-09-18T04:52:00.000-07:00

Tie Dye Shirt. Cars backpack. Teal chucks. Fruit snack. And Harry Potter glasses. He was ready!

Skinny Jeans Max

2011-09-08T10:55:00.000-07:00

Here's Max in his special outfit today. He's got on skinny jeans with quite a slim fit. And 2 (count them! 2!) shirts. He was very excited about everything he got to wear today. The jeans. The shirt. The jacket. And then a rain coat too.

Playdoh!

2011-09-01T13:32:00.000-07:00

Max and Meggie with playdoh. Max can't look up. That playdoh isn't going to form itself into ice cream on its own!

Business Meeting Max

2011-08-22T08:36:00.000-07:00

Here's a photo of Max, wearing a short sleeved dress shirt and khaki shorts (summer business casual for babies), holding his baby Starbucks mug (full of water!), looking like he is wondering if he is late for a meeting. :)

Max Loves Trains

2011-08-15T09:48:00.000-07:00

Even after a week at Granny and Papa's, Max didn't get enough time with trains. He has been playing with trains every day. Sadly he was too busy designing the track to pose for a picture for me. But he has made a large number of tracks using all the pieces, and making each track into a complete circuit. And then he happily drives the trains around and around and around. I'm glad he's having to much fun!

Pirate Max

2011-07-21T11:19:00.000-07:00

Max is very excited about his new pajamas. And is very excited that his Alpha Oops book also has a pirate ship that looks like the one on his pajamas.

Fun on the slide!

2011-07-14T08:06:00.001-07:00

Mr Cool

2011-07-14T06:38:00.000-07:00

Max wanted to wear sunglasses today instead of his regular glasses. And yes, that is a tiny little Winnie the Pooh in the corner!

Happy Max!

2011-07-11T11:50:00.000-07:00

But Margaret is not so happy! She did not want to be in the stroller. She's a big girl now!

Too Bad Max is So Sad...

2011-07-05T07:48:00.000-07:00

This is Max and Margaret, watching Elmo's World for the first time. Too bad Max clearly hates it, eh? Margaret was also totally excited about her new Hello Kitty shirt! I cannot explain why Max is wearing both an apron and a bib to watch tv. The way his mind works is often a mystery to me...

Max on the Big Boy Swing!

2011-06-30T08:54:00.000-07:00

No baby swing for Max now! He's a big boy!

Happy Birthday Mommy!

2011-06-28T10:20:00.001-07:00

Max is being a little silly, but he's making a birthday card for Mommy. He told me all about it last night. It's going to have a heart and say Max which is spelled Up Down Up Down Circle Cross Cross. Super thanks to Joanna for the photos and for making card-making-time happen!

Max the Problem Solver

2011-06-25T12:33:00.000-07:00

When I went to England in March, I got Max a bowl with his name on it. The bowl was lost. And then found. I told him it was dirty. But I was busy, so he needed to put it on the counter and I'd wash it for him. Next thing we see is this:
He got the chair and pulled it up to the sink, turned on the water, and started washing the bowl himself!

My little poser

2011-05-31T12:30:00.000-07:00

Max agreed to let me take his picture. :)

Double Baby Tacos with Extra Cheese!

2011-05-26T09:42:00.000-07:00

Max loves it when I make him into a taco with his towel after his bath or shower. Last night Margaret had to use a different towel (she usually has a blue cookie monster towel) so she was in a white towel too. So Max was very excited that we had TWO tacos! And I think Margaret liked it too!

Max Calling Mommy

2011-05-12T12:41:00.001-07:00

Max had an apple phone before me! Too bad it gets such poor reception...

Mr. Funny!

2011-05-12T12:16:00.000-07:00

Today Max wore his Mr. Funny shirt. I love the Mr. Men! And this one even almost has Max's actual name on it. Woo hoo! Super thanks to Uncle Michael and Auntie Sheena!

