Samuel

Sammy arrived on March 4, 2010! He will be three weeks old on Thursday, March 25th. Here is his birth story.

Sammy was due on February 25th (actually, he was due anywhere between Feb. 21 - 26th according to the various dates I was given over my pregnancy). Since Max was a week early, I was hoping Sammy would follow suit. When he didn't, I found myself feeling WAAAY overdue by his actual due date. I had two hopes for this birth. First, I wanted to try for a VBAC (Vaginal Birth After Cesarean). If you've never tried to accomplish this in today's medical climate, I assure you, it is challenging to say the least. I don't even mean the actual act of having a VBAC. I just mean getting a doctor to agree to allow you to try it. Most doctors in this area are very gun-shy about VBAC's. I've been told, "No one sues for a 2nd c-section, but if anything goes wrong with a VBAC, doctors are much more likely to get sued." I even changed practitioners about half way through my pregnancy to a midwifery practice that was more supportive of my desire to have a VBAC. Second, I wanted to go into labor on my own and experience what contractions really feel like. Yes, I really wanted to know!! With Max I never felt any contractions because the minute the doctor determined my water had broken, I was prepped for a c-section since Max was breech.

I am happy to say that I got both of my wishes. I TRIED for a VBAC and I definitely got to experience what contractions felt like! Sammy was almost a week late and I had a day and a half left to go into labor on my own before being induced Friday, March 5th. I had heard about using Castor oil to get contractions started, but I was scared of the side effects (severe cramping, bathroom issues and possibly vomiting), so I put it off hoping that Sammy would arrive without prompting. When Wednesday, March 3rd arrived, I decided to just go for it and I drank two 2 oz. bottles of Castor oil (one bottle mixed with Sunkist orange soda, then "chased" by a cup of warm tea.) I took them about 6 hours apart. Around 9 Wednesday night I started having some mild contractions - I wasn't even sure that's what I was experiencing. My in-laws were here and we all went to bed at a decent hour in case the big event was imminent. About an hour later, I woke up with slightly more uncomfortable contractions. It was about 11:45 p.m. The house was quiet and I intended to stay home for as long as possible to avoid being laid up in bed at the hospital. I didn't wake anyone and decided to e-mail a few people to pass the time. In the span of about 10 minutes, my contractions got so strong that I couldn't e-mail and I just walked around and around the main level of the house trying to get through the pain. I finally decided I needed company, so I woke Matt up and by the time he was alert, I was ready to throw my plan to stay at home out the window and get to the hospital.

When we got there around 12:30 or 1 a.m. I was 5-6 cm. dilated. My dad rushed to the hospital as soon as he heard we were on our way. I was pretty sure I'd get an epidural at some point, but I envisioned myself having hours to roam the halls, every once in a while stopping to allow a contraction to pass. The rest of the time, I thought Matt could talk me through everything using the relaxation scripts I provided to him in my Bradley Method book. Instead, I found myself clinging to the bed rail to get through the pain and begging for an epidural and blessing the person who invented them the minute we arrived. They couldn't get my epidural in fast enough, in my opinion. Once the epidural was in, they checked me again and I was 9.5 cm! My dad got to sit in the room with us for a little while and once I was that far along he decided he'd go to the waiting room for the rest of the time. What seemed like a split-second later, I was desperate for a Popsicle. The nurse came in the room with one for me, took a look at the monitor and yanked me over to my side by my arm. Evidently either my blood pressure was high or Sammy's heart rate was too low. I didn't know what was happening, but all I knew was that Popsicle was about 3 feet away from me and they wouldn't let me have it. They quickly put an oxygen mask on me and soon after were telling me it was time to push. I pushed about 6 times and they told me that Sammy's heart rate was going too low and they'd let me try a few more times and then it was c-section city. I pushed 3 more times and they said I was doing well, but his head wasn't coming down at all. They mentioned a vacuum and forceps and I quickly decided I'd rather have a c-section than have Sammy's head yanked on for dear life. They basically said a c-section was the only option then anyway. I was okay with that decision, but I was bummed because when I was pushing it was about 3 or 4 a.m. and I figured there was a good chance he'd be born by about 7 a.m. and I could order pancakes from room service for breakfast! Some people may use the motivation of seeing the beautiful face of their baby as motivation to keep pushing. For me it was pancakes!! So when I realized I'd be having a c-section, my main thought was, "Man, there goes my pancake breakfast!" When you have a c-section you can't eat for several hours to a day or so after the procedure.

