Max was a little man on fire today. A ball of energy and like that darn pink bunny he kept going and going and going...
His mama did not get any pictures. Say what? Woman, you got to get on the ball! However, I did want to post a little update about his activities.
For a couple of weeks now the little man has been showing interest in riding the rocking animals but didn't actually want to do it for any length of time. He wanted to watch and maybe sit on the critter but no bouncing - except for this 40 year old metal turtle up the street that he rode for about an hour. Go figure. However, it seems the ice was broken today. He got up on his rocking horse at our house and had a great time rocking himself. He didn't even want my help but he did want me to sing. I have been singing the Bonanza theme song while he's been exploring the ins and outs of rocking animals. Today, when I stopped singing, he turned around and said, "More." Too cute.
Later in the day we headed to Smithsburg for Samantha's soccer tournament and to hang out with the Mills girls. There are a bunch of rocking animals there and Max decided he wanted to ride. He was so funny at first. He walked around and looked at each of them and even touched a couple before deciding on which he wanted to ride. I thought he'd pick the elephant but he picked the pig! Once he got his first ride in he wanted to ride almost all of the rest of the animals, too. He never did get on the frog or the duck. Wonder why?
I would be remiss if I didn't mention that the coolest part of his riding the rocking horse is that this is the horse Dan and Rebecca had growing up. I think a relative made it. Anyhow, it still wears a band-aid that Rebecca put on when he cracked a rocker. Amazingly, Max has not removed the band-aid even though he is very interested in it. I'll have to get a pic tomorrow and add to this entry later this week.
Good night all.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Monday, May 25, 2009
Happy Memorial Day
Memorial Day 2009 is drawing to a close and I feel such gratitude to the men and women who have served this country and especially to those who have given their lives that we may live freely. I am amazed at their courage, honor and selfless service. I finish my day reflecting on their greatness.
It is so easy to forget how lucky we are to enjoy the many riches in our lives due to the sacrifices of so many. What would our lives be like had the revolutionaries let tyranny prevail or had George Washington become the King so many wanted him to be? What if millions of citizen soldiers turned their back on the Union or refused to answer the call to fight Nazis, facists and also the war in the Pacific or the many conflicts our citizen soldiers have served in throughout our history? I do not even want to imagine. Their courage and honor in the face of discomfort, fearsome conflict and the horror of war is truly amazing.
It is so easy to forget how lucky we are to enjoy the many riches in our lives due to the sacrifices of so many. What would our lives be like had the revolutionaries let tyranny prevail or had George Washington become the King so many wanted him to be? What if millions of citizen soldiers turned their back on the Union or refused to answer the call to fight Nazis, facists and also the war in the Pacific or the many conflicts our citizen soldiers have served in throughout our history? I do not even want to imagine. Their courage and honor in the face of discomfort, fearsome conflict and the horror of war is truly amazing.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
MAX
I'll admit it. Max started doing the sweetest thing on Mother's Day. The best part is it was totally unprompted and out of the blue. I'm so very glad I was there to hear it. He was lying on the changing table and started pointing to himself with both hands, saying "Max". He did it a couple of times then moved on to making animal noises. (Big surprise.) This was the first time he ever said his name and I got to hear it. Yee haw!
He's done this fairly regularly since then. Sometimes he does it when he takes the family census, where he accounts for all of us...Daddy, Mama, Doggy and Max. He does it at daycare and every so often he'll do it in the car while we're out driving around.
It is the most amazing thing to watch him discover himself. He's literally making realizations about who he is, what his body does and how he fits into the world each and every day. Blows my mind when I take a moment to think about it.
Pretty soon we'll have to start teaching him the intro for Hart to Hart. That's a classic.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Sweet Dreams, Sweet Boy
Lately I've taken to watching Max sleep. I used to do this a long time ago when he first came home. I think I did it then because I couldn't believe he was home with us and also because I was paranoid that he'd stop breathing. (Go Hypochondriac Worriers!) Now I think I do it because it's so unusual to see him still and in repose. I wonder what he is dreaming and then I wonder at all he's done and learned in the day. Like a voyeur I snap his picture and try to save the moment forever.
