Hello HARRY to the MAX

First Real Haircuts

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!

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

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!

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!

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

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.