Happy Valentine’s Day! We had a wonderful first Valentine’s Day with Max. My mom got him a couple Valentine books (I know, we were shocked too) and his day care had a Valentine’s Day party (Jeff and I ate the candy for him). On the actual day we enjoyed just hanging out as a family. Jeff got a “magic shaker” toy as a Valentine’s gift for Max….he really likes it but his favorite part so far is, you guessed it, the box. I got a heart-print tablecloth at Target to use as a backdrop for some pictures, so we played around with that a bit. Max now has three teeth coming in, and we think there’s a fourth one trying to break through the surface. He continues to love table foods…last night I made some spaghetti sauce with beef and beans and mixed it with orzo pasta for him, and he ate an amount that stunned both Jeff and me! He is getting very good at picking up finger foods and getting them in his mouth. Sometimes Jeff will put something in his hand and make a fist, and Max likes to pry his fingers open to find the desired food. We have tried letting him use the spoon himself (with some guidance) but so far he just wants to drop it over the side of the high chair. If we try to guide it to his mouth, he promptly lets go of the spoon. Oh well, we will get there eventually, I’m sure.

I’m working on planning Max’s first birthday party, which is just over a month away now! We’ll be doing a farm theme and it’s been fun to find things that work with that for the party favors and decorations. It will be interesting to see his reaction to cake! We’re doing one year photos and “cake smash” pictures with my friend Justine (of J. Shelton Photography) a week ahead of time, so that we can have some pictures at the party. It will also be a good way for Max to have a chance to figure out the whole cake thing before the party.

Max loves to wave these days. He waves at everything…cars driving by, people in the store, even the washer and dryer! He loves to watch them when they are running, and anytime we walk by he’ll look in the laundry room and wave, even if there’s no laundry going. His fascination is helpful when I need to laundry, as he’ll gladly sit there and watch me move a load, or watch the machines going as I fold the clean laundry.

I guess that’s all the news from us this week. Here’s a few pictures.

Max in the cart outside Costco:

A couple with Daddy at the park:

Valentine’s Pics!