Happy Easter!

Happy Easter everyone! Max is being dedicated at our church's Easter service this evening! He actually just missed this ceremony last year by less than a week (Easter was in April last year)... Sorry to any family that might have wanted to be here for this-we didn't completely decide on participating until the last minute. But we will have lots of pictures to post!

Bang! Bang!

Bang! Crash! Smack! These are the sounds you will hear emanating from Max's play...By far, the most important attribute of any toy right now is it's ability to bang...How does this toy bang? is the first question I can see run through his head when handed any new object. Is it loud? Can I bang it on the ground? With my hand? With another toy? This boy loves to make noise.

We also discovered this weekend food that Max will not eat. This is the first time that Max has flat-out refused anything. The first was a sweet pepper. Max doesn't usually eat any food raw, and so the texture might have been the issue, here. But he got such a reaction to the funny face he made, he's continued making it...a scrunched nose and squinty eyes. Max also does not like raw broccoli (I think because it's a little spicy) or cottage cheese. Luckily, he loves cooked broccoli, and almost everything else!

One Month Closer to College: 11 mo. Update

Tomorrow, Max turns 11 months old. That means that one month from tomorrow, he'll be a year old. No, I have not started planning a party and forgot to tell you. In fact, I have not started planning a party at all.

The las week or so we have seen amazing leaps in Max's activities. Last weekend, he decided he missed waving, and that it might be OK to wave at people other than Sunny. Sorry, Sunny. Now, Max waves bye-bye all the time, and sometimes, just for the heck of it. Also, he is really working at standing on his own. Often, now, he will practice balancing and standing on his own. And if he catches his balance long enough to get brave, he'll even take a step. I hope to get a picture or video of this, soon!

Max loves bath time. We have a pirate ship that he loves, along with some of his other little plastic toys that float. He loves chasing them around the bath tub, and splashing, and making waves!

In the last week, Max has also started to get a little clingy to Mama. He wants me to be near, or holding him, if he knows I am around. He hasn't had a problem with me leaving or when I drop him off at school, yet, he just doesn't want me to set him down. I know that in a few short years (or, more likely, months), I'll be whining because he won't let me hold him at all, but it makes it really hard to get dressed in the morning with an almost-toddler glued to your side!

I am so excited about the coming summer and spending lots of time with Max doing outdoor activities-especially once he is walking! We have lots of fun Grandparents' houses and land to explore, Farmer's Markets, parks, back yards, zoos, and more! Clint just started a new job (yay!), and has mornings off, so I'm even envisioning swimming lessons with Papa! The guys have really been enjoying their 'boy time' together.

That's all I've got for now. I know that this post is going to get me in trouble with multiple sets of Grandparents who have not seen their grandson in far too long...I'm sorry! We'll come visit soon, I promise!

Meeting Aunt Sunny

One of my very best girlfriends quite unfortunately (for my sake) happens to currently live in South Korea. Sunny and I met the first day of our Freshman year at UT, thanks to a lovely little program called FIGs (Freshman Interest Groups), and hit it off from the beginning. We had three classes with each other that first semester, and several more thereafter until Sunny decided to fast-track her college career and graduate in three years. Yes, you read that right. I said THREE. Most college students struggle to graduate in five years, and Sunny did it in three. That tells you a little bit about how special this lady is, right there.

Anyway, Sunny is originally from S. Korea, and moved to the states in middle school with her older brother and her mother. After graduating from UT, she moved to Tokyo for two years, and then back to Seoul to spend time with her family. I have seen her exactly twice since June (or July?)2004, the last time being Thanksgiving 2005. Before we moved to Houston. Before I got pregnant. So, this trip was the first time that Max got to meet his Aunt Sunny. And boy did they hit it off. Max waves only for Sunny. Honestly. I knew the boy could do it, but couldn't ever get him to wave to me (or anyone else). But Sunny? No sweat. Sunny wanted to take Max back to Seoul with her-for just a few years. You know, to teach him Korean. I declined, thank you. She had to settle for spending too much money on him while she was here. And, as usual, I didn't take enough pictures.

We love you, Sunny! We can't wait to see you, again, whenever that may be!

Pacifier Wars

Clint and I were playing with Max last night right before his bedtime, and Clint started a game that he and Max play regularly. Clint takes Max's pacifier and puts it in his own mouth. Then, Max takes it back. And they go back and forth stealing the pacifier (side note: this little game has turned Max into a pacifier-stealing bandit at school. I walked in just yesterday to find him with his pacifier in his mouth, and friend, Katie's, in his hand...thanks, Papa).

But last night, Max added a new aspect to the game. Last night, once he stole the pacifier back and had successfully put it back in his mouth, he did a Victory Dance! He would wiggle his little body in joy right in front of Clint. It was hilarious to watch him gloat a little bit-until his Papa stole the pacifier right back.

Max Goes to 11

Max has been testing the high-end of his volume control the last week. Well, maybe 'control' is being generous...He has discovered that he can 'turn it up a notch' (or 10) whenever he wants. Yay. He will do this when he is upset, frustrated, trying to exert his will, bored, or perfectly happy & just feeling like being LOUD.

I can't remember exactly when he started doing this, though it was definitely within the last two weeks. But I do remember with distinct clarity when I realized what he was doing...and that's because it was in church last Sunday. Now, we haven't been to church regularly since Max was born. There are a number of reason I could site for this, but it mainly boils down to laziness. But we decided to go last Sunday. Our church now has a nursery, and I got to sit through most of a service & actually listen to what was being said. At Communion time, I went to go pick Max up from the nursery, so I was holding him as our community Pastor, Sam (who happens to be a Dad himself), got up to make a few announcements and pray to close out the service. It was right about then that Max decided he was bored. So, he yelled. He must have thought it sounded cool, because he decided to do it three more times just during the announcements. We had to retreat back into the nursery during prayer. So, I almost made it through an entire service...

He's also decided that the car is a great place to yell, too. Another unfortunate location, if only for my ears' sake. I guess, since I am the mother of a boy, I am going to have to get used to all this noise. And since Max is Clint 'the Loudest Man on the Planet' Jurek's son, I'm bound to be doomed to two loud males in my house from now on. Sigh.

Dancing Shoes

We bought Max a pair of shoes this weekend because he is the master sock remover. They are brown, flexible leather shoes, similar to the Robeez brand. We have an awesome pair of these, with pirates on them, in a size 18 mo. that we got from Sarah. I cannot wait until Max can wear them! They look something like these, but in different colors:

Arrg. Also, Max started Dancing this weekend!!! Friday night Max and I were playing on the bed while Clint was at a friend's house. While we played, I started singing to Max and he started dancing! He was bobbing his head side to side and kind of bouncing his body. It was the most adorable thing. Since then, he's done this all weekend-dancing to music playing in the house, dancing and clapping to 'If You're Happy and You Know It,' and, dancing to the music in his head, I suppose. So maybe those shoes will turn out to be his dancing shoes before too long! I've got rhythm, I've got music...