Two Wheelin'!

Check out Max's new bike! I found it for $15 at a consignment sale, and Ben did an amazing job getting it all cleaned up. I wish we'd thought to take a "before" picture! Looks practically new, and Max loves it. Hard to see in the photos, but it's a "Lightening McQueen" themed bike (his favorite race car character). A little tentative about sitting up so high at first, but now we literally have to jog to keep up with him when he rides!

Checking out the tires...

So excited!

Big boy!

Once Max got comfortable pedaling around the driveway, we packed up a picnic lunch and headed to the park! After we ate lunch Max rode his bike all around the paved path. We think he may have ridden about two miles in all! Needless to say, he took an amazing nap when we got home. :-)

Water break!

Enjoy some video footage of our resident biker dude!

https://youtu.be/ljHnNmQ-0HY




https://youtu.be/FGBWhvG2xeo




https://youtu.be/_a8s8xXxmDA




https://youtu.be/H0Bc3xEXmEg

First Day of Preschool

First Big Boy Injury

Back dated to May 14, 2015

This morning Max was playing on the playground at school with his friends in a little playhouse. He saw a garbage truck driving by and as he hurried to exit the playhouse to see it, he tripped and landed on his arm. Max's teacher gave him lots of ice and TLC, and called to let us know he fell, and said his arm and hand were a little swollen and that he wasn't using it much (kept it in his lap during lunch, etc.). 

After consulting with our doctor friends (faster and cheaper than calling the pediatrician!) they advised us to take him in for an x-ray. The local children's hospital has an urgent care center near our house, so I was able to take him there, fortunately. Even though it said there was a 45-60 minute wait, we got taken back less than five minutes after I finished the registration process. He got examined by a doctor who ordered x-rays of his wrist. Max was a CHAMP during the whole x-ray process and we only had to re-do one x-ray (because he moved). He was able to sit in my lap during the x-rays which helped. 

The doctor reviewed the x-rays and said Max fractured his wrist. :-(  They put him in a splint and sling and said to make an appointment with the pediatric orthopedist to get a cast. Fortunately I was able to get in this afternoon for the cast. The orthopedist said both arm bones have a "buckle fracture". Max winced with pain and said, "Ouchie!" when the doctor rotated his hand back and forth, so he ended up having to get an above the elbow cast. We go back in two weeks to get it checked out and re-casted. There's a good chance the second cast will be below the elbow (just depends on how the healing is going). In all, he will probably be in a cast for four weeks (total).

I couldn't believe how calm and brave Max was the whole time. He cried at school when it happened, of course, but didn't shed a single tear the rest of the day. When the nurse was putting the cast on and had to apply pressure to make sure it hardened correctly Max had tears in his eyes and was taking deep breaths. That's it! He had such a good demeanor even though it hurt, and he didn't get a nap beyond a few short snoozes as I drove him to and from the various appointments. Even the nurses were commenting that they couldn't believe how calm and pleasant he was the whole time.

So, we're figuring out one-handed life, trying to figure out the best way to get his shirts on and off over the cast, and avoiding getting clubbed in the head with his little cast. Of course, the timing of his injury is lovely... on Saturday we're headed to the beach for a week. :-(  The doctor gave us a brochure for a special waterproof sleeve we can order (or buy at the hospital pharmacy) that is airtight and will keep out sand and water. 

Sending Daddy update photo from urgent care... Max got a splint put on his arm and a sling and we had to sit and wait for it to harden for a while.

Another photo update sent to Dad just after the cast went on! Poor Max was exhausted from having no nap (check out those sleepy eyes!). 

All smiles even though it was a long day...

We survived!

First Trip to the Zoo!

A few weekends ago we took Max on his first trip to Zoo Atlanta! (A special thanks to Uncle John, Aunt Lisa, Olivia, and Valerie for the tickets for Max's Christmas gift!!) All in all, he loved it. :-)  So funny, though... he kept asking why the animals weren't talking. I guess he's used to cartoon animals! haha

We got up early and headed down to Atlanta so we could be one of the first people in line. Max, our little extrovert, quickly made friends with some of the bigger kids and they had fun running around and posing with a dolphin statue (why there is a dolphin statue a zoo with no dolphin, I have no idea. haha).

Really cool bird exhibit! We walked around as birds flew right by our heads, and landed on branches inches from where we were standing.

Hard to see, but if you look on the left side of the "cave" in the rock formation you'll see a lion!

Standing by a bronze statue of a famed Zoo Atlanta gorilla who passed away years ago. (Max's favorite part? Jumping off this rock and in to a puddle. haha)

Max loved seeing the gorillas up close! He can do a mean gorilla impression.

Taking a walking break to ride on Daddy's shoulders!

Look how close we got to a gorilla!! 

Max LOVED the panda bears. Unfortunately, this exhibit was extremely crowded so we didn't get to stay too long, and we (Mom & Dad) didn't get a good look. :-(  Max was small enough to squeeze by all the grown-ups and get right up to the glass, though!   

Kangaroos hopping around! (Look on the left side of the photo near the post. A kangaroo is lying on the ground.)

Hanging out in Mommy's kangaroo pouch! haha

There was a little petting zoo area with goats. Max thought it was really cool!

