Hello HARRY to the MAX

What These Two are Up To

2012-01-24T22:58:00.005-06:00

Max:

--Is pronouncing his r's as l's right now...Refers to his "Froggy" lovey as "Floggy." Found him hiding outside the bathroom door while Harry was inside. He told me "I'm going to Suplise Harry!"

--Only participates in toddler basketball because of the snacks. Otherwise, lays on the floor. Last week, the mom charged with snack duty waved a bag of fruit snacks in front of him, and he ran out on the floor and made a basket! (OK, Coach Tim had to lift him up.) Then he laid back down on the ground.

--Loves individually wrapped items. He is so intrigued by them. We are at odds on this issue because I hate them for the needless waste but they are so effective at bribing him!

--Had a tantrum last week because I would not let him drive the minivan. True story.

Harry:

--Is doing somersaults and learning to skip at his Tumblebears gymnastic class.

--Is obsessed with our new wii fit, which I allow him to use in the afternoon when we can't go outside. The idea is he burns excess energy this way instead of doing laps around the kitchen and driving me crazy, or wrestling his brother and ending up in time out. His approach: "Mommy, can I do the wii fit? It's really healthy to exercise." Isn't he good?

But he beats me every time we try to race. I know I can run so much faster than him, but somehow the way the wii fit registers his little body makes him a superfast runner! I nearly pass out trying to beat him! Love that he will run for like 25 minutes without stopping though.

--Loves eating clementines.

--Is often worried that we will run out of gas. He checks in with me often to make sure we will make it to our destination. Also does not believe that people will be able to find our new house. When I tell him someone is coming to visit, he says "But they don't know the way here!"

Oh these boys. Love them.

Santa Always Knows!

2011-12-26T22:25:00.002-06:00

After our earlier freakout over not specifying to Santa WHICH Transformer Harry wanted for Christmas, it turns out, Santa figured it out!

Oh, man, Christmas morning was the best thing ever. We all had been horribly sick the entire week before Christmas -- so sick we had to cancel our family cookie-making party, which devastated Harry and yours truly. But on Christmas morning, Harry was like Ralphie with that Red Ryder BB gun and it made it all worth it!

Parenting FAIL

2011-12-14T13:43:00.002-06:00

In the car, on the way home from seeing Santa, I turned around from the front seat to see Harry's bottom lip puckered as he tried to stifle a sob.

"What's wrong?!" I said.

"Santa's not going to know what to bring me!" he wailed and started sobbing.

"Yes he will." I insisted.

"No, you just told him I wanted a Transformer. You didn't say Transformer that turns into a police car."

WAHHHHHHHH......

Bad Mommy moment. Harry froze when Santa asked him what he wanted so I jumped in and said Transformer. But I was not SPECIFIC! Oh, man did we feel for him. I'm hoping to rectify the situation with a video from Santa that spells out Transformer that turns into a police car!

A Christmas Story

2011-12-12T13:59:00.005-06:00

Fun Fact: Everyone's favorite holiday movie, "A Christmas Story" was filmed in the next town over, which has a month-long festival dedicated to the movie. (Complete with an "Oh FUUUUDGE!" race, a Mommy's Little Piggy mashed potato-eating contest and much more fun.) The boys haven't seen the movie yet, but Rob and I were very excited about this. (OK maybe it was just me.)

Matching Christmas sweaters in front of the replica of a storefront from the movie.

Intrigued by the model trains but not quite knowing what to make of all this.

Looking out for little brother.

This year's "official" Santa shot. The festival had an awesome Santa. Max brought along his lovey, Puppy, for support.

Kids could ride a slide down after meeting Santa!

Scene: A Restaurant in Indiana

2011-11-11T19:37:00.002-06:00

At the end, what you can't hear Max saying and what I try to get him to repeat is: "Coming right up!"

Harry took it to another level for his turn, with an apron and a pen behind his ear. But I failed to capture it in a photo. Bad Mom.

We Live in A Box

2011-11-03T22:29:00.017-06:00

Yes, the children have spent much time in boxes over the past month. They've grown so comfortable with boxes that we even feed them there :) With the move, and then trying to unpack, and not succeeding in unpacking, and having two toddlers repack things that you pack or dump bins of unpacked items or undo any organization that you've done, it is quite challenging to actually feel settled. But apparently, HUGE amounts of fun for them to have boxes laying around the house for two months -- one month pre-move, and one month post-move!

We did manage to get Harry off to his new school in our first week.

Daddy and Harry on our new front step!

During the first week, Harry had a field trip to the performing arts center in our new town for a performance of "Sleeping Beauty." Mommy had to work, so we booked Nana as his chaperone. He was very excited for his date -- Note the argyle sweater! Max insisted on being in the photo, even though he is in his pajamas and had big plans of his own with his Grammy, who was also in town to help the super stressed-out parents!

OK, so when you move to Indiana, you get a yard. And when your kids get crazy, you can just turn them loose on a pile of leaves. Glee!

The discussion over what kind of pumpkin to have -- Spooky? Silly? Happy? Max obviously has an opinion. (Are you serious with this, Daddy?)

Harry takes a stab, or a pre-stab. Daddy is not giving up, note him sketching furiously in the background.

Harry's attempt!

The resulting compromise. Yes, Max is in Christmas pajamas. Not because we are one of those families that jumps seasons ahead, but because they fit NOW and we have unpacked THIS box.

A proud Harry and Daddy.

My Super Duper Zero 3000!

2011-11-01T17:48:00.007-06:00

Max is very busy these days saving everyone in the household from various imagined villains. He is quite adept at transforming any boring toy into a SUPER DUPER ZERO THREE THOUSAND! According to Max: "It can do anything!" In the example below, he is trying to save Harry from Frankenstein and then describes how he does it.

Overheard

2011-10-26T21:57:00.003-06:00

Me: "Harry, your turn to pick a program. What do you want to watch?"
Harry: "Bob the Builder."
Max: "That's shocking."

(Last line delivered with such an appropriate level of sarcasm that I could not help but be proud.)

P.S. Scroll down for an update from our summer. I started the post so long ago, that blogger pushed it way down on the blog. But it's new stuff, so look!

Do not give up on me

2011-09-19T21:53:00.005-06:00

We are moving in nine days, and packing, packing and more packing is pushing blog updates off the to-do list. Do not give up on us! I have a camera full of cute pictures to share. I will do that soon! In the meantime, here are some photos of the boys in the new house:

"Mommy, How can I climb this tree?"

Big McKenzie Lake 2011

2011-09-09T22:35:00.016-06:00

"We have you booked for next week." -- Resort owner when we arrived after a 9-hour drive crammed in the car with two toddlers.

(Insert expletive of choice here, because I said them all.)

Eventually we got it worked out. YES, these are from two months ago, but dear reader, I want to catch you up! My family squeezed into a lake cabin with Nana and Papa, who were hoping to stretch out in their big cabin. Ha! There were people everywhere, but I think everyone had a nice time :)
Nana and Papa watched the kids one day so we could go out fishing and have a break at The Landing, the shoreline bar that you can drive your boat up to and dock it!

Self-portrait by Harry, who is loving the camera these days, and seems to have quite the eye.

Harry's portrait of Auntie and Uncle Joe, who is sporting some awesome vacation hair!

Dinner accomodations. Yes, Harry is sitting on a box of wine. We were in the wilderness, people! We needed to stock up on supplies!

We spent a rainy day at the National Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame, which has giant panfish...

and a two-story tall Muskie! That's us in the mouth!

Daddy and the boys, showing just how big the fish is!

Great-Grandma Margaret reading to some very interested boys.

Harry's arty portrait of his brother. (Look at those curls! Sigh.)

Building Lego skyscrapers and rockets with Papa.

Harry testing out their creations. Note the squinty eyes as he pictures it FLYING in the sky!

Air Show

2011-08-24T22:48:00.007-06:00

PBA here we come!

2011-08-24T21:45:00.007-06:00

I come from a long line of bowlers. Growing up, every adult member of my family put on fancy bowling shirts once a week and bowled in a league. Some of my favorite childhood memories took place in the bowling alley -- birthday parties, Sunday bowling after church and my own first league when I was 8 or 9? -- so it was with much excitement that we took the boys bowling for the first time.

Max's first roll!

Fill in the blank:
Max has been prevented once again from ______
a) Smashing his fingers between bowling balls
b) Running across the oiled floors
c) Dashing down the lane after the ball
d) Sticking his hand in the ball return

Answer: All of the above!

Sigh. They will not know the joy of the small yellow pencils and paper score sheets at the neighborhood bowling alley. We programmed the game so that bumper lanes automatically popped up when it was their turn and disappeared for Mommy and Daddy.

Spare!

The outing reawakened Daddy's love of bowling. He played 17 games of wii bowling when we returned home!

So proud of my little bowlers!

A Busytown Mystery

2011-08-17T21:49:00.005-06:00

The boys love to watch "Busytown Mysteries" on Saturday mornings, which is based off their favorite books by Richard Scarry. We had our own Busytown Mystery recently when we discovered a slight bruise on Max's upper arm. Max plays HARD, so he often has bruises, cuts and injuries, but we can always explain them. Rob and I could not figure out where this came from, which worried us.

Over the next few days, the bruise darkened and filled in, and we got a big break. The bruise looked like bite marks.

And one of the teeth imprints had a suspicious gap in the middle.

Hmmm. Who could possibly be responsible?

In Harry's defense, he is not a biter, but Max has had his issues with biting, so maybe he had his fill one day when Mom and Dad weren't looking?

Now some positive news about the boys, who bring us many smiles throughout the day, despite these recent postings about sleep and biting:

Harry is reading!

Max is going on the potty a couple times a day!

And...

Here is Big Brother looking out for little brother on the train. We were headed downtown and Harry held onto Max the whole time. He once got up to look out the window and said: "Mommy, will you hold onto Max while I look out the window?" Sure, buddy.

Oh, how I love when they do awesome, spontaneous, loving things like this.

Whack a Mole

2011-08-15T23:18:00.006-06:00

So after Max's big surgery to correct his breathing at night, we thought "Finally! there will be a full night's sleep in our future!"

But as soon as his sleeping started to improve, the very next day, Max learned how to climb out of his crib without the help of any other furniture, which had already been removed from the room.

Soooo exhilarating and exciting for him. He would come bursting out of the bedroom squealing, and running. You'd pick him up to feel his heart beating so fast, and his skin sweaty, and obviously every time he climbed out, the adrenaline pushed him that much further away from sleep.

The first night, he climbed out of the crib approximately 75 times. It was ridiculous. Harry even appealed to him to GO TO SLEEP BROTHER!

Mom and Dad spent hours not engaging him, but carrying him back to the bed, just like the good doctors recommend.

The first night he went to bed at 12:45 a.m. in our bed.

Then he woke up six hours later. His brother, who was kept up late, was quite a piece of work the next day. Overtired Max then tried to resist the daytime nap, climbing out of the crib 46 times. He eventually passed out drooling on the couch.

Night Two. Max continues to climb out of his bed. Again, and again, and again, and again. Goes to bed about 10:45 p.m. this second night. But only after every toy has been taken out of the room, including the train table.

Night Three. Parents pull out every child safety trick they have to slow the child down, settling on a door knob contraption that is supposed to keep the child from opening the door. He opens it within 3 minutes, emerging even more gleeful than before.

