Max Turns 3

We had such a fun time with Max's birthday. He wanted a Batman birthday, so we happily obliged. Pat had to work during the day, so I took the boys to lunch at their favorite restaurant ("Red Robin, Yuuuuuummm!") Later, he had a superhero friends party and then a family dinner. He was spoiled with gifts! Mostly he had fun running around being a boy, just what he does best!!
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I picked up Max today from a neighbor's house. I was asking him about what he did and he said, "We played Cops & Rogers. I was a Roger." It made me laugh out loud.
Other things Max does that brings a (sometimes) smile to my face:

• He loves his brother. So much that when Lukas was getting his shots and was freaking out, Max was pushing me away so I couldn't get to Lukas. He was almost crying saying, "Don't mom, don't hurt my bludder!!"
• He has a cute little slur and says his "r"s like "w"s.
  
• I absolutely LOVE his voice and how he talks.
• He always says, "Guess what?"
• He is ALWAYS in trouble (making messes, throwing things, hurting the dog or his brother, not cleaning up his spills, saying potty words)
• The first thing he says when he wakes up is, "Good morning Mommy. Can I have milk with dinner? I want eggs and milk and bacon."
• He has started to sleep ALL night long (which is a miracle, believe me) and stay in his bed until morning!!! Yipppeeeee!!!
• He is such a good eater and will try anything (I think just to show off to Lukas who won't try anything.)
• He has such a good memory. He remembers things from last year or from months ago.
• When he is sad, he pouts, puts his head down and covers his face with his arm. It's too cute.
• He quotes "Nacho Libre" and will say, "Take it eeeasy" or "Good Luck" or "Would you like to join me for toast?"
• Lukas will ask to borrow something of his and his response is always, "Sure."
• He'll ask if he can have or do something and when we say yes, he jumps up and down and says, "thank mom"!!
• He started going to an all boys playgroup in the neighborhood. It makes him feel so cool, since Lukas has preschool. This is his thing!
• If we're walking somewhere, he'll go in front of me and say, "Ahh, this is a long walk." And then lift his arms up so I'll carry him. Even if it's just to the mail box.
  

Gone Missing!

Have you ever had that panic filled moment where one of your kids is truly lost. You can't find them anywhere and you've looked everywhere?? That totally happened to us last week. I thought Max went outside and Pat was outside and said he couldn't find him out there. We were running through the house calling his name, searching everywhere. He never hides from us and he only goes so far, so when he didn't turn up, we were freaking out. Our neighbor Whitney got in her car to drive around the neighborhood. I ran in the house one more time to see if he was in the basement or somewhere I didn't think to look. Here's what I found in the office chair (that was facing the back of us, so I had no way of telling he was in it. The duster gave it away.)

We just got back from Fish Lake. Pat and Lukas were gone running an errand and I was home with Max. We were relaxing on my bed, watching a movie. I noticed Max had some coins in his mouth and I got after him to take them out. (This is common with him. He is always holding money in his hands.) He was laying down with the coins in his mouth so I reached over to grab them out. As I did, they fell back in his throat and he started choking!!! I was freaking out trying to get him to cough them out. He was gagging, but then started breathing/crying again. I called Pat in a panic to find out what to do. I gave Max some water to drink and he seemed fine, just a little frazzled. When Pat got home we took Max to Insta Care to make sure he would be alright. They took an Xray of his chest and sure enough there was the dime in his tummy. He just had to pass it on it's own and he'd be fine they said. That Max, he gives me gray hairs!!! He did so good at the Dr.'s office and on the Xray table. I guess he's used to doctors by now.

Stitches Again!

I was in the garage this morning trying to clean things up. The kids were outside playing as well. Max came in the garage and was touching Pat's bike that was hanging up. If fell, of course, and slashed poor Max's face on the way down. He got stitches above his eye in almost the exact spot where he got them last time. He is getting better at holding still and not freaking out as much when the Dr. is stitching him shut. He is one tough cookie! I'm just glad his eye is okay.

Maxers the Menace

Now I know Max has always been my "hand-full" child. I never knew it would just keep going. Here are just a few things he's been up to: (and they're not all bad)

• He loves weapons...guns, swords, knives, ropes...anything he can swing, hit, stab, shoot. (We're talking toys, of course. The day he's old enough to have a pocket knife will be the day he moves out of my house!)
• He loves quarters and pennies. Any change, really. He will hold it in his hand all day. He won't let it go or put it down. Even at night when he's sleeping. Same with his weapons actually. Lately he's been sleeping with a quarter and 2 dimes, a sword and a pistol (that he is "borrowing" from Holden).
  
• He gets really frustrated. When he does, he makes this awful growling which sounds a lot like the Hulk. Hmmm, maybe I shouldn't have let him watch that with us...
• He is practically potty trained. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought he'd catch on this fast. And what's even better, he decided he wanted to. I didn't even push it at all. Although he likes to tease me and spread his legs apart and say, "Mom, I'm peein'." Which causes me to shriek and grab him as I run him to the potty. He usually tells me when he has to go. :)
• He will drink water from anywhere. The street gutter, the swimming pool, the bath tub, the dish water.
  
• If he wakes up and I'm not there, he will come find me. He doesn't cry and whine the way Lukas does. He just finds me and crawls into bed wherever I am. And when we are in the same bed, he has to be touching me. If he's not, he wakes up to again find where I am.
  
• Whenever I give him a treat, he always asks me to give him one for Lukas. I will give him a sour patch kid and he'll say, "Where's one for Lukas?" And if Lukas isn't doing what we're doing, he'll ask, "But what's Lukas doing? Where is he?"
  
• He is obsessed with the drain in our street. It's right in front of Whitney's house and she is always saying, "Don't throw anything down there." So what does he do? Whatever is in his hands, he will throw it down there. Even his beloved sword and pistol. (Both of which we retrieved for him. How whipped are we?? Duh.) He has stripped naked and thrown his underwear down there. He likes to throw rocks down there, too. Poor fish and ocean.\
• He loves baby Hadlie (Whitney's baby). He loves to touch her little baby feet and he will kiss her and want to touch her face. I've never seen him act like this with something smaller than him. He talks in a sweet voice and will say cute things to her. Hmmm, maybe I could have another baby...?
  
• He knows where my chocolate is stashed and he will share it with everyone around. And he prefers the dark chocolate (I stash both in my bedside table.)
• He thinks there are buttons on his shoes, that if he pushes, will make him go faster. Sonic fast.
  
• He whails on his older brother. He is tough and Lukas screams like a girl when he comes after him. He'll take him down in seconds if there is conflict.
  
• He will laugh at any word that has to do with going potty. And he says them constantly. Everything is "poop".

Pat wrote down some things he's observed about Max.

• He fell asleep with a grape in his cheek. It was stiking out like a little chipmunk. It was hilarious.
• He loves to take showers with his brother and one time dumped mommy's economy size body wash down the drain.
• He peed and pooped all over the floor at IKEA and Pat cleaned it up! Gross!
• He can be so sweet and loves to give kisses and gives good hugs.
• He will open his car door after he's been buckled if we don't lock it first.
• He loves to eat just like his dad.
• He likes to dance on command.
• He is very curious and gets into everything.
  
• He almost peed in the ac vent on the floor (luckily Mommy caught him before it was too late!)
• He is good at showing his reverent mode (Daddy did an FHE on how to be reverent).

The end...

of diapers is in sight! Way to go Maxers for being a big boy and going on the potty (almost) every time! You owe it to your big brother who teaches by example and gives you lots of praise! I love having boys.