Boo!

We had some very scary dinosaurs visit our house this morning. Ben's been obsessed with the prehistoric giants for months and Max is basically thrilled to participate alongside his big brother in any capacity.

Benji-saurus

Max-a-ceratops

We'll just pretend the whole experience wasn't like this most of the time, haha.

Happy Halloween!

Twelve Months: Our Birthday Boy!

Our littlest baby boy is one year old!

What a delight it was to capture this little series for Max's first year; just as we did for big brother Ben's first year. I'll admit that it wasn't always 'easy' (read: photo shoots became more 'dynamic' each progressing month) but I enjoyed it all the same.

Mr. Max is officially one year old. These past twelve months have gone by lightning fast (although I can't say the same about the night shifts). Just as Ben shaped and transformed our hearts so has Max made a wonderful impression on our lives. We are so fortunate to have two healthy, beautiful, and happy boys.

When I reflect on the past year I feel like we have been really blessed. Max was generally a pretty chill baby who didn't feel the need to throw us too many curveballs or yank our chains too hard. Max, being our second child, meant more confident and laid back parents, an older brother to provide extra loving, and a general understanding that 'everything is a phase so either enjoy or endure as need be'. We certainly were busier and more exhausted but I feel like I was able to savour this go around a bit more than the first time.

Max's personality is really starting to shine. He is a really sweet, energetic Mama's boy who loves to be included in anything and everything we are doing. He's constantly taking note of what Ben is doing and often mimics him too. It's wonderful to see the boys play together, usually 'nicely', and their fits of giggles are very infectious. He loves story time at breakfast with Ben & Mom and bath time in the evening with Ben & Dad. Max is good at exploring on his own too. He will crawl up the staircase to the train table and make a royal mess of the place. Then he'll make his way to the couch where he'll grab every cushion and throw it onto the floor. But I will give him credit when it comes to cleaning up; the kid is almost as good at putting things back as he is destroying them, haha.

Right from birth Max was a big boy and he has remained that way ever since. He's definitely leaner but certainly still mighty solid, giving my arms a good workout every day. He's been wearing size 5 diapers for months and dons mostly 12-18Month clothes. That being said, I popped a few of Ben's size 2Yr sweaters in his closet and Max can fill those out pretty well too. He's a fast crawler but prefers to climb and walk along furniture whenever possible. He's starting to walk while holding on to just one hand but isn't stable enough to stand on his own for more than a few seconds yet. He's got nearly 7 teeth (top four incisors and bottom 2, almost 3).

One thing that surprised us about Max this month is that his hair, which has been very minimal up to this point, is actually curly! Who would have thought? He's got a couple little wings behind each ear and the rest is rather suggestible when tousled. I don't know if it will stick around or not but it sure was a delight we didn't expect!

Max is still a great eater and a horrible sleeper. I guess we can't have it all, right? Positives first - it is a real relief to know that our boy will eat basically everything we do and that (knock-on-wood) we haven't encountered any allergies yet. His favourite food is definitely yogurt; he kicks and squeals every time I bring out a cup for him. Rice, protein of any sort, fruit, and cheerios are also a hit. Bananas took a back seat this month but perhaps will return to our regular rotation again soon. We still have the occasional nursing session, but mostly just for comfort at this point. I'm so thankful I don't have to stress too much about the food department and hope it remains this way for some time! Now for our big challenge, sleep. We still have multiple wake ups at night and these can last from 2 minutes to 2 hours in length. Danny and I take turns getting up but I'm starting to notice slightly longer stretches developing and pray these are the steps to progress. It's been a year and we have yet to sleep through the night (yes, we) but we'll get there, eventually.

Poor nights aside, we've had a great month as a family. We attended birthday parties, visited a petting zoo and pumpkin patch, went to Heritage Park, visited with both sets of Grandparents, celebrated Thanksgiving, and had a few playdates. We watched the leaves fall off the trees and enjoyed some new recipes (maybe I'll finally take to cooking?) Max's first birthday party was a real highlight with a little woodland picnic theme surrounded by family and friends. The month has been cozy and settled and comfortable, just like our little family of four has become.

What a privilege it has been to have you join our family and watch you grow these past twelve months, little Max. We love you fiercely and are so looking forward to many more years to come!