Parents begin designing their own plans for wicked structures to contain the child. He eventually falls to sleep in the 10 o'clock hour.

Night Four. Parents cry. Please, child, please go to sleep, wonder if they have given birth to the Energizer bunny. Have a pep talk with each other after the first climbout about the strategy for the night ahead. Feel like the Worst Parents Ever. Feel like they will forever be returning the two-year-old to his bed. He falls asleep, two hours past bedtime.

Night Five. New approach: Remove the Challenge! Parents remove a side of the crib to transform it into a toddler bed. He stays in bed a bit better, but still runs out over and over and over again. Falls asleep at 10 p.m.

We are now plotting our strategy for tomorrow night, when we intend to emerge victorious! Wish us luck!

Aunt Sue's house!

2011-08-11T22:35:00.011-06:00

We went to Indianapolis last weekend to visit Rob's family and stayed in Aunt Sue's fabulous new house.

The boys and Uncle Chris, newly married to Aunt Sue.

Max and Max. Uncle Chris also has a son named Max, pictured above with our Max. Our Max definitely took a liking to "Big Max."

Grammy and Daddy. They may be related.

Sigh. This photo fills my heart. The head on the left is Harry, pressed against the head of his cousin Sydney. How sweet is that?

Big Max reading a book to little Max. (Since our trip, he has asked "Where's Big Max? I'm small Max.")

Max refusing sleep so Mommy has styled his pool/sunscreen/dirty hair into this mohawk :)

Cousin Maggie works her magic at bedtime to put the boys to bed.

Heat Wave 2011

2011-07-25T21:34:00.005-06:00

Sweet chubby cheeks like these get pink so fast, as this year's heat wave has proven once again! This is how they were after a 5-minute drive to the grocery store. We did have to wait outside a brief second so I could stalk a dad who was finishing up with this cool car/shopping cart, while the boys screamed "Get that car, Mommy!"

I think Harry looks like a teenager here.

I'm sure regular readers will not be surprised to read that Max continues to love to draw on himself and to run around without clothes on.

"Because that's how it works."

2011-07-13T22:48:00.009-06:00

This is the refrain of my 2-year-old.

"Why did you climb out of your crib 36 times?"
"Because that's how it works."

"Why did you smack your brother in the face?"
"Because that's how it works."

"Why did you pour your milk on the table?"
"Because that's how it works."

The phrase is delivered as if he has the life experience of a 75-year-old, who has seen life's ups and downs. And we have no idea where he got it, or how he learned to use it in such a smart aleck way. Oh, Maxwell....You make life so interesting...

"Why did you steal that truck from your brother?"

"Because that's how it works."

Vacation!

2011-07-07T22:16:00.010-06:00

Two little boys who could not be more ready for the waterpark!

Harry was a daredevil on the big waterslides, and went down time after time after time. Poor Max wanted to go sooooo bad, but wasn't big enough!

He made do in the toddler area.

We took a break from the water for a bit to do some bikeriding near Lake Geneva. Rob and his precious cargo.

Crabby passengers. They skipped naps so were both a bit whiny on the trip. They complained the whole way. ("Go faster!" "You're going too fast!" "It's hot." "There are bugs." Blah, blah, blah.) Then were mad when the ride was over because they wanted more!

Fake smiles. At least Rob and I had a good time!

All in all the trip to Timber Ridge in Lake Geneva was a blast, and we'll definitely be going back!

Snore..... But not the kind we want to hear.

2011-06-23T22:59:00.010-06:00

If you've talked to us in the past two years, you may have learned that Max does not like to sleep. Like ever.

At first, we thought it was a normal infant behavioral thing and treated it as such. We tried Cry It Out, which worked beautifully with Harry (and apparently every other baby in Chicago). We tried a lot of things. But he rarely napped. He woke throughout the night. When we got to a year and he was still waking so often, we just blamed it on ourselves. We are obviously horrible parents! Our baby won't ever sleep!

People kept dishing up the solution to us "Just let him cry."

But oh lord, you have not met this child! He does not cry, he screams. And he can hold out longer than you can. ALWAYS. Like for hours. So we tried treating him for acid reflux. Maybe he had allergies? All of these things took awhile to sort out, before we had a sleep study and learned that poor little Max could not breathe properly when he slept so he was waking up alarmed because he could not breathe! Talk about guilt!

So last week, the little man had his adenoids removed, which were the world's most giant adenoids, apparently.

The docs got him ready by letting him pick the scent on his little anesthesia delivery mechanism. They gave him a giant list and he chose without hesitation "Bubble Gum." Which he has never had. But he was so certain.

And he loved the bubble gum scent.

Little pumpkin in his hospital gown and socks.

Max and Daddy during the hours we had to entertain him beforehand.

After the surgery, and after the morphine had kicked in.

Fully awake and not a happy camper.

Obviously fully recovered and embracing summer. Update: As of Friday he was still mouth-breathing and night-waking. This afternoon during naps, I noticed he was breathing through his nose! Hope to see some great sleeping soon!

Harry the serious performer

2011-06-09T14:30:00.001-06:00

Max the great conductor

2011-06-08T21:48:00.005-06:00

I have no grandparent excuse in posting this, as I've already emailed it to the grandparents, but I find it too adorable not to share. This is Max at the preschool year-end extravaganza. For weeks, we've been wondering why he's been singing "No More Monkeys Jumping on the Bed!" and now we know why. (The teachers were trying to keep the songs a surprise for parents.) Anyway, Max shows promise as a conductor! (That is, until he tires out.)

Welcome Endeavor!

2011-06-01T01:00:00.001-06:00

Space Shuttle Endeavor lands today! This may or may not be a major event in your household, but we have been keeping tabs on all space flights. One of the things that I love about having kids is how you are forced to share their obsessions. I had not really thought about space flight in a long time before having two boys. But when Endeavor took off, I teared up! Max has decided that he will go in a big rocket, in a space shuttle to space, where he will be an astronaut! But let him tell you himself....

Baseball in Slow Motion

2011-05-30T16:11:00.005-06:00

Our Saturday mornings are now spent at T-Ball, and I think Harry actually is liking it. And for most of the time, he is paying attention. But I must say a T-Ball game is baseball in sloooooooowwwww motion. Case in point: Harry hits the ball but must have a minute of coaxing before he drops the bat and then runs to the base. (You can hear Daddy in the background :)

And here he is running to third base, and then home. (He's in the red helmet.) Yay Harry! But I love the amount of direction - and the number of dads - involved in pulling off the homerun.

And here is Harry and his buddy, Truman. Harry and Truman!

Songs on Demand

2011-05-20T13:34:00.002-06:00

Harry and Max often demand that bedtime songs be written on the fly to suit their whims. Last night, Max asked for a song about "M&Ms." Several months ago, during the duo's obsession with railroad crossings, I wrote a song about such crossings. Now, BOTH Rob and I have to sing the song separately each night, as if we are in a talent show competition. Max also sings along, which I find quite adorable, but you be the judge.

Happy Birthday Max!

2011-05-03T21:46:00.019-06:00

Two years ago, Max tricked me, which now that I know him seems appropriate. With Harry arriving three weeks early, I was sure this baby would arrive early as well. And, fittingly, we had amazingly real "early" labor starting a month early with Max, so real-seeming that we called doulas and doctors, and sent Harry to friends and family certain that a baby would be arriving early. BUT after weeks of serious labor pains, my due date of May 3 came and went with no baby. Then once he had made it PAST the day he was expected, Max decided it was time. On May 4th, Mom's labor didn't stop this time. We sent Harry to Beth's for the third or fourth time. Rob called work and said "It has to be for real this time." And it was. Although, like he does everything else, Max followed the lead of brother, and turned his head at the last minute to make for a difficult delivery, but we were so so happy to greet this little guy two years ago today.

And after two years of Max, we know the following:

--You are so handsome and charming. You have lucked out with Daddy/Grammy's long, long eyelashes, brother's cheeks, and beautiful brown eyes.

--You have such dramatic/comedic expressions, but are prone to devilish ones. You take great glee in getting away with something or doing something that prompts Mommy or Daddy to chase you.

--You LOVE trains and rocketships. Your mind is often in space, even when eating.

--You love "E-ya. Be-ya." or Ella Bella, which is Mommy's longtime pet name for Ella the cat. If you ever break loose from anyone's sight, you are found standing next to Ella, petting her or trying to feed her a puff, or hand her a lego.

--You are very smart. For months, you have been able to identify Saturn, Earth, Jupiter, satellites and other planets. We suspect Brother has something to do with this.

--You choose the path of most resistance for everything.

--You have great rhythm and love to sing "Life is a Highway."

--You are very serious about playing three things : "Mah-kers" or markers, Legos and puzzles. You will sit down with paper and washable (of course) markers and make impressive pictures. You will also sit for quite some time with Legos and build "rockets" or "towers." You and brother get very serious about putting together our space puzzle, and I'm so amazed by how much you do yourself. One time, after you whined for help, Ana told you that you could do it yourself, 10 minutes later you emerged with a finished section, so proud. From my office, I heard you say "Yook! Yook! Ana! Puzzle!" Then you said "Show Mommy!" A few seconds later, my door burst open and you said "Yook Mommy!" and you had indeed put together a whole section of the puzzle, way earlier than I ever expected.

--The most influential person in your life is Bru-yer. If he makes an expression, a noise, a move, you imitate it. He sometimes encourages you to do things you shouldn't because he knows you will do it. But you have taught him a lot too. You've taught him to rebound from things better. He laughs the most and hardest because of you.

Simply put, you see things eye to eye:

When you had to go away to the sleep center for an overnight sleep study, brother had overheard enough to know what was happening. And when the time came for you to leave, Brother burst into tears. He couldn't tell us exactly why he was crying, but finally when we said "are you worried about Max?" he nodded and seemed to be able to vent out his emotions. When you were at the sleep center, and had wires attached to you, the first thing you said to me was "See bru-yer?" Ugh. You two fill my heart. We came home and Brother woke right up and ran out to see you. You are his best friend.

Your "guys" have grown over the past year. The first year it was puppy and froggy. But in the past year, we have added Big Elmo, Blankie and other Froggie. Although both froggies are pronounced as "Shoggies." And the whole crew is referred to as "Need Puppa, shoggie, bankie, elmo, and oder shoggie" all without pause.

When you wake in the morning, you try to carry all of them with you out of the crib, which is quite a feat.

You like sweets, well maybe LOVE sweets. We gave you a milkshake at the train restaurant we went to for you birthday. Once you had one taste, your mouth did not lift from the straw, for fear, I think, that someone might take it away. You drank the whole milkshake without once removing your mouth from the straw. Rob was very concerned about an ice cream headache, but it didn't seem to be a problem.

Riding the train at the choo-choo restaurant.

Did I mention that Bru-yer, Japes (James) and Mommy were also on the train car?

You love the Happy Birthday song.

Cousin James and Harry riding another train.

After the train restaurant, we went to the old train park and got to climb on them with Papa.

These are not real train tracks, but a real freight train passed on those tracks behind us, which was VERY exciting for the boys!

Max on his new big wheel.

Happy Birthday Max! We love you!

Grammy's House

2011-04-21T22:32:00.015-06:00

We headed down to Grammy's house recently, and Harry and Max had a blast, as evidenced below.

