When church is at 1 o'clock . . .

You have some time to kill in the morning. So we got out the magnets and practiced our ABC's. I'm actually REALLY liking one o'clock church so far. Max has taken some sort of nap before church every week, even if it has been a little short.

remember to click on the video title to get a full screen

here he says "abc" in the sweetest way right at the beginning, then realizes the camera is on and wants to look at the pictures I took of him with his "choo, choo"



take two, still wants to see whale or "way-well" pictures from Sea World on the camera.



take three, just being silly. He does say "M" at 0:53 and counts "1,2" at about 1:45

Just a few recent pics

Yes, I know, they're all of Max. He certainly keeps my life exciting and entertains me daily. I hope you find his cute face as fun as I do. I'm really trying to get some things done for him in the next month. Finish his baby book (almost done!) and make a quilt for his 2nd birthday. Then I can start focusing on what we need for the baby (stroller and larger dresser are top priorities, I need to go through Max's clothes to see what we really need, I know there are at least a few clothing items we'll need to purchase, and I want to rearrange and add some decor in the boys bedroom, I'm not going to think about a 2nd crib until he's born and we're thinking about moving him out of our room). Anyway. . .enjoy!

Loves this cars shirt, and mom's shoes.
Enjoying this nice weather we've been having!
Over the MLK weekend Jared's dad helped him change the oil in our cars, then they put new break pads on Aunt Meridith's car. Max kept saying "Broken Broken!" more like "Bo-kee, Bo-kee!" He even found the tire that had been removed and tried to bring it over to them. A Diaper shot, it's been a while! ha. He loves dad, even if he has a funny way of showing it sometimes. The Carousel at the Irvine SpectrumI just love his curls in this one.

Highly Recommend . . .

My sister-in-law mentioned this book to me a few weeks ago and offered to mail it but I was able to find it at the Library. The photographs are really fascinating. You can just Google Lennart Nilsson and see some of his images. Some photos suddenly become amazing when you read in the book what they really are. The text is really in depth as well. I admit, thought I knew just about everything there was to know about conception and how a baby grows but there were some facts in here I don't recall learning before. (FYI: The author doesn't seem to be religious and there were a few opinions here and there I didn't agree with)

Anyway, guess who else I caught in his chair reading the book?

Christmas!

We had our own Christmas Eve on December 23rd. Yes, that is our little tree. Every year I think about getting a big one but this little one just works so nice in our smaller space I think I'll cave next year though when Max is coming up on three and can help(?) me decorate.
We hopped in the car and took the 5 min drive to the Newport Beach Temple to see the Nativity up close.Opened presents at home on the 24th morning. This was the first one Max opened from his Great Grandma Savage, he could've just played with the monster truck all morning and been fine!
He also received two new Little People or "people" sets from Santa, and now a month later not a day has gone by where we haven't pulled them out and set them up first thing in the morning. Santa made a great choice!
We spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Morning with Grandma and Grandpa White and the rest of the family. Max loved opening his stocking and finding the Toy Story guys! With Grandma and Aunt Meridith.
Aunt JessicaDaddy helped him open gifts.He loves Lightning McQueen and calls all the cars, "Big Cars!" We finally got him some Cars for Christmas and his Grandma got him a Cars mat to play with them on.We headed to UTAH on the 26th and were back by New Years Eve. I took more pictures but will just post a couple. It was a successful trip, I checked out Jungle Book at the library and Max must've watched it about 6 or 7 times. We stayed in St. George one night on the way up. Luckily Max slept in the pack n' play. We loved seeing all the cousins, Aunts and Uncles and of course Grandma and Grandpa Wright. We visited the Springville Art Museum. The Snow was fun too, we got two storms while we were there and pulled out our winter driving skills. On the way home we met up with my brother who had taken the kids down to St. George while his wife recovered from surgery.

With Grandma and Grandpa Wright, they gave him this Bus the first day we were there and Max slept with it every night.
Love my Mountains!