Love you so much Max! Happy Birthday!

A Birth Day

In a few hours, our baby boy turns one. Right now though, he's curled up (almost) sleeping in my arms while I type. His legs are bent at the knees, half resting on my lap half draped over the arm of the rocking chair. I used to be able to cradle him in the crook of one arm but that didn't last for long. He has grown into such a wonderful little boy, our beloved Max.

I remember the days leading up to his birth quite vividly. The leaves were falling, the air was crisp, the seasons were changing, and we were awaiting the change in our own family. What would this new baby be like? Would he look like his big brother, Ben? Would he be loud and demanding or quiet and relaxed? Would he be a good eater, a good sleeper? Would I be able to juggle the demands of raising two little boys? Like many mothers in the final states of pregnancy I was both excited and nervous.

Max's actual birth was a bit more dramatic than anticipated. I haven't written about his birth story yet (probably because I haven't actually fully processed it all, and probably because I haven't made the time!) but all to say he arrived in this world healthy and screaming and squishy and pink. The nurses kept commenting on how big and long he was (8lbs5oz and 21in long). We were positively delighted!

I'm so glad to have experienced this past year getting to know the newest member of our family. He is such a sweet little guy who slid right into our family and made a cozy spot for himself. I've enjoyed watching him grow and learn and develop, leaving a mark on each of our hearts. I've watched Ben turn into the caring and compassionate big brother we hoped he'd become. I've watched my husband's love and pride for his two boys flourish and multiply. I've been pushed and challenged and rewarded in so many ways. It's remarkable to think that all of this was accomplished in just 365 short (and sometimes very long) days.

Mr. Max, the day you were born I grew another heart, one that has filled up and overflowed with love for you. We are so grateful to have you in our lives.

Happy Birthday to our beautiful son, Max.

xoxo

Eleven Months: Everything is Fair Game

Here we are at the eleven-months-old mark. In a matter of weeks I'll be counting Max's age in years! Although I generally feel like he is still my baby I can see the toddler phase emerging too. Here's a little recap of the past month.

Height, weight, head circumference? No clue. All I can say is that this boy is big! He's still rocking his size five diapers, wearing 12-18m clothes (sometimes 18-24m) and finding shoes that fit his very thick feet properly is nearly impossible. I no longer go down to the storage room to unpack Ben's old boxed up clothes to hang in Max's closet but rather just transfer them straight from one closet to the other. I imagine I'll be asked if the boys are twins soon! Dude. Way to grow!

Max is also very much emerged in the environment around him - everything is fair game. He still army crawls but usually he prefers to pull up to stand. His favourite ledge to walk around is the train table (much to Big Brother's dismay) but the highchair is a close second. Max climbs stairs multiple times a day, swings doors back and forth, plays with door stoppers, pulls the covers off the vents and likes to stand against the window sills and look at the world around him. He hasn't started opening cupboard doors yet but I'll probably write something about that in next month's post. Oy. No rest for this mama, as anyone with kids this age knows.

Max is also pretty fun and interactive. He likes to mimic sounds and motions, waves 'hi', blows spit bubbles, claps his hands along with nursery rhymes and will howl like a wolf whenever we read a favourite breakfast storybook. He thinks Ben is hilarious, especially when Ben pretends to feed him. The car isn't as horrible as it once was, especially now that the boys can almost reach each other's hands and pass various travel activities back and forth.

Not too many complaints apart from the never-ending horrible sleeps. Seriously, I think newborns wake less often than this kid. He's a very light sleeper, fights naps for hours and is generally quite restless most of the night. He's also got at least six teeth that are 'almost' poking through so I can't exclude the discomfort that must be contributing to his poor sleep as well. Experience tells me we'll get through this phase, it just feels very, very far away at this point.

We had a fun, busy month, filling up our schedule with playdates, birthday parties, baby showers and backyard picnics, (yes, that's right, our backyard is done!). We also had a freak snow storm that gave us a taste of the winter months ahead (Max hated it, by the way, haha). Trying our best to enjoy the warm weather as much as possible while we still have it!