I had a previous c-section and found it to be very easy to experience and recover from, so I wasn't very nervous at all. However, once they started it seemed like it took a lot longer than my first c-section. I couldn't feel any pain, but I could feel tons of pressure and it really felt like people were up on the table punching my stomach for the longest time. I didn't know why it was taking so long. How hard is it to pull a baby out? Time was hard to gauge in my medicated state, so I thought I was imagining how long it was taking. Then I thought it was taking an extraordinarily long time for them to bring Sammy to me, also because of my inability to gauge time. Later I saw the medical summary of the procedure and it stated that it was an "urgent c-section" with a "difficult delivery" and Sammy was in the "footling breech position". Evidently he flipped around at the last minute and they had a hard time grabbing him. It wasn't my imagination that I felt like I was being beat up. Sammy weighed in at 10 lbs 6 oz! He was born at 5:50 a.m..

The first time I saw him, they wheeled him past me in an isolette (or was it an incubator?). They took him to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, where he stayed for 5 days. When he was born he had fluid in his lungs and his breathing rate was very high (80-100 breaths per minute instead of the 40-60 it should have been). I was told that when babies come through the birth canal, the pressure often squeezes fluid out of their lungs, but babies born from a c-section don't get the benefits of that pressure, so that's probably where the fluid came from. They had to treat him with antibiotics every few hours for 5 days to make sure he didn't develop pneumonia. When they wheeled my bed to the NICU to see him after I had been patched up, his head was under a square plastic thing that provided oxygen to him and his arm was taped to a splint and he had an IV in his hand and lots of wires on his chest. It was hard to see him like that, but I tried to keep it together and really listen to what the neonatologist and nurses were telling me and not to get scared by the fact that he was in the NICU. What I heard them saying was that he was going to be okay relatively soon and that he was going to be staying at that hospital, not transported somewhere else. As long as I was able to go see him whenever I wanted to and I knew his issues were most-likely short term, I was able to hold it together. In the last few years I've known several people whose children were born very prematurely and had to stay in the NICU for months on end. I thought of those parents when I was hearing what the problems were with Sammy and I knew that, while it wasn't ideal, everything was going to be okay. I knew if those parents could make it for months and months, I could do it for a few days.

After seeing Sammy briefly, I went to my new home-away-from-home, room 1110. I really wanted to be able to go down and see Sammy whenever I wanted to, and to do that I had to be able to get from my bed into a wheelchair, which meant I had to regain feeling in my legs after my epidural. All of the nurses were amazed at how quickly I was up and around. I was waiting for feeling in my legs and as soon as I was able, I was out of that bed and down in the NICU. Later that day I was walking! As an aside, I need to mention what an awesome husband I have! Matt went home for a bit Thursday evening, and when he returned, what did he have with him? A big stack of pancakes from IHOP!!!! I got my pancakes after all!!

I really wanted to nurse Sammy, so around 8 p.m. on his birth day, I got to! Nursing was a challenge for the next day or so as my milk hadn't come in yet and I was trying to stay with the NICU's schedule of feeding every three hours. Sammy was famished. I eventually supplemented with formula (Gasp!! I don't think a drop of formula ever touched Max's lips the whole 18 months I nursed him!). I hated to do that, but with him being away from me and the fact that my milk hadn't come in, I felt like I had to do it. The funny thing was that I was "busted" by one of the lactation consultants the minute I gave him formula. I am very pro-breastfeeding, but she didn't know that and I could see her panicking a little thinking this was the "gateway drug" of moving on to full-fledged formula use. I got to know all three lactation consultants VERY well and they were all very helpful. My milk eventually showed up and I think we all relaxed a little. I can see why many people decide to formula-feed, though. I actually let Matt go down and do the midnight and 3 a.m. feeding twice and it was awesome to be able to sleep. He enjoyed the bonding time as well.