It was fun celebrating Max's 2nd Christmas. It was nice that we could leave the presents out and he didn't realize that there were toys beneath the wrapping paper. I'm sure this won't be the case next year. In fact, a few days into the New Year he found a Christmas present that I had decided to save for his birthday, but having just been through all the unwrapping he knew just what to do and opened it right up! Then as Jared was getting new books for the quarter that would come from the UPS man in boxes Max would see them and say, "open! open! big cars! choo-choo! people!". We had a couple FHE's about the nativity and baby Jesus and I really think he began to understand. We tried to explain who Santa was but he kept thinking he was a dwarf from Snow White. Just after Thanksgiving he saw some parts from Snow White, he loved the dwarfs singing "dig dig dig" and "hi-ho". So then when he saw Santa he would say "Adu" which for some weird reason is Max's word for Snow White or whenever he sees a princess really.

Pregnancy Dreams

I did another post about this when I was pregnant with Max. Back then they seemed to be about college. For the past several weeks now I've been having crazy dreams again. A lot about high school this time. But last night was just crazy, I'll sum it up in a nutshell:

It was my due date so I went to have the baby at some sort of birthing center. If you were due that day you would come and have your baby, you didn't really go into labor. You'd just go into this backroom and they had a table/bed thing and you'd have your baby. They took a couple pictures of Jared cutting the cord but none of me holding the baby or anything. Max was just waiting in a waiting room with some toys. It only took a few minutes, then they sent us home without checking on the baby or me. At home the baby could crawl already, almost walking! It had been two or three days and I'd only nursed him once or twice because he was crawling away and hiding from me. When he did nurse it was for about a minute. That's about it but it seemed so real in my dream! Glad that's not how it goes! He was a really cute baby though!

December part 1

We still had beautiful colored leaves in December . . .
I know, this is sad, but he was smiling like one split second before! Love this face anyway!
We finally got started on our Garden Plot. We've now planted Winter Squash, Zucchini, Basil and Cucumbers. . .hoping for the best!When Jared finished finals and grading we celebrated by going to South Coast Plaza and seeing all the big Christmas Tree and other fancy decor.
Then we ate at Rain Forrest Cafe. We came once when Max was 3 months with our friends the Anderson's. He got a little scared back then when the lights go dark and you hear the thunder and all the animals make their noises. But he thought it was pretty amazing this time! Especially since we sat right by this humongous elephant - "eh-pant!". He just grabbed our hands and wanted to pull us away from the table to see all the other animals too. We took turns eating. Really, elephants have never quite been the same since then and he woke up the next morning talking about them.
We had a huge rainstorm for about a week straight in December. It was kind of fun! But crazy! Just buckets and buckets of rain. Anyway, our Sea World Fun Card was going to expire at the end of the year and I really wanted to make it one more time. We braved a break in the clouds one day and Max and I drove down to San Diego. We were so lucky and it was only just a little cold but no rain for those few hours! Here we are with some Polar Bears. Beluga Whale, I just love the "Polar" exhibit at Sea World, one of my faves. It was feeding time for the PenguinsWe saw the Dolphin Show again. I actually cried at the end! What is wrong with me? Can I blame hormones? I don't know why, just the performers and the music and everything . . .No line to see Elmo! Max was so excited about Elmo, way more friendly with him than with Santa! We rode the Elmo's Flying Fish Ride again. Enjoying a candy cane.Jared with his brother Chase and his Dad.Aunt Jess racing Max. He loves to race, he says "ready go!" and "1,2,3!" He could do this all day.

Kettler vs. Radio Flyer and Double Stroller

I'm thinking about getting a push trike for Max for his Birthday next month. The Radio Flyer is much less expensive but I've read it tips easier and doesn't have breaks. The Kettler is supposed to be amazing but it is much more expensive. German engineering, doesn't tip, has breaks. Just wondering if anyone has experience or opinions on either of these? Is the Radio Flyer really much less superior? If so, I may look into getting a Kettler on Craigslist for around $40 or $50. But then it's tempting to just get a new Radio Flyer for a little more. . . idk.