Sheep and Wool

2011-05-10T04:22:00.000-07:00

Max had a really good time at the Sheep and Wool Festival. He liked looking at the animals. He got to pet an angora bunny, which he really liked. He wanted to get one, but I didn't think Mark was really going to be ok with that plan! We were able to mix it up so that we looked at yarn/knitting/patterns/silk/needles/etc and then animals. So there wasn't a long "boring" bit for Max. He was a little afraid of some of the animals, but was excited to see them. He very much enjoyed watching the sheep dog demos (for a little bit), especially the part where the dogs were running around and around and then the sheep were running around and around. At one point one of the dogs ran right past where we were standing. And those dogs can run FAST! He was surprized but delighted. He's pictured above with Wendy, and with his new toy! I've named her Aggie after one of the dogs we've seen each year at the demo.

duh...

2011-05-08T14:46:00.001-07:00

Max had been out in the sandbox. When he came in I saw a dark spot on the bottom of his foot. So I said to him, "Max, what's on your foot?" and he looked at me and said "Toes!"

Max makes his shirt true

2011-05-04T04:24:00.000-07:00

Looking at Max last night, I just had to laugh. He was wearing his think geek shirt again. And it was filthy! He can't even keep his "I am why we can't have nice things" shirt nice!!!!

Max tells jokes and fixes things

2011-05-03T04:18:00.000-07:00

Max told me a joke over the weekend.

Knock, Knock!
Who's there?
Open the door!

He also managed to figure out how to fix the cushions on the couch. My beloved brown cordoroy couch died (when Max jumped on it). So we moved the little blue loveseat down to the living room. The cushions are rectangular, not square. So they have to be aligned properly. We let Max and Nik try. And then I told Max to turn it. And he figured it out. And was so proud of himself! He's a great little problem solver.

He's also been doing very well with his potty training and is wearing underwear all the time other than when he is sleeping. Yay Max!

Max has a fun weekend...

2011-05-02T04:58:00.000-07:00

Max holding Margaret in his lap to watch his "movies" as he calls the OK GO videos.

Max after our walk to Giant to do the grocery shopping! He was facinated by the idea of walking to the store instead of driving. We FILLED the basket with tomato sauce and yogurt. My arms are definitely sore today! 30+ pounds of Max plus the groceries adds up!

Max Builds Mommy a House

2011-04-26T05:08:00.000-07:00

Max and I have been playing with stickle bricks. I showed him how to make a house, with a window. He was pretty excited about the idea. So yesterday he was playing with his duplo. He worked on making me a hosue. But then he realized the house did not have a door. This was distressing. Mommy's house has to have a door. So he was working away on the house. Adding towers/turrets and wheels. But still no door. He was very busy. And could barely take a moment to pose for me. But in the end he did say Cheese!

Thanks to Duncan for the great shirt!

Margaret is visible in the background, with Max's backpack from Great Granny and Grandad. Busy babies!

Max watching OK GO

2011-04-25T04:06:00.000-07:00

Max watches the OK GO videos every day. He loves them. LOVES them! When I play the CD, he can identify the songs by their videos. Sometimes within three or four notes. Apparently when he saw one of their videos on a tv when he was out with NannyJo he got all kinds of excited too. He's their biggest tiny fan!

Little poser...

2011-04-19T03:59:00.000-07:00

Here Max hugs Margaret in front of my white tulips.

Max in his new outfit from Wes and Laurie!

Playground Time!

2011-04-15T05:55:00.000-07:00

Max really loves being a big brother! He loves to hold Margaret's hand and walk around with her. Yesterday Joanna got some pictures of them at the playground...

Max is why we can't have nice things

2011-04-06T03:39:00.001-07:00

Yesterday Max wore his new birthday shirt. And he was very excited about posing for a picture for me. :)

Max's Hokie Pirate Sweater

2011-04-01T13:58:00.001-07:00

I finally finished it. Hurrah! Not sure why Max has his hands in his pockets. Or why he is making such an awful face. This is an example of "cheese" going all wrong. But he liked the sweater and I liked him in it. Yay!

Max is a delight to me always

2011-04-01T04:57:00.000-07:00

But especially when he wears brown and orange!

Max's Birthday

2011-03-30T11:21:00.000-07:00

More photos to follow, but this lets you know how old he is!

If only every day could be a sandbox day...

