This isn't a post about coming together or feeling like we are one.
Max and I visited mom at work the other day for lunch. My mom works for United Airlines and gets free flights so she can go see her kids who up until recently have been mostly out west. For example, she came out to Arizona for Max's birth. I guess her free flights do unite us. I stand corrected. This is a post about coming together.
Today was Nate's last day at the FCC. If Max could talk, he'd say, "Thanks for spending 4/5ths of my life staying awake at a job that put me to sleep in one day." I can talk, and I say, "I'm glad we don't have to Skype anymore."
Max is going through clothes so quickly. As soon as I get out an outfit I've been excited for him to fit into, he's growing out of it. This is sadly the way my life will go now, I guess. There are a BILLION things I look forward to with raising Max, and before I know it they will have passed and I'll only be left with the memory and a picture. And so I'll have another baby so that I can experience it all over again, and then another few... At the end of my life, I'll be an old lady with stacks of photo albums and an empty house. I hope my kids come visit me.
On a happier note, Nate has only two days left of his externship and then he's done with law school. And we get to see each other for more than a week at a time. And we don't have to Skype every night. And I won't have to feel like I'm slacking as a mother when someone else changes Max's diapers... because I do when it's someone other than Nate.
So here's to Nate for working so hard so that I can take pictures all day to remember my boy after he's up and r-u-n-n-o-f-t.
Max still hasn't quite figured out how to eat from a spoon without dividing each bite in half... half of the spoonful dribbling down his chin, the other making it's way to his throat. Regardless of how long it takes to get any substantial portion of his meal into his belly, he seems to find the new flavors worth the effort. He tries to pull the bowl toward his mouth as if to slop it all down sans spoon.
So far Max has had bananas, papaya, guava ice cream, prune juice, spicy garlic hummus (which he did by himself), and carrots.
If you are talking to him in a way he likes, Max will reach out and pull your face in close with both hands while giving you a huge smile.
Max can sit by himself for quite some time without falling over. He only falls over if tempted to lean, and only after he catches himself with an arm that eventually gets tired and gives out.
His favorite song is "The Ants Go Marching."
Max likes his xylophone, a toy I got out recently.
Max's huge smiles often include a semi-protruding tongue.
He enjoys peek-a-boo, a game I introduced to him a week ago.
If you are on the computer or texting while Max is on your lap, he will reach out and try to type and text right along with you. He likes buttons.
Max has found his feet and ends up pulling his socks off while pulling his feet towards his face.
He still likes to sleep on his sides.
When I change his diaper, Max will expand his tummy to keep my from making the diaper too tight.
Max can roll over from back to front and from front to back. He has only done either a handful of times that I've seen. The other day I was making dinner in the kitchen while Max was on the floor in the dining room with Nate on Skype. Nate witnessed a consecutive front to back and then a back to front roll. He was one proud dad.
He is getting closer to crawling every day. He'll get his rear in the air, and he can push himself up with both arms.
Max seems to be left-handed, just like the men he was named after (Great Grandpas Max and Robert). Time will tell.
Max loves to be thrown in the air.
He loves crinkling plastic bags.
He's started giggling at random things I do, and it's usually unsolicited and unexpected.
When Max smiles, his tongue will sometimes go into a little point.
The boy can sleep anywhere. He falls asleep in my arms while sitting upright before I realize he's even tired.
Max needs stimulation. If people are moving about a room or conversing, he can sit and watch them for long periods of time. If he is alone in a room, he only lasts so long playing alone before he needs a change of scenery or activity.
As mentioned, we drove up to Nazareth on Thursday night from D.C. to see Julie and the fam. I drove to Philadelphia the next morning to help out Andy and Naomi with Julian while Naomi was still in the hospital (also in a previous post). Andy had bought some balloons, flowers, and treats for Naomi that he had me set up while he went and got Naomi and Robin from the hospital on Saturday morning. While we waited for the homecoming, Julian and I played both inside and outside trying to pass the time. I asked Julian where his mommy was, and he kept saying, "Where's Mama?" When Andy and Naomi pulled up, Julian was overcome with emotion and started pointing toward the car, simultaneously crying and laughing, saying, "Mama! Mama! Mama!" It was insanely cute. I stayed into the afternoon and headed back up to Nazareth that evening. My trip to Philly was short, but it was worth it - I have a new nephew, and I was able to get to know one I already had.
Thursday night when Nate and I arrived in Nazareth, we recorded this... Lori knew we were coming, but Julie and Kevin did not. It was after ten, so the other kids were in bed. I love how Kevin says, "What the heck? Holy crap..." He articulated the moment perfectly. :)
Robin is here! It's a good name for a boy born in the Spring. He was born last night after an exceptionally short labor (especially in contrast to Naomi's last one and my labor with Max). Nate and I had driven up to Nazareth from D.C. after visiting the arboretum yesterday, and I jumped in the car this morning to come to Philadelphia to help out. So far, I haven't done much but eat delicious Trader Joe's orange chicken with Andy and take a nap on their couch before we all headed to the hospital to visit the new spring chicken... er, Robin. I did take Julian on a little walk around the hospital to give Andy and Naomi some time with "the new one," as Andy called him. He has the cutest nose. I was ready to have a baby again before I saw him, but now I'm baby starving. We came back from the hospital at dusk, and I snapped a few shots from around where they live. And I love their old doorknob. I made Julian some toast with Nutella, and Andy read him some bedtime stories. Tomorrow, Naomi and Robin come home! (Click on photos to see more detail - like the little veins in Robin's cheeks!)
The last few days in D.C. with Nate were bitter sweet for me. We are nearing the end of another era... D.C. and law school. We spent mornings lazing about with Max. He's growing so fast. At four months, he can sit up pretty well as long as his belly is helping to support the weight. Way up there on our list of "most enjoyable things we've done as a couple" is our trip to the National Arboretum yesterday. We didn't have time to visit each exhibit/area, but we did see the Japanese and Chinese Bonsai collections, the fern forest, and the azalea hillside. As always, Max was a trooper and loved all the colors and the cool breeze on his face.