I'm also looking at the Graco Quattro Tour Duo for a double stroller. I really think this is the best one for us. I've read many many blog posts about double strollers and the many different takes and opinions. I don't think a Sit n' Stand will work for us as a first double stroller. I also LOVE my single Graco Quattro Tour. The perfect stroller is ESSENTIAL, if I can't be mobile with my kids I'll go crazy! Especially since I have to park my car far away from my apartment. Anyway, if I can find one in good condition in the color scheme I want I'll probably get one from craigslist then maybe a Sit 'n Stand in a year or so. Anyway, does anyone have experience or opinions about this stroller? Bad or Good is fine.

Max 21-22 months

He'll be two before we know it but I just have to write down a few things about this little guy:
Long, documentation purposes post ahead!
He is talking up a storm, every day he seems to say a couple words that I've never heard him say. Buttons, Tiger (instead of just "rawr"), ride (for the car cart at the grocery store), pretzel, and watch (as in a movie) are new lately and also his own name! Today we were singing the song from the Music Makers class we go to. You put in the child's name, "If your name is Max, do a trick!" and then the kid does some sort of trick or just looks around and is shy, which is what Max usually does. But at home when it's just mom and dad he'll run around and then fall on the floor when we sing it. It's really hilarious. But he wanted us to sing it again so he'd point and said "Max? Max?" It was crazy! He says a few of his friends names now but it was sweet to hear him say his own.

Some other favorites:

- Mommy! Yes, he says Mommy, it used to be "Mem-Mem" then it was "Ma-eee" but he says the whole thing clearly now and it is the sweetest thing.

- Da-eee. Occaisionally he'll get the second d and say "Daddy". He loves to point to things and tell me they are "Da-ee's". When he sees soda in the fridge he knows he can't have any because it's "Da-ee's" and he is ok with that! The other day he pulled out a huge two liter and carried it over to Jared saying "Da-ee, Da-ee"

- Mess! Clear as day. It's either "mess" or "may-a mess" for "made a mess". He does NOT like spills or messy hands and face! If they get messy he just says, "may-a mess" over and over until we wipe him off!

- "OH, Duce!" This means "Oh, Juice". But this is just an example of how he uses the word "Oh". When he says a word or points out an object he'll usually say it to me over and over until I say it back. He wants to make sure I understand what he's saying, or what he's asking for and when I say it back I think it makes him feel good that I understand him. So he'll be asking for juice by saying "Duce! Duce! Duce!" and I say, "Do you want some juice?" and he says "Oh Duce!". Also when he get's excited about something he'll add the "oh" like when we saw a train the other day, he spotted it before me and said "oh choo choo! Oh Choo choo!" or when he saw his uncle Chase and didn't know he was at our house, "Oh! Chaase!"

- Whed-a-go? for "Where'd it go?" He came up with this all by himself. We hadn't really been playing hiding games or anything and he started hiding his magnets under the kitchen mat and saying to me "Whed-a-go?" while shaking his head and putting his palms up. So funny. Just today I was holding him at the store and he was holding a blue car. He said "Whed-a-go?" and I looked at him and it was gone! Turns out he'd put it down my shirt!

- He likes to name animals. Ki-ki (kitty), dog (always with the sign), Monkey or "Bunkey", "Daff" for Giraffe, Hippo, "Deek" for snake, mouse, "Way-well" (whale), "oh-as" (horse, usually with the sign), "neek" for Snake, "Beh" sounds pretty much the same for Bear and Bird but he does the sign for bird, "Eh-pant" for Elephant. We sat by an elephant at the Rain Forest cafe and his life has never quite been the same. He likes to do the animal sounds too and we always throw in "what does the fire truck say?" (wOOooo wOOoo). Rooster is a favorite, "A ca ca ca!"

