Row, row, row

Max really is talking up a storm these days, and I love listening to him talk-even when I can't understand what he's saying (or when I'm the only one who understands!). He is repeating everything we say, now. When I picked him up from school today, his teacher told me that he was starting to sing 'Row, Row, Row Your Boat,' which they sing everyday in his class. Today, he started walking around saying 'row, row, row.' He even did it for me!

--M--

My latest crusade has been to try to get him to say 'please.' Max has a terrible habit of screeching when he wants something (a behavior I'd imagine is not uncommon in his age group, but nevertheless drives me up the wall). So I have been desperately and unsuccessfully trying to get him to say 'please.' He said it for his Grandma, but has refused to say it since, until this evening. Tonight, he started making that noise and pointing to the refrigerator. I didn't know what he wanted, but I made an educated guess at watermelon, since it seems to be his favorite thing on the planet, right now. I asked him if that's what he wanted, and he tried to say 'watermelon.' Then, I pulled the container out of the fridge, and he got excited. I opened it, and then told him 'say please.' He made a couple of random mumblings, but after I said it three times, he said 'please' clear as day... That's what I thought. Now if I can just get him to quit throwing food...

--M--

Now, I know everyone who reads this will call me nutty, but I swear Max told me to 'stay still' this weekend. I would think so, too, except the kid said it twice. Max was in his high chair Sunday morning waiting while I got his bagels and milk out for breakfast. I was standing next to his chair and he grabbed the front of my shirt and held it out as I turned away from him and told me 'stay still.' I turned back to look at him and he looked at me and said it again, 'stay still.' He proceeded to examine the print on my shirt (Clint's 'squid in a bucket' t-shirt) and then he pointed to the squid and said 'this?'

Picture Update

Here are some pictures we've taken recently of Max playing and eating with his new fork:


Papa's accessories are so fun.


Forks are tricky!

Kisses for Katie

Max has been a little less stingy with the kisses lately, and it is so special to watch him understand affection and express it. On Wednesday night at our small group, my friend, Trish, was making a 'fish face' at Max (sucking in her cheeks to make her lips pucker out), which he has thought was funny from the time he was very little. This time, though, I guess he mistook it for a pucker, and he walked over to her and gave her a kiss!

But today was the cutest thing that I have seen in regards to the kissing. I took him in to school, and was leaving so I squatted down to ask for a hug. Well, Max was busy playing, and was not interested in hugging me goodbye. But his friend, Katie, was! She walked over to hug me, which made Max jealous. So he walked over for a hug, too. Then Katie motioned like she wanted to give Max a hug, so I asked Max if he wanted to hug Katie. Except Katie puckered her lips, so Max leaned over and kissed her! It was the most adorable thing, and they did it twice more before I left! Max is taller than Katie, so he wound up kissing her on the nose! It made my day.

Introducing Tooth #8

Max spent 4 or so hours in the middle of the night Sunday screaming bloody murder. He finally fell back asleep sometime between 6 and 6:30, and didn't wake up again until 8:45 (I called in late to work for lack of sleep). I was a bit worried that maybe he'd caught a bug while drinking river water on Sunday morning, but then during breakfast Monday morning I spotted it: tooth #8. He now has the four front on both top and bottom, if anyone is keeping track. We've had a particularly hard time teething this last go-round. There's been biting and ear aches, and crying and it's seemed to go on and on and ON. I can't wait to see what molars hold for us...

Busy Weekend

Of course, I forgot my camera...but we went to see Grandma and Grandpa (Alex's parents) this weekend in Mason. We left Saturday morning and arrived around noon. Max screamed, more or less, the entire two hour drive...NOT music to our ears. When we reached the house on Peter's Creek, he was ready for lunch and a nap.

While Max napped, I snuck away to get a haircut (yes, I got my hair cut in Mason and I love it!), and when Grandma and I returned, the boys were running around behind the house. It seems that Max remembered the yellow garden wagon from his visit in April, and excitedly began wagon rides, and pushing & pulling it around the yard! Grandpa (and everyone else) was impressed, because this is no Radio Flyer...this is a Heavy-Duty country 'werkin-wagon' and it weighs a good bit.