2011-03-24T04:00:00.000-07:00

Max wants to be in the sandbox every day. So if it is remotely possible, we let him go out and play in the sandbox. He can take the lid off by himself and will happily just play with the sand and a spade. He likes it even better when "baby" will come out and play with him. And if Nik will play with him too then life just doesn't get any better than that....

Vision Thing

2011-03-21T14:14:00.000-07:00

Max had his checkup today. The doctor said that the glasses are working and that Max's eyes are working as they should while he is wearing the glasses. Since Max wears the glasses whenenver he is awake and dry (to quote the doctor) then we need to just continue doing what we have doing. And we go back in 6 months to check his progress. So good news! And this also means the glasses we got him a week ago will last him at least until the next check up. And if we find the lost pair, we'll be in even better shape!

Playing on the floor is fun

2011-03-21T09:37:00.000-07:00

Joanna gave us a couple of floor mats, but we had big baby toys on the floor and didn't get a chance to get this out. Until today. Max was initally confused but then very excited about the town on the floor. He initally had out the train tracks, but then decided to put the train pieces away in order to play with trucks and cars and fire trucks.

Max just wallaby reading

2011-03-20T18:42:00.000-07:00

Today Max wore the wallaby I knit for him to wear last winter. I'm very happy it still fits him! Max and Margaret are both big fans of their books. Max often asks to read 5 books. But today he was happy to sit on the bed (right next to his sister -- as close as possible) and read just a couple of books.

Max's Purple Glasses

2011-03-18T18:57:00.000-07:00

Max lost his first set of glasses somewhere in the house. So I got him a second set. Let's not talk about that...

Instead lets focus on how cute his new glasses are, and how cute he is in them. :) He will be going for his check up on Monday to see if he still needs to wear glasses, and if so, if they need to be the same strength.

You might also think that his glasses are blue instead of purple. Max loves purple. Even if he isn't really sure what color purple actually is. He said he wanted purple glasses. We got these ones. So they must, therefore, be purple. :)

Max's Temp Glasses

2011-03-17T03:42:00.000-07:00

While Max's glasses are lost and while we are awaiting the arrival of the new ones, I got him a pair of cheap reading glasses of the same prescription. Max wore them for the first time yesterday. I actually really like them! He's got quite the Harry Potter look going on. And they have actually stayed on quite well. And with the plastic frame, he hasn't been able to bend them.

His new real glasses should arrive today or tomorrow. But at least he's got these to wear to school today.

Max in Jammies!

2011-03-16T09:14:00.000-07:00

I have been slow to update the blogs. I am sorry. So here is a photo of Max, wearing his Thomas pajamas. Max is very excited about putting on his own pajamas, and is doing a great job. Joanna taught him to put his coat on by putting it on the ground and flipping it over his head. For his footed pajamas he puts them on the floor, and then sits on them and puts his feet in. And then he zips it up and celebrates.

You may also have noticed that Max is not wearing glasses in the photo above. This is because his glasses are lost. In the house. His new glasses should be ready today. At which point perhaps his other glasses will be found. The new glasses are more obviously purple, which seems to make him very happy.

While I was gone Max picked up a lot of words, and seems to have picked up a love of talking. Mark suspects that the new found love of talking is a reaction to Margaret's increase in talking. Max is competing with her now! Whatever it takes!

Moon...

2011-02-16T08:30:00.001-08:00

Last night as we were walking into MyGym, I pointed out the almost full moon to Max. He looked at me. And said "Not moon. Ball." And from his point of view, I can see how Hello Kitty Hello Shapes has lead us to this point! The crescent is the moon. The circle is a ball. A white shining round thing in the sky is not a cresent and therefore cannot be the moon.

Happy Max is Social

2011-02-10T03:34:00.000-08:00

Margaret and Max playing in the kitchen.

Max, Mommy, and Margaret!

Happy Max is Happy

2011-02-07T08:10:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Krista and Duncan for the sweater and Joanna for the picture!

Adenoid-Free!