April 26, 2009. Completely relaxed and peaceful.
Friday, May 8 - Ballet Boy
We had a most beautiful walk post rain on Monday night. I'm so glad we went out even though it was a bit chilly. He was perfectly content in snooze.
Tuesday night, May 12 - Frogger
April 26, 2009. Completely relaxed and peaceful.
Friday, May 8 - Ballet Boy
We had a most beautiful walk post rain on Monday night. I'm so glad we went out even though it was a bit chilly. He was perfectly content in snooze.
Tuesday night, May 12 - Frogger
Mother's Day
It was my second official Mother's Day and I had a wonderful time with Max, Havers and Dan. I can't imagine a more perfect day - or weekend. We didn't really do any thing "special" but we hung out, got a lot of sun and enjoyed each other and the fresh air.
First up was a nice little sleep in. Dan got up with Max and they amused each other until I woke up around 8. We got our gear together and hit the road for a walk on the C&O Canal. A perfect day for a walk. We decided to check out a new section of the canal so we headed west and found the Cushwa trailhead/park. This is where the canal museum is but we decided to check that out later. Max was so excited to get going that he took a little tumble right outside the truck. His first knee scrape. He was a good sport about it and was up and ready to go in no time.
Check out his knee.
He absolutely loved being out on the trail. He is particularly enamoured with birds right now and we heard so many singing while we walked. Every so often he'd sing back, "Tweet teet teet teet teet." Tres adorable.
For those of you who haven't seen the C&O Canal, it's covered with a nice desciduous canapy and the trail is illuminated with the most wonderful dappled sunlight. Max really enjoyed looking "UP" and seeing the sky, sun, leaves, trees and occasional bird.
We probably walked about 4 and a 1/2 miles altogether. We passed a water pump about a mile down the trail and stopped to get Hoover some water. Here she is waiting while Dan pumps.
The funny thing was how excited Max was about the pump. It was the first time that he seemed to get the connection between water (the moving substance) and water (in his cup). We were giving Hoover water in the Dunkin' Donuts cup (as I forgot her foldable dish) and he marched right over to the buggy and got out his cup and put it right where Hoover's cup had been. The water from the pump was brown and disgusting. No way we were giving it to Max but Dan had a brain flash. He put the cup down and pumped water so it looked like it was getting filled. Max wasn't fooled. When we handed him the cup he put it right back where it had been to get filled. What a character!
Max walked some but rode in the buggy for the most part.
Once we finished with the walk we hung out and let Max play on a nice grassy patch near the parking lot and river. He had a lot of fun watching the dogs go by and running in the grass. He discovered rocks and drawing with sticks. We had so much fun.
We were pretty tuckered out after our walk and playtime at the canal. We drove home, took a little nap and Max drove his car in the driveway. He also played with his alphabet magnets in the ktichen while we fixed an early dinner. Here he is trying to stuff them in his pants. I think he was trying to put them in his pockets but didn't quite get the principle. Maybe he was just trying to stuff them in his pants. Either way, it was pretty hilarious and the pictures do not convey even a tenth of the humor. He had a look of complete and total concentration on his face. Too much.
He kept asking to go for a ride in the wagon so we took him on a walk to Baker Park in his big wagon. We had a great nap under the shade of a huge oak tree in the park and then headed to the playground for swings and slides. So much fun and then we headed home with our sweet red sunburns.
After such a busy day, you'd have thought Max would be ready to throw in the towel but he was still as playful as can be. He played hide and seek in the curtains while Dan got dinner ready. He just had a ball.
We headed over to Ann and Andy's for a quick picnic and visit around the fire after our game of hide and seek. Max finally gave up the ghost even though he tried valiantly to stay awake. The energizer bunny ain't got nothin' on Max Zander.
