Baby Watch 2.0

2009-01-03T13:29:00.001-05:00

2009-01-03T13:24:00.001-05:00

2008-12-31T13:28:00.000-05:00

2008-10-30T21:30:00.001-04:00

Pheasant hunting

2008-10-18T15:12:00.000-04:00

Oh wait, I almost forgot the cutest one

2008-10-12T23:51:00.001-04:00

And then things got ugly

2008-10-12T23:38:00.003-04:00

What I'm not showing you are all the other pictures with the goofball tweener expressions!

More old pictures

2008-10-12T23:13:00.002-04:00

These all look to be 1984-ish.

Recognize these people?

2008-10-12T22:53:00.004-04:00

Cute little buggers, if I do say so myself! This must have been taken sometime after Dallas was born in Sept. 1982.

We're going through old pictures for the slide show at Emily and Trav's wedding.

Hells-bells

2008-10-10T13:55:00.002-04:00

Well, I only made it in for one day of work this week, and even then I should have been taking Owen to the doctor for pinkeye instead of sniffling miserably in my office! To punish me for my impudence (insisting it was just from his cold!), I was smote with a doozy of a pinkeye case myself. That will teach me! So our trip up north to see Adam's family and butcher chickens is off. Hopefully, we can use our long weekend to get caught up around here and organized instead!

New pictures, finally!

2008-10-07T17:05:00.003-04:00

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mammame/

Well, our camera died early this summer. I finally got a little SD drive to plug into the computer to get them off. We also took some pictures with Uncle Trav's camera so we do have some photo-documentation of the summer!

The boys and I have been home sick the last two days. I hope this is the end of it. We are having bad stomach and respiratory viruses all at once!

Trav and Grandpa heading home

2008-10-05T16:54:00.001-04:00

Moving cows

2008-10-05T16:38:00.001-04:00

Max Daisy & Dal

2008-09-20T19:13:00.000-04:00

How the heck are we?

2008-09-16T23:38:00.002-04:00

Sorry it has been so long since we updated. We are all getting in the groove with our jobs and daycare. Everyday is so full that we hardly have time to sit down. I guess that is what winter is for! Adam is going gangbusters with his Asst. Prof. position. He has already turned in a grant and is building his Biophysics class and lab from scratch. It is a lot of work! The fall looks to be one work deadline after the other for him, but he is still hoping to get a little hunting in.

Despite having spent almost the entire day on my human subjects research training I am loving my job. At this point I am learning as much about everything that I can. Basically that means I get to read interesting things all day long - I keep getting mad at myself because I think I am procrastinating. Then, I realize that I am actually doing my job! I have the potential for lots of interesting projects.

The boys are doing great. Dare I say that Max seems to be getting over the worst of the whiny and tantrummy stuff? He is not the greatest with transition so he has been a little "touchy." I think he is settling into our routine now. He is extremely smart and articulate and obsessed with Jesus. This is somewhat of a strange thing for a 3-year-old to be obsessed with, but we just go with the flow! Max has lots of interesting theories about Jesus' life and may start his own religion some day.

Owen is a cutie and the best baby in the whole world. He is getting the hang of daycare and finally started taking his bottles there. He seems to have a little cold virus so he regressed a little in the bottle area. Nevertheless, we are not too worried that he is going to "dry up and blow away!" He was about 20 lbs a few weeks ago (5 months)!

Today was Dallas' birthday so we had a nice family party. It is great to finally be able to be here for stuff like this! There is lots more to report, but I must be off to see what kind of high chair we are going to get for Owen to have at Grandma Nancy's house! He is munching a few solids here and there and pretty excited about meal time!

PS: No house yet...

Silage

2008-09-16T16:52:00.001-04:00

The corn silage operation is in full swing! It looks to be a great year for silage.

@ an auction

2008-08-15T18:53:00.001-04:00

Swinging!

2008-08-06T15:41:00.001-04:00

Fishin'

2008-07-28T19:51:00.001-04:00

Mudpuddle

2008-07-27T12:40:00.000-04:00

First sweetcorn

2008-07-26T13:14:00.001-04:00

Cowboy Max

2008-07-20T20:28:00.001-04:00

Grandpa Dave

2008-07-16T11:04:00.001-04:00

Max, Daisy and Grandma Nancy

2008-07-16T10:53:00.001-04:00

This was taken back in South Dakota. Daisy and Max are great buddies with similar energy levels!!

