Maxwell J and Little Pepe

I've mentioned Max's dear stuffed animal friend, Pepe, several times now on the blog...

but, I thought I would give you some behind the scenes on how much he truly loves him. 

Let me back up though and say that Max first encountered a stuffed animal penguin at a birthday party for a friend.  He was pretty smitten...carrying the penguin all over...and hugging it etc. 

So - when his godfather, Vincent mentioned that he would be heading to the Newport Aquarium in December and was there anything Max might like, I immediately remembered the penguin! 

Once at the aquarium, Vincent sent multiple pictures of possible penguin friends, but in the end, I told him to pick whichever one he liked best....

Max was actually gifted the penguin the Tuesday after Christmas when we met 

Vincent for dinner at a local Mexican restaurant. From there on out - Max has been 

pretty tight with Pepe.  He rides in the car with us, sleeps in the crib with Max, and generally goes

most places in our house with Max.  Need proof?  See below! 

(Sidenote:  We brought Pepe (nameless at the time) to Grandmim and Grandpa Tim's house the first weekend in January.  Mim suggested a few names but I guess Pepe is the one that stuck!  The details are kind of fuzzy :)

 

Most mornings, Max brings Pepe downstairs and sits him on 

our island while he (Max) eats breakfast. Pepe being ever so 

considerate never asks for any meals himself...and is happy 

to just observe :)

Max however, can't stand the thought of his dear friend 

going hungry, so on occasion he has been known to force

feed Pepe a little breakfast.  What penguin doesn't like 

orange juice and yogurt pouch shoved in his beak?  

Sometimes Pepe gets the invite to play inside Max's luxury tent palace. 

Other times, Max tucks him in and says night night.  

Sometimes Max and Pepe watch the neighborhood for signs 

of trucks, cars, trains, airplanes, or signs of mommy and daddy

coming or going.  Pepe is a pretty good observer!

Max has even taken to preparing Pepe some of his favorite

meals...why, fish of course!  Pepe gets his fish served up in a bowl 

with a smattering of pizzas toppings...Pepe is living the high life for sure!

Sometimes Pepe climbs on top of Pecan's scratching post (with the help of daddy)

and judges taunts Max, who stands below

pushing as hard as he can on the stand until Pepe falls over. 

Pepe is always happy to be brought on any and all adventures.  

Relaxing in the family room?  Pepe's in.  Reading a story

in mommy's lap?  Pepe loves literature. Ready to catch some 

zzzz's?  Pepe is down for snuggles. 

Most times though, Pepe is just happy to chill with Max wherever 

that might be!  He happens to love Daniel Tiger and Mickey Mouse Club House, 

doesn't demand any toy sharing from Max, and is always up for some puzzles and books! 

It's honestly so sweet to watch the way Max cares for Pepe. 

He always remembers where he left Pepe (in the tunnel, in the car, 

downstairs, upstairs, in the crib etc. It's kind of amazing. 

It's also the first stuffed animal that Max has ever shown any

preference for...I love that it's a penguin. :) 

Around Here Lately

around here:  we are playing in our new tent!  (Thanks to Auntie Kathy for helping us get this awesome tent from Sam's club). The tent took up so much room that we disassembled our dining room table and put it in the basement for a bit. This created so much more space in our dining room.  (The only downside being that Max is constantly changing his mind about whether he wants to be downstairs or upstairs). We added white twinkly lights and fabric bunting to the top of the tent too.  So, it's basically a sweet little set up for pretend play! Max pretends to sleep and then yells "wake up!"....or he tucks Pepe (his penguin) under the covers or he hides all his plastic animals and other crap under the comforter!  

around here:  we got some new artwork for the dining room!  I had one of my favorite pictures from our fall photo shoot made into a giant canvas.  We debated where to put it but finally landed on this spot above our dining room buffet. As I alluded to - we are sort of using this space as a play space for the time being.  

around here:  Max and Daddy are super into wearing their winter hats!  Remarkably, Max loves wearing his hat and can put it on all by himself...which is totally awesome and helpful in the morning. He also loves to put on other people's hats - especially mommy and daddy's! 

around here:  we are enjoying our new membership to COSI (which stands for center of science and industry).  They have a special space on the second floor called "Kid's Space" which is specifically for toddlers.  Lots of sensory activities, art opportunities, imaginative play (picture giant cars, trucks, vet hospital,eye doctor etc.), and even a huge room filled with water stuff!  Max loved splashing and dumping water...even wearing the smock.  Below he is playing on light table with peg board on top.  