He wasn't the only tired one. Hoover was pretty much done for, too.
When all was said and done and we'd tucked our sunkissed selves in for the night, we had sweet dreams and a peaceful rest. Happy Mother's Day to everyone!
First up was a nice little sleep in. Dan got up with Max and they amused each other until I woke up around 8. We got our gear together and hit the road for a walk on the C&O Canal. A perfect day for a walk. We decided to check out a new section of the canal so we headed west and found the Cushwa trailhead/park. This is where the canal museum is but we decided to check that out later. Max was so excited to get going that he took a little tumble right outside the truck. His first knee scrape. He was a good sport about it and was up and ready to go in no time.
Check out his knee.
He absolutely loved being out on the trail. He is particularly enamoured with birds right now and we heard so many singing while we walked. Every so often he'd sing back, "Tweet teet teet teet teet." Tres adorable.
For those of you who haven't seen the C&O Canal, it's covered with a nice desciduous canapy and the trail is illuminated with the most wonderful dappled sunlight. Max really enjoyed looking "UP" and seeing the sky, sun, leaves, trees and occasional bird.
We probably walked about 4 and a 1/2 miles altogether. We passed a water pump about a mile down the trail and stopped to get Hoover some water. Here she is waiting while Dan pumps.
The funny thing was how excited Max was about the pump. It was the first time that he seemed to get the connection between water (the moving substance) and water (in his cup). We were giving Hoover water in the Dunkin' Donuts cup (as I forgot her foldable dish) and he marched right over to the buggy and got out his cup and put it right where Hoover's cup had been. The water from the pump was brown and disgusting. No way we were giving it to Max but Dan had a brain flash. He put the cup down and pumped water so it looked like it was getting filled. Max wasn't fooled. When we handed him the cup he put it right back where it had been to get filled. What a character!
Max walked some but rode in the buggy for the most part.
Once we finished with the walk we hung out and let Max play on a nice grassy patch near the parking lot and river. He had a lot of fun watching the dogs go by and running in the grass. He discovered rocks and drawing with sticks. We had so much fun.
We were pretty tuckered out after our walk and playtime at the canal. We drove home, took a little nap and Max drove his car in the driveway. He also played with his alphabet magnets in the ktichen while we fixed an early dinner. Here he is trying to stuff them in his pants. I think he was trying to put them in his pockets but didn't quite get the principle. Maybe he was just trying to stuff them in his pants. Either way, it was pretty hilarious and the pictures do not convey even a tenth of the humor. He had a look of complete and total concentration on his face. Too much.
He kept asking to go for a ride in the wagon so we took him on a walk to Baker Park in his big wagon. We had a great nap under the shade of a huge oak tree in the park and then headed to the playground for swings and slides. So much fun and then we headed home with our sweet red sunburns.
After such a busy day, you'd have thought Max would be ready to throw in the towel but he was still as playful as can be. He played hide and seek in the curtains while Dan got dinner ready. He just had a ball.
We headed over to Ann and Andy's for a quick picnic and visit around the fire after our game of hide and seek. Max finally gave up the ghost even though he tried valiantly to stay awake. The energizer bunny ain't got nothin' on Max Zander.
He wasn't the only tired one. Hoover was pretty much done for, too.
When all was said and done and we'd tucked our sunkissed selves in for the night, we had sweet dreams and a peaceful rest. Happy Mother's Day to everyone!
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Boys Just Want to Have Fun
Last Sunday Max and I headed over to Kristi, Chloe and Sam's. We had a great time. Max always has fun with the girls and whenever they part ways he is tuckered out and ready for bed. Sam and Chloe have an AWESOME dress up closet and they love to use it. Max has watched them play dress up several times but this Sunday he was tired of watching and wanted in on the action.
He came across the room with a tutu in his hand saying, "Help. Help." Like any good Mama, I did. He looked cute as a button and he was THRILLED. He had so much fun watching the girls, following them around and dancing just like they did. There were smiles and giggles all around.