By Saturday, Sammy was breathing much better and they started weaning him off of his IV's and supplemental oxygen. Sunday they decided they could speed up his antibiotic doses so he could be release Monday night with me instead of Tuesday. They really wanted to be able to keep us together since I was nursing. Monday night we were both released and by 10 p.m. we were home to move on with our lives!! Max and Sammy didn't meet until the next morning since children under 13 weren't allowed in the NICU. That was also a difficult part of the NICU experience, but I knew that at Max's age he didn't really know what he was missing and he'd be excited no matter when they met.

The kids are waking up from their naps, so that's Sammy's birth story for now!

Memory Lane

2 1/2 years ago Max was born. This image pretty much sums up what I expected my little bundle of joy to look like most of the time (Max at 19 days old):




Here was the reality of those first 4 months:

I just saw this picture again for the first time in a while and I'm so glad I have it. Those first months were challenging!! I have been wondering if Sammy will spend his first few months more like picture 1 or picture 2. Either way, I can't wait to meet him!

Photos by Rashmi Pappu

Super Max!

Girls' Day

The other day while having lunch with Katie and the kids, Mabel approached me to whisper something in my ear. She said we should have a Girls' Day. She told me she had to whisper because she didn't want the boys to hear (that would be 2-year-old Max and 3-year-old Weston). I agreed and then a few minutes later whispered something across the table to her about it. She whispered back very emphatically, "I think they heard you!" So we are planning a Girls' Day sometime before Valentine's Day so it will be a true "girls only" day and not a "girls' & newborn Sammy Day", which it will have to be if we wait much longer.

Last night when we were all out to dinner again together, I whispered across the table, "Are you ready for our 'GD'?" And she nodded very excitedly. When I asked her if she knew what "GD" meant, she cupped both hands on the side of her mouth and whispered "Girls' Day!!!!!"

Snippets

If I wait around for time to write a whole entry, I don't think it's ever going to happen. So I think I'll borrow an idea from one of my virtual friends, The Other Max Arthur's Mom, Kim. She posts cute & funny things her son Max says under the heading, "Snippets". So, with props to you, Kim, here is our first Snippet!

Max was playing with a plastic manatee from Nana and it was "talking" in his ear. We asked what the manatee was saying and he replied, "I eat ice cream.....all daaaaaaay!!!"

Random Thoughts in Search of Cohesion

I seriously cannot believe it's been almost a month since I last posted. every time I have a minute to post I determine that I would much rather lay down and watch TV for a few minutes or read someone else's blog. So now I have a month of thoughts that have been rattling around and are threatening to forever stay in my head - horrors! So I'm just going to post things as they come to mind and not worry about getting them in any kind of order.

• Christmas was great! Max loved everything and doesn't get the whole gift thing yet, so I tried to savor every moment of just getting to enjoy all the fun things about Christmas without the materialism that I'm sure he'll have developed by next year. Lights! Inflatable figures in yards! Snow! Santa at the mall! Wrapping paper! Christmas songs! Leaving cookies for Santa (and of course carrots for the reindeer and cheese for Santa Mouse)! It was perfect. Seriously. I couldn't have asked for anything more. Nana & Pappy came down and spent Christmas with us and my family came over for dinner on Christmas night. Max performed in the Children's Program on Christmas Eve and the term, "PK (preacher's kid)" came to mind. He loved being on stage and I was thankful the microphone was off as he looked like he was ready for his set at the comedy club the way he tried to eat the mic.! I was trapped between people in a pew and couldn't get out to get him in line, but at 2 it's still cute. Seeing him come down the aisle dressed at a shepherd with the rest of the 2 & 3 year old class made me teary. It was so darn adorable!
• Max & I left for our first car trip to Indiana with my dad a little over a week ago. I think the term "Trip From Hell" pretty much captures that experience - but not because of Max. He was actually really good. It unexpectedly snowed for 11 of 13 hours out there on Monday, then we found out that another storm was due to start midnight Thursday & we were planning on leaving to return home Thursday morning. So after much discussion and attempts to find out what was going on in the country east of mid-Ohio (that's as far as the news was showing out there and we didn't have access to weather.com), we decided to leave at 1 p.m. Wednesday. So we had about 20 hours of face time with the Indiana relatives and it was back on the road. Things were good until about 8 p.m. when we arrived in Morgantown, WV. I became very anxious about the icy road conditions and the knowledge that we'd be in them for at least 2-3 more hours and not get home until 2 a.m., IF we didn't die in a fiery crash first. Sooooo, much to my dad's chagrin, I insisted on pulling off at the next exit and staying at whatever hotel was there. Hello, Maple Leaf Motel. It looked like the kind of place you could rent by the hour, but was actually neat and clean and inexpensive. I got two rooms and we stayed there for the night. My dad didn't have much to say to me after that, but I felt like I made the right decision. I seriously was about to have a panic attack. So, it took me a few days, but I think I've almost recovered. I don't regret going out there, I just wish it had been a more pleasant travel experience.
• What Max is like these days: Max is almost 2 1/2 and is alternately the most fun he's ever been and the most challenging he's ever been. He is really starting to have conversations now and is very expressive. I need Matt to help me translate much of the time, but I do okay on my own too. He's been potty training since just before Thanksgiving and it has been a relatively easy transition (knock on wood!). He hasn't had very many accidents. He's still in diapers for naps and night time and will be until he's old enough to change his own sheets and make his own bed. No, kidding. But it'll be a while before I go there. I just don't see the need for it and he still wakes up really wet most of the time, so I don't think he's ready for that step.

