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.

Max at 2 1/2

Max is getting so big. Here are some things he's doing:

• He gets frustrated easily. If he gets in trouble, he immediately calls me names..."You're stupid", "You're awful", "You liar". Anything he can think of. He also likes to hit. It makes me sad. If he's mad at Lukas, he says the same things and then hits, not just once or twice, but until Lukas can't take it anymore.
  
• He is addicted to quarters. He has to have his "money" with him in his hand or pocket wherever he is.
  
• He likes to hold little objects. When he wakes up in the morning and I make his bed I find all kinds of things: plastic toys, balls, hangers, money, his fishy (plastic), water gun...
  
• He thinks "poop" and "pee" are the funniest words ever.
• He loves to unroll his window in the car and let the wind blow him away. Lukas hates the wind, which is partly why I think Max likes it so much.
• At church whenever we get ready to sing a hymn, he'll say, "Is it home time?"
  
• He'll be crying and upset and I'll ask him, "What's wrong?" to which he replies, "Anything!"
• He can be so sweet and say, "Thanks mom, thanks."
  
• He climbs all over me, smothering me with hugs and squeezes. He's hard to fight off.
• He constantly falls and gets hurt whether there is something there to trip on or not.
  
• When his nose is runny, he'll come crying to me saying, "I have a bloody nose!" He's had quite a few in his day. He also loves to bring me his boogers. :P
• He likes to drink the bath water. Eeeeew.
• He is now obsessed with worms. He loves to hold them and find them in the dirt.
  

Shiner

Max has done it again. Another owie. We were at a restaurant Friday night and he tripped and hit his face on the bench right below his eye. It was very puffy and red and now it's turning purple and blue. That kid takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin'. (That's his sad face.) AND, we are painting a bathroom and as I was cleaning up I noticed paint on the couch. Yes, Max put his hand in it (and trust me, we were so careful to not let him anywhere near it, yet somehow he got to it) and it's all over one of our couch cushions! ! Then later he was playing with red play doh and it's now rubbed deep into the carpet. I could scream at that kid, but how can I? He's too cute. And he just doesn't get it. He doesn't know how much trouble he's getting into. And he says, "Sorry Mom, sorry" in the cutest lisp I've ever heard. (Do ya think he needs a haircut? My Dad keeps calling him Maxine.)

T R O U B L E

I wish I was faster with the camera to capture all the trouble Max gets into in a day. In fact, I need to be documenting more of his messes b/c it's shocking, really.

• His newest thing is to play in the bathroom. He loves to climb up on the sink and put his feet in, turn the water on and get all wet. Then he'll somehow get water into his mouth, onto the counter, on the floor, all over the mirror. And he loves to get soap on his hands to wash them. He'll do it like 3 times in a row.
• This is my least favorite...he'll be eating a snack, dinner, or drinking something and he'll chew it but not swallow it. I'll notice like 5 minutes later and he still hasn't swallowed so I have to take him to the sink, if I'm lucky enough to be by one, and make him spit it out. GROSS! This happened once while shopping and all I had was a baby wipe for him to spit in and it looked like throw up. And you know how I feel about throw up! EEEeeeeeww!
  
• He climbs daily on the kitchen table and lays on it with his head hanging over so he can see underneath or he'll push the chandelier and make it swing back and forth.
  
• He throws his food half way across the room leaving a lovely trail and then just laughs.
  
• He takes my squirt bottle (again with the water) and will squirt anything in sight, including my stair master, the TV or DVD player, the floor, the mirrors (his favorite) or his brother.
• He gets bloody noses like nothing I've seen. He had 2 in one day.
  
• I have to hide my chapstick b/c he steals it, takes the lid off and rubs it all over everything, but mostly his face. Then he digs his fingers in it to get more out. What kid doesn't love tasting it too?
• He won't get out of the car once I unbuckle him. He likes to jump from seat to seat, turn the radio on, hit the hazard button. Then when I go in the house to drop my stuff off, he lays on the horn and it honks for like a minute and everyone in the neighborhood looks out their window to see what's happening at the Mendoza's house.
• At the grocery store when I'm placing everything on the belt, he grabs a packet of Starburst or those sucker push pops and unwraps them and starts chewing or eating them. Nothing I can do but buy it at that point. He's got it all figured out. Don't ask first, eat first!
  

Yet after all this he somehow still melts my heart.

27 months

Max is just talking so much these days. I wish I could remember to write down all the funny things he says to me. Like at church we were looking at a book and I said, "Can you find the rake?" And he said, "I don't know what a rake is Mommy." Duh! Anyway, he is adorable and big trouble, too. He screams until he gets what he wants, he tackles Lukas and hits him on purpose (usually when taunted) and he does not obey. We are still having sleep issues, too. He wants toys and treats from the bedtime fairy, but doesn't understand the concept of staying in his bed all night. He usually goes to bed fine, but gets up in the middle of the night and wanders the house screaming or just comes right into our room to sleep. He wants to go to preschool with Lukas and doesn't understand why he can't yet. He LOVES Buzz Lightyear and all superheroes. He doesn't like nursery or being left behind. He has to be wherever mommy is. He likes to be outside and opens the door as often as he can. If there is snow on the ground it is bound to be in his mouth within seconds. He likes to ride his little scooter and it's cute to watch him push off. He has gone potty on the toilet a few times, but I just haven't pushed potty training yet. He is going to get it right away when I do, though b/c he watches Lukas do it and wants to do what Lukas does. I want to video tape him talking b/c he has a lisp and a stutter and he doesn't know how to talk quiet. It's pretty dang cute. I can't belive he is getting so big. He weighs 33 pounds and Lukas weighs 35. 2 years and 2 pounds apart. Funny.

Aside from the awful sleep habits, Max is so cute. He picks up a lot from Lukas and is absorbing so much. He loves Batman, Transformers, Spiderman and Kung Fu Panda and will mimick all his moves. He can be so silly and crazy with his brother. He has a bit of a mean streak and will hit kids younger or smaller than him. He's trying to find his place in the world. He gives the sweetest kisses and hugs. He is accident prone and trips, falls, and gets bonked all the time. He still has his lisp when he says his s's. He wants to go wherever Lukas goes and is very independent. He is still a good eater and loves his milky. The kid talks so much! I need to capture the cute things he says. I don't want him to get bigger. He's too cute!

Sleep Woes

Max has been out of his crib for about 3 months now. And for about 3 months I have not had a solid 8 hours of sleep. The little turkey wakes up EVERY NIGHT several times. I'm so tired that it's become a habit that he just climbs in bed with me and Pat. Then Lukas wakes up and sees he's all alone and then HE comes in our bed. So there are 4 bodies in our little queen-size bed. I sleep horribly and then am "Mom the Grouch" the next day. It's been a challenging few months. Nothing makes me more frustrated than bedtime. So, since it's a new year it's time for change. Time for action.

• Consistency
• Routine
• No giving in!!
• The gate has gone up (I just can't lock the doors, it's too mean!)
• Love, not threats.

This is night one and it took us an hour and a half before the kids fell asleep. They say the first few days are the hardest. We'll just have to be tough and we can get through this. They will stay in their beds and sleep through the night. I keep telling myself this. It's just a matter of when...