I love this one of him dancing with the girls. It was so sweet.
In true toddler fashion it was over as quickly as it began. Max tired of dancing and wanted to hide behind the chair again. I hear a series of "Help. Help. Help." coming from the other room and there he is pointing to the tutu and saying help. He wanted to take it off because it was interfering with climbing on the chair and he couldn't fit in his super fab hiding spot.
Soemtime later he decided to put on bangles just like the girls. He's so darn serious. You should have seen him picking just the right bracelet and putting it on so carefully. Rearranging them to be sure they were in the right order. He's something!
He also colored with Sam. Look at her supermodel pose.
He helped Chloe put a puzzle together. Actually, he put every piece Chloe took out of the box back into the box.
He couldn't take his eyes off Chloe during dinner. I'm glad she ate as well as she did because he gobbled up all of his veggies while watching her. Aren't they just too much? Chloe has the sweetest smile here.
We hit a milestone in imaginative play as well. He started crawling around chasing Chloe and getting her to chase him all the while pretending he was a dog. Funny boy. We'll see what the next visit brings.
He came across the room with a tutu in his hand saying, "Help. Help." Like any good Mama, I did. He looked cute as a button and he was THRILLED. He had so much fun watching the girls, following them around and dancing just like they did. There were smiles and giggles all around.
I love this one of him dancing with the girls. It was so sweet.
In true toddler fashion it was over as quickly as it began. Max tired of dancing and wanted to hide behind the chair again. I hear a series of "Help. Help. Help." coming from the other room and there he is pointing to the tutu and saying help. He wanted to take it off because it was interfering with climbing on the chair and he couldn't fit in his super fab hiding spot.
Soemtime later he decided to put on bangles just like the girls. He's so darn serious. You should have seen him picking just the right bracelet and putting it on so carefully. Rearranging them to be sure they were in the right order. He's something!
He also colored with Sam. Look at her supermodel pose.
He helped Chloe put a puzzle together. Actually, he put every piece Chloe took out of the box back into the box.
He couldn't take his eyes off Chloe during dinner. I'm glad she ate as well as she did because he gobbled up all of his veggies while watching her. Aren't they just too much? Chloe has the sweetest smile here.
We hit a milestone in imaginative play as well. He started crawling around chasing Chloe and getting her to chase him all the while pretending he was a dog. Funny boy. We'll see what the next visit brings.
Monday, May 4, 2009
Words, Words & A Few Good Sound Effects
Our little guy has always been a chatterbox. He was cooing up a storm and making all sorts of noises even in the first hours after he popped out and said, "Let me back in!"
Like most babies, his coos and giggles evolved into babbling and before we knew it, he'd say something to us and then look at us like "What? Are you slow?" There have been times where he repeats the same phrase over and over and we would trade nearly anything to figure out what he's saying but, alas, it's not meant to be...until recently.
His language has really taken off in the last month or so. He went from a vocabulary of five or six words to double digits. Most of his words are single syllable but he has a few doubles in there. Recent additions include flower and outside. His very first two syllable word was bubble, which he always said as a question. Too cute.
Before I make a big ol' boring list of his current words I thought I'd revisit his first words. I never did make it to the calendar to write down the exact days he said what but we have a general idea. I remember quite clearly that the first word I heard him say was light and that was around 9 months. Doggy and Daddy followed soon after though it's still hard to tell which he's saying at a given time. Thank goodness for context.
He babbled mama and mummummum a bunch when he was even younger. He went through a phase where he said "cocka" all the time and I'm quite certain he was trying to crow like a rooster. But it was Daddy that first really got his attention and ours. He said Daddy nonstop for probably two months or more.