Lots of people say things like, "Wow, he's really active." or "He certainly is busy!" and it makes me wonder if he's any different than any other 2 1/2 year old boy. It makes me a little nervous because I wonder if they are looking at me thinking, "Jeez, can't you control him?" or something similar. Honestly, my gut feeling is that he is a typical 2 year old - busy, active and testing his independence. I have heard that this is totally normal and that people should be more concerned if they have a child who is always perfectly compliant and calm as trying out their Independence is an important developmental stage. I do have to say that most people who say things like this are parents of girls who are mostly younger than Max. Just to paint you a picture of his typical M.O. - to get upstairs to go down for a nap he often attempts to lay on a stair and roll UP the stairs. Then when he gets upstairs he runs from his room to our room giggling and squealing and sometimes jumping on the bed. Then when he finally manages to get in his own bed, he MUST be allowed to get up on it himself. Anyone helping elicits cries of outrage and horror and he wants to get down and do it over ALL BY HIMSELF, thank you very much. When he finally makes it onto the bed, he does a somersault to end up at the top of the bed and then he's usually smiley and out of breath and proud of himself. Believe me, this is quite exhausting for me to deal with at almost 8 months pregnant, but I have to say that the somersault thing is pretty cute.

Max's current likes: Barney (that's a definite LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!), yogurt drinks in those little bottles, Kheer, reading - he'll sit for 30 minutes to an hour and let me read to him - love that! He always insists on getting a particular blanket we've now dubbed, "The Reading Blanket" and covering up with that, running, saying grace and prayers at night - which both go like this, "Grace. Amen! Good Job, Max!" , going to Sunday School and Toddler Time with Jesus on Wednesdays, playing with his fire truck and trains, pineapple & cottage cheese, using items that we've gotten out for Sammy and reliving his baby days: drinking from a bottle, taking a bath in the infant tub, being swaddled in the reading blanket and spoken to like a baby.

Dislikes: Dinner (esp. the meat portion of dinner), anyone doing anything for him that he wanted to do himself (carry him upstairs, put him in bed, put him in the van, take him out of the van, snap his car seat, put his dishes in the sink, choosing his placemats), not allowing him to get into the fridge at will, not allowing him to eat lollipops or vitamins whenever he asks - I guess these fall in the "being told 'no'" category.

• Sammy: Samuel is due in about 6 weeks! I am feeling good, but tired, and find it more difficult to move around. I am trying to enjoy every night of awesome sleep I'm getting right now and really wishing there was some way to bank that refreshed feeling you get after 8 hours of sleep in a row! I can't wait to see Max with him and to see what he looks like and what his personality is like.
• Okay, Max never did take a nap, so he's been up talking to himself in bed for a long time. I have to go get him. I hope to post more soon!