This month was the first time I spent a night away from Mr. Max. A good friend and I took a little girls' trip to Vegas one weekend to change up our daily routine and, more importantly, get a full night of uninterrupted sleep. Seems kind of ironic that I went to Vegas to sleep through the night for the first time in years but hey, I'll take whatever I can get. I'd like to think Max missed me horribly but I think he did just fine.

I can barely believe the time has come to start planning the one year birthday party but I'm also so grateful that we've been blessed with eleven solid great months with our little man! Love you buddy!

Ten Months: Moving & Shaking

When Ben turned ten months old it was a hard milestone for me to accept - double digits seemed so old and I couldn't see much 'baby' left in him. Interestingly, I'm really embracing the ten months old milestone with Max. In fact, I've been saying that he's ten months old for a while now and so it rolls off the tongue pretty easily without pulling on the heartstrings too much.

I had a quick peek back at Ben's ten month post and started chuckling to myself. I normally don't look back at Ben's monthly posts before typing Max's monthly posts so as not to play the comparison game but I did read back this time and I couldn't help but laugh. The boys look nothing a like but act almost exactly the same. 

Max, like his brother, is constantly moving. The army crawl is his preferred motor method but he is always happy to accept two willing hands to take him for a toddle. Diaper changes are probably easier with cats at this point but I'm aware it is just a phase. We won't mention a mysterious 'nugget' Danny found one evening in the master bedroom a couple hours after I had changed Max into his pjs on our bed. Keeps us humble, haha.

All that action has our little man working up quite the appetite. He's pretty good at feeding himself little bits of food and still loves fruit pouches, bananas and cheese. I have also bestowed him with the nickname 'squirrel' (just as I did for his brother, apparently) as I'll often find some moist morsel of cheerios stashed in his clenched fists half an hour after snack time.

Our, cuddly, tall, mama's boy still has two teeth and I thought more were on the way but it turned out to be a nasty little fever. High temperatures kept returning every few hours followed by a post-fever rash. Sleep regressed to some of the worst levels I remember (and it's far from ideal on a 'good night') but fortunately he is pretty healthy most of the time and these episodes aren't the norm. 

This month was one filled with many fun summer activities. We went on a road trip to celebrate my sister's engagement and visited with Aunts, Uncles and Great Grandmothers. We've spent a lot of time outside on mountain picnic trips, eating ice-cream cones by the lake, enjoying park dates, running through spray parks and getting thrills at an amusement park. We celebrated my parents' 30th anniversary surrounded by close family and friends, hosted family dinners (both sides) and enjoyed a few days off together just to relax.

Max certainly has found his niche in our family. He's generally a pretty happy little guy who loves to be included in the action, mimics coughing and sneezing, and babbles 'ma-ma-ma and da-da-da' quite liberally. He's equal parts action and snuggle, loves going places but hates the car, is curious and mischievous and so much fun.

Love you to pieces, Max!

Carnival Fun

Doing our best to soak up as much fun and family time as we possibly can this summer. A last minute decision to hit up a local amusement park proved to be a thrilling time for all. 

I used to crave those butterflies I'd get at the top of a roller coaster right before a dramatic descent. I loved the feeling gravity pressing my back into the hard plastic seat when spinning round and round. Nothing quite compared to the sensation of flying through the air, feet dangling high above the hot and sticky pavement. But since having kids, those enticing rides have rendered me into a timid bystander who gets nauseas just watching. Go figure! 

Fortunately, I get almost the same kicks watching my boys light up as they take in the sights and sounds of the amusement park for themselves. I can still feel the butterflies as their wide eyes survey the next ride to conquer. I can feel the gravity pulling down on my own legs as they toddle along, slightly off-kilter, back to the ride's line up (again! again!). My still hair gets caught in the crosswind as the ride above me swoops overhead. 

Maybe I'm no longer a daredevil but it appears the gene has been passed down!

Love, Lace and Laughter

My little sister is getting married!

This past weekend I enjoyed a lovely afternoon with the girls doing all sorts of engagement and wedding related activities. I was so nice to catch up with my sister and peruse all the latest bridal fashions. Strapless or cap sleeves? Empire or sheath? Batiste or chiffon? Silk or shantung? The options were endless. We joked with our Grandma (92 years young) that she would get to try on the next round of dresses. I'm pretty sure she was up for it too!

Can you pick grapes in that one, Kelly?