2011-01-19T04:55:00.000-08:00

Max is recovering well from having his adenoids removed. He bounced back within 4 hours of the end of his surgery, although the nights are not yet going smoothly. He's in Action Max mode in the day time, but he has a stuffy nose which seems to be tormenting him at night. He has been having some fevers which drag him down, but after a dose of tylenol he is back on track again during the day. Last night was the first night we did not give him medicine before bed and he lasted until 3am. And then he seemed to feel that kicking Mark in the ribs was going to be the solution to all of his problems. Mark did not agree and Max was exiled back to his own bed. Hopefully tonight he will be able to sleep through the night in his bed without getting up. Because I need to sleep through the night in my bed without getting up!!!!!

We are already seeing improvements in the quality and quantity of his speech. Hurrah!

First Day of Preschool Photos

2011-01-10T04:46:00.000-08:00

Ready for school in his tiny baby jeans and Beatles t-shirt.

Nik gets a fruit snack to put in his backpack, so Max has to have one too. Even tho Max eats his fruit snack in the car and not at snack time. So he put the fruit snack into his backpack and zipped it up, and then we had to unzip it to remove the fruit snack as soon as we got to the car. But it's a process thing...

Cheese!

In his coat and getting excited!

Traditional First Day of School pose!

At the doors of the preschool. Thanks to our Photographer, NannyJo. Also I am holding the poster for Max to share with his classmates. They hang the posters in the classroom so the kids can look at the pictures whenever they are feeling homesick. Max's poster included pictures of him doing things he enjoys (lego, bubbles, playdoh, playgrounds), people he loves (mommy, daddy, baby, Nik, Julian, Grandad, Grandpa, Uncle Russ, Wesley), and his favorite color -- purple!

Hanging up his coat

Getting ready to serve up some deep dish pizza!

Making some coffee

Time to eat!

Max helps me bake

2011-01-07T04:35:00.000-08:00

Sorry that I still don't have the pictures of Max's first day ready to share. I got home late and then spent all night baking cakes and cupcakes and mini cupcakes for the party tomorrow.

Max was very excited once he figured out I was going to make a cake. He reminded me of the location of the mixer, and then he carried the bowl and the paddle over to the counter. He went and got his potty (which doubles as a step stool) and was ready to help out. He was very excited that we were making cake, but then when it turned out we were making Birthday Cake for Baby he got even more excited and demonstrated for me how he could help her blow out the candle. I let him turn on the mixer, to low. And then when he is ready, he tells me to go "faster Mommy, faster!" and swirls his arm around in a mixing motion to ensure that I know exactly what he needs me to do. He's a good little supervisor!

First Day of Preschool!

2011-01-06T09:07:00.000-08:00

Max started preschool today. I did not cry!

We had visited the preschool a couple of weeks ago, so Max had an idea of what to expect. Nik and Julian had been talking to him about how lucky he was to get to start school. We picked out a backpack (Cars!) and he had been playing with it at home.

Today was the big day. He got up and had breakfast and then we got him dressed. He was very excited about putting his fruit snack into his backpack. He posed for a series of pictures for me (more pictures to follow when I get them off the camera -- the picture above is from my phone) and then got into the car.

Once we got to school he was happy to get out and get his backpack. He wanted to hold my hand going in, but once we got inside he was happy to go straight to their play kitchen. The teacher asked him to take off his coat and hang it up, and Max did, although it was clear that she was just slowing him down on getting into the kitchen!

He went back to the kitchen and took out the deep dish pizza and put that on the table. And then he pulled out his chair. And then he realized he needed plates. So he got out the plates. And then he put a piece of pizza on each plate. He was having a great time. He made some coffee. He got out an egg. He found the toaster.

He did leave the kitchen briefly to look at some cars and another toy some other kids were playing with. But then he was right back to the kitchen.

I heard from the school that he went outside at recess (with his new mittens) and was having a great time on the playground.

It sounds like the first day of school went well! He will go back tomorrow too. His preschool classes are Thursday and Friday from 9-12 so it is a nice amount of time but he will get back to Joanna's house in time for lunch and a nap.

Happy Christmas from Max

2010-12-27T05:21:00.000-08:00

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

2010-12-22T04:43:00.000-08:00

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...