Away in A Manger

I'm going to keep attempting to get a better version of this, but here is Max's version of "Away in a Manger" as of today. He loves to see himself on camera, so he gets much more facinated by the actual camera than performing, as you will witness in the middle of the song when he sings the word "cheese" instead of the actual lyric. Merry Christmas!

First Snow

It's our first snow of the season! Here's a picture and video of Max from this morning. I'm still getting used to the idea of having to go outside in this weather now that I have a little one. He had to be forced back inside. He's wearing my mittens as both of his were soaking wet about five minutes after leaving the house. Let it snow!

Decisions, Decisions

On what to play with: "Beans!" "Rice!" "Beans!" Rice!" "No, BEAAAAAAAANNS!"

Or how 'bout this one on what sticker to choose after using the potty: "Red one" "No, blue one" "No, I wan red one", "Blue one!" "Blue ONE!!!!!!!!!!!!! Wahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

Or at the some point during breakfast, lunch and dinner, "I done." Upon Mommy wiping hands and face to be excused, "No, I EAT!" Mommy: "Okay, there's the rest of your food, go ahead and eat it." Max: "No, I DONE!!!!!!" Mommy: "Okay, then get down and go play." Max: "No, I EAT! WAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!"

OMG people! This child cannot make a decision and stick with it to save his life. He could before, but in the last few weeks this indecisiveness has invaded EVERY SINGLE decision he has to make. I try to be patient, giving room for toddler uncertainty and misunderstandings, but Lord have mercy, make a decision child!

"I'm Poopin'!"

Well, Max is. That's the announcement he makes to all within earshot whenever he's getting ready to, well, poop.

Like most things I do in life, I have great intentions, but then I kind of wait to act on them (e.g.starting solid food, weaning, big boy bed). Usually I think about it, research it, talk to people and then, BOOM, one day the spirit moves me and I feel "it's time". We got everything in place for potty training in early August and since then I have found every excuse in the book as to why the timing wasn't right. We've been reading books about big boy potties, occasionally wearing big boy underpants and even peeing on the potty before bath time every night, but I have been avoiding saying, "Look out world, we're potty training!" I guess the spirit hadn't moved me yet.

I think I can say as of today that we're potty training. I'm nervous about jumping right into that statement, because I always like to reserve the right to back peddle and choose to stick mostly with diapers, BUT.....why not? I have learned that as a parent I am willing to let things happen in their own time and I don't feel the need to proclaim to the world that I have potty-trained my toddler in less than an hour (or a day or whatever!). I think I have finally accepted that this is going to be an on-going process of learning and not a one day affair.

So check back soon, I'm sure we'll have some fun stories about this latest phase in growing up!

Halloween 2008 vs. 2009

2008 - 14 months old

2009 - 2 years old

Halloween

A fun time was had by all at the MST Trunk or Treat. My whole family came over as well as the Torres family (who I now realize I don't have any pictures of!!). We started with Tony's pizza at our house and then went to the church parking lot for treating. It was raining, but strangely warm for the end of October. The kids didn't seem to notice and the rain cleared up eventually. Max tried eating each piece of candy as it was handed to him and really enjoyed his first real trick or treating experience.

Where Does The Time Go?

I can't believe it's been almost a month since my last post. The biggest thing that's happened is we were totally blown away to learn that Max is going to have a little brother! For some reason Matt and I were 99.9% convinced we were having a girl, to the point that I almost bought pink things and we were calling this little guy "Coco" (Corinne was our choice for a girl's name)! We're looking forward to life with two boys. I'm sure it will be full of adventure.

We've been very busy with doing lots of fun fall things like going to Cox Farms, going to Pennsylvania for a week, riding a restored train at Strasburg Railroad, carved pumpkins, learned to ride a tricycle, had a major language explosion and visited with one of my childhood friends, Loree, and her daughter,Tahli, who were here from Luxembourg. We even learned a new word, "Oopala!" - which is evidently used in place of "oops!" by some parents in Luxembourg. It's fun to say - you should try it!

Tomorrow is Halloween and Max is going to be a train engineer. Hopefully I'll be able to post pictures of all our fun adventures over the last month soon. Check back in a few days!

The Wheels on the Bus

Max got to live one of his dreams today - to get on a real school bus! Thanks to Heidi for letting us come up and look around - Max loved it!!!!!!!!!!