Max's Very Voluptuous Vocab
Daddy
Mommy
dog/doggy
kitty
flower
bubble
outside
go
BALL
car
truck
up
help
more
light
bye
hi
cracker
cup (probably)
trash (definitely)
read (introduced for the first time this morning and all on his own without prompting. he brought a book to me and said, "read?")
diaper (i think but who knows for sure because it sounds an awful lot like dobby.)
key (The other day I said, "Now where's Mama's keys?" and the little guy went right over to the table, grabbed some keys and brought them to me.
That's the list of words I think he actually knows but there are so many more he'll say. We've gotten to the stage where we have to watch what we say because he'll repeat anything and everything. I guess this stage lasts for a while. =)
In addition to words, he has an extensive animal noises vocab. Max's Menagerie includes dog; bird; bear, lion and tiger all make the same noise; snake, elephant, duck and cow. We took a little video and I hope to heaven that it posts. See below.
I still don't know if the elephant or the bird is my favorite. They both make me laugh. Let us know which you like best.
GO MAX GO!
Like most babies, his coos and giggles evolved into babbling and before we knew it, he'd say something to us and then look at us like "What? Are you slow?" There have been times where he repeats the same phrase over and over and we would trade nearly anything to figure out what he's saying but, alas, it's not meant to be...until recently.
His language has really taken off in the last month or so. He went from a vocabulary of five or six words to double digits. Most of his words are single syllable but he has a few doubles in there. Recent additions include flower and outside. His very first two syllable word was bubble, which he always said as a question. Too cute.
Before I make a big ol' boring list of his current words I thought I'd revisit his first words. I never did make it to the calendar to write down the exact days he said what but we have a general idea. I remember quite clearly that the first word I heard him say was light and that was around 9 months. Doggy and Daddy followed soon after though it's still hard to tell which he's saying at a given time. Thank goodness for context.
He babbled mama and mummummum a bunch when he was even younger. He went through a phase where he said "cocka" all the time and I'm quite certain he was trying to crow like a rooster. But it was Daddy that first really got his attention and ours. He said Daddy nonstop for probably two months or more.
Max's Very Voluptuous Vocab
Daddy
Mommy
dog/doggy
kitty
flower
bubble
outside
go
BALL
car
truck
up
help
more
light
bye
hi
cracker
cup (probably)
trash (definitely)
read (introduced for the first time this morning and all on his own without prompting. he brought a book to me and said, "read?")
diaper (i think but who knows for sure because it sounds an awful lot like dobby.)
key (The other day I said, "Now where's Mama's keys?" and the little guy went right over to the table, grabbed some keys and brought them to me.
That's the list of words I think he actually knows but there are so many more he'll say. We've gotten to the stage where we have to watch what we say because he'll repeat anything and everything. I guess this stage lasts for a while. =)
In addition to words, he has an extensive animal noises vocab. Max's Menagerie includes dog; bird; bear, lion and tiger all make the same noise; snake, elephant, duck and cow. We took a little video and I hope to heaven that it posts. See below.
I still don't know if the elephant or the bird is my favorite. They both make me laugh. Let us know which you like best.
GO MAX GO!
Where's the Camera?
It's a rainy Sunday in Frederick! Max and I headed out to visit with Kristi, Chloe and Samantha this afternoon. We had a great time. Sam and Chloe have a great playroom stuffed with all sorts of fun toys - much of it pink. At one point during the day Max went to one of the large pink plastic barbie houses and took out a vanity with mirror. See below.
He was so intent on what he was doing that I became a little curious. I should have grabbed the camera because he spent about 30 seconds positioning the vanity just so and then backing up to it to sit down. Needless to say, it did not support him but he's no quitter. He managed to actually sit on it one time and he seemed quite pleased with himself while it lasted. He tried a couple more times. It was such a funny sight and I really wish I'd had the camera.
The funny thing is that it actually makes logical sense when you look at it from his perspective. It does look like a tiny chair and why wouldn't you sit on it? He sits on all sorts of toy chairs. I kept the camera in hand on the off chance that he'd sit on it again but this was the best I got.
