Nine months old



(9.24.12)



First swim in the big boy tub (9.24.12)





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Stackin' n' snackin' (9.24.12)



 

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Breakfast of champions

Max worked off his enormous breakfast with a morning walk.

(9.23.12)

Baby steps

Max has been extremely busy- between wooing Sadie, taking tandem strolls in the amazing weather, and playing with every toy in creation, he has worked up an insatiable appetite.  When I see the laundry list of foods he eats throughout the day I can't help but wonder if he eats more than me!  All of that food is certainly giving him plenty of energy.  Yesterday he decided that instead of just playing with the toys on the front of the walker he would actually walk with it.  

Now that Max is four weeks removed from surgery David and I have to massage his scar several times a day.  This is done to prevent the scar from shrinking up and making his lip line uneven.  It is really quite simple and only takes about thirty seconds, but Max hates it.  And so do we. 





Tall stack (9.22.12)

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Rub-a-dub-dub, climbing out of the tub (9.19.12)



Good news will come to you by mail

My fortune cookie, which I enjoyed for breakfast this morning, was right. Except instead of by mail, we received the news from Dr. Dawson, David's oncologist. This afternoon David had his first CT since the last of his three surgeries. All of the recent pathology has pointed towards David being cured, but this was the first scan since all of the "dust settled" in his body since completing quite a rigorous treatment.

Twenty bitten nails, five vials of blood, and two hours later, we got the great news- David is officially cancer-free!

Thank you, Dr. Dawson, for curing Max's daddy!




breakfast (9.18.12)

What does Max love more- Sadie or food?  It's a tie. (9.18.12)




 

Waiting for daddy (9.18.12)



Max loves life

Books, mirrors, puzzles, snacks, and daddy.  You name it, Max loves it.  And laughs at it.

Just don't wipe his face; that he doesn't like.  Obviously.



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I don't know what this says, but I like it! (9.16.12)



Stair master

After just four days in "school" Max learned how to do two important things.  Jen taught him how to nap, while his muse, Sadie, lured him up the stairs.  I have been spoiled by receiving photos and videos of Max throughout the week, and Max has been spoiled by spending time with not one, but two girls all day!  We were all spoiled by the refreshingly beautiful weather on Friday afternoon so David and I decided to take Max to an alfresco happy hour at the Town Center.  Only Max could get away with bringing his own bottle to a happy hour.  He didn't even get cut off when he smashed a plate on the floor. 

Maiden voyage in his new wagon (9.15.12)

After carefully considering his options, Max went with the fries (9.14.12)

Ready or not... (9.14.12)

 

 Rough (9.13.12)

Gentle (9.13.12)

It's not snot

Between Max having surgery and David and I going back to work, the past three weeks have been hectic, sleepless, and messy! Max is teething and that combined with his open palate has created a human drool faucet. Like most infants enjoying the wonderful world of food exploration, his beautiful face is commonly adorned with some type of sticky substance but he has NOT had a huge bugger permanently affixed to his nose for the past three weeks. That was the nasal stent! Given Max's track record of cleanliness (or lack there of) I can understand why some people would be confused.

The nasal stents were removed today and Max 3.0 looks better than ever! Let's just hope his new and improved look is indicative of his sleeping.




Sometimes the driest shirt is no shirt at all (9.12.12)



Happy to be stent-free (9.12.12)

The calm before the stent-removal storm (9.12.12)

 

Heading back to Baltimore (9.12.12)

 

(9.11.12)



Jen Care

The Grandma train has left the building and this morning I dropped our little nugget off at daycare.  Luckily for us all, for various reasons, Jen is Max's teacher, and Sadie Bean his sole classmate.  One of my most favorite perks (there are many) of Jen caring for Max is that he will spend his days with Sadie.  Since we don't have family nearby and Max is clearly an only child, it is great that he gets to play with someone his own size while being cared for by someone who treats him like her own.  When we got to Jen's this morning Max immediately made a B-line for the toys and only turned back to flash me his trademark, super-sized grin.  That made it tough for me to be sad, but I was sure jealous that I couldn't stay and play, too.

Another great perk of Jen Care is all of the photos and this absolutely hilarious video!





Snack time! (9.10.12)



Duet (9.10.12)





Front row seat (9.10.12)

Max's first art project from school (9.10.12)



After school grocery store run (9.10.12)



Mosquito magnet

It appears that Max, like his mom, is extremely prone to mosquito bites.   After discovering Max's eye swollen shut from a bug bite on his eye lid, I decided to research why Max and I get eaten alive by flying blood suckers, while David can endure a walk outside virtually bite-free.  Normally I would not even bother consulting WebMD, but the article I found quoted a University of Florida professor; naturally that gives it credence.  According to the article, some people are more genetically predisposed to mosquito attraction.  Another theory is that one's chemical make-up gives off odors that attract mosquitoes.  If you have ever smelled Max, or his formula that he wears as cologne, you would think his odor would more likely be a bug repellent.  Needless to say, I spent the weekend shopping for baby-safe bug spray and a stroller mosquito net.

Over the past several months people have asked me where I find the time to post updates on this blog.  The answer was simple and somewhat unfortunate:  there is not much else to do while waiting in doctors offices and hospital waiting rooms.  Thankfully, I now have plenty to do, and continuing this digital archive of Max's life is definitely one of them.

(9.9.12)



Oatmeal bath to help soothe the bug bites (9.8.12)



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Having fun at Timmy's 1st birthday (9.7.12)

(9.6.12)

Back to life

Labor Day weekend marks the unofficial end of summer because for many it means back to school.  For us it marks return to normalcy.  Max is on the tail end of his recovery, and as you can see from the photos, he is happy as can be.  David and I are both back at work and treasure our afternoons with Max more than ever.

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What channel is the Y.E.S. network? (9.4.12)

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(9.1.12)