We broke up the trip with a stop at the dairy farm tourist trap that we pass about two hours into the drive. Oh, how Max loves "chock-lat"! Harry, of course, declined all offers of ice cream.

Harry getting a push from one of his favorite people, cousin Cameron. Max is a big fan too. After Cameron left, Max asked us: "Cam-ron com-ing?"

Working the "bob the builder" tools at Grammy's park.

Syd and Max at the park

I suspect this hat is a hand-me-down from Sam T. Looks very "aussie" to me.

Max trying to flip his big brother off the teeter-totter at the children's museum.

Inside a bubble

Daddy had to try it out all alone too.

Making bubbles. This was really fun. I highly recommend a visit to Columbus, Ind. It's a very cool place in an unexpected location.

Gleeful

Sorry for the absence....

2011-03-31T16:10:00.003-06:00

We've been painting, decluttering, and cleaning in preparation for listing our condo. We just had the photos taken for our listing, so I sit now in a perfectly clean and staged house. That will be over in exactly two minutes, when the boys are due to wake from their nap!

First Real Haircuts

2011-03-31T15:49:00.014-06:00

Max got his first real haircut, and he looks like a little boy now! Wah! Where's my little baby? I've cut Harry's hair since he was 1, so this was his first real haircut too. The stylist lured him into the truck seat/styling chair by playing Toy Story 3. But then she started spraying water at him. He didn't like it, but suffered silently.

Look how much he loved his first haircut.

Max's "before" shot.

Max's turn. Their different personalities showed through in their reactions to the hairdresser. Harry freaked out silently. Max gave a bunch of dirty looks, then pointed to the door and said "OUT!"

He's growing up so fast. Now he's wearing Daddy's shoes!

Sharing a Room!

2011-03-31T15:07:00.005-06:00

Yes, Harry and Maxwell now share the same room! They both love it. In fact, Max goes to bed so much easier that we wondered if maybe part of his longtime sleeping issues had to do with just feeling kind of lonely in a darkened room by himself. We ultimately were pushed into combining them into one room because we are putting out condo on the market and thought that the potential buyers looking at this place most likely were not going to have two kids already. Better to show one room off as an office or something similar.

When we asked the boys if they wanted to share a room, they danced around and paraded through the house gleeful at the idea. Harry told us "I'm so excited!" Max was all about it until it came time to actually lay down in his crib, then he seemed a bit confused about why it was in Harry's room. But he laid down and we closed the door. As soon as we did, we heard Max say "Hi Bro-yer" and they burst into giggles. The first night required several interventions from Mom and Dad, but eventually they settled down. Max woke up a couple times in the middle of the night and just seemed kind of disoriented.

It's gotten better since that time, and been hilarious to watch them. Max now just lays right down in his little corner of the crib with his "puppa," "shnoggie," and "bankie." (Puppy, Froggie and Blankie) He doesn't require quite as many "sogs" (songs). Harry's biggest concern is "Max is going to talk!" One night after putting them to bed, we heard some noise. I opened the door and they both looked so guilty. Busted! Max's crib was filled with toys, and Harry was dancing in front of Max's crib. They both laid down immediately. So cute.

The roomsharing has forced a reshuffling of the bedtime routine. They both now go to bed at the same time, which means Harry goes to bed slightly earlier and Max slightly later.

I don't have any photos yet of the new bedtime, but here are the brothers in action.

This is called "boxhead." And they will play this for a very long time together, walking through the house with the diaper box on their heads.

Max's handiwork while I was in the bathroom. Remarkably, I got this out!

The Cookie Detective

2011-03-31T15:05:00.006-06:00

Last night, after I put the kids to bed, I snuck a piece of chocolate chip/M&M cookie. A few minutes later, I was called back into the boys' room to retrieve Puppy for Max. He wanted another little hug, so I gave him a hug and a kiss and said goodnight. Wrong move.

He grabbed my face and have me a knowing smile.

"Cookie!"

Apparently he smelled the cookie on me.

He so loves making cookies that he now has the recipe down. He will tell me: "Sug-ah. Salt. Fower." And most importantly, "Chips!"

Adding/smushing butter into the bowl.

Harry enjoys making cookies too. As we made this batch, he said "I want to hatch the egg!" Then when we cracked it and added it to the bowl, both boys made high-pitched tweet noises and said "oh, baby chickie!" This could get more complicated once they start asking questions.

Mixing the batter. But be sure not to actually touch it! :)

Their favorite part: Eating chocolate chips.

Happy Birthday Harry!

2011-03-01T17:56:00.009-06:00

I look at this beautiful face and I still see this:

Harrison Clifford on Day One

Harry at Four:

--is incredibly focused. This has been a personality trait since birth. If he is interested in something (cars, trains, states), he wants to know everything about it. Example: Space. "I want to read everything I can about space! Look Mommy, my sandwich is a space cookie. I am blasting off! I am drawing the solar system! I have memorized all the different kinds of galaxies! I only want to watch History Channel documentaries about the planets!"

--has found his imagination. Sometimes directs us to refer to him as his favorite characters. Currently that would be Dino Dan or Chris or Martin Kratt from the "Wild Kratts."

--is an adored older brother, but often has to be reminded to not sit on, crush, push, hit or pinch his younger brother. At the same time, on his birthday, he asked if he could put his baby brother to bed. Harry read Max three stories in the rocker, sang him a song, then gave him a kiss and a hug goodnight.

--loves preschool, his friends, and his teacher, Ms. Linda.

--sometimes criticizes our parenting skills by asking Rob: "Can you keep an eye on Max?" when Max is getting too close to Harry's toys. Or saying "How about that applesauce?" when Mom forgets it during a run to the kitchen during dinner.

--is very sweet. When he wakes up in the morning, he is just the sweetest, happiest thing.

--is a major staller at bedtime. Will ask whatever question he can think of just to keep you in the room. "How many minutes until I can wake up?" Or will have nonsense excuses for why he is still awake. "I can't sleep because there is a bowl on the table!"

--loves to close out his day by looking ahead. Each night, he says "let's talk about the fun things tomorrow." Then we have to go through the schedule for the next day, especially the "fun things!"

--has taken on some teenagerish traits. Suddenly, getting dressed "is too hard!" Also, he doesn't like to change out of his pajamas until he has been up for a few hours.

--still hates cake, cupcakes, frosting, and most candy. As in, he recoils if presented with a birthday cupcake at school. But will accept chocolate chip cookies.

--likes to play "Hide and Zeek." (You be the Zeeker, Max!) Still says "Firty" for "Thirty" and "Liling room" for "Living Room."

Spacemen don't wear clothes!

2011-02-24T23:29:00.008-06:00

And neither does Max. It has been taking a full wrestling session (with screams) to get him dressed lately. Afterward each of us is in a really bad mood. So yesterday, after one such session, I figured.....what the heck? He seems so willing to fight for this right, maybe we should let him explore this feeling? As he ran around gleeful and squealing (albeit without clothes), I kept asking him "Are you cold? Do you want clothes?"
"No Way!" was his answer.
OK, then.

Of course, the one thing he did want to put on was a Buzz Lightyear backpack. (Cloth diapering friends: We were "stripping" our diapers at this moment.)

Those clothes were slowing down my rocketship!
Max loves to play space. Wants to be called "Pi-yot." At bedtime tonight he told me "Rocket. Pi-yot. Mars." Big plans he has!

But he will set aside everything, even outer space travels, for......CHOCOLATE! He found an empty brownie mix box in our recycling bin in the back hall and brought it to me chanting "CHOC-LAT! CHOC-LAT!" He was very frustrated that I could not just pull the brownies out of the box.

Sleepy court-jester dreaming of space.

No Way

2011-02-18T11:31:00.005-06:00

When I picture what Max will do in the future, I could see him taking on the challenge of ultramarathons, or maybe setting records mountain climbing or being the first person in the world to do something really hard. Because the type of person who does these things never gives up, and Max NEVER, EVER, EVER gives up.

While I think this perserverance (stubborness), strength (bossiness) and dedication (one-track mindedness) will benefit him in the future, it is now creating some parenting challenges.

Recent example: His brother hates most sweets, (save for M&Ms) and cries if offered a birthday cake at his own party.

Max LOVES sweets, especially cookies and M & M's. Yesterday at dinner, Harry asked if he could have the Valentine M&Ms from his school party after he finished dinner.

Max heard the word M&Ms and decided that it would be better to have the candy instead of dinner. Wow. He did not give up. He gave us hell. He tried many different approaches: Tantrums. Politeness ("Peeze? Peeze?"). Grabbing my face in his hands and staring into my eyes while saying "Mmmmsss. Mmmmmsss" as if the problem was that I just didn't understand the word. He finally collapsed 1.5 hours past his bedtime, but woke up hours later, half asleep, mumbling about M&Ms.

So no surprise really that his new phrase of the week is "No Way!"

Mommy: "Maxwell, come here!"

Max: "No Way!"

Daddy: "Max, finish your dinner."

Max: "No Way!"

Hard not to smile. Here Mr. Cutie Pie is reading a book to himself. He is grunting and pretending to open the door that's in the picture. :) If anyone could do it, he could.

And some thing's never change. Nearing 4, Harry still stands by his belief that this is the best way to play with cars.

And at age 1.

Sledding

2011-02-18T11:13:00.005-06:00

Max's first time down the hill! The video isn't that great, but note the giggles. After it was over, he said "More. More."

And here's big brother Harry's first SOLO sled:

Our Blizzard 2011 Story -- It was Epic!

2011-02-03T20:34:00.033-06:00

Hi everyone! You may be sick of looking at snow pictures, but I wanted to record our blizzard story for posterity's sake, and for our out-of-town readers (All 5 of you. Love you guys! ;)

A few days before snOMG! Harry asked me if he could help clear the car of snow. Turns out this is wimpy snow. But he did a good job, and what an amazing feeling for the child to start helping you instead of adding to your to-do list!

BLIZZARD 2011! Nice to meet you!

11:00 PM -- Hearty souls determined to push their van out of SNOWPOCALYPSE! They were doing this until 0:100 hours, and only made it down our block.

11:30 PM Taxi driver stuck in the middle of the street. We see him get out and push and walk around and there are helpers around him. His presence creates a giant drift in the middle of the street that will not be easily overcome.

06:58 hours, next day. Harry's still feeling a little under the weather. What better remedy than to cuddle up with Daddy and Max on the couch? Are they not the coziest?

07:33 hours of Snow Day 1. Let's make pancakes! Daddy's museum is closed, which is a very rare event. Boys are balancing/fighting on the stool to assist Daddy with the process.

07:39 hours. "These are going to be so great!" says Harry! Daddy is thinking about how much extra work is involved in having two little helpers!

08:02 hours. Our street!

08:26 hours. BLIZZARD 2011 breakfast! Note the whiteout behind us!

09:24 hours. Note figure on right-hand side. That is Rob digging out the taxi driver. The driver spent the night in his cab! The car looked abandoned, and we saw him walking away from the car, so when we learned this, it was a big lesson to CHECK! Some neighbors brought him food during the night, so he wouldn't necessarily have moved during the night, but this scared us to death. He was not even working, only helping an elderly couple who begged him to get them home, and then he got stuck trying to get out of our neighborhood of all one-way streets. Rob brought him a hat and gloves and money so he could walk to the bus. Our downstairs neighbor brought him inside to warm up. I will ALWAYS ALWAYS check in the future, and so should everyone. Craziness!