- Balk is Milk, with the sign. "Moo" is not only the sound a cow makes but is what he says for Chocolate Milk because there is a cow on the bottle of Chocolate Syrup (Organic from Trader Joe's, highly recommend!)

- "Why, Two, Why, Why, Two Two" this is him counting. He lines up all his cars and then counts. After he gets to two he starts over. I think I've heard him make it to three one time. He can also get to "C" in the ABC's.

- "num num, deh?" means "food, there" and he points to his plate. He likes to point and say "deh" to tell me where to put something.

-"uh oh" or "oh no" means something is not going how I want it, i dropped something that is out of reach or this toy is coming apart, please fix it!

- still signs and says "please". He even signs and says "thank you" more and more these days. Yesterday he wanted something that was out of reach while in his high chair. When I got it for him he said "Thank You" with out me even asking him to!

- "Night Night" or "Na-Night". He likes it when the characters in his books go night night. He makes his toys go night night. We get him in his jammies on our bed and he thinks it's so funny to lay on our pillows, close his eyes half way and say "night night". Along with this, every time I lay him down in bed he says "bikt" for blanket and he always wants another blanket for his stuffed animals.
- He loves his stuffed animals lately. For a long time I wondered if he'd ever like them. He never really played with them until around 20 months. But now he usually wants his stuffed Woody or "Woo-ee", his Curious George and his Corduroy Bear. He took all three to the grocery store yesterday, he held them all the way there, then they sat in the cart with him.

- "Ca-Cah" I know this sounds funny but this is cracker and he'll do the sign. "Wa" is water. He's also good at saying "apple". "Bada" is Banana. He also says and signs cereal, "ce-al".

- He does the sign for Grandma but says "Pa" and this could mean either Grandma or Grandpa.

- He plays with phones and says, "heh-whoa" and "bye bye". If he hears a phone ring somewhere he'll also say, "hehe-whoa"

- He can tell me when things are scary, he says "scah!" and runs to me. He can also tell me when things are funny, he says something like "why-ee" and points, like when the big kids are all piled on the trike at the playground or when he throws his fork at the dinner table (I remind him this is not funny!).

- Wow, there are probably more things I can't remember. It is hard to keep up with all he is saying lately. It's really fun.

As far as physical skills he is getting better at running, still not jumping with two feet yet. He loves to swing on the bars over the slides at the playground and tries to climb up the ladders.

He loves his "big trucks", "choo-choos", disney's "cars" and "people" (Little People). He also likes to watch Jungle Book, Baby Einstein, Little People, Elmo ("Elba") and parts of Toy Story and Cars. He loves books. I try to stop whatever I'm doing when he wants to read a book. We go to the Newport Beach library weekly. This week we got a book called "Dig Dig Digging". We've gotten it before. Max basically reads it to me! It says what all the different trucks do. We're working on the Alphabet, numbers and colors so I try to focus on those when we read.

He can be sweet to his friends. We're working on sharing of course and he needs the occasional time out when we're on the playground. But the other day we had a little friend over, she's three months younger than Max. She was kind of missing her mommy and Max gave her a big hug and just kept bringing her toys and snacks to cheer her up. I hope he is this giving with his baby brother!

One last thing, I love watching him pretend and play with his toys. It was especially fun with the kitchen my mom has. He'd cook me things, "wash" his hands, put Woody in the high chair and feed him. He shakes the food out on his plate from the pretend boxes of food. He asks me to change Woody's diaper sometimes too. My mom also has a little playmobile doll-house and Barbie Castle. He'd make the little guys go up the stairs (he's good at saying "stairs" when he wants to go up or down), he'd put them to bed. He'd have the mom change the babies diaper, or even the dad sometimes(!) He made the mom kiss the baby before putting it in his bed to go "night night". He made the mommy and daddy kiss each other . . . too cute.
I love you so much Max! Your smile brightens my every day. You are my sweet little buddy. I look forward to playing with you every day. I love watching you learn and grown and discover the world. I love being your Mommy.