Mama

Max said "mama" yesterday!  I was skeptical at first and figured it was just a new baby noise, but after he clearly parroted me several times I officially marked it down as his first word.  Max probably has no idea what he is saying, what it means, or how much joy it brings my ears and heart, but I am one very proud mama!  Now we are working on teaching him "dada" and "thank you".  He needs to learn the latter, and fast, so he can respond to all of the compliments he gets.

Today Max visited  the "Cleft Clinic" at Johns Hopkins where he had a hearing test and follow-up appointment with Dr. Redett, his surgeon.  Max did not exactly ace the hearing test, but the results were expected considering the amount of fluid floating around his pretty little head.  He will have ear tubes put in during his palate surgery on October 23.  This will get rid of the ear fluid and improve his hearing.  Over 96% of babies with cleft palate require tubes and it is quite convenient that Max can have this procedure while he is already under anesthesia for his palate repair.




Thanks for taking care of me Dr. Redett and nurse Kim! (10.8.12)



More chicken, please. (10.7.12)

Mommy and baby Gators (10.6.12)



(10.6.12)

Who won the tug-o-war? (10.5.12)



Max cannot stop looking at Sadie (10.5.12)



Pair of bird watchers (10.5.12)



Dinner at Cafe Sano (10.4.12)



Very serious about breakfast.  (10.4.12)

I love your hair bow, Sadie! (10.3.12)



Dreaming dreamboat (10.3.12)



Too cute for words

Messy, rainy day fun! (10.2.12)

Practicing to play Chopsticks (10.2.12)

Max and Pawly (10.1.12)

Happy Fall! (9.30.12)

Snacking on leftovers (9.29.12)

What's going on down there? (9.29.12)

Waiting for Saturday pancakes (9.29.12)

Climbing stairs with Timmy (9.28.12)

The boy likes his burp cloths (9.27.12)

Lucky for everyone, Max likes his baths! (9.27.12)

In one end...(9.26.12)

(9.25.12)

Can't get around fast enough! (9.27.12)



School picture day! (9.27.12)



(9.27.12)



Nine months old



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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)