Cheesy Max

I decided a while back that I didn't want to buy mac-n-cheese in the box anymore because I didn't know what chemicals and preservatives were in it plus they didn't taste enough like real cheese. My version of 'easy mac' is cooked & drained macaroni noodles put back into the still hot pot, a little bit of sour cream mixed in, and then a hand full of shredded cheese mixed in until melted. The one side effect of this is the cheese strings! Max just loves it and practically licks the plate every time I make it. You'll notice he holds his left hand up there to help shovel the noodles into his mouth off of the fork!

"I Have A Cold"

One day this past week, Max insisted he have one of his extra blankets. He spread it out over his lap, making sure his feet were well covered. Then he told me, "I have a cold, Mama." I asked him, "Do you mean you feel cold?" "Yes, Mama, I feel cold." But then a few minutes later he would tell me the same thing. "I have a cold, Mama." We'll work on that grasp of the English language. He sure was good for a while, though, sitting there quietly reading a book!

Busy Girl

My 2nd little mischievous blue-eyed monkey is such a busy little girl! Not only does she show me all of the little specs and fluffs on the floor, she showed us the paper tags on the undersides of all of our dining room chairs (by ripping them off and sticking them in her mouth), she shows me all of the outlets that don't currently have protectors, all of Max's toys she shouldn't have that end up on the floor...

But how could I be mad when she smiles at me like that?

Trying out Max's sunglasses

It is amazing how many new things she is doing just in the past couple of days! Suddenly she is getting up on her knees and will even let go of whatever she pulled up on and will balance on her knees and wave her arms around. She has begun sitting up without a hand tripod on the floor for balance. Yesterday I caught her in a downward dog yoga pose - the getting up on the feet has begun!

What a monkey!

Max vs. the hose

Dada turned the water off after watering in the new plants, but there was just enough water left in the hose for Max to empty into his cart and play for a while. Once again, it is a good thing Max likes baths. During the spring/summer months, he gets lots of them!

Max is looking a little tired after a nice afternoon playing outside.

Landscaping

The landscaping project outside the fence continues...
Here are Dada and Max with the newly planted trees and soon to be planted bamboo.

Max was very helpful, taking his little shovel with him all over the place. (Must be ready to dig at a moments notice, you know)

Office Mate

Max got to go to the office with Dada yesterday morning while Charlie and I were at the pediatricians office. I packed toys and crayons for him, but those were so old news since he gets to use them every day at home! Dada got him fixed up with a cartoon and some headphones so he could chill while Dada was on a conference call. Thank goodness for technology!

He-Who-Digs-Holes Jr.

When Dada and I moved into our first house (some 8 years ago) we joked that if Dada were a Native American, his name would be He-Who-Digs-Holes because of all of the planting and putting up of new fences and such that he did around the yard. Well, now we have Junior who loves being out in the yard with Dada. Over the weekend the two of them planted 2 trees, 3 bunches of bamboo, and 3 wisteria. These large holes were for the trees. Max did actually get some dirt out of the hole and into his little cart!

Charlie's 9mo Checkup

Charlie went in for her 9 month checkup this morning, and she checked out just beautifully!
Her stats:
Weight: 18lbs 11oz - 50th percentile
Height: 29" - 75th percentile
Head Circumference: 44.8cm - 75th percentile

Her length and head size have somewhat normalized and she is very proportionate.
The pediatrician was impressed by how mobile she is, and when I talked about how she doesn't sit up much, he put her in a sitting position and she did just fine. His response was that she probably doesn't sit up much because she is always on the move! (so true.)

Bare Legs & All

I found this cute dress for Charlie a while back and have been waiting for weather warm enough to dress her in it. Note the matching little bloomers covering the diaper! I just love seeing her little bare legs as she crawls around

She's getting better about pulling herself up to get a look at Cliffy. Not that Cliffy appreciates it. Right after this picture was taken he left the scene!

A Determined Little Girl

Since Charlie has begun crawling, she has become very determined when she wants something. In this case, she saw that a couple of O's cereal pieces had fallen to the bottom of her exersaucer. She really loves those O's, so she did what she had to do to get to them. What this picture doesn't show very well is that for most of the time that she was in there her legs were sticking right up into the air. Didn't matter to her - she got the O's!

This one is just because it's my guys.

Too Many Songs?

This morning when I was changing Max's diaper, he had a loose stool, and I was commenting to him about 'Poor Baby, a little bit of diarrhea. Mama will get you all cleaned up.' His request:
'Sing the Dia-wea song, Mama'
'What Diarrhea song?'
'Dia-wea cha-cha-cha'
Oh. THAT diarrhea song. Maybe I need to control myself and not sing a song about absolutely everything.

New Foods

Over the weekend, Charlie got to try a new food - Stars! She didn't like the flavor very much, but was so excited to get to put them in her mouth that she ate every one I gave her! Well, at least she ate the ones that actually made it into her mouth.

Hi Dada

The other day Dada was lying on the floor with Charlie crawling all over him. Even after she went to bed Dada remained on the floor to finish the magazine he was reading. Item by item, Max brought out his pillow, blanket, and stuffed animals from his bed to lie down next to Dada. Cute!

Shoes Please!

Currently, Max has a real thing for putting on various shoes and clomping around the house. He wears my shoes (above), Dada's shoes (below), and...

He is getting more and more into his yellow rain boots...

He even puts them on when Dada is trying to get him ready for his bath!

100th Post!

I noticed as I began the post that this is my 100th post - I don't have anything philosophical to say, so I'll just get on with my original topic.
Here are a couple of updated photos of the 2nd floor. The framing is complete, and Dada has the electrical rough-in a little more than half done. Real progress to see now! In the photo above, the wall to the left is Charlie's bedroom wall, and the door opening at the far end is into Max's room.
In the photo below, you can see into Max's closet close in to the right, and into Charlie's room beyond that.