Our train obsessed boy LOVED riding the train at the zoo! It made a loop around one small area, and went through a few dark tunnels (that reminded us of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory... eeep!). I'm sure it lasted all of five minutes, but Max kept pumping his arm and shouting, "Choo! Choo!" the rest of the morning. Also, I think Max is destined to be some type of public figure. Any time the train passed a group of people, he'd sit up a little straighter and start waving, "Hello!".

Max looks so tall and grown-up in this picture!

At the end of the exhibits there is a cute playground. Max had fun going down slides, riding the four-person see-saw, and talking to the big kids. After our zoo adventure we had a picnic lunch in Grant Park (right by the zoo) and headed home! 

Big Boy Bed!

It's the beginning of a new era at the Lilly household tonight... Max is sleeping in a big boy bed! About a week ago we introduced a pillow and the blanket we were planning to use in the bed to help Max prepare for the transition. We talked it up all week, and while Max was at daycare, Ben converted the crib to a toddler bed!

Max's reaction to the bed was so cute... he was really excited!

https://youtu.be/3fBVGRZQRVM


"Cheeeeese!"

After he "practiced sleeping" in his bed, he wanted to read books in bed!

When it came time to actually go to bed for the night, he was fine until the moment came to actually get in the bed and have Mommy and Daddy leave. No crying or anything, just got a little anxious for a moment. After an extra song and extra kisses he was all set! Hopefully he'll make it through the night okay. :-)  If he rolls out, he doesn't have too far to fall, but we put a pillow on the floor just in case.

(Photos below are staged. haha)

If you'll excuse me, I'm off to longingly scroll through baby photos... somehow the tiny baby who slept in the pack 'n play in our room, like, two weeks ago is now walking, talking (with three syllable words!!), eats everything in sight, wears underwear 24 hours a day, and sleeps in a real bed. Not really sure what happened there... at least he's a "Mama's Boy" and loves giving hugs and snuggles, right? :-)

Big Boy Haircut

We have given Max a few trims at home, but his baby locks were starting to become all one length. It didn't look all that bad when it was neatly combed, but after running around and playing it would often get in to a "rat's nest" and wasn't.... looking his best.  :-)

Not wanting to completely hack his hair by trying to cut it ourselves, we took him in for his first big boy haircut!

Ben held him in his lap and I was in charge of taking pictures and distracting Max so the hairdresser could cut. The hairdresser had definitely worked with little ones before because the moment Max held still she'd cut, cut, cut! When he started to wiggle and whip his head around she was great about moving the scissors away quickly, too (which made Mommy feel better haha).

While it's not a super dramatic change, Max does look much neater with his new 'do! The sides are nice and cropped in, and the layers in the back keep it from getting all tangled up.

Here are a few before and after shots! (As good as you can get with an active toddler, anyway!)

"The Nest".... (this is actually fairly tame!)

A bit shaggy...

 All one length!

Chatterbox

Max is becoming quite the little chatterbox, and surprises us with new words all the time! Many sound pretty similar, but we can understand what he is saying. For my own memory, I thought it would be fun to record all his words at almost 16 months old:

• Hi 
• Hello
• Daddy ("Dah-DEE")
• Mommy
• Bye (always accompanied by a wave. Said at appropriate times, and also when he sees a car)
• Bye bye, Daddy! (first set of words strung together!)
• Nose ("Nooooe")
• Eye ("Ey-eeee")
• Apple ("App-ble" and "App-peh-ble". This word applies to all fruits.)
• Dog ("Doh". This word applies to all animals.)
• Outside ("Owww-duh")
• Dark ("Dahhhh". Says this when he covers his eyes)
• Light ("Eye-te". Says this word when he uncovers his eyes)
• All done ("Ahh Dohhhn" accompanied by the sign for "all done")
• No (usually says it to himself when he is about to do something he is not supposed to do, or when the dogs get too close)
• I know ("Ahh-noo, Ahh-noo" Just said randomly repeating Mommy)
• Baby ("Bee-bee")
• Itsy (as in "Itsy Bitsy Spider")
• Uh-oh (often said before he does whatever the"uh-oh" is going to be!)
• Night Night ("Nye Nyeee")
• Happy ("Haap-EEE")
• Amen ("AHHH- mnnn")

Animal Sounds:

• Sheep
• Cow 
• Snake
• Bee
• Duck

Sign Language Signs:

• Eat
• More
• All Done
• Please
• Milk (uses this for all drinks)
• Bread (not used often)

Other Fun Things:

• High fives
• Blows kisses (sometimes he forgets the hand part and just smacks his lips)
• Shakes hands
• Hugs
• Kisses
• Tries to wink (closes both eyes)
• Can do hand motions to: "Wheels On the Bus", "Itsy Bitsy Spider", and "If You're Happy and You Know It"

.... and here's a bunch of random photos. :-)

Taking a snooze on Mommy's back during a walk...

Mommy and Daddy having fun on that same walk!

Max dancing during our crazy New Year's Eve living room dance party.

I love everything about this photo (photo courtesy of Daddy, gorgeous sunrise, mountains, lake, and toddler-baby courtesy of God)

Having fun playing with delivery boxes before Christmas.