Tractor!

2008-07-14T11:41:00.001-04:00

We are at Grandpa David and Grandma Ida's now. Max is loving driving around on his electric tractor!

Grandpa's scooter

2008-07-13T16:41:00.001-04:00

Max and Grandpa Atlas loved running around on Grandpa's new scooter. Pretty fancy!

Uncle Trav

2008-07-10T20:20:00.000-04:00

Shearing sheep

2008-07-08T21:16:00.000-04:00

Nine years!

2008-06-26T10:12:00.001-04:00

It is hard to believe that we've been married (and living in Michigan) for 9 years! Adam even has a bad head cold in honor of the sinus infection and midnight trip to the Emergency Room on the night before our wedding. We got sushi takeout (yet another food we will miss!) for our anniversary lunch. It was so cute to see Max wolfing down his "Canyafornia" roll.

Coffee blast how I will miss thee

2008-06-25T18:04:00.002-04:00

I'm getting a little weepy about leaving all the good food behind.

Can you get bi-bim-bop in South Dakota?

2008-06-25T12:07:00.001-04:00

Sun Hat

2008-06-24T10:57:00.001-04:00

Mom and Owen self-portrait in the park

2008-06-23T15:58:00.001-04:00

This is how we usually look.

Max and Elizabeth at the dairy farm

2008-06-23T10:44:00.001-04:00

They had a lot of fun and even got to have *ice cream*!!

Dinner at Elizabeth's house

2008-06-19T19:54:00.001-04:00

Max's last day at Green Room

2008-06-19T09:56:00.005-04:00

Today is Max's last day at Green Room! We will miss Green Room friends and teachers so much. They have been like a family to us!

Max and "Sara-teacher"

Max and Cathy

Max at the dentist

2008-06-11T15:11:00.001-04:00

What a cool dude with his Hawaiian shirt and fancy sun glasses!

Owen Update - 10.5 weeks

2008-06-04T09:55:00.003-04:00

Owen is growing like crazy! At his 2 month appointment he weighed 14lbs 10oz. He is well into his 6 month size clothes and his medium Fuzzi Bunz! He is quickly moving out of the snuggly stage (So soon! I am resigned to be a mother of boys with hard, fast-moving parts.) He really likes kicking his legs and practicing standing. He is working on "so big," and his all time favorite activity is sucking/chewing on his fingers. He thinks his family is very funny (especially Mama), and is pretty content to go with the flow. He is lucky as this fast-paced life we are leading lately means he gets to spend lots of time in the Ergo, his favorite spot. Thankfully, he is a good sleeper - in the nighttime and during the day!

Picnic in the Arb

2008-06-03T21:52:00.003-04:00

In an effort to keep the house as clean as possible, the boys and I met Daddy for a picnic in the Arb on Monday. The peonies seem to be a little behind this year. I would say only about a quarter of them were blooming. We'll have to check back later in the week. It is a pretty amazing sight when they are all in bloom!

Max and Owen were pretending to be "bees" and buzzing around to all the flowers! Max was doing a great job of pollinating. Here he is with pollen on his face!

Owen and Daddy taking it easy!

We had an open house on Sunday and showings last night and tonight. It is taking a lot of effort to keep this place clean! There seems to be some interest so that is a good thing (but no offers yet)! I hope we can get this house selling thing over quickly It does make for a lot of adventures as I am trying to keep Max out of the house as much as possible. There are lots of fun things to do - hanging with friends, dinosaur museum, hands on museum, parks, and hopefully we'll get to the pool soon. Max is very exciting to get there. I am still trying to figure out how I will keep Max alive while keeping Owen in the shade. I think we can work it out, but it may take some planning - and a large sun hat!

I've posted lots of pictures to Flickr - check them out!

Mom and boys

2008-05-31T18:05:00.001-04:00

Sorry it is so blurry - it is from our cell phone! I hope to download the "real" pictures from our camera this afternoon.

Friends

2008-05-28T19:20:00.002-04:00

Nate, Max and Lucy.

Max is going to miss being a city kid with such good buddies so close. (One next door neighbor and one two doors down!)

PS: Notice the maple leaves. These kiddos are very into nature this summer! Max tells everyone who will listen how the Emerald Ash Borer Beetle killed all the Ash trees. Unfortunately, not that many people want to listen.

