Tulip Time

We made it to the tulips! Last year at this time Max was a newborn and we were in the midst of that crazy 90 minute feeding routine, followed by sleeping for 90 minutes, and repeat….I’m still not quite sure how I survived it, but suffice it to say I was in no state to get up to the tulip fields last spring. This year I was determined to go, and Jeff really wanted to get there also as he has never been. Due to our mild winter, the tulips bloomed earlier than usual. We had to wait for cooperative weather and a healthy Maxwell, but finally everything fell into place and we made the drive north to Mount Vernon. Traffic getting up there can be crazy, so we went first thing in the morning and got there as the farm opened. We had sunshine and warm weather, and the tulips were as beautiful as we had hoped they would be. I can’t put into words how amazing it is to see all those colors in rows and rows of blooms. We’ll definitely be making this an annual event!

Lots of pictures to share, and this is just a selection from the many we took. Enjoy!

Getting in touch with his Dutch heritage in front of the windmill:

Max’s new favorite thing is to do “nose beeps.” Much as you might guess from the name, this involves touching someone’s nose and having them say “beep.” We do it to Max, now he does it to us. Here are Max and Jeff giving each other nose beeps amidst the tulips:

One more…

Easter, Part 2

Yes, yes, I know. Max is not even 13 months old, and I’ve missed my first birthday goal to update the blog every week. In my defense, in the past couple weeks I had a nasty cold that turned into a sinus infection. I then shared said cold with Max and my mom. Max kicked the cold and then developed his first ear infection, in both ears no less. Top it off with his molars coming in and a minor leg injury, and he was one unhappy Bug. He wanted to be held by Mama all. the. time. Knock on wood, I think we are through it all and he seems to be pretty much back to his cheerful self. I last blogged the day before Easter, so I now have actual Easter pictures to share from our trip to Maxwell’s Great-Grandma’s.

But first, a couple from Max’s first visit to the Pacific Science Center. We went with three friends and their little ones when Max was done with the cold and the ear infection was probably brewing but we didn’t know it yet. Max’s favorite thing was the water table in the toddler area. It was just the right height for him to stand and lean against it and splash his hands in the water. Heaven! Of course water went everywhere, including all over his shoes and socks, but oh well. Here he is playing with some bones:

And driving a race car:

On to Easter pictures! In addition to the family Easter festivities, we did a joint birthday celebration for Max and his cousin Kendra, whose birthday is in April. They also have a cousin Madison who is just a couple months younger. It is really fun to have three babies so close together in age. I love having cousins my age and I’m happy that Max will get to experience that as well. Here is a picture of the three babies together:

Then we went outside for some pictures. Max was not so enamored of that idea:

Here we are with my grandma:

Watching the big kids look for eggs:

Showing off his finds from the egg hunt:

Opening presents:

If the weather cooperates tomorrow, we’re going to try to get up to Mount Vernon for some pictures at the annual tulip festival. The tulips bloomed early this year so I think this weekend is our last chance to see them in bloom. Hopefully I will have some good pictures from that to share next time. Now I’ll sign off as it’s bedtime for Max.

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter! We are looking forward to celebrating Maxwell’s second Easter tomorrow. Normally we go to my Grandma’s house for Easter dinner, which we will do tomorrow. Last year, we had a teeny tiny newborn and were extremely sleep deprived, so we stayed home and my mom was kind enough to bring Easter dinner to us. It will be fun to celebrate with lots of family tomorrow, and we will also be doing a birthday celebration for Max and his cousin Kendra. Max definitely won’t get the egg hunt concept this year, but if the weather cooperates we can at least get some pictures of him amidst the eggs. Max the bunny would like to wish you a wonderful Easter holiday:

We had Maxwell’s one year checkup on Monday. He is weighing in at just under 23 pounds, which is right in the 50th percentile. He’s still at the top of the charts for height and head circumference, no surprise to us. Our pediatrician said that he is doing great cognitively and is doing some things that are more on an 18 month level in that department. Physically he is a little behind for his age, so she referred us to a pediatric physical therapist. She emphasized that it was to help him catch up and reduce his frustration that he can’t get to what he wants, not a sign of a major problem. The physical therapist will do an evaluation and give us some things we can do at home, and then if the eval results warrant ongoing therapy, they will make a plan for that. We also will be visiting a pediatric opthamologist to check Max’s eyes. He has a slight “lazy eye” where his eyes don’t always track exactly together. This runs on my dad’s side of the family, so we want to get it checked out. Sometimes it resolves on its own, and sometimes some intervention is needed. That appointment is May 6.

On a totally different topic, many of you know that I have a great love for the color blue and for stripes. Not surprisingly, I especially enjoy blue stipes. Witness our diaper bag:

When my dad was visiting recently, we went shopping for new clothes for Max as an early birthday present for him. The other day I washed them all and as I was folding them to put away, I thought “This shirt looks familiar….” I went to my closet and sure enough, I have one that is almost identical. Perhaps I will pass my love of blue stripes on to Max:

When I lived in the Midwest, it wasn’t unusual to have snow on Easter. We don’t quite have snow here this weekend, though they did get two feet in the mountains, but it is really cold. My fingers are crossed that it at least doesn’t rain tomorrow. I’m sure Max will have his share of egg hunts in the rain, or bundled up in a jacket and hat. Given the beautiful winter we’ve had, I’ll take a chilly Easter. As long as I get to celebrate it with my two favorite boys, it’s a success in my book.