A Birthday Celebration

**I LOVE this idea from a blog I frequent, The Wonder Years. Click on the link to see a better version of this post or read below.**

http://mommyme-thewonderyears.blogspot.com/2009/09/birthday-celebration.html

We recently celebrated my daughter's 4 year birthday. It is so fun to celebrate now that she is aware and interested in celebrations and traditions. This year we started some new traditions. These traditions are inspired by Montessori and Waldorf birthday celebrations.I love the birthday ring, originating in Europe and used by Waldorf families. Each year another ornament is removed and a candle put in it's place.I added a bit of Montessori to this, with the telling of my daughter's life story. Before any candle was lit, I started by saying: "______ was born September 16, 2005 in (city, state). It was a warm evening, around dinner time when you were born in the hospital. Mommy and daddy had waited all day and Grandma had arrived to see your birth. At 5:16 you were born. You had lots of dark hair on your head and you were so small. You had to be held and taken care of all the time. You couldn't talk to tell us what you needed, you slept a lot, you had to wear diapers and drank only milk. By 6 months you could sit up, laugh and hold things. (Then I lit a candle) Then you turned one. When you were 1, you learned to___, you liked to___ . I continued to her present age and said: "And now, you turn 4 years old! You can ____ . Your favorite food is___, and you love to _____. Happy 4th Birthday."The telling of the life story is part of the Montessori celebration. Parents write it with their child and then come into the class to share it while the child does the "birthday walk." The life story is a tradition they look forward to hearing each year . The birthday ring is a beautiful way to celebrate years of life, past and future, but even if you don't have a birthday ring, you can just as easily use the candles on the birthday cake to light and tell your child his/her life story.Another tradition we started was the personal time-line. The time-line is part of the Montessori birthday celebration. The child (with the help of the parent) puts the photos in order to make a personal time-line. We will keep ours and add to it each year.Our other traditions include a birthday place mat, a birthday crown, and a special morning surprise waiting at the child's seat at the kitchen table.I would love to hear what birthday traditions you use!

Putting the Sun in the Sky

Yesterday, Max picked a dandelion from the yard, brought it over to me and began talking (babbling!) quickly and trying to tell me something that was obviously very important. He was showing me the dandelion and holding it up to the sky. I said, "Does the flower look like the sun?" He eagerly said, "Yeah!' Then he got on his tippy toes and reached his hand up as high as he could as if to put it in the sky. He became frustrated because he couldn't do it and suggested, "Daddy?" I asked, "Can Daddy put the sun in the sky?" "Yeah!!" he replied enthusiastically.

The magic of childhood shines through again.

Birthday Parties!

Birthday Party Recaps!

(Pics are out of order!)

Train cake from party #2 with Sarah's side of the family.Train cake again




Pennsylvania Party

Max and Uncle Adam in matching red baseball caps.





Getting ready for a dip in the pool.

Waiting for the party guests to arrive.

The cake made by cousin-in-law Dani!!

Here are some pictures from Max's birthday parties. The first (above) was at Nana & Pappy's house in Pennsylvania. We had a great time celebrating with extended family and old friends. Of course all the pictures of the guests and present opening are not accessible for me to post at the moment! Some of the gifts he received were: a ukulele (we call it a guitar), books, clothes, Scotty Potty (or is it Potty Scotty - an anatomically correct doll that pees!). We had a cookout and pool party. Max LOVED getting to play with two new friends, Liam & Kiera!

Party #2 was at our house with my side of the family. I saw a train cake made by a friend from church and I decided I wanted to make one too. I had no idea how much anxiety I was going to experience from that. I even dreamed about it the night before putting it all together. I started baking the cakes on Friday and Matt and I decorated them during naptime on the day of the party on Sunday. The hour between the end of naptime and when the party started was filled with me finishing getting the food together and Matt protecting the cake from Max's lightening-quick fingers. We had a baked potato bar and LOTS of cake, candy & ice cream! I think his favorite gifts were the gigantic helium balloon that played "Happy Birthday" from Uncle Josh and the Crayola bath supplies (crayons, paints & water coloring tablets). It was a crazy and fun time!

