Max the growing wonder

Max had a doctor appointment yesterday. I'd call it a well-baby checkup, but he's 3.3 years old. It was his first "big boy" appointment. I about melted when I helped him put on a little robe. When did my firstborn become such a tall guy?

When I say tall, I mean it. He's 41 inches tall and weighs 41 pounds. He's on track to be 6'3 and 220 pounds by age 18.

He got a flu vaccine, and I was preparing him for a shot. But they have a mist vaccine now, that squirts up the nose. Fantastic! No crying, no sadness. But he still got his surprise I promised him -- a pair of little scissors (blunt) and he's been cutting up scrap paper ever since. He also had his first eye exam, but got bored pointing out the squares, boats and hearts on the chart. He sat down on the floor and started coloring instead, still covering one eye with his hand.

When the doctor came in he cleaned his hands with the strong antibacterial stuff he always uses. The scent took me back to that first morning in the hospital after Max was born and his doctor came in to check him out. He remarked on the blonde hair, the features like JB's. The scent also took me back to when Max was three days old and we spent a night at the hospital with him on the strong billi-lights for jaundice. Then the whole week at home on the lights, taking him daily to the doctor's office to prick his heel and check if the jaundice was gone. The scent also reminded me of the few times we took Max in for ear infections last year.

I thought of the bumps and bruises, the occasional bleeding lip and the awful Christmas day when he was bit on the face by a dog. Thankfully now he only has a small scar almost two years later.

As those things popped into my head, so did relief that we have not faced anything worse. I'm so glad he's healthy and well, and developing normally. He meets all the milestones plus some for social, emotional and physical health and for that I feel so blessed.

Get ready for more emotion when I take Ben in next month for his 1 year checkup!

Halloween

Ben tries to see what his eight teeth can handle from Max's bucket.

Me and my dragons:

A family picture. We adults didn't dress up. We couldn't distract from the dragons! I like this one because Ben is roaring. Happily of course.

Another one of all of us. Max is checking out his bucket again, making sure it's still full.

Two cuties:

Max really caught on quickly to trick-or-treating. He asked if we could do it again tomorrow. Maybe he'll be like his dad -- when he was young he figured, why not trick-or-treat all year round?

Imagination

Is there something that happens to a woman when she has a baby that takes her imagination and turns it into "Where the Wild Things Are?"

Totally innocent moments become disasters as my mind jumps from scenario to scenario. We were outside playing yesterday, and I imagined Max breaking a leg on our playground. I even went so far as to me sobbing by his hospital bed in my mind. Then, JB was trimming our big unruly snowball bush. I saw him cutting the fallen branches up with one snip of his strong trimmers and I blurted out "That's so scary!" You see, I had already imagined those trimmers snipping off a finger. Horrible I know.

Max must think I'm a worry wart. He steps onto the edge of the tub to get out -- "No Max! You'll slip and bonk your head!" He climbs up in his stroller -- "Max sit down, you'll fall out and hit the concrete sidewalk!" Same for Ben. He starts crawling toward the carpeted stairs: "No Benny, you'll tumble down and be really sad." He plays with the bottom drawer of the dresser: "Benji, be careful or you'll smash your fingers."

Remember in Anne of Green Gables when Anne is sobbing as she does the dishes because she imagined nursing her bosom friend Diana as she was dying? Or when Anne freaks herself out as she runs through the "haunted" wood? Well I wasn't like that as a child but now that I've had children I can't stop it.

I never imagine the positive stuff, although when I try it actually is kind of fun. Maybe on our 5th anniversary cruise next month JB and I will be "discovered" and become the new Gap couple for the Carribbean. Blonde, blue-eyed beauties modeling...sweaters (I can't escape the cold in my mind although I know I will soon be on a beach). How about Max and Ben smile at a gruff old man at the bank, his heart his softened, he opens his wallet and sets up a 529 for their education at any university.

Those thoughts make me smile, but the scary scenarios make my heart pound more quickly and make me squeeze my little ones closer for a kiss. Maybe that's why I have this terrible imagination. To make me realize how blessed I am.

Pumpkins, corn, but no BBQ

We went to Cornbelly's this week. We supported this Agri-Business by using 2 for 1 coupons and leaving the David Archuleta corn maze for everyone else to enjoy. Instead, Max climbed in the little houses and jumped on the bouncy-thingy until his little heart was content.

Ben couldn't get enough of the hay bales and a mirror by them.

We also squeezed into some cow cars pulled by a tractor. We were pulled around a pumpkin patch and corn field. The tractor's driver was a teenager wearing an ipod. It just seemed funny to me.