2010-12-16T03:30:00.001-08:00

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

2010-11-13T04:20:00.000-08:00

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

2010-11-02T07:58:00.000-07:00

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

2010-11-02T07:56:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-10-28T09:42:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-10-20T08:08:00.001-07:00

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?

2010-10-18T04:44:00.000-07:00

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

2010-10-07T06:25:00.001-07:00

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...

2010-10-07T05:49:00.000-07:00

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

Max and his Big Boy Bed!

2010-09-20T04:42:00.000-07:00

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...

2010-09-17T05:17:00.000-07:00

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

2010-09-14T07:40:00.000-07:00

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)

2010-09-01T06:12:00.000-07:00

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

2010-08-27T11:33:00.000-07:00

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...

2010-08-23T06:06:00.000-07:00

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...

2010-08-20T06:33:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-26T07:28:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-26T04:35:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-13T11:39:00.000-07:00

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...

Max is a very busy and happy boy

2010-06-23T13:03:00.000-07:00

Here Max is posing for me. He alternates between refusing to have his picture taken and wanting me to take his picture. I guess that is all part of being 2!

Max had his first experiences with playdoh last Friday when I was home with him. It was very serious stuff, but he really seemed to like it. He wasn't very interested in squeezing the playdoh with his hands but he did like to use the fun factory toy to extrude the playdoh. Being Max, he had to wear his smock!

Max definitely still loves his sister very much. And wants me to sit her next to him and take a picture. All the time. He is getting to be more jealous of her now, but he is learning to deal with sharing mommy and nannyjo. Max is also very interested in using his potty so that he can be praised for that. He has been doing very well and now asks to use the potty and can take of his own pants and underwear/diaper. He definitely asks to wear underwear when we are at home and wants to run over to where we keep his underwear so that he can pick out the ones he is going to wear.

We went to Cabin John Regional Park last weekend for a birthday party. Max had a great time running around and playing on the playground.

This is Max, saying "cheese" and trying on a hat to see if it will fit on his giant pumpkin hat. Happily it fit! But it was super hot and not super sunny when we got to the park so we skipped the hat.

You can always tell when Max has been "helping" Margaret find something to play with. He firmly believes she should have every single baby toy at her fingertips.

Max!

2010-06-01T10:15:00.000-07:00

Here Max piles all of Margaret's toys on top of her. He was very excited about helping her to play with her toys. The idea of just one or two toys didn't appeal to him. She needed ALL the toys.

Margaret and Max getting ready to go for a walk. This was the first time for Margaret to ride in the stroller without being in her carseat. She got to look around and see what was going on! The seat is still a little bit big for her but I was able to tighten up the harness on her to keep her in place. The back seat is also a little squishy so it cradled her pretty well. They both seemed to have a good time. Max definitely liked being able to turn around and see his baby!

And here is my little sweetie, posing for me!

Max did a great job this weekend with potty training. He seems to be getting the idea and was very excited about his successes. This morning he did NOT want a diaper. He wanted his underwear. So I let him wear his underwear until it was time to leave for NannyJo's. He was ok with putting the diaper on then.

Max poses for NannyJo at MyGym

2010-05-27T08:13:00.000-07:00

Here's my happy little boy taking a break from playing to pose. :)

Happy Birthday NannyJo!

2010-05-18T11:09:00.001-07:00

Best wishes for the happiest of days!

Max is a silly boy

2010-05-18T11:06:00.000-07:00

Here are some photos of Max!

This photo was just Max, being happy, as we were leaving home to go to work/NannyJo's.

Max just being a goof-ball!

Max and some of his toys.

Max on Mother's Day. He doesn't have any idea how the mess happened.

Stop the papparatzi!!!

Happy Mother's Day

2010-05-10T09:27:00.000-07:00

Max wasn't really interested in posing for a joint picture, but Mark kept trying and got this photo of Max smiling at Margaret. He really loves his baby!

Sheep and Wool

2010-05-06T04:36:00.000-07:00

We all went to the MD Sheep and Wool Festival for Mom's birthday. It was HOT HOT HOT but a good time was had by all!