around here:  I have solidified my status as crunchy, hippy weirdo mama (probably we should move to Oregon) with my new found obsession with essential oils.  I started with the premium starter kit from young living....and I'm blasting the oils every night.  For example - we did peppermint oil for Max's fever not too long ago. We diffuse "thieves" to clear the air of germs.  We diffuse lavender and cedarwood  in Max's room at night to help him sleep etc. etc.  Basically there is an oil for everything. 

around here:  Max loves his alphabet magnets.  Each letter is a magnet and they fit into the bus.  Once you press them into the bus - they say their letter sound and do a little song. The bus also has the option of just songs - like wheels on the bus. Pretty cool. I'm not sure he recognizes any of the letters except M - but we'll get there.  

around here:  we are still doing donut dates on Sunday!  

It's safe to say we all love those :)

around here:  we still have snow. We didn't really go out and play in it when it first snowed - but now, it's at a more manageable level.  We put on Max's boots, and bundled up for some fun!  

He loved walking on the "snow mountains" and splashing in all the puddles.  We walked around our neighborhood for awhile last Saturday just exploring all the snow. 

around here: Saturdays can feel loooooooooong.  Especially when your kiddo only naps for an hour.  So, we do whatever to keep ourselves occupied.  This past Saturday we busted out the play dough and all the tools we got for Christmas.  We rolled it out, stamped in it, pounded it, put holes in it...and then started all over again! ha! This activity kept Max busy for like thirty minutes which is a total toddler win in my book :) 

We are totally in that "the days are long, but the years are short" phase right now.  

Sometimes I think we might surely go crazy.  But then I remind myself that these very long days are all part of the very short amount of years we get the privilege of spending with Max (parents - please tell me I'm right). So right now - we are making the best of time spent inside.  Working our way through tantrums and melt downs and short naps. Learning to be patient with each other. 

Learning to be mindful of feelings.  Learning to put down the phone and be present. 

Thankful for the encouragement from family and friends.

xoxo

A Zoo Visit

So, these pictures are about two weeks old - but the memories

are still fresh.  Sometimes I get sad and start feeling guilty that Max

spends so much time away from me during the week. Like, maybe I made

the wrong choice going back to work. Like his childhood is slipping through

my fingers and I'm missing all these little moments.  Other times, when

he's screaming in his high chair and I've carried him all over the house because

he refuses to walk anywhere and I feel like I'm going to lose my freaking mind

and pass the coffee already or I might kill someone - I know I made

the right choice.

 

All this to say, when I got to spend a few extra days with him after the New Year,

I didn't hate it. I felt like I got these little glimpses into this tiny person

he's becoming.  Something else you should know about me - I can only stay

home for so long.  Since Max usually starts cock-a-doodle-doing around

6:30, so that means I'm usually itching to get out of the house around 10:30.

That's just what we did on this particular day!

 

It was a particularly warm day (considering it was January) -

and so we ventured over to the Zoo! We had just the right amount of

time to explore Discovery Reef, Manatees, and the barn.

 

We had the whole reef to our self!  Max got to climb

the stairs, sit on the risers, walk all over, and press his

tiny nose up to the glass as much as he wanted. We looked

for big and little fish.  Laughed as the sharks went by.

And I snuck him some bites of my chocolate croissant from

Starbucks. He even went right up the glass and said "hi fish".

 



 

Being that both Papa Rob and I work at the Zoo, it may seem

like an unlikely place to take our child, but I find it to be quite the

opposite. I like to see things from his perspective. I like to imagine

what he's thinking when he looks at the animals.  It's also quite

helpful to see what he's capable of since I'm in charge of education

programming for children his age.

 

After checking out all the tanks in the reef - and Max telling me

the garden eels are "dancing" (and I melted into a puddle of mush on the floor),

we loaded the stroller back up and headed next door to manatee reef.

 

There are no pictures of Max with the manatees because

he was only interested in the stingrays and this blue boat.

The last time we visited, there were so many kids on the boat

that he couldn't get around to push all the buttons and steer - but this time -

we were still the only people in the exhibit. He could

push, pull, and steer till his heart's content!