Two Years Old

I haven't posted about Max's 2nd birthday yet because I wanted to be able to post pictures, tell about both parties and generally describe where he's at developmentally now as well as reflect on some of the things I love about him at this age. Well, life is busy and if I wait to get the perfect post up, he may be 3 by the time I do, so here's my best shot.

Overall, I was much more ready to get to Max's second birthday than his first. I recall feeling sentimental and sad before his first birthday because of how very much he had changed in that one year. He's changed a lot in the last year but it just didn't hit me as hard as the first birthday. From birth to age one he went from immobile to toddling slowly. From one to two he went from toddling to EXTREMELY mobile!!! I have never been as active in my life as I have been over the last year. This child NEVER STOPS. He even lost a pound or two since his 18 month check up.

One wonderful advance is that he no longer eats every speck of dirt, food, or all manner of disgusting items off the ground (okay, to be honest, he does still try to eat food off the floor if I don't intervene!) He put everything in his path in his mouth until he was more than a year old. Parents who have never had children who do that (I didn't know there was such a breed of child who DOESN'T do that until recently) should thank their lucky stars.

As I sit here envisioning what the last year was like for me, the image of Venus or Serena Williams comes to mind. The way they zip hither and yon on the court with outstretched arms to chase that little yellow ball around and not let it go out of bounds is exactly what my days look like! "Oh! He's over there - no wait - now he's over THERE! WOOOOAAAAAHHHHH he's almost out of bounds!" It's exhausting.

He is my little Monkey Boy. He can climb anything. Last year when I'd take him to the local playground, I was nervously hovering to make sure he didn't kill himself falling off the equipment. I'd see other kids climbing the chain ladder and arch-like thing to get up to the highest level and think that maybe when he was four or five he's be able to do that. He's been doing that for a couple months now! I still hover and he pushes my hands away and says, "Bots!" That's his version of "Max".

Verbally he is adding new words almost every day and starting to combine them into two word phrases. He has no problem making his desires known! He still uses some of his baby sign language rather than the words those signs represent (i.e. milk, thank you, sorry, listen, plane). He constantly surprises me with his receptive language. He'll be playing and apparently not paying any attention to the conversation of the adults in the room and then someone will say something that interests him and he's immediately injecting himself into the conversation.

He has a good memory for places and events. For example, when we're heading in the direction of Aunt Katie's house he squeals and gets excited when we get to her neighborhood and will cry if we happen to go there and not go to her house. If we head in the direction of Old Town Manassas, he automatically starts talking about the trains before we even see the tracks or gates.

At the age of 16 months he finally started sleeping through the night. He is such a good sleeper now, it's hard to believe I went 16 months without a full-night's sleep! He self-weaned at about 18 months. I tried weaning him around 15 or 16 months but he wasn't ready, but a few months later it just happened. As far as potty-training goes, my nature is to let him get to the stage when he's ready when he's maybe 2.5 or 3, but with the addition of his little brother or sister next winter I don't think I can handle potty-training AND being sleep deprived. So I'm going to be attempting that sometime in September. I have all the supplies, I just need to have a few focused days of working on it with him. He already uses the potty once or twice a day, so he has some concept of it. I would like to get him in a big boy bed before bro/sis arrives too, but one transition at a time is what I'm focusing on.

I'll save the party info for another post. For now this is "Bots". Every day is a new adventure!

Big Brother Max

Most of you know by now, but Max is going to be a big brother! Probably the only person who doesn't really know about this by now is Max. We've told him, but I think this is one of those things that he's probably going to have to experience to understand.

Thanks to his newest cousin Lucy, he now LOVES babies, but I've been told loving OTHER people's babies and one that comes home to live with him are two different things. We'll see. It'll be fun having two little ones in the house! I can't wait!

Our Place at Eastern Mennonite University

Now that we're home for good, I have a few minutes to upload the picture and videos I took of our "summer home". We were fortunate to be able to rent a 1 bedroom, 2 level apartment just off campus at EMU. It was furnished (barely, but enough) and fit our budget, so it worked. Max slept in a walk-in closet and we didn't have TV, internet or central air, so I felt like we were really roughing it!

Our apartment is on the right side of the building above.