Max, in his personalized Mr Funny shirt from Uncle Michael and Auntie Sheena, talks to Granny

Max takes a moment to sit on Granny and pose for a picture. Papa wasn't sitting down, so that wasn't an option...

His shirt says Mr Funny but Max didn't think the heat was anything to laugh about ! Soon after this picture we got some shade, found a breeze, and drank some water. We all felt better after that!

All of the grandkids! This was taken after we watched the Working Sheepdog Demonstrations and had our snacks and drinks and shade. You can tell -- because everyone looks happy again!

Zoolander Again?

2010-04-30T04:55:00.000-07:00

Max wanted to sit next to Margaret and have me take some pictures. But he was a very busy baby. He didn't really have a whole lot of time to devote to the activity. I think in this photo he was letting me know that really I should have let him sit down and then Margaret could have been right next to him. Instead she was sitting on the couch first. Max posed for a couple of other photos but he has milk dripping down his chin in almost all of them, so I'm going to skip posting those...

A few of his favorite things..

2010-04-27T05:05:00.000-07:00

Max was very proud of his lego. Thanks to Jen and Curtis for increasing our supply!

My little cutie!

And here Max tries out eating an apple without having it cut up into wedges. It was a partial success. He liked being a big boy, but wasn't a fan of the peel.

The Many Faces of Max

2010-04-27T05:03:00.000-07:00

Silly!

Happy!

Punk!

Prep!

More words

2010-04-26T11:37:00.000-07:00

When we took Max in for his 2 year checkup, the doctor told us that he should be speaking in phrases. He has about 30 words, but he doesn't use them together. This is not something to panic over, but she advised us to try to get him signed up for some early intervention. We have done the inital paperwork. And we are hoping that by the time they schedule the assessment, he will be using phrases and will not need help. If he does, he will get it. And in the meantime we are all trying to increase his vocabulary.

He can now say "tushie" and can tell you that a train goes "choo choo" and a baby says "ga ga goo goo." He might also tell you that a dove says "coo" but I wouldn't bet on it. He is also closer to saying Julian. If you ask him to go and call Julian, he will go to the front porch and yell something that sounds a little bit like Julia. And it is adorable!

We also got him to string together a few words over the weekend. He said "please daddy cookie" and "please mommy cookie" and he also said "thank you daddy" without much prompting. He's still not doing a noun and a verb, but he is at least getting a little bit of the idea of putting words together.

He does a great job of understanding complex tasks. And he actually can make his wishes known without the use of words. So we are trying to focus more on making him tell us what he wants instead of us just guessing and giving him whatever it is that his little baby heart desires. I guess I will have to teach him to say "please mommy foot rub" instead of just accepting him pointing to the baby lotion!

Here Max is trying out Nik's seat at the table.

Max running away from Margaret! Everyone is wearing their geek shirts! Max and Margaret both have shirts that say "kid" in binary and Mark's shirt spells out Dad.

Max doing one of his favorite things -- eating applesauce!!

And here's Max, relaxing at the grocery store, reading a trashy magazine.

Max loves his sister

2010-04-15T04:22:00.000-07:00

Can you tell Max is saying "cheese" in this photo? That's one of his new things. :)
Max still loves to hold his baby. He is very good with her and really loves to play with her. She seems to like it. Sometimes. :)

Max's 2 Year Old Photos

2010-03-15T08:12:00.000-07:00

Max is not quite 2 years old, but we took the opportunity to do his 2 year old photos right after his haircut to maximize the cuteness. :)

Max with Mommy and Margaret

Mommy and Max

Max playing with blocks (while wearing a sweater made for him by Auntie)

Max loves his sister

2010-03-04T09:11:00.000-08:00

Max still loves his "baby" very much. She actually doesn't seem to mind his loving, although in the photos sometimes she seems a little unsure...

Max is playing with Margaret on her floor gym.

And here Max is showing Margaret what tummy time is all about. When Max was little Julian used to show him what to do.

Halloween Costume

2010-02-23T13:29:00.000-08:00

I finally got the scanner installed, so I can scan the picture of Max in his Halloween costume, and the picture of me and Max (and Margaret) also taken last October.

