I can’t believe our baby boy is five years old. Five years ago last month, after a long intense labor, Maxwell Nicholas was born. We haven’t had his official five year check up yet, so I’ll add those stats once I have them. But I can attest that, just as when he was a baby, he’s tall and slender with a big head. At five years old, Max is wearing size 6 clothing and size 10.5 shoes. He has started reading though still prefers us to read to him, which we are happy to do. He can count to 100 with just a little help and likes to try counting by twos, threes, fours, or even tens. He is a master staller, especially at bedtime. Max still loves his old friend Chester Bear (now known as “Old Chester” because he got a “New Chester” for Christmas) but Puzzle Bear is a close second, and other stuffed animals rotate in as well. We never thought we’d see the day, but “Blue’s Clues” has been thrown by the wayside in favor of “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood” and the classic “Mr. Rogers” shows. 

Max is a great big brother–certainly prone to difficulties sharing or taking turns like any sibling, but on the whole very sweet to Anna and good at including her when we play. He is doing so much imaginative play these days, it is so fun to watch him. He likes to play preschool and he is “Mr. Max” the teacher and the grownups are the students. He tells us exactly what to do and say. He still loves pizza and cupcakes above all else, but those are occasional treats. He likes “special oatmeal” (actually bananas and eggs) for breakfast and I can always count on him to eat sweet potatoes if I serve them with dinner.