Cutting a Rug

This pretty much speaks for itself...

Something about the X-Men theme song makes Max want to get up and DANCE!

Artistic expression

For his birthday last week, my friend Giselle and her son Aiden gave Max a giant book of 500 tattoos. I left the house for no more than thirty minutes this morning, and this is what I came home to--my son the drunken sailor! Obviously, Daddy and Max had some fun while I was out. You can't see it in this photo, but his back is also covered, along with the name "MAX" printed across the knuckles of his right hand. You can tell he is feeling pretty cool in this photo.

When Max was about nine months old, my dad made the very generous offer to pay for me to have my own (real) tattoos removed by a plastic surgeon. His reason, I concluded, had to do with Max and the sort of "example" he felt I was setting for my son. I considered his offer, but not for very long. First of all, it would have been a long, painful, and extremely expensive process--and despite the fact that I have one tattoo in particular that I do NOT love and would like to be rid of--they are part of who I am. And they have absolutely nothing to do with what sort of "example" I set for my son. What is much more important than my ink is that he sees me as kind, compassionate, loving, hardworking, smart, responsible, and decent in every way.

If he eventually gets a tattoo because he admires me for these reasons and wants to be like me, then so be it. And in the meantime, I think he looks pretty cute in his newfound role as "tough guy."

Happy Birthday, my beautiful boy!

Max turned three years old yesterday; and despite the fact that we've been celebrating for two full weeks, I can hardly believe it! He is such a big boy all of a sudden!

We had a party for family and very close friends two weekends before his birthday, since it was the only time several special people could attend. We then had another (wonderful but wild) party yesterday for the kids in his playgroup, and almost twenty little children showed up. For both parties, we had an inflatable bouncer/waterslide in the backyard (thanks to my awesome friend Michele), and lots of delicious food.

Every time Max has a birthday, it is also a special time for me to remember what was one of the happiest days of my life. Labor and my ultimate emergency C-section were nightmarish, but every bit of pain was completely erased the minute he entered this world. It sounds hokey, but it really was love at first sight; and I would have gone through every bit of it again at that very moment without a second thought.

Here are a couple of my favorite pictures of him from those first few days. I know every mother says it, but he REALLY WAS absolutely beautiful from the very start:




And, of course, he's still beautiful. But the most important thing is that he's healthy, happy, and decent--and hilarious! He makes us smile and laugh out loud numerous times every day. Here are some highlights of his big day, including the famous Spiderman 3 cake:


Blowing out the candles:


And enjoying it with some ice cream...life is so hard, isn't it?


HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MY SWEET GUY! I love you!

Fun with foil

Max calls this latest creation "Batman of the Future." He came up with it all by himself, although I helped him with some of the technical aspects.

What can I say? It's been raining for two days!

Ultrasound pictures

Okay, for those of you who have been waiting patiently, here they are. Max went with us to the ultrasound, and he was enthralled with what he called "the camera" that helped him see the baby in Mommy's tummy. He kept saying it was like "Superman's X-ray vision." Here are some of the best shots.

First, a body shot:


Next, a profile. Doesn't this look like Max's profile? Weird...


And if you haven't heard yet, it's a BOY!!!!!!! Here's the money shot:


Next, the tech switched the machine to 4D, so we got some more realistic pictures. This was very cool, but I think it freaked Max out pretty bad. He kept asking, "Why is my brother all smushy?" You can even see the little guy sucking his thumb in one pic:




Pretty cool, huh? They didn't even have this technology at my hospital (at least they didn't offer it) when Max was born, so this was the first time I had actually seen these types of pictures in person.

The best news is that he is totally healthy and appropriately developed (even a little big) for his gestational age. Just a perfect little baby.