Super Max

2008-05-17T14:29:00.002-04:00

Who is that masked super hero??

Soccer

2008-05-17T10:40:00.002-04:00

Soccer

2008-05-17T09:17:00.001-04:00

Max has started soccer! So far he has been kind of shy because of the high number of "strangers." Each time he is getting more outgoing though!

Cuddle-bug

2008-05-15T09:23:00.001-04:00

Owen is such a sweetie!

Newest member of our family

2008-05-13T19:13:00.003-04:00

Daisy-Doggy

She is 8 weeks old and an English Springer Spaniel. Both of her parents were immigrants from France. My cousin, Terry, just delivered her to Grandma Nancy and Grandpa Peter's today. They're taking care of her until we get there.

More pictures of Daisy are here.

House for Sale

2008-05-13T13:09:00.004-04:00

We have been going like crazy trying to get our house ready to sell. Of course with two kids it seems like 2 steps forward, 1.8 steps back every day. This weekend we showed it to a labmate of Adam's who is just getting going on his house search. It was kind of like a mock run through of what it would be like to show it - we spent two days cleaning non-stop. And lots of things are already undone: smudges on the windows! cat hair on the carpet! papers here! there! everywhere! The realtor is coming over today so we'll see what final projects she recommends: painting the baseboards! cleaning out the cupboards! rearranging furniture!

But for now - I must do my dissertation revisions! What the heck am I doing blogging, anyway?! For a glimpse of how things are around here click on the Flickr widget to the right for lots of pictures.

Hands On Museum

2008-05-12T14:13:00.001-04:00

Magnets!

Be still my heart

2008-05-04T14:04:00.003-04:00

It isn't exactly what I was looking for, but what is a plant-loving mother to do when her darling child gleefully runs up with such a plant? Plant the yard purple, of course. I hope the (potentially, possibly, theoretically) new owners like it!

Silly

2008-05-03T17:24:00.002-04:00

The grubby little fingers in the top of the picture are a clue...

Slumber Party

2008-05-03T07:55:00.002-04:00

Uncle Steve

2008-04-25T16:56:00.001-04:00

Commenced

2008-04-24T19:59:00.002-04:00

Steve & Tansy

2008-04-23T15:14:00.002-04:00

Nap

2008-04-20T12:56:00.001-04:00

Bathtime

2008-04-20T12:53:00.001-04:00

Fishin'

2008-04-19T18:33:00.001-04:00

Spring is here!

2008-04-16T20:14:00.004-04:00

Spring is here said the bumblebee.
How do you know said the old, old tree?
I just heard from a daffodil
dancing with a fairy on a windy hill.

It's Official!

2008-04-14T16:23:00.005-04:00

Baby Jackrabbit!

Adam signed the paperwork with SDSU! We're officially moving to South Dakota! Adam starts August 15 and I start September 1. We're hoping to have our house here on the market in early May and move sometime in July.

PS: More pictures here: Owen Week 3

Mr. Chunky

2008-04-08T12:08:00.002-04:00

I took Owen in for his 2-week-old checkup today. He is a healthy little bugger - and weighed in at 10 lbs 15 oz! That puts him officially at huge status! We also got a referral for the pediatric surgeon to see if he has a communicating hydrocele like big-brother Max had. It is looking like he probably does.

In general, Owen is a little sweety. He doesn't ask for much more than breastmilk and a dry diaper. (And best of all - he doesn't talk back!) Max is actually adjusting really well. It helps that we have had really nice weather, and Max has been able to spend lots of time outside. We have stopped worrying quite so much that Max is going to smoosh Owen at any minute. Owen no longer needs a permanent spotter or to be held constantly as protection from big brother!

Finally asleep!

2008-04-07T20:55:00.000-04:00

Little O-O

2008-04-07T18:26:00.000-04:00

Bath Time

2008-04-02T21:31:00.002-04:00

What a tummy!

All clean!

We are all cruising along here. Owen is well into his second week. He is growing like crazy. When our midwife weighed him on day 6 he had already regained his birth weight. Grandma Nancy has been here this week, and that has been great. We are sure going to miss her after she leaves tomorrow morning!