Max is gettting better.

2010-02-23T12:58:00.000-08:00

I didn't post that Max was sick yesterday, but now I can post that he is feeling better. I spent most of yesterday in the doctor's office or at the ER with him. Luckily Mark was able to come to the doctor in the late afternoon and then go to the ER with me! This was a return to his former issues with his breathing. He has some more meds to get us through the next week to make sure it is sorted out, but he is already seeming to feel a lot more like his normal ActionMax self!

Max and Meg's blamket

2010-02-11T13:49:00.000-08:00

Max in the snow

2010-02-09T18:51:00.001-08:00

Max is ready to go out in the snow!

Apparently Daddy put him right to work!

The snow was about 22 inches. And now we are waiting to see how much snow we will get tonight and tomorrow morning... Schools are closed. The government is closed. And we are just waiting...

Getting ready to get ready for potty training

2010-02-09T18:44:00.000-08:00

Max sat down on his potty last night (while fully dressed) but had the smarts to grab a book first!

Max loves Margaret

2010-02-09T18:24:00.000-08:00

Max's new favorite thing is to sit on the couch and then to pat the couch next to him so that I know where to put Margaret. He then puts his arm around her and smiles for the camera. He is still very good around Margaret and wants to sit next to her or look at her. He always lets me know where she is (in case I somehow didn't know) and always points and her and says "Baby!"

Photos by NannyJo

2010-02-05T09:23:00.000-08:00

I totally and absolutely love this photo of Max, taken after his bath at Joanna's house. Joanna kept Max overnight while Margaret was being born.

Max eating dinner at Joanna's house while waiting for his baby sister to be born... His last dinner as the baby of the family.

Here are two photos of Max pretending he is going to school like Joanna's girls.

And here Max is playing Connect 4 at Cafe P while waiting for his meal with Joanna. :)

Max in Photos!

2010-02-05T09:06:00.000-08:00

This was Max earlier this morning building another structure taller than he is!

This is an old photo of Max using Mommy as a pillow. As always we MUST snuggle under the brown blanket from Karyn.

Max and his bottle. He is no longer getting bottles and is using a cup, but this was a very happy Max!

The color is a little off, but this is Max wearing Daddy's shoes. I wish I had the photo of me wearing Uncle Brian's shoes. Just imagine my head on that body in England instead of in the US. :)

I cannot explain why Max thinks this is a good look for photos. He does. And that's all there is to it. This is also Max wearing a lovely set of blue cord overalls from Duncan. Soft and stylish!

Max, Mommy, and Margaret.

He's looking a little devious here....

Trying to get all 3 of us in one photo is a lot harder than you might think...

Max at MyGym on the swings. That is definitely his favorite part of his class. His little face lit up with joy when he saw the swings coming out of the storage closet!

For PIA.... Another tough guy face. :)

Margaret doesn't look happy, but Max loves her anyway.

Big Brother

2010-02-05T05:03:00.000-08:00

Max continues to be a great big brother to his sister. This morning he gave up on snuggling with me to crawl over me to get to the edge of the bed next to her bed so that he could let me know that is where the "Baby!" was sleeping.

In the last few days he has been VERY interested in her having a nose and ears and feet. Because it turns out Max has a nose and ears and feet. And Mommy has a nose and ears. And Daddy has a nose and ears. This is all very fun and exciting. He's pretty gentle when touching her nose and ears and feet. And just laughs and laughs as he runs from each of us touching our noses or ears.

Max is also still very interested in helping out at diaper time by giving me a clean diaper for her (although he doesn't care if it is her size or his size), giving me wipes, and then throwing her diaper in the trash. He gets very upset if he isn't able to participate in the process. He is also now very interested in throwing his own diaper away. I am pleased.

We have a potty for him and we put it in our bedroom. He's been taking it apart and putting it back together. I had him sit on it once the night before last. Last night he opted to sit on it three different times. The complications are that he only sits on it fully dressed, and only after he has removed the "pot" part of the potty. So we will have a little work ahead of us to turn playing with the potty into using the potty.

