Talker

Max is talking so much. He can communicate easily with us and let us know what he likes and dislikes. He has gotten really good at throwing tantrums and just standing there screaming until we do what he wants. If he is mad, he usually throws whatever he has in his hands or whatever you are trying to give him. Then when you pick it up and give it back, he usually accepts. He also melts our hearts when he says, "luv vu" and when he gives hugs and kisses all on his own. I just love how he is so solid and can throw his weight around. He has the cutest hands and chubby wrists. He has a dimple to die for and the cutest smile ever!!! I taught him baby sign and he still remembers please, more and milk. But he talks a lot with words. He clearly says:

• I get out (like if he's in his crib).
• Unclip me.
• I can't see.
• Mom, look at me.
• I spy my eye, sumting boo. (I spy with my little eye, something blue.)
• Basement or outside or downstairs (then with a gentle tug of my hand will lead me there)
• Stop it!
• Na na nah na na nah na na BATBAM (batman theme song).
• Panda, ka chow! (with a kick move)
• Today I told him we're going to the store and asked if he wanted to come. He smiled and said, "IKeya" then more clearly said, "IKEA". He likes to go to my favorite place!!!
• Pee-you. Stinky, change you.
• I like it. (But really this memeans I don't like it).
• Lukas hurt me. or Lukas toy. (Lukas hurt me or Lukas took my toy from me).
• Play Noggin. Watch it.
• Bear Blue House. Welcome, welcome to house. (We get the DVD Bear in the Big Blue House at the library and it's his favorite.)
• Twinkle, tinkle star. (He loves this song and can sing it most of the way through with help).
• Jesus sunbeam. Again, he loves this song and can sing most of it.
• Tommy here. (Lukas friend Tommy comes over a lot).
• Ike keem. (Ice Cream)
• Candy.
• Posicles (but he says it with the cutest lisp).
• Dinosaur. ROAR! Scawy. (Scary).
• I scawed. (scared).
• Yata (pinata)
• We like to offer incentives for good behavior and for special occasions so after we tell him what he has to do to get the treat we say, "deal?" and he'll say "deal" back.

The Move

Here is my favorite move of Max's. He loves to dance and show his stuff when music is on. It seems that everytime he gets in the groove, he does this move where he kicks up one leg like he's doing baby yoga or something. It cracks me up and I find him doing it all the time. He is so cute!!!

Funny Words

I just love how Max is saying so many words and repeating what we say. Here are some funny ones:

• Batban (Batman)
• Budge (Fudge)
• Fambox (Sandbox)
• Man (Spiderman)
• Buss and immediately following he'll say "Infiny & Beyond" (Buzz)
• Poopy, change you (Because I always say to him, "Are you poopy? Do you want me to change you?"
• Falling (When he's falling off a chair or at the playground)
• Raining
• Owwee, hurt
• Stop It!
• When he's in his crib for nap or bedtime, he'll get mad and throw his pillow, binkie or milk out and then in a sad voice say, "pillow, pillow" so we have to come back in and pick it up for him. Then he will lay down and go to sleep.
• He has a little stuffed animimal penguin and he says, "Penguino"
• He'll say "Panda" then make a kung-fu move with his hands and foot.
• Whenever he hears music he'll start dancing and doing funny moves (he'll ball up his fists and shake his whole body side to side fast, he'll swing his hips, jump up and down and my favorite, he'll put his hands on the ground and lift up one leg out straight!)

Day at Nana's

We spent the day at Nana's today. We made "squish fudge" which Max was excellent at because he loves to use his hands to squish things. And he loved eating it and making a mess. He called it "budge". He'd just keep saying "budge, a budge". More fudge, please. We also went to the pool and played in the "Ban box" (sandbox). I tried so hard to make a castle, but every time Max would destroy my efforts. Rascal, Papa's dog, kept licking and playing with Max. Max calls him "Racal". And when we were leaving and Nana was telling Lukas next time it could be a sleepover for just Lukas, Max immediately said in his gruff voice "NO". Then looked at Nana and just smiled. He knows when he's being funny.

S T I T C H E S

Max had a run in with the corner of the coffee table Saturday! He was just getting down off the couch and lost his balance. Then BAM his cheek met the corner and the next thing we know we're waiting in the InstaCare for the Dr. to stitch him up. He was very brave and cried only when they put the numbing gel on his face and when they swaddled him in a sheet to sew his face up. Poor little guy. So little on the table. I'm glad it wasn't worse and I'm glad he's okay. I think it's good that Pat is in nursing school b/c I think I would've just put a bandaid on it and said, "Ouchee"! He is one tough cookie! And quite accident prone. I'm surprised it didn't happen sooner.

Max at 21 months

Max is growing so much these days! He is talking a lot and mimiking what we say. He has quite the personality and loves to make you laugh or be the center of attention. He can also be very dramatic and throw his toys on the ground, or drop his milk or his binkie when he wants to protest something. He has the cutest wave I've ever seen and he'll say "hi" to anyone, including our fish Simon. He is a great nap taker and sleeper for the most part and is still in his crib. Although he can practically do the splits getting his foot on the top bar of the crib. I just know one day he'll figure out he can climb out of there! For now, he's happy in it. He really likes to clip and unclip his carseat, highchair, stroller straps...anything that clips (shopping cart at Wal-mart). He doesn't like to be confined, though and is pretty dang strong. And when we get home from the store, and I unclip him, he is entertained for hours (if I let him) in the car, just playing and pushing buttons and jumping from the front seat to the back seat. He throws a fit when we take him out of the car and into the house. He is clever, too. He'll dump out the shoes in the shoe basket and drag the basket over to the counter where he'll tip it over and use it as a stepping stool to climb to whatever intrests him (which happened to be Simon the other day...poor fish wondered what the heck happened with a fat little hand swishing around his water). Here are some cute things Max says:

• If you ask him a question, he'll bob his head up and down and say "yah".
• He'll pull my hand and drag me to the door and say, "Outside".
• Dy-soar...Rrrraaaaarrrr (Dinosaur)
• Marshenows (marshmellows)
• Eye-keem (ice cream)
• Posykus (popsicles)
• He'll put his hand on his diaper and say "Poopy, change you".
• Him and Lukas play the game where they get territorial and say "mine" to whatever they are holding.
• Froggit (frog)
• He loves Buzz Lightyear and when he sees him he'll say "And Beyond"
• He makes the cutest lips and "ssssvvvshhhh" sound when he's pretending to fly a plane or shoot a gun or make Buzz fly.
• When we say prayers, he'll keep his eyes open, but bow his head and say, "heh father...day...daddy" (Heavenly Father, Thank you for this day, thank you for daddy).
• He has the cutest lisp when he says his "s"s. Everytime I want to squeeze him and kiss him and I usually do!
• He has a tendancy to just hit kids in the face, so we always tell him "soft", so he'll rub his hand on his face up and down and say "soft".
• He'll say camping, cookie, bah-time (bathtime), yogurt, samich (sandwich)