 

I love the way he's standing on his tippy toes to reach the steering

wheel in the above picture.  A simple reminder that he's still

small and growing. And he'll still need me for a little while longer. :)

 

Last stop - "My Barn" - where we visited with the

mini horse, sheep, pigs, and goats.  Max had no fear as he

shoved his hand between the slats to pet the goats.

We practiced all our best animal sounds

and chatted about how the straw on the ground was not for eating.

 

We also laughed about the sheep (above) and how his curly hair

was like Max and Mommy's curly hair! haha :) 

Our last stop was the photobooth of course!  We are definitely

getting better at looking at the camera (as opposed to the flash) -

but those gems are in a scrapbook!

 

The morning flew by and before we knew it - we had to

stroll on back to the car and meet Daddy for lunch!

I just love that we can have these fun little mornings out together!

XOxo

20 Month Update

 

(I couldn't make up my mind as to which picture was my favorite...so you get two!)

Age: 20 months

Stats:  I think right around 28 pounds (though my biceps might disagree). I don' think he's grown much taller.  And, we did end up turning the car seat (in Mommy's car) around...he seems to like it!  I'm proud of us for lasting this long.

(snoozing in car seat on the way to Dayton for Christmas Eve!)

Clothes: Mostly 24 months clothes and some 2T shirts.
Size 4 diapers. Size 5.5 to 6 shoe.  At this point too, we are wearing so much extra accessories because of the cold weather.  Thankfully, Max loves to wear his hat (he even puts it on himself), will willingly put on mittens, and loves the coat from Grandpa Jim and Grandma Sugar! yay!

(eating one of his favorite breakfasts - strawberries, cinnamon toast, and yogurt)

Favorite Foods: continues to eat lots of carbs (bagels, toast, waffles), scrambled eggs, bacon, DONUTS (which is really like its own food group), guacamole, chips (which he asks for constantly), clementines, strawberries, blueberries, pears, loves pineapple, chicken nuggets (asks for nuggets in the drive through), fries, lunchmeat, mac and cheese, and ice cream

(peppermint ice cream....yum!)

Favorite Words:  MOMMY, DADDY (usually said with much urgency), grandpa (sounds like gam-pa), mums (for mims), grandpa Jim (sounds like gam-pa dim), thank you, hat, diaper, shirt, pants (we talk a lot about articles of clothing when changing his diaper), ti-ti (for Auntie Stacy), letters, song, singing, walking, uh-huh, nummy (yummy), donut, I want, toys, present, bed, blankie, Pepe (the name of his penguin stuffed animal), lights, "more lights", Jessi (his daycare lady), "Jessi's house" and of course PACI

*I would say he is quite the conversationalist – learning new words almost every day.

*He is also quite into mimicking what you say – and seeing your reaction – so mommy has had to clean up her mouth (see below story).
*probably the phrase we heard most this month was "i want to dump it" - and then he promptly dumps whatever toys, books, food etc. he was eyeing. So frustrating and funny all at the same time.

(some chilly weather walking at St.Leonard's nature trail)

Favorite Activities: brushing teeth, helping make the bed in the morning (his job is the fluffing the pillows), looking out the window (and telling you whether it’s raining, windy, or snowing), putting on his own hat, driving his Daniel Tiger trolley down the hall way, wanting to shoot the balls out of the pigs nose down the hallway, hooking the magnetic trains together (then putting all the pieces in his elephant back pack), asking for his blankie in the car, anything with stickers, and building blocks and stacking

(trying to figure out the latch board)

Least Favorite Activity: getting his diaper changed (unless it’s his idea), being without his beloved paci, when you raise your voice at him (like bursts into tears), and getting too much water dumped over his head at bath time

Favorite Things: Daniel Tiger (the TV show and all his toys pertaining to it), Mickey Mouse Clubhouse (I think we might have Grandpa Jim to blame for that), Pepe the penguin (a gift from Vincent), puzzles (especially the latch board), trains, buses, “cooking” in his new kitchen and especially the spoons and pouring mommy “coffee”, his recycling truck, and toy cars

(thank you for this delicious coffee Max)

Signature Moves: constantly saying “I want to eat”, telling you “I pooped” and 9 times out of 10 he has, not wanting to sit down in the bath tub, looking for his paci in the diaper bag, giving hugs and high fives, grabbing your face and bringing it nose to nose with his and going “mugga mugga” (a total Daniel Tiger Move), “fake sleeping” and then going “wake up!”, pointing at pictures and telling everyone’s name, seeing any letter and saying “ABC”, demanding “song, me!” in the car – which means he wants to listen to his CD from Grandpa Jim and Grandma Sugar because all the songs have his name in them, wants to be a helper – especially with recycling different items, LOVES to look for Christmas lights in the neighborhood, and continues to be super needy in the morning (he is not good at early rising but continues to do so anyway).