10:04 hours. Our street. Our car is between the garage and the apartment building, completely covered in snow. Can you even see it?

10:41 hours. Our street.

10:43 hours. Our sidewalk.

10:44 hours. A path?

12:33 hours. Fire truck responding to a call gets stuck on our street! Police SUV arrives and plows up the street behind the truck. It looks like the ambulance gets out OK. Firefighters arrive on snowmobile! At this point, we get everyone suited up to go check out the action!

13:01 hours. Oh yes, it takes that long to suit up two toddlers in snowsuits. Max is a hit with the Chicago firefighters and police officers on the scene. They tickle him and say "You gotta get a picture of him in the snow! You'll show him Blizzard 2011 when he's old and say it was historic!" We are all very impressed when five Chicago firefighters lift a car up out of the snow and then push it out to free the fire truck. We are mad later when people are saying emergency personnel didn't respond fast enough.

13:04 hours. Look at 'em all! (As Harry would say.) From our window four stories above, we saw as the fire truck struggling to get out in an emergency slid into our neighbors car. Oh darn! It just happened to hit the car of the biggest jackass in the building! Shoot! He tried to be his usual bully self, and as Rob put it, they gave him "the what for." He was put in his place and soon started helping to get his car out of the way so the EMERGENCY CREWS could move! I'm sure he'll be compensated as CPD was on the scene to take a report. All Max and Harry cared about was having a frozen fire truck that they could stare at, and firefighters and police officers talking to them!

13:15 hours. Harry busting into some fresh, untouched snow. Nothing like making your mark, you know?

13:17 hours. The boys in BLIZZARD 2011!

13:21 hours. Are those my feet? I can't really move.

13:22 hours. Please don't leave me here. The snow is as tall as me!

13:25 hours. Rescued by Mama. Everytime the wind blew, he would giggle, kick like crazy, and yell "COOOOOLLLD!"

13:26 hours. Daddy talking to the cop about the fire truck accident while Harry is amazed by the snow up to his chest.

Daddy and Harry IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET!

16:24 hours, Day 2 of the storm. 24 hours later, this is our street. Giant mounds of snow. We have been thoroughly entertained watching the small Nissans with rear-wheel drive trying to get over the snow mountain that paralyzed a FIRE TRUCK! And a four-wheel drive pick-up truck. And about 11 other cars that attempted to get over. But each one has flattened about an inch of road, so people are inching closer to getting out, but they're still not getting anywhere! Steph and Joe came over on Wednesday afternoon and we ended up watching the action for a couple hours, realizing that people were creating bigger problems than if they would just sit still for FOUR seconds after the storm. For example, a city front loader arrived Thursday morning to dig out our street and did a beautiful job for half our block. But then he hit the idiot Chevy Cabriolet that thought he could drive over 6 feet of snow but surprisingly got stuck. Front loader turned around and disappeared and we've not seen him again. Seriously, people, where do you need to go on the day of a blizzard?

Jump!

2011-01-17T22:18:00.013-06:00

I love this photo. It captures me MID-AIR jumping up and down after we opened our wii, our Christmas present from Rob's family. But note Max, who has no idea what a wii is, but is SO EXCITED!

Daddy and Max napping :)

Harry on stage at the Knurek house.

Yeah, people, I'm really feeling this music.

Our cute grammy and great-grandma

And....drumroll, please.....We'd like to introduce our new UNCLE! (with Aunt Sue, his fiance!)
The boys have already signed off on Chris as great uncle material.

The Cookie Monster in action.

At 3, he is already saying "Can you believe how dorky my parents are to make me pose with them? As if!"

December -- Cookie Monsters, Daddy's Museum and Sleepovers

2011-01-02T21:35:00.012-06:00

My helpers for the Christmas cookie weekend :)

Max loves to help in the kitchen. (note his apron!) Daily, he orders someone to get his "chair" while he chants "cook! cook! cook!" With the "chair," he can climb up to the counter and boss people around. He is a cookie monster, so he is always hoping someone will oblige and bake some chocolate chip cookies for him when he does this.

How pretty are these?

So Daddy got a new job at the Museum of Science and Industry! Or as the boys call it, "Daddy's Train Museum." We had a fun day there Christmas week with Auntie, Georgia, Baby June, Sam, Alice, Beth & Lach.

Checking out the baby chicks.

The 3-year-old crew is mesmerized by a silver ball. I love this picture bc Beth is floating in the background studying the map. If you have never gone to a museum with Beth, I highly recommend it. She figures everything out and leads you around in a way that makes sense. She figured out that we could hit princess doll house and firefighter exhibit at the same time to please everybody in our group :)

Why Daddy's museum is called "Daddy's train museum" -- the amazing model train exhibit that takes you from Chicago to Seattle. Can you see the pure joy on his face?

Christmas Morning! Woody and Buzz Lightyear arrived! Very big hit, Santa!

I love you, Buzz.

Note Rob in the background, already assembling.

"Mommy, Can you go to your dinner now and go the party with your friends?" -- Harry, wanting Mommy to clear out so he could have his first sleepover at Auntie Steph and Uncle Joe's house.

The Swim Meet

2010-11-30T23:35:00.007-06:00

We were lucky enough to get to see Sydney and Cameron compete in a swim tournament last weekend. The boys were completely silent and amazed for the first 10 minutes we were there, as evidenced by the photo below, of Max taking in all the action without a sound.

"Wait! I can't see! Let me press my face against the glass!"

"That is MY cousin racing there!"

"Seriously, she was robbed!" -- Max

Sydney is just wiping the water from her eyes here. (Although seeing them swim and work so hard brought tears to my eyes!)
When Syd got back from her race, Harry looked at her like she was a superstar. He was very impressed.

The boys cheers:

Max: "GOOOOOOOOOO!"

Harry: "Go, Everyone, Go!"

Indiana Thanksgiving

2010-11-30T23:10:00.007-06:00

We headed to "Aunt Kafee's" (as Harry would say) for Thanksgiving. Here's Max eating an apple as big as his head.

Documentation that Max actually does sleep. He has been diagnosed by Aunt Kathy, the pediatric nurse practioner, with "FOMO" aka "Fear Of Missing Out." As soon as he hears Brother, or Daddy, or the cat, or someone breathe, he is AWAKE! even if it's 4 am. He must know what you are doing! I fear what this means for his college years. As a toddler, he only passes out when absolutely exhausted. Here he is pictured sleeping on a couch with a college football game on the big screen in front of him.

THE SMILE.
Harry somehow thinks that to smile you must close your eyes completely, so every photo we have, if you haven't already noticed, has him closing his eyes.

Harry, Daddy and Great Grandma Margaret. (Harry always calls her "Great Grandma Margaret" and ONLY that." :)

Syd and Max, looking like a teenager from the 50s!

Harry and Max hanging out with their cousins. Cam is more elusive in photographs, but Harry was his constant shadow throughout the visit.

Fall catch up

2010-11-30T21:47:00.011-06:00

I love how different two little people can be! Harry does not like projects; Max loves them. When we had Harry, I daydreamed for a little helper in the kitchen! But Harry does not like things that have scents or for anything liquidy except for water to touch his hand. Then comes Max, who loves to bake and cook. He loves to smell and taste things.

Helping Mom make cookies. He must taste every ingredient.

Flour is not as tasty as sugar, he decides.

The boys checking out ducks at the new nature boardwalk at Lincoln Park Zoo. Love it!

You are probably past the point of caring about apple picking, but oh well...

Apples!

For all you Chicago area readers, you may want to bring Nicki along next time you go apple-picking because she climbs impressively high. You may be able to make her out through the leaves. The orchard we visited was pretty picked over, so we had to send her up to get the apples we wanted.

The boys convinced Frank to ride the apple train with them.

A wagon! Harry dreams of the day when we can have a wagon!

"There are three more apple doughnuts in here. I am quite positive I can eat them. Why won't you make this happen for me?" -- Max, 16 months.

Notice the sugar all over his face. He has already eaten one himself and begged more from everyone else.

Ladies...Watch out for these boys!

2010-11-15T22:11:00.003-06:00

1-2-3.....1-2-3.....Yes, the brothers practicing their dance moves. They started doing this on their own after watching an "Arthur" episode about dancing. But I love how they go from sweet boys dancing to "Let's-hit-the-wall! ahhhhh!" Boys, boys, boys....

The spacemen

2010-10-31T21:05:00.014-06:00

Buzz Lightyear who refuses to wear the purple hood Mom made for his costume.

Astronaut Harry activates his jet pack

In case you needed a closer look at the jet pack. It is a recycled soda bottle :)

Yes, I am in fact, Buzz Lightyear.

Harry and James waiting for the fun to begin.

The paparazzi captures the boys' first trick or treat stop of the year.

DJ Lance and Brobee, professional trick-or-treaters ;)

My sister's neighbor puts on quite a display. He grows giant, award-winning pumpkins then picks a theme each year and carves the pumpkins to keep with that theme. Last year, it was Charlie Brown, this year the Pixar film "Cars." It is usually quite a hit with our crowd. Here, Harry takes in the pumpkin versions of Lightning McQueen and The King or "Fa-king" as Harry says.

Tow Mater Pumpkin. I believe the numbers relate to the poundage of each pumpkin.

Who could resist this?

"Look, I'm Linus!" said Harry. (This makes sense if you've recently watched "It's A Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!" It's hilarious if you've watched it daily like Harry has.)

Thank You Guys! Amen!

2010-10-13T19:04:00.002-06:00

Harry loves his new preschool, which just happens to be a Christian preschool. The other day before we ate, he broke out in a new song that he learned in school.

It went something like this:

Thank you guys, Thank you guys. For this food, we thank you guys. Amen!

It wasn't until he got to the Amen that I realized we were supposed to be thanking someone other than "guys." ;)

Blast off!

2010-10-13T18:50:00.004-06:00

The space obsession has fully taken hold. At our house, we eat "spacefood" and we drink "spacemilk." All of our art projects must relate to stars, galaxies (colliding galaxies, Mommy), astronauts and spaceships. We read the space books from cover to cover daily. The bed is a spaceship, the cabinet (once cleared out of all pots and pans) is a space capsule and the stroller is a moon rover.
So, we thought a trip to the planetarium might go over well.

The space commanders blasting off in their rocket! (They also were able to suit up, visit a space station, visit the moon and work the spaceship!)

The brothers working together to fix the ship! They are very serious about this work!

Astronaut Harry with his space pack.

There may be a membership in our future. ;)

Harry, You are My Son (to be read in Darth Vader's Voice)

2010-09-29T13:01:00.002-06:00

Much to Rob's delight, Harry has become interested in a new form of transportation: Space. We have watched Harry lose himself playing "spaceship" for hours as he flies lego ships through the house. (Max also makes everything a spaceship now, with sound effects and everything.)

Then came the day I think Rob has been waiting for since we first became pregnant. We decided Harry was ready for the X-Wing Fighter! Yes, Rob has a couple bins of his old Star Wars toys (with boxes and everything, because this is Rob we are talking about.) He had been saving them just for this day.