We have no clue yet what we will name him (we can't agree on ANYTHING!), but it's nice to at least be able to stop calling him "it." It always feels so much more real once you know the baby's sex. I am thrilled to have another boy, but I am now at a loss about what to do. If he had been a girl, I would have wanted to convert the nursery to something more feminine, and I would have had lots and lots of sweet clothes to buy. However, because I already have enough "boy stuff" to last a lifetime, I find I'm just finished. No getting ready necessary. I guess I should just relax, huh? Get some sleep while I still can...

This one's for the grandmas...

and great-aunts, and godparents, and all you others who check this blog solely for news and pictures about Max. This entry's definitely dedicated to the CUTENESS!

As most of you know, we just got back from our annual vacation to Perdido Key, Florida. Thanks again to Momille for the use of her gorgeous condo and to Mimi and Pop for inviting us--as usual, we had a blast. Here are the highlights for all you photo hounds:


Grandma and Papa were kind enough to loan us their Honda Civic in which to make the trip--ten hours each way, and we only had to fill up TWICE!!! Max was an absolute angel in the car. We were so proud of him.

Max also slept in the big kids' room at Momille's this year. He really liked the bigger bed (and he didn't even use rails!).



Next, Max and I enjoy the view from Momille's sixth floor balcony:


We also shot bubble guns and water pistols from up there:


We had fun in the pool:



AND at the beach, of course. Max was really brave in the surf this year. He would run right in, and if he got knocked down, he would say, "That was FUN!"





Max flew a kite for the first time this year, and he did a really good job with it.(Isn't Billy a hot daddy?)



Of course, you get sand in your pants when you play on the beach all day (please disregard my giant butt):


Like my hat?


Beware the curse of the evil tiki...


Night night!

Happy Father's Day, Billy!

To the best dad in the whole world--Max and I love you sooooo much!

The Obligatory Update

I call it "obligatory" only because I feel like I need to report something, yet I feel guilty because I have so little to say. After all the drama of the past several months, I have been at a loss for things to write about. We have really just been trying to enjoy the slower pace of life and focus on all of our blessings.

Max has been his usual delightful and entertaining self. Here he is in his latest costume; I am calling this one "drag-queen pirate."

He is thoroughly excited about being a big brother, and he thinks we should name the new baby either "Otto" or "Firestar"--at least those are his top choices this week.

Speaking of the new baby, we had another ultrasound recently, and everything is progressing perfectly. This is a ten-week picture, and you can see that (s)he is really starting to look like a baby. (S)he even seems to be sucking a thumb, although the doctor said that is still physically impossible.

I promise I will get my butt in gear and post some really good pics and interesting anecdotes soon; right now, I am just trying to relax and get through the end of this pukey first trimester. Love to everybody...

UPDATE: When Max saw his picture on the blog this morning, he said, "That's me! I'm a lady pirate!"

And Now for Another Daily Dose of Mortification...

It's just never-ending with Max lately!

Last night, a security system salesman came to our door, and Max immediately struck up a conversation with him.

Max: What's your name?

Salesman: Justin.

Max: You have a big fat belly, Justin!

Whoa. That'll teach him to knock on OUR door!

Fashion Show

Max is REALLY into dress-up these days. Here he is, in his self-styled "Superman" ensemble:

And here's another one he calls "Gambit" (after one of the X-Men, I think):

I think the green frog rain boots really complete the look, don't you?

Happy Easter!

Today, Max hosted an Easter egg hunt for his playgroup, and all the kids had a great time. They wore bunny ears while they searched for eggs and ate cupcakes. Here are a couple of pictures:

Vocabulary Lesson

Here is snippet of a random conversation between Max and me this morning. I was in my underwear, waiting for him to finish on the toilet.

Max: Mommy, what is in your booby?

Me: What is in my booby? Do you mean my bra?

Max: No. What is in your booby?

Me: Well, nothing is really in it. Just skin and fat, I guess. What is in your booby?

Max (as if it is the most obvious answer in the world): My PECTORALS, silly!

Wow. He never ceases to amaze me.

