Max's view in his carseat

This is one by-product of Max getting to play with Mama's iPhone in
the car...

Feeling Manipulated

Who knew a toddler could be so manipulative? Pretty much any veteran parent of a toddler, but we're just learning this now. Max has begun a new process by which to get his way.

Max: "Moo? Moo?" (translation: I would like to drink some milk now).

Alex/Lissa: "Oh, would you like some Moo?"

Max: "Okay."

Max gets what he wants and theoretically Mom/Dad feel like it was our idea. Really we just end up chuckling and scratching our heads, wondering how he figured out a basic management principle so early.

As a perfect example, he just brought me my iPhone and said, "Blue? Blue".

I responded, "you want to watch Blue('s Clues)?"

He answered, "Okay."

Wow, I feel really smart right now...

Max and Dada Run On Dunkin'

We like climbing high at burger king!

Big News... :)

Max is going to be a big brother!

Details:
Due Date: December 27, 2009 *
Gender: unknown until some time in mid-August
Nickname: Gummi (Bear)

* We regret that we will have to decline any and all New Years' party invitations this year - for obvious reasons...

Does Max know?
Max has already begun addressing the baby, by lifting mommy's shirt and singing "baaaaaaby". He puts his ear against her belly and occassionally blows raspberries - the bonding with and taunting of his sibling has begun.

How is Mama feeling?
With the exception of food poisoning a week before Memorial Day, Mama has felt really well so far. Just as during the Cashew pregnancy, there has been some heartburn, but the biggest obstacle has been fatigue. The remedy has been for Mama to take naps every day while Max naps, and that has been vital in getting through the rest of each day.

How is Dada feeling?
"groovy"

Do the grandparents know?
Yes. You can see the reveal videos soon. :)

Will you rename the blog?
Yes, but we haven't determined the new name yet. We considered "Alex & Lissa + 2", but that seemed in poor taste. Besides, we're NOT aiming for 8.

Will you be traveling to Indiana for Thanksgiving like usual this year?
No, that will be smack dab in the middle of the 3rd trimester so we'll be home-bound by then.

Do you have names picked out yet?
No. As we did with Cashew/Max, the baby's name shall be Gummi until we get a chance to meet him/her in person and confirm the name we have chosen fits. Then we'll announce it to the world.

Do you have any pictures?
Of course!
These are from Mama's first prenatal appointment on June 2nd (obvious source of Gummi's nickname):

And these are from today, June 24th. Gummi was apparently napping and not too active, but there was a clear heartbeat and everything looked fine:

We like Father's Day Donuts

Especially the sprinkles!

2 Year Well-Child Appointment

I took Max for his 2 year well-baby appointment this morning and he did great! Here are the latest stats:

Weight: 26 lbs, 11 oz (30th percentile)
* up from 23 lbs, 12 oz, which was in the 20th percentile at 18 months.

Length: 34" (50th percentile)
* up from 33", which was in the 70th percentile at 18 months.

Head Circumference: 47 1/2 cm (30th percentile)
* down from 48 cm (different nurse measuring this time?), which was in the 55th percentile at 18 months.


Dr. Woods said Max looks great. He passed every question on the MCAT, or autism screen, which was no surprise.

We talked briefly about potty training, and agreed he doesn't seem to be ready yet. She said it is normal for American boys to not potty train until 3 years, 4 months. She told me what to look for, and suggested we spend good quality time reading on his little potty to reinforce the good times to be had on the potty.

Max got his final Hepatitis A and HiB vaccines. He wasn't too happy about either one, but he got over it very quickly with a little iPhone time. He fell asleep on the way home, but that was expected because it coincided with the magical "6 hours after waking up" point - which always culminates in sleep when in the car.

We won't need to go back for another appointment until he is 3, so it's just annual well-child checks for now on!

Aunt Bua!

We like to line up cars!

Just like Dada did when he was a little boy...

iPhone?

A few weeks ago, I got an iPhone. I had been waiting for my contract with Sprint to expire, and was very eager to switch to a phone with more features and options than what I'd been using. I was used to Max playing with my cell phone... but had NO idea he would become such a fan of my new one.

One of the most common words we hear from his mouth these days is "iPhone?". It comes in a sad, whining voice, pleading with us to allow him to monopolize either one of our iPhones. I am much to blame - I have installed about half a dozen toddler-appropriate games and helped him find Elmo videos on youtube that he can watch at will.

At times it is a very convenient obsession. Diaper changes are MUCH easier - I promise him the iPhone and he will run over to the changing pad and wait patiently for me to hand it over. He then remains still for at least the duration of the change. Unfortunately I don't get it back very quickly, so I have to keep that in mind if I am planning to send a text message or make a call.

Here was Max's initial exploration of my iPhone and the game "I See Ewe":

At a recent playgroup, Max opted not to tumble around on the couch with Mary, but instead wanted to play with Mommy's iPhone (which was charging and I thought was out of his view at the time):

At the end of year picnic at Max's preschool, instead of playing with his friends and teachers, Max sat still to play with my iPhone. This was actually a VERY welcomed relief for Alex, who had spent about 45 minutes chasing Max around the capital grounds on a hot and humid day. This was the only time Max sat still the entire time. "Like Father, Like Son":

And finally, during a recent trip to eat out for lunch (which we don't do often because it is usually spent by one of us running after him throughout the restaurant - he's not a patient restaurant-goer, yet):