Even though he's never seen the movie, Harry was instantly taken with the ship. Harry has been flying it around nonstop and even wants to sleep with it at night.

Like father, like son.

Wait until we get out the stormtroopers ship!

Bru-ba

2010-09-29T12:50:00.003-06:00

Max wakes up in the morning and waits to hear Harry stir. If Harry so much as clears his throat, Max shrieks: "Bruba! Bruba!" At the park, if he can't see Harry, he toddles around calling out "Bruba!" He loves his brother, that one.

(I apologize for the darkness at the end. It showed up on my camera. The giggles you hear are from Max who jumps on bruba's bed.)

I'm writing a book, Mommy.

2010-09-16T22:18:00.002-06:00

Harry has become very interested in the computer keyboard and pretending like he is "working."
He will run into the office, start typing on the keyboard that is not turned on, and say "Mommy, I'm working! Let's work together!"
I will say "What are you working on?'
And he says: "My book!"
Yesterday he told our babysitter that he was up late working on his book!
At Georgia's house today, he pretended to work on the book, but she interrupted him to say she had to check her email. So Harry came up to me and said "Mommy, I need to check my im-il"
"I'm going to im-il"
Georgia set him straight ("It's E-mail!") and showed him how to check it, then they both had turns emailing before Harry returned to his book.
Wow, are they ever little sponges.
-----------------------
One additional quick story: Harry was watching me put on eyeliner today (not an everyday occurence for sure.) and he said: "Why are you writing on yourself?

The Return of Hello Harry...

2010-09-11T22:37:00.026-06:00

We disappeared for the summer, we know. Mom was writing 423 pages of a book! But we're back now! The book is done. We worked until 5 AM on the day it was due, then overnighted it. The photo below shows just how thick 423 pages is -- it took 4 hours to print! I am purposefully wearing a marathon T-shirt, because that's what it was like. At one point, I wore a T-shirt with a photo of Jim McMahon from the 1985 SuperBowl Champion Chicago Bears. It was a shirt I had not worn since I was 13 and thought "Hey! Someday I'm going to write a book!" I wore the T-shirt to remind myself of that feeling so I could finish the book! Overall, we had an adventure, but it was very intense. And now I'm going to overwhelm you with photos I've been saving up of my adorable children.

So we sent the book off, then got into the car a few hours later and drove to the North Woods!

Big McKenzie Lake, you're just as awesome as I remembered you.

Harry, fishing. It was a different method than I was used to, but he caught 3 fish, each bigger than the previous one. So I'd say he was successful.

Look closely and you can see the first of the fish, although he wanted to be as far from it as possible.

Nana and Papa on a walk with the boys.

Don't call DCFS. This is Harry and Max at a bar! They allow this in Wisconsin. We're waiting for our table at the restaurant so we fired up a portable DVD player to entertain them.

One rainy day, we went to a train museum. Harry is a conductor!

He he. So is Max!

Is this what we're supposed to do? Our sweet cousin James takes a turn.

The brothers unwind from a FULL day of playing with a Thomas DVD in the cabin.

Papa is wearing Nana's hat to protect himself from the rain while grilling supper for the clan. Uncle Joe is trying to hide from this whole experience.

Wait. Are we not supposed to splash in the mud? Nobody told me!

Nana, I'm hiding!

There is a lot of aunt effort going on in this photo. Stephanie is trying to inhale all the cuteness that is Max at the moment. I am trying to do the same with James, while also trying to get him to develop a name for me. At this point, Steph and I look alike to him, so he avoids calling both of us anything. My kids have taken to calling Stephanie "Auntie" and Angie "Angie" which I think they view as a pet name for her, because it sounds enough like Auntie, but still is different. James gets Stephanie and I staring at him saying "Come to Auntie!" and he runs away. We were playing with Auntie Crys and Auntie Steph, but we'll see what takes. He will not escape the Auntie love though!

Max putting up with a photo with Auntie. :)

Vacation sleeping. He played so hard everyday and then passed out like this. Complete with giant mosquito bite on his face. I love it.

Oh, yes, I like to eat sand. It is true.

Max driving the pontoon boat.

Look at that!

This is the Mommy loon and baby loon he was pointing at. Ask Harry to do his loon call next time you see him.

A more serious driver at the wheel of the pontoon boat.

Big McKenzie Lake, we can't wait for next year!

The whole crew at the traditional breakfast at Jo Mama's Cafe, just across the street from the church our great-grandpa Steve built.

Max Milestone Report

2010-08-23T20:35:00.003-06:00

This is supposed to be a video of Max taking early, wobbly steps, but I've tried three times to upload it and it's not working, so it's going to have to wait until next week, when I can stop to figure it out. But in the meantime, I wanted to report that he's walking! He can walk halfway down the hallway on his own, giggling all the way. (I know! you can't wait for the video now!) This is Mr. Max in the boys' new favorite place -- the kitchen cabinet. They take turns sitting inside of it.

He's going to get you!

2010-08-12T21:41:00.003-06:00

Wonder Twins Power!

2010-07-29T22:47:00.012-06:00

Harry got to catch up with his old friend, Sofia, recently. Sofia is the daughter of Kim and Jeff, our friends who moved to Arizona a couple years ago (sniff. sniff.), and niece of Frank & Nicki. It was so good to see them again and see the kids together! (now FOUR kids instead of the TWO little munchkins who existed when they moved.)

Harry and his girl twin, Sofia. How much do they look alike? I've thought this when I see pictures of Sofia on her blog, but in real life, I was like Wow! (And note how they're touching feet! ;) Both SUPERCUTE!

Sofia and Harry, with Vivienne and Max in between. I love that Max is the only one noticing that we're taking a picture. That kid is all about posing for the camera as soon as you bring it out.

The adorable Vivi and Max, who is saying: "Mommy, (if he actually said Mommy, but is choosing to say every other word except that!) I have my two lovies in my hand and I'm ready for bed!"
(Current word list: Waffle, Tractor, Dada, Brother, Baba, Papa, Water, NO, and today GO CUBS!)

I love this photo because all of the kids are playing separately on their own within one foot of each other.

And on another note, Harry recently realized a dream: DRIVING a tractor! Notice he's steering it all alone! (Although Papa is definitely on the case in this photo. They are driving half a mile an hour, but Dad looks very intent on making sure Harry doesn't do something crazy! Get well soon Papa!)

Summer update

2010-07-23T22:15:00.005-06:00

Hi Everyone! How cute are we?

My Boys

Crabby after another extended car ride.

Totally ignoring the beautiful river nearby.

Hey Brutha! Let me get a look at that Toy Story too!

A Day at the Farm

2010-07-11T19:48:00.008-06:00

This is my new favorite picture of Max. It actually makes my heart hurt. Look at that smile!

Rob's good friend from grad school got married on a very cool farm near Rockford this weekend. Of course, with 6 weeks to go until the deadline for the book, we squeezed in some book research with it, taking in Rock Cut State Park in our dress clothes before the wedding. The farm had some awesome cabins as well so I was able to churn out a book entry during the wedding!

Rob and I just had Max for the night because Harry went to a car show with Nana and Papa, AND had a sleepover at their house. WEIRD! (Not the sleepover, just weird to have Max as one child.) When Harry was this age, the two of us were focused on him all the time. With Max, we are distractedly focused on him all the time, so it was fun to just be able to dote on him for the day. Poor second child.

"Waving" to the goats, bunny and chickens on the farm.

Max has a random assortment of first words: Duck. Dada. Truck. Ha (Harry) and Waffle. (of course) And then at the farm, he added Tractor. (pronounced by him as "tra-tor") He has yet to say Mama but he says Tractor? He chanted it all day as he directed us to take him over to all the different tractors on the farm.

Such a hard life I lead.

City boy relaxes in the hammock in the country.

Summer!!!!

2010-06-29T21:39:00.008-06:00

At 'the bean.'

Dancing at the Wiggleworms concert at Millennium Park. He also rushed the stage.

SPLASH!!!

"This is so awesome."

I wish I had a soundtrack to go along with this photo. So much giggling!

Harry takes on the Millennium Park face fountain.

Sleeping on the L. Yes, the baby who never sleeps fell sound asleep on the el on a day when it was packed with drunk twentysomething guys going to the Cubs game. ????????

Mishmash

2010-06-17T21:18:00.009-06:00

Harry is in a daddy phase right now. So last night, when he wanted to play trains with Daddy alone, he said: "Can't you leave, Mommy?"
It had been a long day, so I said: "You're hurting my feelings."
And he replied: "Can't you get a Band-aid?"

* * *

But after that, he gave me a hug WHILE he said "Can't you leave Mommy?"

***

So Rob and I just celebrated our five-year wedding anniversary (our 7-year anniversary of our first date -- both happened on June 4th!). We were in romantic Galena -- with the kids. So here we are hiding quietly in the front living area of our hotel room so as to not wake the two sleeping children, one of whom managed to take up most of our king-sized bed! We did sneak some wine from a bottle of Ravenswood (a wine we drank upon getting engaged.) but we both worked afterward. :( The next morning, we both woke up clinging to the edges of the bed, while Harry slept horizontally across most of the bed! (Little Bedhog!)

They look so tired.

But we have good news on this front! Little Max, who chooses the path of MOST resistance for everything, slept 7-7 this week. Oh glorious morning!

But he's so cute, little summer baby.

We went to the park with Sofia, Georgia and June but hadn't planned for the sprinkler to be on. ("Mommy! I want to go in the sprinkler!!!!") So we stripped to our diaper and went crazy with the other kids.

This photo screams summer.

Harry and Georgia Part II. (I shouldn't say that. They are their own adorable people. They are June and Max. But these two are so flirty and cute, I can't take it.)

Overheard

2010-06-15T20:30:00.003-06:00

Harry is adamant that we take the CTA wherever we can, and he is obviously soaking in every detail. I peeked in on Harry playing trains today, and heard the following:
"Smoking and littering are prohibited on CTA trains."
I felt like I was on the train, he used such an important-sounding voice for that announcement to his train table.
He's so accurate, maybe it's my reporter genes coming through!

Finding one's self

2010-06-13T20:56:00.006-06:00

Max has had enough. A year of big brother stealing his toys, and he's done. Harry, being a toddler, wants whatever toy Max picks up, and generally just takes it. And generally, Max just hands it to him, so sweetly, or just ignores him and moves on. (We do serve as constant referees, but we can only do so much.)

But the past week, something changed.

Harry moved in to take the Thomas train Max was playing with, and Max held the train out of Harry's reach, behind his head, and just shrieked.

And, when Harry went to grab the train at issue, Max used whatever tool was at his disposal, grabbing hair, biting skin, smacking.

Little brother is fighting back.

The first time this happened, Harry laughed. I laughed too (not so he could see) because it was so unexpected and adorable. Little brother showing us some of his personality. And part of me felt like Harry deserved it. Of course, when wrestlemania is taking place in front of me with a 3-year-old and 1-year-old, I'm like "well, this is a new problem to figure out." And then I flash forward to 5 years ahead, when they're 8 and 6, and I'm frightened, but...for now, I'm a little bit proud of Max. If you haven't noticed by the stories, he's quite a fireball, that little one.

Harry the Hiker

2010-06-01T20:53:00.010-06:00

Harry in the Giant City "Streets" in Giant City State Park. (Have you been? You have to go! It's very cool. Detailed info to come in the Explorer's Guide Illinois!)