Ben couldn't believe it when we started moving. "Dah! DaaAAHHH!" He kept saying as he kicked and squealed. When he gets excited his voice gets lower and breathy -- like Marlon Brando in the Godfather movies.

When it was time to leave Max was sad and on the verge of tantrum, but we were starving. So we said "C'mon, we'll go get BBQ" and he cheered right up. Yes, our boy loves barbecue. Salsa also works as a bribe. I wanted to try a BBQ place I read about nearby, but despite the web site saying it should be open that late, it wasn't. We fought terrible traffic to get there too. That put a little damper on the evening. But overall we had a very fun time. Max wants to "go bat to Cornbewweys tomowwow."

Baby Mine

The title of my last post reminded my sister of the scene and song from Dumbo, "Baby Mine." It's when Dumbo sees his mom again -- she's jailed, and all he sees is her trunk. She scoops him up in her trunk and rocks him, and the lullaby is:

Baby Mine, don't you cry.

Baby mine, dry your eyes.

Rest your head close to my heart

never to part

baby of mine.

It makes me cry every time! I don't know how to upload video yet but here's the link to it on YouTube.

I sing it to my little boys at night sometimes and I still get choked up.

By the way I loved elephants all growing up. Maybe because of Dumbo. Is it wrong to say I think my sweet baby looks like that adorable baby elephant around the eyes and cheeks?

I also loved pigs growing up. Maybe because piglets really are cute little babies too.

TV o' mine

More evenings now I forget I have DVR and I get caught up in my TV shows. Next thing I know it's 9 PM and I'm stomping around the house throwing my lunch and outfit together for the next day, brushing, flossing and washing and calculating how much sleep I'll get if I fall asleep RIGHT NOW and wake up at 3:30 AM for work. I can't help it, I love these shows.

The Amazing Race

JB and I watch this together, wondering if we could make it in a race around the world. We'd have to start calling each other "babe" all the time, and argue . I think he should race with his sister Suzanne instead. I'm scared of heights, bikes and tropical fruit.

Desperate Housewives

My guilty pleasure. All the soap and indecency aside, I like the show's revelations about relationships between spouses and friends. It's also gasp-inspiring and addictive. Juicy!

Dancing With the Stars

Those Houghs are so talented. They make me want to dye my hair even blonder, go back in time and work harder in my college ballroom dance classes. Sassy.

Priviledged

I started watching this new CW show because one critic said it was similar to Gilmore Girls, in writing and delivery. Since I loved that snappy show I signed on for this one. Not bad, but too much ending of conversations with someone making a snarky final comment and walking away. That doesn't happen much in real life. People follow you and keep talking.

Eli Stone

I'm giving this another go. I dropped out last season but I like the concept and I laugh out loud sometimes. Anytime a whole cast breaks into a song and dance I approve. It's probably because I grew up watching musicals where song and dance just happened all the time.

America's Next Top Model

Another guilty pleasure. But I use the DVR, and fast-forward through everything but the challenge, photo shoot and reveal of the girl who must "return to the house, pack up her things, and go home." Fierce.

The Office

Love it. Love it love it love it. I'm starting to say "yesh" like Michael Scott when I answer in the affirmative. I have also dreamed twice about Jim and Pam getting married. Maybe I watch to much, yesh?

Honorable mentions

My Name is Earl, news programs, college football, Jazz basketball, Jon and Kate Plus 8, American Idol, SYTYCDance, anything on Food Network (although Giada makes me want to curl my hair, apply more eyeshadow and wear low-cut tops more than cook Italian food).

Shows I read about, always hear others rave about but have no time for

Lost, Prison Break, 24, Doctor Who, House, Pushing Daisies, Grey's Anatomy, How I Met Your Mother, Chuck.

Pumpkins

The boys recently picked out pumpkins for our front porch. They not only love to hold their pumpkins, they like to play with them.

They also try to eat the pumpkins. Here Ben wonders if Max's may taste better than his.

The pumpkins are now out on the porch, with some caution to the boys that biting or dropping the pumpkins won't make them last as long.

The photo shoot really was funny. At the end Max was playing the drums on the pumpkins and Ben was squawking because he couldn't get close to the pumpkins too. That's often how they play. Ben gets really close to whatever Max is doing, Max says "No Benny!" and pushes him away, Ben attacks with a squawk and his teeth.

By the way I think they look more alike in the top picture than they have before. Everybody says Max looks like JB and Ben looks like me. They are looking at me in the top picture as I tried to get them to smile for the camera. That's often how that goes too.