Max and Missy

Max is learning to pretend. Here he is pretending to be asleep behind the end table with Missy:

Here, he has figured out I am taking his picture, but he isn't quite ready to give up the game:

Finally, he knows he is busted...HI, MOMMY!

Corn on the Cob

Ahhh...there's nothing like a barbecue to welcome spring! To celebrate the first long day of Daylight Savings Time, we feasted on ribs and corn on the cob--Max's first experience with both. I was worried he wouldn't be able to eat the corn off the cob, but he did just fine. Here he is showing off his new talent:

Bad Words

Let me preface this post with a warning (and grandmothers, this basically means YOU): Do NOT read any further if you will go blind upon seeing/hearing the F-word.

This morning, I was in the kitchen washing breakfast dishes while Max sat watching television in the next room. As I did my chores, I looked down and noticed that the dog was licking a sippy cup that Max had left on the floor.

"Stop it, Abbey!" I scolded her.

Max wandered into the room. "What did she do, Mommy?" he asked.

"She was licking your cup," I replied.

"That fucking Abbey," he said, shaking his head in disappointment.

I seriously don't know where he gets this stuff, but I for one plan to watch my mouth a little more closely in the future. Sheesh.

Manners

We are trying to teach Max basic manners--you know, like please, thank you, yes ma'am, no ma'am, etc.

The problem is that he has trouble pronouncing the final -m sound in ma'am; the result is that he goes around saying yes, man, and no, man.

So instead of a polite little boy, he sounds like an aging hippie.

It's Pat!

Max and I went to Lowe's home improvement store on Friday to buy some paint. The woman who helped us was, well, a bit masculine, to say the least. She was wearing overalls and combat boots, and a bandana covered her buzz-cut. She wore no makeup, and when she addressed us, her voice was rather deep. She even moved like a man. However, I was still aware that she was female.

Max, on the other hand, was a little more confused. As I was trying to explain my order to "Pat" (as I have begun calling her in my mind), Max inquired loudly, "Mommy, what is THAT?"

I'm sure I turned twelve shades of red, but I ignored him for the moment and continued talking, a strategy that just served to make him MORE curious. He tugged on my sleeve impatiently. "Mommy, what is THAT?" he asked again, this time blatantly pointing at Pat.

I was mortified. I tried to pretend that I didn't know what he was talking about. "What is what, sweetheart?" My eyes darted frantically and finally rested on the bucket of wooden sticks on the counter. "Oh, that--THAT is a paint stirrer!" I announced triumphantly and handed him one, sure I had dodged any further embarrassment.

"No, Mommy--THAT!" he yelled, throwing down the stick so he could again point directly at Pat. "Is that a boy or a girl, Mommy? Is that a BOY or a GIRL? "

There was no avoiding it this time. I was mortified. In retrospect, I should have just honestly answered his question and forged on, but I was so humiliated that I again ignored it. Luckily, Pat just let it go, too.

When I told Teri about the ordeal later, she said the girl had obviously dressed that way for a reason, and she was probably HAPPY that Max couldn't discern her gender. I know she is probably right, but it doesn't make me feel much better. I'm sure it won't be the last time something like this happens, and I hope I react more tactfully next time. Live and learn, I guess.

True Love

Well, most of the time, anyway...

Potty Training: Mission Completed!

Well, I can honestly say that we are now officially FINISHED with potty training. We started in earnest when Max turned two, and he is now exactly two and a half. He no longer needs a Pull-Up at any time, including nighttime. He wakes up dry every morning, and he has learned to hold it when he does not have immediate access to a bathroom.

He loves to tell anyone who will listen, "I'm a big boy, and I don't pee pee in my pants!" We also know when he is preparing to do number two because he will politely announce, "Please leave me alone. I need privacy."

Be sure to congratulate him the next time you see him.

Budding Artist

I introduced Max to fingerpainting this week, and he LOVED it! It's an activity that's tailor-made for him: creative and extremely messy at the same time. I have to admit I got in on the action, too.

I love this picture of his tiny dimpled hands.