This is in Garden of the Gods Recreation Area in the Shawnee National Forest. (yes! in Illinois!) Harry and I did this hike alone and it was all breathtakingly high cliffs. Unfortunately, Harry has inherited my lack of gracefulness (some may call it clumsiness.) So, while I took photos for the book, even though we were 12 feet from the cliff edge, I made him hug onto my leg because I could picture him falling spontaneously from a standing still position and rolling down a cliff. (I am a worrier, it is true, but if you've seen this kid in action, you know what I'm talking about.)
I let him sit for this photograph on a high cliff, although I was freaking out all during the photo shoot that he would suddenly fall backwards and roll upward off the cliff!

More hiking with Mommy through Garden of the Gods. He actually did a really good job. I didn't have to carry him through this moderate-level hike.

Just a cute picture of him playing in a fountain in Vandalia, Ill. (home of the SECOND state capital!)

Family picture at Cave-In-Rock State Park.

I hike too!

Max and Mommy at Giant City State Park. He loves hiking, especially if Mommy runs down hills.

A Day with the Babysitter

2010-05-19T21:39:00.013-06:00

Our babysitter, Ana, took these photos. Watch as Max turns on the charm.

I love this picture because it shows Harry making friends at the park. Look at that face! How could you not want to be friends with him? (OK, maybe if you've played with him and he has stolen all the toys you have a different opinion, but we're working on that..)

Ahhh! I'm swinging!

My cheeks are now reacting to gravity. (Oh, I love having chubby cheeked babies.)

I want to cuddle this photo right now. Look at these chubby cheeks and the chubby fingers! That is why I am almost sad when he sleeps until 4 a.m. instead of keeping up with his middle-of-the-night wakeups that have been kicking my butt! While I feel happy that he's ALMOST sleeping through the night, I feel sad because this baby phase is so short in the grand scheme of things. (I may also be delusional after a year of sleep deprivation.) All worth it for this little guy though. Such a personality.

On the Road with Harry and Max

2010-05-13T22:17:00.005-06:00

Some of you may know that I am writing the Explorer's Guide Illinois, coming to your local bookstore in Spring 2011. My deadline is Sept. 1 so we are deep into the research, travel and writing. With my talented navigator Rob, we recently explored Southern Illinois and Springfield and found many excellent places to visit. The boys were good sports overall, though both reached points where they refused to get buckled back into their carseats. We understood.
You'll see some of our trip in the book but here are some funny shots:

The city boy goes country.

Harry's pose cracks me up.

And this one too. Totally all him. In front of the state capitol. "Should we talk about Abraham Lincoln, Mommy?" he asked before going to bed one night.

Next up: Galena. We'll keep you posted.

Max likes cake!

2010-05-09T19:14:00.011-06:00

Our baby Max turned 1!

I love the changing emotions in this set of photos:

"I'm not really sure. I don't think I like this birthday thing."

"What am I supposed to do with this?"

"Let's check it out."

"Mmmmmm......Let's lick all the frosting off."

"Oh, would you like a taste?"

Glee! (He likes cake! His brother cries when we give him birthday cake: "No like cake!")

Such a sweet smile, in multiple ways.

Present time. What am I supposed to do with this -- let's try eating it? (His hair is wet from the post-cake cleanup.)

This is a perfect picture to capture this stage of our lives. It's Max's present and he wants it. But Harry has to have whatever Max has immediately. Cue Mom the referee.

"It's Complicated"

2010-04-22T21:04:00.002-06:00

This is Harry's favorite phrase as of late: "It's complicated."

Hi, you're 3 years old. What's complicated?

Oh, so much. Today he woke up crying. I went to comfort him, he asked me to leave and close the door "so I can go back to sleep." OK, I did as requested, and he cried as if I had abandoned him for good. I went back in and he said: "I'm crying, Mommy." Yeah, I got that. He did this with a couple other situations, like going to the store (He wanted to go to the store, then cried when I tried to put his coat on, then cried when I started to leave without him because he wouldn't put his coat on. Ugh.)

I give you that. It IS complicated.

I chalk up his new vocabulary to "Arthur." We rotate in the "programs" (his word) that he watches in the morning, and Arthur is a new favorite. It's all about relationships, acceptance and social interaction. (One recent cartoon was about a kid in the class who has Asperger's Syndrome, one was about not getting invited to a birthday party.) Anyway, he loves it and has a list of new phrases that he pulls out. In addition to "It's complicated" there's "Mommy, you're impossible!"

Harry's First At Bat

2010-04-10T21:30:00.004-06:00

Seriously, this bat is inefficient. I can just hit it with my hand. And why run TO the base? -- I can run much farther than that!

Harry has started T-ball!

First Day of Pre-Preschool

2010-03-25T19:19:00.004-06:00

Harry started a park district preschool program today. He'll go twice a week for 2.5 hours. We went to visit on Tuesday and he was very suspicious and didn't want to go inside -- until he saw the other kids. On Thursday, we packed up his Elmo backpack with his lunch and new water bottle and headed over. "Should we go to my preschool?" he said.
Still, when we got inside, he clung to my legs as the other kids came up to him. I was trying to encourage him to introduce himself -- ("Say 'My name is Harry'") -- when I had to stop speaking because I was suddenly choked up. Every other activity or place we've gone, one of us, or another family member or trusted adult, has been with him. But today he was going to be on his own and he'd have to navigate this all without us there.
Some other boys started playing cars on the rug, and he came out of his shell and joined them. I stuck around outside the door for about 15 minutes to make sure he didn't freak out, then....LEFT. Yikes. Weird feeling. Cried a little bit in the car, but my Mom was there, and she was teary eyed too, so I blame her :)
When I came back to pick him up, the class was finishing a bathroom break, and all the kids were lined up outside the restroom. He was obviously stressed out about this. We've had some successes with the potty, but a public bathroom? We're not there yet. He was grateful I appeared to save him from the public potty. After class, Miss Lisa said he did fine for his first time. He asked where Mommy was three times, but no tears.
He's talked about nothing but preschool since we got home, although he's been very, very huggy and affectionate with us. I think a little freaked out by going out on his own for the first time. But all in all, we're proud of our brave little guy.

Sledding...(we're a little behind...)

2010-03-14T22:17:00.006-06:00

Harry and Daddy went sledding a few weeks ago (before the snow melted.)

Whoa!

He belongs on the set of "A Christmas Story."

"I can't put my arms down!!!!"

Wheee! (thanks sam and alice for the use of the sled!)

Happy Birthday Harry!

2010-03-05T20:59:00.022-06:00

Sigh.
Three years old! He's such a little boy these days. He's stubborn, but very sweet, serious but very silly. A couple weeks ago, he started asking "Is my birthday coming up?" He was definitely into birthday celebrations this year -- but still, rejected my birthday cake. "No like it, Mommy!"

Birthday Part I: The playdate party

When Frank & Nicki came over that day, Harry tackled them in the doorway and opened the gift they brought -- his first of the day. Cranky the Crane! Sam arrived for the playdate party and they both laid on the floor entranced by this new Thomas set. For a 2 and 3 year old, I think they actually played pretty well with it, with only occasional wrestling matches over Thomas and Rusty.

Max breaks out his best bunny face to try to impress his girlfriend, Little Lady June (Georgia's baby sister, for those of you who've not yet seen her on our blog.)

The games begin. Instead of "Pin the Tail on the Donkey," we did "Pin the Wheel on Lightning McQueen." Sam takes a shot. Sofia studies his technique so she can figure out how to win the game.

Georgia looked at me like I was crazy when I tried to put the blindfold on, because obviously, the game is much easier if you can see the Lightning McQueen! Here, she takes her turn.

Harry peeks.

Good thing he's spent months of his life studying Lightning McQueen, because he knew just where the wheel went. (He was probably peeking. I couldn't tell.)

Sofia's turn. She was a big fan of the game. Yay! Somebody liked my game!

Ring Around the Rosies! This was a crowd pleaser, until I provided the background that the song was written about children falling ill during the plague. Hmmm, maybe not the best fun fact to share at the kids birthday party.

"I want to play too!" says Mr. Max, who even made sound effects for the trains in his attempt to join the older boys.

Opening his presents from Gramy. He got really into it, and excitedly ripped open this envelope then exclaimed: "A CARD!"

Part II of the birthday: Pizza, cake and presents with the family. Here he opens the replica L trains that Mom and Dad got him. He obviously pays close attention when we ride the CTA trains because we overheard him saying: "Doors open on the left at Kimball." Aww, my little city boy.

"Everyone is singing to me!"

Birthday Boys. Uncle Joe's birthday is the day before Harry's so we sang to him too.

Check out Uncle Joe's smooth moves. He provides some secret help, after Harry fails in several attempts to blow out the candle himself.

Sigh. Three years old!

Tough Guy

2010-03-01T22:35:00.004-06:00

Here's our tough little man. Big Brother Harry is not always the most gentle of creatures, and Max has definitely adapted.

Here he spots Harry's most prized possession -- Lightning McQueen. With brother out of sight, he quickly moves in.

Here's a look at his most recent trick: "How big is Max? SO BIG!"

Punk Rock Max

2010-02-11T23:19:00.003-06:00

He has been growing a natural mohawk, so we went with it. His attitude at the moment is totally punk rock as well.

We will outsmart you (or at least we will try!)

2010-02-11T23:08:00.005-06:00

This is where Harry is supposed to be at 10 p.m. only he is supposed to be sleeping. Ever since he discovered that he could reach the lightswitch, Rob and I have been in a battle of wits with this almost-3-year-old. After we put him to bed, he quietly turns on his closet light, then stays up to read ALL of his books.
This photo is taken after he's been caught midway through.

Once he mastered the closet light trick, he became more bold and just started turning on the main light in his room. We would walk in and he would look up guiltily (That's a good sign, right? he knows he shouldn't be awake?) and say "I read all my books!" And, all of his books would be piled up around him. One of us would say: "Why are you awake?"

And he would look at us and say: "Because I can't listen!"

I felt very smart once I figured out that I could keep him from turning on the light in his room by turning it off from the chain handle on the ceiling instead of the lightswitch.

Rob spent much time this evening figuring out how to tape down the lightswitch in Harry's closet so he can't turn it on. We'll see who wins!

The Race Begins

2010-02-05T19:32:00.005-06:00

"He'll never catch me!"
On the run (via Army crawl) from big brother.

"He caught me, but I'm getting faster everyday!"

I do cut Harry's hair, but I swear I did not give him a bowl cut. Not sure what is up with that. This was a snowy, cold day and I left the boys in their cozy footed jammies all day. So cozy and cute I just wanted to snuggle them all day. They don't so much allow for snuggling these days. They're very busy. Evidence:
Max can wave hi and bye-bye. He does this every time someone new walks into the room or leaves, or if he suddenly notices you. When he waves, it's like you can actually see him having the thought, and directing his arm to move.
Harry has discovered the word "because." This has led to some hilarious reasoning.
Why are you awake?
"Because I can't sleep!"
Why are you in Time Out?
"Because I can't play!"
Harry has discovered that he can reach the light switch. Therefore, I am writing this in the dark. Several times a day, you will suddenly find yourself in the dark then hear little footsteps rushing away.
Max is eating more solid food. He sticks his tongue out at you when he's hungry for solid food. It's pretty cute.
Harry is obsessed with skeletons and skulls. Weird but true. He loves to get out our giant world history books, turn to the pages about ancient cultures and read about the skeletons and skulls that have been dug up.
Max is showing a definite interest in cars and trains. He is even playing with them in the correct way, setting a train onto the train track and pushing it along, and sending Matchbox cars down the ramps of our play garage. He has learned from the master.
Max is getting up on his hands and knees and rocking. Oh no! We're thinking he's going to figure out this crawling thing anyday now. And we are not ready for that!

