13 Months

I debated about whether or not to continue Max's monthly updates

but in the end decided to keep them up.

After all, this little guy continues to change so much

and I want to remember these little details later on!

Plus, I still want to think of him as my baby,
even though he looks like such a big boy in these pictures!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Mid-photo-sesh hugs for Daddy ;)

 

 

 

 

...aaand we're done.

Little man weighs in at about 25 pounds and measures close to 31 inches tall.

Nighttime sleep is about the same - about 11 hours - but naps are still hit or miss.

We are not quite ready for one nap a day (I know I'm not, for sure!)

but we don't exactly need two full ones...

I have a feeling that we'll make that transition within the next few weeks, though!

Max is now drinking his milk and water from straw sippies.

No big changes in eating, except that we've learned

strawberries can give a mean rash. :(

Max is getting so good with his signs!

He has added "please,""milk," and "water/eat" to his vocabulary.
It is pretty much the cutest thing ever when he comes over to you
and pats his chest while looking up with those big brown eyes.
*Melt.*
He gets picked up every time! ;)

Little man has a serious fixation on his Daddy right now,
and it's pretty darn cute!
He squeals "Daddy!" whenever Clay walks into the room
and conversely wails whenever he leaves.
Max is like a little shadow to his Daddy.

Other words Max says include
boom, mama, and ball - but it is a rare occasion when you hear them!
Mostly Max's "talking" involves moving his mouth with random sounds coming out. ;)

This past month has involved lots of travel, and Max has done well.
He went to Abilene to spend some time with his Mini and Zu,
then traveled to Bandera to visit his great-grandpa.
This was also the first time for him to get carsick, poor baby. :(

Max now has twelve teeth, which he got checked out

on his very first trip to the dentist last week.

Mommy was sick with a fever, so Daddy got to step in!

A very good report for our little fellow

and his chompers.

Little man has decided that sometimes walking is just not fast enough

(or maybe his legs are working too fast for the rest of him!),

and will often run through the house. I cannot keep up!

Max is getting better at following directions from Clay and I.

Sometimes he will even start picking up toys on his own

when I begin to sing the clean-up song!

Some of Max's favorite things to play with right now are

pillows, dirt, rocks, balls, and cars.

He is also a big fan of his Elmo car

and has almost worn out the sound effects!

Sliding and swinging are other activities he enjoys.

Oh, and talking on Skype with Grammie and Doc!

It is absolutely amazing how much more Max has learned to do in the past month.
This growing process is a pretty cool one to watch. :)

We cannot wait to see what you'll be up to next, little man!

Down to the River

This past weekend we decided to make a trip "down to the river"

(the Medina River, that is) to visit Clay's grandpa Ken.

  He is spending several weeks at the riverhouse,

a place which holds many special memories for Clay and his family,

and I hope for little man, too!

We left town around lunchtime on Friday,

and about two hours later, little man got carsick. :(

After quick wardrobe change and a stop to buy some air freshener,

we were on our way again - and Max seemed to be just fine!

 It was a quick trip, but a lovely one - just relaxing and spending time with Grandpa Ken,

whom we don't get to see as often as we'd like.

He was so generous to take us out to his favorite Bandera eateries,
and even offered to get little man a DQ treat. :)
(I let him have some of mine, as you can see below.)
There was ample time to play in the river between naps
and Max LOVED splashing in the water - he was not afraid at all!
He especially liked pulling rocks from the water
and piling them on dry land, even though his Daddy tried
to demonstrate how to throw them into the water. ;)

 

 

 

 

All in all, a wonderful trip - thanks, Grandpa Ken, for a great time!
We hope to visit again soon!

Max goes to Abilene

Last Friday, we loaded Max and his bags in the car

then waved goodbye as he headed to Abilene

with Mini and Zu for a few days!

While it was so good for Clay and I to have a little break

and a chance to spend some together time, I missed that little man like crazy!

There were times I thought my heart would burst I missed him so much,

but I remembered that he was in very loving and capable hands

and that this time away from each other was a good thing.

It was also so sweet to get periodic updates

and see what Max was up to. :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

They had some serious fun, that's for sure!

Clay and I drove in on Tuesday night 

and had a sweet reunion with our little man

(even if he didn't recognize me - though he sure knew his Daddy!).

We spent the Fourth swimming, playing Ticket to Ride Asia, 

and enjoying Max's newfound piano skills. ;)

Thank you, Mini and Zu and Aunt Julie,

for loving on our little man for a few days.

What an incredible gift to us all!

Great Dates

Right around the time Max was born, I read this book

which talked about the husband and wife as the center of the family

and how important it is to make that relationship a priority

by planning regular date nights (among other things).

Well, my friends, we definitely got an A+
on our date night frequency for the month of June!

We don't always go out for dates. In fact, those are usually my favorite!

 Especially when it involves popcorn, wine
and Downton Abbey, like it did one raucous Friday night. ;)

A few weeks ago, we went to see Coldplay at the AA Center in Dallas.

Clay's cousin Laura and her husband Eric watched Max for us that night

(along with three other kids, plus their own, which you can read about here).

I have only been to one other concert in my life (Phillips Craig and Dean, anyone?), 

but that was way back in middle school. I had forgotten how loud they are!

I'm a little older now - and my ears are much more sensitive. :)

Over-the-top volume or not, it was a great concert!

We also discovered a new band we like: Wolf Gang.
They were one of the opening acts, and we really like their sound.
Go check them out!

The following week, Clay and I went out to dinner then got some fro-yo

before catching the Blue Man Group at Bass Hall.

Too bad we didn't have seats in the front row (they had to wear ponchos!)

or get picked to be part of the show. Oh well - maybe next time!

Over the weekend, Clay's parents took Max to Abilene
for a little one-on-one grandparent time - which meant Clay and I
got to have a belated celebration of our anniversary. ;)
We relaxed poolside Saturday afternoon
before heading over to Hannah's Off the Square for dinner,
where we had the biggest plate of the yummiest pomme frites EVER!
(I think it was the truffle oil.)

It was so nice to sleep in (of course)
and just enjoy being together, just the two of us!

It is always so much fun to spend time with Clay.
These date nights are great reminders of why I married this amazing man.

Here's to many more, my love!