I have more photos to share of both Max and Margaret but that will have to wait until another time when there is a better ratio of adults to kids. ..

Thanks Liz G!

2010-01-23T04:43:00.000-08:00

Max in his race car overalls from Liz G! After watching a bunch of Top Gear with my parents, it seemed like the perfect time to start wearing them! Plus he is finally big enough to wear 18 month clothes!

Busy Big Brother

2010-01-23T03:50:00.000-08:00

Max and Papa and Margaret. My Dad is the first person to get a name other than Mommy or Daddy (other than Riley, of course). Max has really taken to my dad and wants him to be the one to get him a snack, refill his milk, carry him up to bed, help him with his shoes and coat, or anything else that might come up during the day.

Max wanted me to take a picture. And then he saw Margaret's sheep, and he wanted the picture to include the sheep too. I was only too willing to comply. :)

Another day, another self-portrait with Mommy.

Max playing with Mommy's fake iPhone. I put a game on it for him and he really likes it. Unfortunately for Margaret he thought she would also like it and beaned her in the head with the phone while trying to give her a turn.

He is still a very happy little boy. Yay!

And last night he slept through the night. Hurrah!

Max's Adjustment to being a Big Brother

2010-01-21T07:14:00.000-08:00

Max seems to be doing pretty well with his new role as Big Brother to Margaret. He likes to share his food with her (even tho she has no interest or awareness of the sharing). And he likes to give her toys (even tho they tend to be as big as she is). He likes to sit on my lap while she is sitting on my lap, but is happy to share the space with her. He is obsessed with her feet and wants to hold them. On Tuesday when we were going to MyGym he was worried that I was going to forget to take her with us. He was pointing at her in her car seat and then had to help me carry her out to the car. He also likes to see her when he is riding in the car! He points to her and laughs.

The big problems are in the night. He has a hard time going to sleep unless Mommy puts him to bed. Last night we tried having me feed Margaret while Max was going to sleep and that worked out just fine. He knew that she was there but didn't worry about it. But at 430am he was awake and it took him a long long long time to get back to sleep. I'm not sure if he is also suffering from my head cold or if he is just not feeling as sure of himself when he wakes up in the night. He's happy during the day, so hopefully we can figure out the nighttime thing and get back on track with some sleep! With the two of them keeping me awake it can be a rough rough night!

Busy Baby!

2010-01-08T06:36:00.000-08:00

Here's a photo of Max back at MyGym. He had a bit of a break in classes due to the holidays. Looks like he had a fun time playing and running around.

NannyJo has also been working with Max to teach him his body parts. If he is in the mood, he will demonstrate where his head, hands, belly, tushie, and feet are. And he is pretty excited about knowing the words. And in the shower he will wash his body parts as directed. He will also turn around and get his tushie in the water if asked. Yay for NannyJo!

Animal sounds are improving as well. He did tell me once that a duck makes a quacking sound. But cows now say Rowr! We still have 3 months until his 2 year checkup so we can keep working on these skills!

If there was some sort of test on the microwave or electric toothbrush sounds we would pass that test in a second. Max was also eager to have Grandpa take his coffee out of the microwave last night after it dinged. He's on top of things like that.

Max also had his own tiny little piece of pizza last night. I cut a small wedge off Mark's pizza and put it on a plate for Max. He was pretty excited about being a big boy with his own piece of pizza but then quickly decided he would rather eat Mommy's.

Today was our last day of carpooling with Wes for a long time. I'm going to start my maternity leave at the end of the day today. Max will still go to NannyJo every day to try to keep his routine the same. After Granny and Grandpa leave I will be taking Max and Margaret up the HOV lanes and then leaving just Max with NannyJo so that Margaret and I can go home and hopefully get some rest!

Christmas Ketchup

2009-12-26T08:28:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we had a low key Christmas. Cin buns in the morning, sandwiches for lunch, and then chicken kiev for dinner. I made some fries to go with Mark's dinner. And Max, of course, was a fan. Mark had ketchup on his plate. Max tried it. It was good. So for the very first time he got to have ketchup on his own plate. And he was very serious about his dipping and eating. :)