An Order

2010-01-22T14:01:00.002-06:00

Dear readers, go immediately to Georgia's blog to see a hilarious and accurate video depiction of Harry's soccer class. Sam and Georgia are also part of the class.

(It's the posting titled "I Need A Water Break." You can find Georgia's blog at http://turnthiscararound.blogspot.com. A link is also on the side of our blog)

A Day in the Life of Max

2010-01-06T23:42:00.002-06:00

We have approximately 450 toys. But everyday, this is what Max likes to do:

1) Play with age-appropriate toys that Mom has put in front of me for exactly 25 seconds.

2) Check to see if Mom is looking. If not, book it as quickly as possible via army crawl maneuver to the Christmas tree. Swat at low Lightning McQueen and Elmo ornaments. If have time, pull Christmas tree skirt over face and play peek-a-boo.

3) Mom will ruin this fun, so act interested in a block until she is distracted, then go straight for the cat scratch mat. Once that becomes boring, move on to the stainless steel garbage can, where you can try to touch the cute baby in the reflection. Man! Mom is ruining it again and pulling us away.

4) This next step is a tricky move. You have to wait until Harry is crying or has done something bad and she is really distracted, then you have to race across the kitchen floor to the cat water bowl! Yeah! Then splash around in that! Although you will be lucky if you get one splash in before Mom freaks out.

5) If you are still allowed on the floor after all this, go for the bar stools. Try to pull them over on yourself. It is hilarious. Mom does not like it. She will return you to the starting line in the middle of the toys again, but hey, what is that I see? A Christmas tree? Let's go check that out!

Have a Holly Jolly Christmas

2010-01-05T23:42:00.020-06:00

In the days leading up to Christmas, Harry would sing himself to sleep each night singing 4 Christmas songs in this order:
1) Jingle Bells
2) Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
3) Santa Claus is Comin' To Town
4) Have a Holly Jolly Christmas
Only after finishing this song list each night IN THIS ORDER would he put his head down on the pillow and go to sleep.
Let's just say we've all enjoyed the holiday season this year. Some evidence:
Grammy came to visit!

Daddy and Harry making some holiday goodies in their matching aprons :)

Should we eat the presents?

The holiday festivities begin. I convince Stephanie to be my assistant for our annual Christmas cookie bake-off ;)

Not sure who is more excited in this photo -- Nana and Papa to give the present or Harry to open it.

Very exciting! After months of coveting Sam's garbage truck -- oh glorious thing that it is -- Harry gets his very own! Pa must point out how to play with the truck correctly. It is THAT cool! (I even wanted to play with it, and I've had my fill of trucks recently.)

Max, James and Harry could not be bothered to participate in this family photo.

But now they all have their Christmas jammies on! Look at all those chubby cheeks! Don't you just want to squeeze them?

James: "Are you serious that we are getting some more presents tomorrow?"

Max!

Christmas morning. Pre-6 a.m. Harry appears. "Should we wake up and go downstairs now?" he asks. All adults involved try to cajole him back to sleep. Some offer cash. But he's not having it. Finally, we open presents in the morning darkness. It was worth it.

Harry: "I've waited for you for so long, Racecar."

You may not know this about Rob, but after he has a glass of Christmas wine, he likes to do things like this.

Harry spent most of Christmas morning like this:

After Christmas morning, onward to Indy for more aunts, uncles, cousins, an amazing Bobby-Flay inspired Christmas dinner and lots of fun!

Max: "This is my mommy and I control her every move because I won't sleep or take a bottle!"

But I make up for it all with my total all around adorableness.

Harry loves nothing more than getting his grandpas on the floor to play cars. "I want Grandpa Bob to play cars!"

And later: the Kent-Knurek crew go to town on some Beatles Rock Band.

Silly Free Santa...Max is not a Girl!

2009-12-08T23:22:00.006-06:00

Approximately 75 percent of the conversations in our house these days have to do with Santa, Rudolph or Frosty. The other 25 percent are about Lightning McQueen, of course. Sometimes the two worlds collide when I am asked to make Lightning McQueen talk to Santa, and I'm at a loss for what the two might talk about.

We wake up in the morning hearing Harry singing "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" over the monitor. We hear him singing "Jingle Bells" or "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" over the monitor at bedtime.

So when Rob told him we were going to see Santa, Harry said: "I go to the North Pole?"

Logical thinking based on the songs we had been singing, but we explained that we were going to wait in line to see Santa at the zoo. When we got to the front of the line and Harry laid his eyes on Santa for the first time, just a mere 12 feet away, he said, very earnestly: "I AM A GOOD BOY!"

This is Santa. SANTA! You can tell my nervousness by the way I am holding my hands. So exciting.

Baby Max, umm, he just doesn't care at all. Give me all his trucks. I definitely get it, Santa.

In this video, you can see Harry's nervousness kicking in, as he refuses to look directly at Santa for awhile, until it is possible that he will lose out on the opportunity to tell Santa what he wants for Christmas. Then, he is entirely focused. You may not be surprised to hear what Harry asks Santa to bring him for Christmas ;) Also, free Santa at the zoo got a lot of stuff wrong. He initially thought Harry was Cary, and also thought Max was a girl. Baby boys can wear cute animal hoodies too!

Zoo lights at Lincoln Park Zoo is one of my very favorite holiday traditions. It looks like you've stepped into Whoville or some other magical land. Take a look:

Daddy and the boys.

And Mommy.

This Week at Hello Harry to the Max

2009-11-16T22:38:00.012-06:00

I'm ready for the real stuff, Mom!

"Give me a break, Harry...You so do not care about me eating solids, you're just playing it up for the camera!"
Actually Harry gagged when I showed him the pureed carrots I intended to serve to Max. "No like them!" he said.

"Hmm..maybe I like them?"

"No, definitely not. In fact come here and let me give you a good smack."

A few days later, he loves the rice cereal.

Aha! Now try resisting this, Max! You non-sleep-through-the-nighter!
After six months of middle-of-the-night feedings, we were desperate to get this baby to sleep through the night, and willing to try anything -- including entering back into the reswaddling phase with the miracle blanket. But he busted out of it within minutes. Sigh.

We get a surprising amount of traffic for a side street. Here is an example of the lanes of traffic that develop in our hallway during rush hour.

"Look at me! You put me down way over THERE, Mom, and now I'm way over HERE! I can move now! And I can get to all of brother's toys!"

Max is mobile! Not crawling yet, but he manages to get where he wants with a quick roll, stretch and a heave in just a few seconds. I am frightened.

Who is watching these children? Is Harry biting Max? (No, just showing his love, I assure you.)

Brothers

"We love sharing apples!"

Here is a rare photo of this crew of two-year-olds sharing. In this case, apples that were divided up for them, without their consent. Often any two members of this posse can be found wrestling over a toy that one didn't even know he or she wanted until another picked it up. They're so cute though!

Who's Got Your Nose?

2009-11-14T07:37:00.006-06:00

(BTW, I am not pregnant again. Apparently seeing this ultrasound photo pop up startles some people like my Mom. But, we here at Hello Harry are not sleeping through the night yet, let alone thinking about adding more babies to our brood!)

We knew two things about Max before he was born. One, he was very active (lots and lots of kicking and flips). And two, he had a cute upturned nose, which we saw on this ultrasound photo at 20 weeks. (We actually didn't even know that he was a he until we met him on May 4th.)

And we wondered: where did that upturned nose come from? It's adorable, but it didn't appear to look like any noses in either of our families.

See...here's Max with that adorable little nose.
Then....I took a closer look at the photo below, of Rob as a baby, and Max, I think I've found your nose! Take a look...

Boo! More Halloween!

2009-11-02T21:14:00.004-06:00

A good photo of Max from Aunt Angie's camera. Shows off his big, happy eyes!

The cousins. All three seem to be thinking "Why do we have to do this?"

Trick or Treating

2009-11-01T15:09:00.007-06:00

Our camera gave out on us in the middle of Halloween, so I don't have as many photos to choose from as I would like. Here, you may be able to tell from the cheeks peeking out that this is Max as a green dinosaur. He was very laid back about wearing the costume, smiling and shaking his big green tail.

Harry the firefighter.

We practiced trick or treating for a couple weeks ahead of time. (Harry is in a solid I-am-2-and-I -don't-like-anything-outside-of-my-normal-routine phase) When the time came, he was actually way into it, which was a nice surprise. "I go more trick or treating?" he asked. We were very proud that he actually said "Trick or treat?" and said "Thank you."

These two must have pulled a double or something, because they're not looking so happy to be firefighters.

Look Harry! There's the cutest Kermit the frog I've seen.

Trick or treating for the first time. You will also get a glimpse of James in his very appropriate Yoda costume. As a new walker, he walked exactly like the old Jedi master. Oh, and don't be frightened by the very large Viking. That's just Uncle Aaron.

The real angry bunny

2009-10-20T14:06:00.002-06:00

I was premature in my posting of the angry bunny video. The previous post doesn't quite capture it, while in this new clip, baby Max has fully embraced the character of Angry Bunny. So ladies and gentlemen, I give you....Angry Bunny...

Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-18T15:26:00.013-06:00

Along with most of Chicagoland, we headed out to the pumpkin farm on Sunday. Seriously, they had to have cops directing traffic to the...pumpkin patch! Your tax dollars at work -- heading off road rage incidents in the pumpkin patch parking lot.
Anyway, Harry loved the hayride, straw tunnel, apple cider donuts and of course, the hundreds of pumpkins everywhere.

Disgusted after he realizes this is in fact not a real car.
"I'm outta here..."

Our pumpkin in pumpkinland

Harry trying to lift the pumpkin he has picked out. "Grrrrrrrrrrr......." While this boy has quite a will, he is not as strong as he thinks.

I'll just sit on it instead.

No way! A tractor ride too!

(Daddy's looking a little tired after several 4-5 a.m. Harry wakeup calls this week. But still he gets up early for the Sunday morning trip out to the exurbs of Chicago. That's why we keep him around.)

The Angry Bunny

2009-10-18T14:41:00.003-06:00

Rob says this video accurately portrays our life these days. You have Harry trying to control the camera (and everything else). Harry deciding that he will sit on his baby brother's lap, all the while trying to disguise his bad behavior by speaking to Max in a high voice ("I know! If I talk in this sweet voice, they'll never notice me smack Max!"). Mom in the background with a constant refrain of "no, no, no," trying to act as the referee between the two of them. Harry sneaking in a swipe at Max. And then there's little Max. He has started this adorable snort thing that I like to call "the angry bunny." He uses it when he's excited, happy, mad, hungry or to vent out his frustrations, often brought on by older brother stealing toys.