In the heat of the afternoon, we decided to break out the kiddie-pool, and Max had a blast! He splashed and poured the water, stuck his face in, and got out to push the wagon when he got too cold. At dinner, he pointed to Clint's fork repeatedly, so Clint gave it to him. And-surprising us all-Max started to use it! Fairly clumsily at first, but he was getting the hang of it! It often amazes me what he is ready for and how quickly he develops! This evening, when we got back into town and were running errands, I bought him a toddler fork and spoon, and he used his fork for dinner.

Today, we went out to the garden, and Max helped Papa and I pick green beans. He tried a cherry tomato (which he promptly spit back out and threw on the ground...More for me!). I was pleasantly surprised to see how carefully he walked in between the rows and didn't step on any of his Grandma's plants! Then we went to the Llano river, and Max played and threw rocks. He had such a fun time sitting in the water with all of us, and moving the rocks around. I'm so happy to see him enjoy the water!

Max is talking up a storm, now. He has learned 'uh-oh' from the kids at school, 'this,' 'that,' 'go,' 'up,' 'down,' 'hot,' 'cold,' 'blue' and this weekend he started saying several things, including 'meow' and 'please!' He is starting to mimic so much of what we are saying, and understanding even more. After bathtime tonight, I wrapped him up in a big towel and told him that he was a baby taco, and he started saying 'taco' (granted he was pronouncing it 'paco')!

Max got a phone of his own, this weekend, that he loves...he spent all weekend opening it and closing it and pushing the buttons.

The weekend was finished off with a drive back to Austin which, thankfully, included a pretty content and quiet backseat passenger.

Sweet Boy

Clint and I have recently been working with Max on kissing. He was still kissing open-mouthed, and sometimes it was hard to tell if he was trying to kiss you or bite you (though, we still have this problem since he likes to blow raspberries, too). So, several weeks ago, we were teaching him to kiss with a pucker, which is really cute to watch him try to do! He will sometimes give Clint or I a kiss when asked, but most often his answer is a vigorous head shake 'no' and a devious smile.

This morning we were playing, and Max noticed my hair clip. He pulled it out and played with it on his own for a while, but then he started trying to put it back in my hair. This meant he was really just combing my hair with it, since he isn't strong enough to open the spring in the clip. He was standing behind me doing this, and then he hugged my neck. When I turned around, he gave me a kiss all on his own! He did this, again, a minute or so later, but I couldn't turn enough to reach his face, so he made a little kissing noise at me! So sweet!

Naked Baby Photos

Who doesn't love naked baby pictures? Max got to take a bath with his adorable cousin, Bella, last weekend, when we went (last minute) to Santa Fe for the 4th of July. Here are some of the pictures Clint took while they played in the tub:

Max loves to splash

The wonder of the faucet...

Bella and Max had such a good time together!



Isn't she just beautiful?!

Awww....look at the love!

4th o' July

It's been a long time since there has been something new up here, and Max has been a busy boy. Just today, he had a tooth pop through on the bottom (yay for more bottom teeth!), and he has 3 more (another on the bottom and 2 more up top) coming in. As usual with teething, we've had a it of a rough time the last 2 weeks-a little extra whiny and some biting. But hopefully, that will all be over once these other teeth make their appearances.

Max also had his first pool experience, and it didn't seem to go over well. This was the week that Clint spent in the hospital and Max was a little upset at not having seen his Papa, and all of the strange goings-on. He clung desperately to me in the pool, and he accidentally stuck his face in once or twice and didn't like the results. It took a while afterward to get back to being able to take a bath without screaming...We'll keep trying-I'm hoping he'll get used to swimming and enjoy it, or we have a long road of hot summers ahead of us!

We have had a lot of fun recently going to the grocery store. Max loves all the color and things to see, but he is really enamored with all the people he gets to flirt with, talk to, and otherwise charm. He has this little attention-getting laugh (used only when flirting) accompanied with a wide grin that always seems to rope people in! He cracks me up!

There's much more to tell, but I have other things I have to get done today...more on what Max is up to, soon. And I promise it won't be a month, this time!