Check out more pictures here: Owen Week 2

Playing Trains

2008-03-28T22:19:00.003-04:00

Owen is doing great so far! He is a really happy and content baby. He has been sleeping well at night - just waking up to eat and passing right out again. He is starting to have some fun alert periods during the day. He is taking us all in; I think he likes us! Grandma Nancy got here on Thursday, and she is helping us get caught up around the house and snuggling with her favorite boys. Her voice is going hoarse from reading Max so many books! In other exciting news Owen's umbilical cord came off yesterday and he is getting over his mild jaundice!

Grandma is here!

2008-03-27T19:47:00.001-04:00

Sleepy Guy

2008-03-27T19:42:00.000-04:00

Settling in

2008-03-24T20:16:00.004-04:00

Finally a picture with his eyes open! As far as we can tell he looks almost exactly like Max when Max was a newborn. He's got brown hair and blue eyes, big hands, and very long and strong legs. He is strong in general - he is already holding his head up and positioning himself to nurse. He is *very* hungry. As can be expected, he is a professional at eating, sleeping and pooping!

Max is very excited about his big brother responsibilities and wants to hold and play with Owen constantly. Unfortunately, Max has a cold complete with the proverbial snotty nose. Learning to be a laid back parent the second time around comes rather quickly! We are basically settling into being parents x2. The 3-year-old is definitely our biggest challenge at this point. It is so hard to contain his energy and excitement! It is so hard for him to be "gentle." I have a feeling that Owen is going to be one tough guy! Fortunately, Max will be off at school for the next three days so he will get somewhat back on a schedule and give his poor parents some time to "rest."

I will try to post with labor details soon. Suffice it to say that it was very fast and intense. Hard labor started around 8:00 pm, my water broke completely at 10 pm, I pushed for a half and hour and that big chunker was out! Our doula was there from 8 on, the midwife apprentice was there from 7:30-8:30 and 10 on and our actual midwife only got there 10 minutes before he arrived! It felt very out of control, but I was so glad that it was quick. It was about as opposite from Max's birth as could be. As soon as it was over, my first thought was "Thank God I wasn't at the hospital." My first thoughts the next morning were, "I just got 4 hours of sleep. Thank God I am not still in labor!"

Owen Atlas Thiex Hoppe

2008-03-23T10:26:00.000-04:00

Born @ 10:36 pm 3-22-08

9lbs 10oz

2008-03-23T01:14:00.001-04:00

He's here!

2008-03-23T01:08:00.000-04:00

My water broke!

2008-03-22T13:12:00.002-04:00

It is just a trickle so far, and no real contractions to speak of. I gave the guys haircuts and we are just going to do some tidying up and resting.

False Alarm

2008-03-22T09:08:00.001-04:00

I had contractions throughout the night, but things are pretty calm this morning.

Carry on...maybe tonight, maybe next week.

Possibly Something

2008-03-21T22:43:00.002-04:00

Mild Contractions. Going to bed.

Happy Due Date to Me

2008-03-21T15:57:00.003-04:00

There is not much action yet. I had some twinges and cramps last night, but it was hardly worth mentioning. Yesterday was the equinox and today is a full moon, Good Friday and a snow storm so I was hoping some forces would converge to encourage this guy to come out, but I guess not! Check out the large belly. If this guy stays in much longer I think he is going to be a 10-pounder!

Skateboarding

2008-03-20T18:55:00.001-04:00

Nada

2008-03-20T12:11:00.004-04:00

Well, I was really tired this morning, and I did take a big nap only two hours after having gotten up. So, if something should happen tonight, I'm prepared! For all of you sending me labor vibes, imagine this.

Open, cervix, open!

I'm off to clean the carpet!

Max's Rules

2008-03-19T12:13:00.003-04:00

Max wasn't happy about something I said or did in his room last night (his "special place") so he decided to make some rules of his own, as follows.

Jumping
Dancing
Singing
Playing
Sleeping
Snuggling

So just in case you want to visit Max in his room, be sure to follow the rules. :)

Nothing so far

2008-03-19T12:07:00.002-04:00

Same old, same old here. I've had some Braxton-Hicks but nothing spectacular. If I use my imagination really hard, there might possibly be some twinges here and there. It could be a while, folks.

Big News!

2008-03-18T12:46:00.002-04:00

(Disclaimer: it is not about the baby!)

Adam got the Assistant Professor of Chemistry job at SDSU! It is specifically a Biophysics post and he'll be teaching a Biophysics class along with getting his research program up and running. There are still a lot of details left to be worked out, but things are looking up!