(modeling his elephant backpack full of trains and cars!)

Mom’s Proudest Moment:  Certainly not when he mimicked me by saying “Jesus, Rob!” when daddy turned a little too soon with the car…and definitely not again when I said “Oh sh*t” the other night in his room and he said it probably ten more times because I kept laughing (a huge no no I know J  I AM proud of how polite he is becoming – saying thank you most of the time.

(dressed in our New Year's finest!)

 

Dad’s Proudest Moment:  all of Christmas.  Max did great in church, opening presents, hanging out until past his bedtime, being patient while others opened their presents, interacting with family members we don't see very often and even saying thank you!

(investigating new books with Daddy!)

Other Milestones:

So much TALKING this month – legitimate conversations are happening!

Getting good with puzzles

Being very brave with sensory materials (like snow)

Getting better at being patient when we aren’t ready to sit down at dinner

Recognizing and being able to verbalize different snippets of songs

Great picture recognition when it comes to family members

Some pretend play with the kitchen and trying to feed his stuffed animals

Brushing teeth regularly and washing hands too!

Tries to take off pants

Knows when he poops and tells you

Can wipe up his own food spills

Picks up a ball and can throw it (though we are encouraging rolling)

Dear Max,
another month has come and gone and I continually marvel at the little person you are becoming. I constantly think to myself, 'this is the best age!". Until tomorrow, when I'm sure to think that 20 months and 1 day will be the best age. You walk, and talk, and play, and talk some more!  You are just so awesome. The three of us - we are just the best little family. Please keep growing at your perfect pace and daddy and I will try to keep up.
xoxo

Snow Much Fun!

As you may or may not know - Ohio is really, really cold right now.

First it dumped about four inches of snow on Tuesday.

Then, it got bone chillingly cold and windy.

Need proof?  The below pic is from my weather channel app on Wednesday.

12 degrees.  Wowza!  As if that wasn't enough - while driving to work this morning

my car thermometer said -8.

 

 

While these temps certainly make it impossible to play outside - that doesn't stop us!

As Max was staying with Grandmim and Grandpa...they decided to be super rad

and bring the outside in!

As Grandpa broke his back shoveled the driveway - he scooped up

some snow for the play area Grandmim had set up for Max.

It was totally genius.

She put down a plastic table cloth, with all kinds of plastic pots and pans, scoops,

and various other kitchen accessories and let Max go to town.

 

 

Side note - I'm obsessed with these pots and pans she has for Max.

They have faces on them and where the handle would be looks like a nose.

They sort of look like pinocchio pots

(you know, because Pinocchio has the weird long wooden nose).

Anyway..

 

I think it's safe to say this activity was a total hit!

According to Mim, Max loved moving all the snow around,

dumping it out, swirling it, and then demanding more snow from Grandpa.

 

 

Who wouldn't love a play day in pajamas?

The answer is everyone.

I also think it's so awesome that instead of saying "no" to this

opportunity (because let's be real - it was probably wet and full of snowy puddles).

Grandmim and Grandpa embraced the yes!

Puddles and all :)

 

 

The fun with snow continued the next day at school too!

Miss Jessi brought in the snow and put it in the sensory table.

Again - total genius (who needs Pinterest?!)

 

Max and all his little friends were loving it.

I'm also loving the way Max is looking at everyone

else like, "why are we raising our hand guys?"

haha!

 

Miss Jessi also had the genius idea to bury some plastic letters in the snow

and encouraged the kids to dig around and find the letters in their names.

Max calls every letter "ABC's" - but I do think he is starting to recognize

the letter M. And, he totally found the M!

 

 

I just love that he is being exposed to so many fun sensory experiences!

He is recognizing that snow is wet and cold.

(In fact, he will tell you, "I wet" when the snow melts on him).

While, it's easy to focus on the fact that winter will be full of challenges (and possibly tantrums?!)...

the beauty is that it can also be full of wonder and discovery for Max.

 

Happy Winter, friends!

xoXO