Santa? He's alright.

That sums up what Max thought about him. We headed over to Stanford mall last week on a weeknight to beat the crowds. Santa and his helpers asked how old Max was, and they gave us a whole lot of advice on how he would probably have a meltdown and the best way to take a pic (parents with him first, then Mom behind the camera, then Dad with Mom behind the camera, then lots of crazy waving, clapping, & yelling).

Max did not crack a smile and was a little weary of Santa, but I think we are just thankful that a meltdown didn't happen!

18 months

My oh my, time flies by. Our lil' guy turned 18 months old on November 22nd, and he surprises us all the time with how much his development is blossoming.

Max had his appointment a couple weeks late, but here's the stats:

Head circumference: 49cm, 86th percentile
Height: 33 in., 63rd percentile
Weight: 26 lbs., 69th percentile

Max is full-on running now. It's one of his favorite past times. Other favorite past times: pretending to "cook" with pots & pans, hide and seek, bouncing & throwing balls, stacking blocks, feeding & playing with Tank, pretending to "sleep", cleaning the table and sweeping the floor, throwing clothes in the laundry hamper, dancing, pointing out the parts of his face (and the parts of our faces too), being outside, baths, jumping on our bed, playing with his sound machine, playing with our alarm clock, climbing stairs, going to the park, and our favorite - giving kisses & hugs.

Things Max can say: Uh-oh, Oh wow!, Mama, Dada, all done, no ("nah!"), yay, ball, apple ("bapple"), banana ("nana"). Sometimes can also say: duck or up ("uh!")

Things Max can sign: Please, up, more, all done, help, thank you, eat, milk, hi, bye, cold, hurt/pain...and of course, touchdown!

Max has a total of eight teeth (4 on top and 4 on the bottom), and four molars breaking in. By now, Max has had well over 10-12 haircuts (probably more) since he was born. Besides his hair, he seems to be growing in height pretty fast.

Max's favorite foods: Oatmeal, yogurt, bananas, avocado, beans, rice, quesadillas, chicken, watermelon, grapes, bread, crackers, raisins, eggs, breakfast sausage, cheese, apples, oranges, and peas.

Max is not a fan of: broccoli, nose-wiping, haircuts, or sitting still for long periods of time.

Max has changed our lives so much, but for the better. He is such a happy kiddo about 98% of the time and so outgoing. He loves being silly, making people laugh. Can we say, attention-getter? He is a determined little guy and spends a good amount of time trying to figure something new out. Even though his determination sometimes turns into tantrums, he is over them quickly enough. His laugh is contagious, and he is laughing often - especially when he wants to be chased or for you to come find him when he is hiding behind the curtains.

The moments I love are when Max is in a cuddly mood and so he'll come over and sit on my lap while flipping through a book, or kiss & hug you for no reason at all. I especially love watching Max & Leon together. They have such a special bond and he calls for his "Dada" all the time, wanting to play and sit with Leon. And football Sundays? Forgetta' bout it!

We love Max more and more each day and can't wait to see what he will surprise us with next!

Lunch with Miho

The day after Hank's party, we headed over to Max's most favorite restaurant Chipotle to meet up with our friend Miho. I can't believe Miho has never gotten to meet Max, but I am glad she got to do so before he was in school!

Max showed Miho just how much he loves to eat, especially guacamole :)

Thanks for coming out with us Miho! Hope to see you again soon!

 A present from Miho - Thomas bath toys! 

Miho & Max

And one more

Hank turns 2!

Last weekend we took a trip over to Henry's house to celebrate his 2nd birthday! I can not believe the Paulsons pulled together such a cute little shindig while wrangling three kiddos.

Max had such a fun time running around Henry's house and getting to play with his toys. And we of course, enjoyed watching Hank run around with all his other friends. It didn't hurt to hold a twin or two either :)

Brett's mom & Shannon feed the twins while Max watches

Max in the yard

Henry serving the drinks! :)

Max LOVED Hank's b-ball hoop

Ruby...look at those eyes!

B-day banner over the table

Make your own play-doh as thank-you gifts

Cute cupcakes

Brett gives Hank his bday cupcake

Max, Axelle, & Hank in the yard

Getting into the holiday spirit

Unfortunately, no Tank and Max in a photo together this year for the Xmas card. These two are way too mobile and even getting a pic of Max by himself was a challenge.

I did get some cute ones though after many many takes... :)

Bustin' moves to Mozart