And here's Harry doing his current version of Wheels on the Bus :)

Firefighter costume AND trains!

2009-10-07T15:06:00.003-06:00

Could life get ANY better?
(p.s. We spent 30 minutes standing at a railroad crossing watching trains go by today. I've been on that same train line 45,000 times before, but never noticed all the fascinating things that can be observed by staring at it like that. It's clear that I need to study up on train mechanics. I'm making up words for train parts that I'm certain are not correct. Harry will be on to me by next week. )

I have nothing to do with this post. I'm just cute.
(Thanks, Grammy, for the cute bear jacket. We want to eat him up when he wears it.)

Look at 'em all!

2009-10-04T14:10:00.010-06:00

That's what Harry said when we pulled up to the Illinois Railway Museum and he saw every kind of train imaginable.

"Seriously...can we move here?"

We rode one of the old trains, and sat in a Pullman sleeper car from the 1920s. Harry's Papa used to help build Pullman cars -- of course many years after this car was built (he's not THAT old :)

All of the boys enjoying the view from the old train. See the guy behind them? He's one of the many SUPER helpful volunteers, who are basically old guys who run around the museum grounds like little boys playing with the old trains. love it.

We also saw electric trains, subway cars, L trains, trolleys, freight trains....the list goes on and on. My favorite part was when Harry matched up the trains we were seeing with his favorite Thomas the Train characters. "Look! There's Salty!" he would say.
Harry's already asking when we can go back.

Is That Very Nice?

2009-10-04T12:21:00.005-06:00

Most times, the answer to that question, Harry, is no.
But several times a day he tries to convince us of how nice he is to his brother by very gently touching him and saying in a very high pitched voice "Is that very nice?" But along with these little "very nice" episodes, he likes to poke Max in the eye and pull on his arms. Oh, and pull any toy he may have away from him.
Still, he is very excited to "get Max from his crib" and likes to entertain him, which is quite adorable to watch. When Max laughs, Harry will say very earnestly "You love your brother?" (He's still getting his pronouns mixed up a bit.) He follows that up with: "Baby Max is sooooo cute."

In other cuteness:

The North Woods

2009-09-20T18:14:00.010-06:00

We got an early start for our long drive to the North Woods of Wisconsin. Mom and Dad tried to transport a sleeping Harry into the car at 5 a.m. in hopes of getting some driving hours in while the babies slept, but no such luck. He woke right up. If there are cars and trucks on the road, Harry can't sleep!

Eating a picnic lunch during one of our many rest stop breaks. Baby Max did not like the car ride at all. Thus, an 8 hour drive took 9.5 hours.

This is how dirty he got within a few hours of vacation. The washcloth is black. I love vacation playing. He basically played until he passed out each day.

Bathing in the cabin sink, of course.

"That's MY Papa!" all three boys say at once.
This is proof that balance exists in the universe. Steve spent two decades with three girls in his house, now he has three boys to keep him busy.

HI! Look what I can do!

Baby Max at his first bonfire.

Harry liked roasting the marshmallow, but still kept with his aversion to sweets and refused to eat the s'more!

Sitting with Uncle Aaron while everyone sings Harry's favorite songs -- "Bake a cake" and "The Froggy song."

Fishing with Daddy on "Kenzie Lake."
He also spent a good portion of the day keeping tabs on the loons that live on the lake. Ask him to do his loon call next time you see him.

Not too thrilled with the result of his fishing efforts.

Trying hard to be brave on the boat ride. He was a bit freaked out, but tried not to show it.

Harry wasn't too much of a fan of swimming in the lake, what with the sand and the rocks and fish. We have a city boy there.

Action shot.

"You'll be just fine, baby James, as long as you keep your hands off my trucks."

Morning with Papa

Early morning walk with Uncle Joe

I like this vacation thing.

Party at the fire house!

2009-09-20T13:46:00.004-06:00

Yay, our computer is fixed, so here are the photos from our recent trip to Fort Wayne, for Grandpa Bob and Grandma Phyllis' 25th anniversary party. The party was held in a firefighting museum with several old fire trucks. Harry was pleased to say the least. He was his most charming self as he tried to woo each new unsuspecting person into taking him downstairs to look at the trucks.

Trying on the firefighters' helmet with Sydney

All the grandkids (minus Taylor and Cameron) at the party.
While Harry is out of Mom's reach, Max gets a last minute little slap. Such is life for the little brother.

Harry the Hollywood Mogul

2009-09-08T21:28:00.005-06:00

Here's Max right now. We're all digging him, even our little Harvey Weinstein:

So our computer -- the one with all the photos from our trips to Fort Wayne and Wisconsin -- is broken and in need of repair. I can't catch you up on all that YET. But I can give you a picture of life here right now.

Harry appears to have turned into a miniature Hollywood producer, one who has no time or patience for the likes of me. Today, he asked me for a glass of milk after waking from his nap. I poured him a glass and served it how he usually likes it, but he SCREAMED at me as if I was torturing him.

"No MILK!!!!" (crying, wailing on the floor, looking at me as if I am the most ridiculous person on earth.)

The rest of the day went pretty much the same -- yelling at me for doing EXACTLY as he asked.

Hmmm...

I'm told this is life with a 2-year-old. Help.

we'll catch up soon

2009-08-18T10:22:00.004-06:00

Mom's back to work and on deadline, but in the meantime, here are a few to tide you over:

Brotherly love

Harry pages through Working Mother magazine looking for tips for Mom.

Slight Family Resemblance

2009-08-05T22:09:00.005-06:00

This is my Dad around Harry's age in a photo we have hanging in our hallway. Often, Rob and I will look at Harry and notice how strongly he favors Papa in his eyes, nose and ATTITUDE (and I mean that in all capital letters). Example below:

Who you calling little brother?

2009-07-27T14:34:00.006-06:00

I am two pounds heavier and two inches taller than my brother was at this age!

haha. just you wait Harry.

Mom freaks out during photo shoot as Harry tries to readjust Max's head.

The brotherhood of chubby cheeks.

Over the past month, Harry has gone from "no baby max" to total love for baby Max. He will try to give max a hug by squeezing him and squishing him as Mom runs screaming from across the room. He likes to point out all max's features by poking his finger directly in his eye, mouth and nose. And he loves to give kisses by basically head butting him. Ugh. Love is a painful thing.

Toddler Stage Diving

2009-07-20T21:48:00.005-06:00

We went to see Harry's music teacher perform at Millennium Park one recent weekend morning. Harry turned into a superfan.

Rocking out in the front row with Alice. (Harry in his Cubs hat.)

Harry and Alice break free from the toddler mosh pit.

"I need to get closer to the music," says Harry.

"Here, Harry, I'll give you a boost," says Alice before any bouncers can stop them.

Victory! Harry makes it on stage! Here, he plays the guitar with Miss Julie.

I'm so proud.

HeHe

2009-07-07T12:43:00.004-06:00

I'm two months old!

Here's what we've learned about Max so far: He is a supersmiley, happy baby who LOVES to have his diaper or his clothes changed. He loves baths, and to always be held upright. He likes to bust out of swaddles like the Incredible Hulk. When he hears big brother cry, his lower lip quivers in such a heartbreaking way. He looks a lot like Harry, but with an extra dash of Rob in there. He's bigger than Harry was, but he is still our little sweet pea.

Harry loves America

2009-07-06T13:08:00.011-06:00

A very patriotic ensemble for the Fourth of July Party at Aunt Kathy's and Uncle Jeff's.

Max ready to party with Daddy.

Approximately every 5 minutes throughout the weekend, no matter what he was doing, and whether he was near Uncle Jeff or not, Harry would look up and say: "Hi Uncle Jeff!" We heard it at 5:20 a.m. when he woke up, and at 10 p.m. when he went to bed after fireworks. He occasionally took a break from it to ask "Where Cameron go?" or "Where Sydney go?"

Harry had a BLAST with his cousins, who built a train village for him and kept him entertained all weekend.

All the cousins with Great Grandma.

Max and Grandpa Bob.

Enjoying the patio before the rain moved in.

Passing out two exits before home.

In the words of Auntie Steph,

2009-07-06T12:59:00.004-06:00

I heart this photo.
They held hands spontaneously after being told we were going to see the water fountain ("or water mountain") in Lincoln Square. Too cute.

Turn His Eyes On?

2009-06-23T21:51:00.005-06:00

After 6 weeks of "No Baby Max," big brother caved and decided he wanted to hold Max. We set him up with the boppy and hovered, ready to jump in at any moment. But after 4,000 times of hearing the phrase "Be gentle, Harry," the meaning of the words appeared to sink in. Harry was surprisingly gentle. He cuddled baby Max, studied his tiny features and even gave him a kiss. Max was sleeping through this first interaction, so Harry pointed at baby brother's closed eyes and said: "Turn his eyes on, Mommy?"

"Harry play baseball"

2009-06-23T21:30:00.006-06:00

For Father's Day, we tried out the new T-Ball set.

Dad teaches Harry the correct stance.

Taking his first swing. Action shot!

Running, running, running

Every time Harry retrieved the ball, he would run back and throw it at one of our feet. Maybe he's trying to tag us out? The good news is he hit us every time, so he appears to have good aim.

Fairy Gotcha and the party boy

2009-06-17T11:26:00.005-06:00

I busted the song "Frere Jacques" out for a recent bedtime, and it's become a Harry favorite.
His two-year-old translation of the title: "Fairy Gotcha."

* * *

We went to a barbeque at Aunt Angie's house recently, where Harry monopolized the push cars that some other kids had brought. Our little dictator gave each adult present a turn pushing him up and down the block though, ordering PaPa, NaNa, uncles, aunts and strangers to "push Harry." Since then, he frequently says: "I go Angie's party?"

"Uncle Joe push you."

Where's the pause button?

2009-06-15T14:23:00.006-06:00

Max is 6 weeks old today!

This weekend he grew out of his newborn sleepers and his bassinet :( He's getting so old already! I need to find the pause button or before we know it he's going to be graduating from college. (OK, maybe mom's having a little postpartum hormonal rush.) But seriously, wouldn't it be great if we had a tivo remote for life and I could record Max laughing and cooing. Then when he's 13 and all like "whatever Mom," I could go to my playlist and select "baby max laughing" and then hug him for a few seconds. :)

Grandparents' bonus video: I'm sorry, but he's too cute to not share this... it's what prompted this sappy posting. He LOVES the mobile. That dangling frog is SO FUNNY!

For those who love smiling newborns....

2009-06-09T11:05:00.005-06:00

Have I got a video for you....

(You may want to watch on mute so you don't have to listen to mom's annoying cooing.)

Harry and Ba-lack Obama

2009-06-09T10:52:00.004-06:00

On Election Night someone brought over a sticker that had the Obama Hope image on it. Harry was intrigued and started asking who "the man" on the sticker was. Soon, he was identifying Barack Obama every time he saw him in the newspaper or on TV. He'd say "Ba-lack Obama. He pre-di-dent." Last week, he surprised us by identifying Obama's voice on the radio. (I swear all of this is happening without any brainwashing attempts from us!) But the best was the other day when Harry saw Obama on the TV, threw up his arms and said "I Yove Ba-lack Obama!"

(cute onesie is courtesy of Georgia, whose mom made this great find. We took advantage of the cuteness and had aunt steph photograph harry in it too.)