Who likes to eat oatmeal with his hands?

Max does! Then he likes to slap his plate. Then he likes to run around and touch everything. It's loads of fun!

We all seem to be doing much better today. We had a nice Thanksgiving, just the 3 of us. We were happy to have some time together and catch up on things that have been put off for a while when we were all sick.

Max was bitten in the face by another child at daycare. He had the bitemarks on his face for a couple of days. This is just part of daycare. It won't be the last time something like this happens. He's fine now.

Max is still having sleeping issues. Last night we put him down at 6:30pm. An hour earlier than usual. He was so fussy he was driving us nuts. He seems to be in a better mood today so maybe he needed to catch up on sleep? We're experimenting with one nap or two and more sleep at night. He's drooling alot again so maybe it's another tooth that is causing him to get so fussy sometimes? His appetite still isn't what it used to be either although he did eat a good portion of oatmeal this morning so I was happy about that.

Max loves to climb on anything he can around the house. He can now crawl off our bed, up on the coffee table and onto the couch! He can just get his little hands over the edge of the kitchen counters so we have to be so careful not to let pot handles be sticking out. Especially the cast iron! It's a constant battle not to let Max destroy things or hurt himself.

Better Today

Today Max's nose didn't run as much. He seemed to sleep really well during his long 2 hour nap this morning and he was in a really good mood all day. He's still coughing but it seems to be getting a little better also. Charles and I have gotten over our stomach bug and felt much better today.

It was cold and rainy here today so I took Max to the mall. He played for a long time in the play area, then we walked around. Max loves to walk and point and touch all the clothes. The Christmas lights and decorations fascinate him. He want to pull all the displays down and throw clothes on the floor so there is only so much of that I can take. He loves the toy store with the wind-up stuffed animals that move. He points and squeals when he sees them. There is a dog that flips over and an elephant that it's trunk moves up and down.

Another really cute development is that Max will hug me now. If I ask him for a hug he will put his arms around my neck and hug me. It gives me butterflies!

Ohh and one more development. Max eats at his own table! It's a small table we bought at Fred Myer. This is easier in some ways than the high chair because that had all these folds to clean out after every meal but now he wants to wander all over the place before he's done eating. Either way it's a mess but the table makes me think of a day when we will all eat together at a big table!

Sick, Sick, Sick

Since Max has started daycare we have all been very sick. Charles and I have been wiping Max's nose every 10 minutes for the past 2 weeks. Max has had Diarrhea, throwing-up, coughing and yesterday a fever of 102. Charles and I have both had colds and sore throats. Charles thinks he has a sinus infection also. Yesterday, when I got to work I immediately began vomiting and continued to do so all morning (between patients). I left early in pain feeling feverish. I came home and went straight to bed. Not 2 hours later Charles came in to tell me he wasn't feeling good. His stomach felt like it had a knife in it. Yep, that's how mine was before all the vomiting. He had it too! He was vomiting all night and had a headache and fever also.


It is really hard to take care of Max when we are all sick. I feel better this morning but Charles is still in bed.

Of course, you expect this sort of thing when your child starts daycare but it has been such a drain the last couple of weeks.

It can only get better I guess!

Much Better

A few recent pictures of Max.......

Max is much better today. My guess is that when they said he had a two hour nap at daycare he didn't actually sleep. This is why he was so fussy and crying so much. The following morning he was still in a state until he took a two hour nap from 12:30 to 2:30. When he woke up from that he was like the old Max again. He fusses but he also has very happy times playing and exploring.

Here is Max and I at the Theo Chocolate Factory tour. I did this event with a local meetup "Moms" group. It was so-so. I loved the chocolate of course but there wasn't much in it for Max. He was pretty squirmy and didn't want to stay with the group very much. It isn't easy to find good things for kids to do at Max's age. It's mostly parks and soft climbing areas. We have been taking him to Alderwood Mall on Sunday mornings. They have a great area for kids to climb on giant broccoli, tomatoes and mushrooms. It is a heart healthy theme from Swedish Hospital. We have to go early before it gets mobbed with bigger kids.

I'm still trying to find a good group to replace Peps since I can't go anymore due to my new work schedule.

Off Day

Yesterday when we picked Max up from daycare he was really fussy. It was odd because he didn't want any dinner and just wanted to nurse and sleep. He got up many times during the night and I just gave in to nursing all night because I was too tired to try other things and I was also worried about him and just wanted him to be comforted and get sleep.

Today Max had been very needy and his sleep seems to be way off schedule. I don't know why this is. His report from daycare said that he had a 2 hour nap yesterday at his normal time so I don't know what is going on.

Charles and I are wondering is it teething? A growth spurt? Did something happen at daycare that they aren't telling us?

He had his flu shot on Monday but he was fine that day and the next two days. We just have to watch him and see if he gets back to normal.

Catching Up

My little Ninja~Pumpkin Prowl
Woodland Park Zoo

Imagine Children's Museum in Everett


Our lives have been in such turmoil with the move to Colorado and move back to Seattle. There has been so many job interviews between Charles and I and trying to figure out daycare and where we are going to live etc. The job I thought I was going to do ended up being too far away with traffic (hour each way or more). Redmond is only 15 miles from where we are renting right now! Traffic is terrible on the East side of Lake Washington.

Some good new though! I was offered a job in the Greenwood neighborhood of Seattle. The hours work really well for us: M 8-5, T 8-6, W 8-5 and every other Saturday. Saturdays are good days for me to work right now since we can have income without having to pay for daycare! Working every other Saturday is so ideal because we can have some family time too!

Other good news is that Charles and Max and I can commute together! He can drop me off, then drop Max off on Queen Anne at his daycare then head downtown to work. That is exactly what we had hoped for!

Now we can concentrate on finding a house.

As for Max and his daycare.....we moved him from ELDC in Lynnwood to Cosmopolitan Kids on Queen Anne. This is 5 min from Charles's work. I'm feeling pretty good about it. I have my reservations about every daycare I go in because we can't afford to send him to the best ones but I think Cosmo Kids will be good. I asked several parents about there experience with them and they had good things to say. Casey and Misty are his teachers. He still cries when he's dropped off but when I call to check on him, Misty says he gets better as the day goes on.

More pictures and same pictures flickr.com/photos/maxbeene