Our Weekend

This is Max and Mason at Mason's 4th Birthday party. Mason is our across the street neighbor. He really loves Spiderman!
Charles is in St. Louis this week so it's just me and Max. Boo.

What We've Been Up To

This weekend we took the bus with Max downtown. We walked around for a while but it was really cold so we didn't stay for too long. The thrill is in the bus ride for Max. Every time the driver makes a stop Max says "more, more".

Max is done with his Amoxicillin and he seems to be fine. It really sucks that we seem to have run out of luck with Max being a good eater. We used to brag about his huge appetite and his willingness to eat all kinds of vegetables. Now we have to force him to eat. Could it be his age? Daycare? I don't know. He still eats fruit and meat so I guess it's not all that bad. I'm going to have to get more creative with the vegetables if he doesn't get back on track.

On Saturday night Charles and I had Jordan, a worker at Max's daycare come over so we could go see Indiana Jones. I was reluctant to do it but we let her put him down after we left. So far Max has only been babysat while he was sleeping so this was a big step for all of us. Max cried really hard when we left and kept calling for mama. Totally heartbreaking.

It was hard to get into the mood for a date when he was so upset but I loosened up after a while. I even resisted the strong urge to call and check on him.

Jordan said he calmed down shortly after we left and went down really quickly with only a small amount of crying. I felt better hearing this.

So I hope it works out for Jordan to sit for us more often. She lives close by and is saving money for college. Maybe we'll all be better the next time we try it.

Update

Max rallied very quickly once on Amoxicillin. I've been monitoring his breathing at night and he doesn't sound like he's straining to breath. This leads me to believe he doesn't have pneumonia. The doctor agrees but he'll need to be checked if things change. He seems to have his energy back but he is very clingy and isn't eating much. He's coughing less but it still sounds pretty chunky when he does.

The cold/ear infection combo is a nasty beast. I don't want to revisit this anytime soon.

Charles is still feeling miserable but I'm much better.

The house has seen cleaner days and the weeds are making themselves right at home but I've got a long weekend ahead to catch up.

Terrible Week

Last night was the worst night we have ever had with Max. From about midnight on he was 100% inconsolable all night. We were on the verge of going to the ER but he had an appointment this morning with his doctor so we held out. The diagnosis is an ear infection and a cold but she wants me to monitor his breathing because she thinks there is a slight possibility he has pneumonia.

She is fairly confident it's not pneumonia so I'm trying think positive. She said within 24 hours of taking the antibiotic you will probably see a much different Max. I sure hope so because he has been miserable.

Charles and I have both been really busy at work on top of dealing with staying up most or all night the last couple of days so we are really feeling drained. I have also been sick this week with a head cold and feeling quite miserable myself. My shoulder hurts from holding Max so much as does the rest of my body.

He is finally sleeping by himself right now and not on top of me so I need to get some rest.

The last couple of weeks

Here are some pictures from the last couple of weeks in the Beene's life. We planted a small vegetable garden in the backyard. We are growing tomatoes, carrots, peppers, radishes and squashes. Mainly easy things to grow that we eat lots of. The picture of Max shows him slathered in sunscreen not rubbed in but I thought he looked so cute that way so I took a picture.


I've started to line dry our clothes. I'm getting better at this and I love it! We have a great clothes line that spins. This is much easier than the straight clothes lines I've tried in the past. I got some tips from the internet about how to get the clothes to be less stiff. A good shaking before they are hung makes a huge difference. Using less detergent also helps. The sun sterilizes and the fresh air makes everything smell so good! I would do this all the time if I could.

Over Memorial Day weekend we managed to have some fun! We went to Folklife on Saturday and saw some bluegrass. Max loved it. It was a bit crowded for my liking but we made the best of it. On Saturday night Charles and I had one of our rare date nights. Cecelia came over after Max went down and we went out for Sushi and a drink. On Sunday we went to Taryn and Noah's for a BBQ. Then on Monday we did a small hike in Issaquah with Jen, JP and Jonas. The picture above is Jonas and Max.

During all of this Max has been on the verge of being sick. Lots of mixed symptoms and up and down. A cough that comes and goes, a slight fever and general fussiness. We're not sure what it is but now I'm sick too...

Sandman

Max loves his new sandbox and slide in the backyard. He has been doing fabulous at daycare drop-offs. Little to no crying for the entire week!

As we were walking out today he walked down the stairs by himself holding the railing in one hand and his lunch box in the other. I had a parent moment where I was flooded with emotion. I was remembering when I was giving birth and I said something to Dr. Brandon like I can't believe I'm going to be a mom. He said even though his kids are older he sometimes looks at them and asks himself are those my kids?

I was watching Max walk down those stairs and thinking to myself..... Is that my son? Am I his mother? I was so proud of him and how far he's come. But also sad to think he's not a baby anymore.

Since he's been born he is by far the best thing that has ever happened to me. He'll always be my baby!

Beene Happenings

Charles and Ian played at the West Seattle Arts Festival last week. It's a very mellow event and Max always loves getting to the beach so he can throw rocks in the water. He also loved seeing his daddy play his guitar and sing songs.

This past weekend we met with Taryn and Jen for a playdate at Magnuson park. It was great getting together and spending a Sunday afternoon with friends. Max and Jonas had fun on the slides while Elana chilled out in the shade. I was really happy to see Max playing for as long as he did in the sandbox by himself alongside other kids.

It got me to thinking of how much he's changed since we've come back from Colorado at around his first birthday. He used to cry when a kid even came near him and he would cling to me. He wouldn't play at all by himself and he quickly got nervous if he didn't have me in his sights.

Now he is playing by himself for longer stretches of time. He doesn't seem to have any problem with adults. He's pretty flirty when he's getting attention payed to him. I notice people really responding positively to the fact that he is engaging with them (making eye contact and smiling). I think that boosts his confidence and makes him more willing to engage with the next person.
At daycare he is always playing and having fun when he gets picked up. Drop offs are still hit or miss.

Best of all he goes to bed now without any fuss. He sleeps with a little monkey friend. When I put him down he smiles and scoops him up in his arms. I think he doesn't cry anymore because he really doesn't mind being alone for a while till he falls asleep. He talks to himself or the monkey and takes off his socks. Usually within 15 minutes he's asleep.

We still have our issues in the house. But when we are in public he's much better behaved. I guess we should be happy! Then again, it's not like we can take him to a restaurant. Recently we tried and it wasn't fun. He's well behaved when we are doing something that is all about him. But hey that's a kid for ya!