In other exciting news, little brother has a new friend! Alasdair James was born on March 13. Congratulations to his proud parents Katy and Will!

We have also made some fair progress on nesting. This weekend we cleaned our entire bedroom out, painted and got new furniture. It is almost totally assembled and we should be able to have everything put away by tomorrow. (I imagine myself like a wolf pacing in the woods and scratching up pine needles into my den to make a suitable birthing place. Only with Ikea furniture and low VOC paint.)

There have been no more signs of impending labor. That is good because I am looking forward to getting a lot of stuff done while Max is in school this Tues-Thurs, but I also wouldn't mind a few signs that little brother is thinking of making his way out soon! My sense in the last few days is that he is getting quite large!

Still pregnant

2008-03-17T19:28:00.000-04:00

Nesting

2008-03-17T19:25:00.000-04:00

First flowers!

2008-03-16T15:24:00.001-04:00

50 degrees

2008-03-14T17:35:00.001-04:00

Puddles!

A little action

2008-03-12T10:10:00.002-04:00

I've been having Braxton Hicks contractions for ages, but last night they crossed the threshold with a little added crampiness thrown in. So I guess we know that something is going on in there! My midwife had previously told me that it is not uncommon to have a lot of prodromal labor the second time around so I guess this is expected. At any rate, it was a good wake up call that there really is a baby in there and it really is coming out! Between the contractions and thinking about the fact that we haven't even unpacked the baby clothes I had a hard time sleeping last night! I will start washing them today and hopefully we can move the dressers around tonight. (Max is *very* sad about giving his dresser with the changing pad on top to the baby.) Fortunately, in the light of the day at least I have given up my 5am-contrived plan of painting the bedroom(s) before the baby comes!

Updates

2008-03-11T10:16:00.003-04:00

Adam is back from Minnesota safe and sound. Since no baby was born while he was away, we are all glad that he went. Max and I survived in his absence, but it wasn't necessarily pretty! I guess it was mostly just normal 3-year-old drama (slightly compounded by the fact that this was the 3rd time in two weeks that Daddy went away and before that his Mommy was a nervous wreck.) Off the top of my head there was the bottle of lotion squirted all over the carpet, he overflowed the kitchen sink, and had multiple 10-minute crying sessions about how he must have the pink fork, etc. The best story is how after his (poor pregnant) mother bodily forced his outdoor clothes on, we went outside to have a great time playing in the park. When I announced that it was time to go in, he took off sprinting in the opposite direction with the dog on her expander leash. The three block sprint did not do my body any good. I guess I'm getting to that stage of pregnancy where basically every movement hurts and that compounded everything by about 10. Needless to say, we played in the (fenced in) backyard yesterday! Today, Max is at school and Adam is at work so I'm thinking about finally getting around to some nesting, but the aforementioned sore bod is a slight deterrent!

As for my defense. I passed. I guess that is the big news which everybody already figured out. Unfortunately, I had a cold so my usually hoarse voice was worse than ever. I had a microphone and got through it, but it was no fun. I guess it was a good distraction from my hugely pregnant state! It took me a few days to get over the cold virus, but I'm thankfully back to normal now.

I'm having weekly midwife appointments now. Everything is going along swimmingly though I seem to be losing weight. I'm back down to +18 pounds now. I'm not sure if that is a stress thing or just how this pregnancy is supposed to go. It is a little disconcerting though. I guess, just because it is unexpected. I feel no sense of impending labor and, in fact, the idea of a second child is a little more abstract at this point in time than I would have hoped. (You'd think the hourly jabs in the ribs would make it more "real.")

I put some new pictures up on Flickr - you can get to them by clicking on the widget where it says "more pictures." There are some of my defense party, Grandma Nancy and Grandpa Peter's visit, and Christmas (its been a while!).

PS: We are really no closer to picking out a name than we were a few months ago, but we have decided to just wait and see the little bugger and hopefully something will come to us!!

We'll miss you Grandpa Hop.pe

2008-03-06T11:09:00.005-05:00

Adam's grandpa died yesterday. We are still trying to figure out if he should go home for the funeral which is on Monday. I don't feel like I am going to go into labor anytime soon, but still it is a little bit scary to think of Adam being 1000 miles away when I'm so close to the end. I started labor with Max at 39w3d and on Monday I'll be 38w3d. Please keep us all in your prayers!