He was so intent on what he was doing that I became a little curious. I should have grabbed the camera because he spent about 30 seconds positioning the vanity just so and then backing up to it to sit down. Needless to say, it did not support him but he's no quitter. He managed to actually sit on it one time and he seemed quite pleased with himself while it lasted. He tried a couple more times. It was such a funny sight and I really wish I'd had the camera.
The funny thing is that it actually makes logical sense when you look at it from his perspective. It does look like a tiny chair and why wouldn't you sit on it? He sits on all sorts of toy chairs. I kept the camera in hand on the off chance that he'd sit on it again but this was the best I got.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
The Last Weekend in April
Happy Sunday everyone! I'm trying to catch up on my posts a bit. Last week was pretty hectic with work, Beta Sigma Phi, trying to keep a handle on our escape artist canine and Dan being gone.
Last weekend (April) Max and I had great fun spending lots of time with friends. We spent Saturday and Sunday nights with the Kenny clan. Here is Max with my friend, Chris, who is one of the top bananas in the Kenny family. I love this picture because it captures one of his signature expressions that always makes me laugh.
Max had so much fun with Caitlyn, Rachel, Michael and Shawn. I got a few pictures in the last post but I have a couple more. The kids had a great time playing outside and were all over the place. The rocking horse was just one of many fun activities Saturday night.
I don't know if you can see it but Max has a skinned knee. He fell on the patio and made a little noise then got right back up and into the thick of things. It's one of the many ways you can see his independence growing. A few kind words from us and a kiss or two is usually all he needs now for the little bumps and scrapes. What a big boy!
Here's Sean on the horse. He is a card. I'm pretty sure we'll see him on stage or silver screen one day.
Here's charming Michael. He is always so sweet with Max. Playing with him gently and playing the games Max wants to. Michael is the person who taught Max about digging rocks and sand. Max thinks Michael is the coolest!
We didn't have catch any pictures of the girls this time but we will soon.
Max had fun with Hoover on Sunday morning. They played fort. You should have heard the giggling...until he got stuck under a chair. The amazing thing is that I can now give him directions like, "Lay on your stomoache and scoot back." and he can do it to get unstuck from the chair. Go Max!
Did we have a good weekend? The proof is in the pudding. A great weekend shows on a TIRED, TIRED boy who was clearly kissed by the sun and just sacked out.
More later. Have a wonderful Sunday and Peace be with you.
Last weekend (April) Max and I had great fun spending lots of time with friends. We spent Saturday and Sunday nights with the Kenny clan. Here is Max with my friend, Chris, who is one of the top bananas in the Kenny family. I love this picture because it captures one of his signature expressions that always makes me laugh.
Max had so much fun with Caitlyn, Rachel, Michael and Shawn. I got a few pictures in the last post but I have a couple more. The kids had a great time playing outside and were all over the place. The rocking horse was just one of many fun activities Saturday night.
I don't know if you can see it but Max has a skinned knee. He fell on the patio and made a little noise then got right back up and into the thick of things. It's one of the many ways you can see his independence growing. A few kind words from us and a kiss or two is usually all he needs now for the little bumps and scrapes. What a big boy!
Here's Sean on the horse. He is a card. I'm pretty sure we'll see him on stage or silver screen one day.
Here's charming Michael. He is always so sweet with Max. Playing with him gently and playing the games Max wants to. Michael is the person who taught Max about digging rocks and sand. Max thinks Michael is the coolest!
We didn't have catch any pictures of the girls this time but we will soon.
Max had fun with Hoover on Sunday morning. They played fort. You should have heard the giggling...until he got stuck under a chair. The amazing thing is that I can now give him directions like, "Lay on your stomoache and scoot back." and he can do it to get unstuck from the chair. Go Max!
Did we have a good weekend? The proof is in the pudding. A great weekend shows on a TIRED, TIRED boy who was clearly kissed by the sun and just sacked out.
More later. Have a wonderful Sunday and Peace be with you.
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