2008-03-03T15:28:00.000-05:00

Dr. Thiex

2008-03-03T15:26:00.001-05:00

Dr. Thie.x

Congratulations!

2008-02-23T21:23:00.002-05:00

Trav & Emily just got engaged!

Congratulations!

2008-02-23T21:21:00.001-05:00

Emily and Trav are engaged!

I did it!

2008-02-18T16:08:00.000-05:00

Exciting News

2008-02-15T16:10:00.002-05:00

Adam has an interview for the Chemistry/Biophysics faculty position in SD! We had kind of given up hope on that.

So the schedule for the next few weeks:

Feb. 16th and 17th - Natalie: write like hell.

Feb. 18th - Natalie: turn her dissertation into her committee members.

Feb. 19th-20th - Adam: out of town for a talk in Ohio.

Feb.19th-22nd - Natalie: prepare for her defense presentation and CLEAN THE HOUSE!

Feb. 22nd - Midwives come over for home visit in preparation for home birth.

Feb. 25-29 - Natalie: practice defense and MORE CLEANING.

Feb. 27-29 - Adam: in SD for interview.

Feb. 29 - Adam gets back along with Grandma Nancy and Grandpa Peter

Mar 3rd - Defense

It all feels a little (lot!!!) out of control, but I guess that is life. It doesn't help that people assume that I am going to give birth any minute (because I must look like I am going to pop.) I keep telling them that I am not even thinking about the baby - just the dissertation!

Well, I have a hell of a lot of writing to do in the next few days. Adam has hardly started on his talk for Ohio, Max got sick this afternoon and Adam had to pick him up early from school. Pray for all of us that we survive the next few days, and after that the next few weeks! It is a little hairy around here.

Hi and Goodbye!

2008-02-03T21:57:00.000-05:00

*My dissertation is due to my committee in two weeks. (!!!)

*My defense is on March 3. (37w3d!!!)

*Total panic ensuing. (!!!)

*Despite not gaining that much weight (~15#), I am quite large. People burst into gales of laughter upon seeing me. (Not kidding.)

*Kid still has no name. (Max suggests "Wax." And more formally, "Wax Thiex Owen") (Among other crazy names.) (But also has told complete strangers on 3 different occasions that baby's name is Owen. With a completely straight face.) (???)

*Again with the panic. (!!!)

Working

2008-01-13T13:22:00.000-05:00

Max and Daddy were just coming in from playing outside.

Max: Mommy are you done working?

Mommy: Nope.

Daddy: Mommy has to work for a long, long, long time.

Max: Mommy were you working when the dinosaurs were here?

**It is approximately 3 weeks until my dissertation needs to be given to my committee! Yikes! Back to work!

Handsome Devils

2008-01-12T17:08:00.001-05:00

Data Meeting Accomplished

2008-01-08T11:02:00.000-05:00

After months (years) of anxiety, I'm glad to say that after I presented my Ph.D. research to my committee yesterday they gave me the go ahead to finish writing my disseratation and plan my defense. Based on my committee members' schedules it looks like my defense will be sometime the week of Feb 18-22. That gives me a month to finish writing as I have to have everything in two weeks in advance! I had better get to work.

The whole thing was rather anti-climactic; they hardly asked me any questions or gave me any advice! So, I thought I needed to burn off a little steam and had the great idea to walk the 3 or so miles home from campus. (Did I mention it was 62 degrees F yesterday?!) The first mile and a half, or so, were just what I needed, but the rest wasn't so good and I am really sore today. I feel like my hip joints are grinding to pieces - and everything is so stiff. This must be what it feels like to have arthritis!

That is the big news - I had better get to work!

Chuckle

2008-01-03T15:15:00.001-05:00

Yesterday, Adam and I were trying to get some work done at home. I tried to ask Adam discretely whether I should call the neighbor kid (our favorite 11 year old) to see if he would take Max outside to play for a little bit. We knew we were in big trouble when before Adam could respond, Max piped in, "I think we should call Ethan to come play with M-A-X!" I guess we've had a few months warning that the spelling trick was almost up. A few months ago I said to Adam, "It's almost time for N-A-P," and Max answered, "I don't want to take a nap!"

Max knows almost all of his letters now (unless, of course, we are asking him to demonstrate his vast letter knowledge to somebody else), knows a lot of the letter sounds and gets that letters spell words. I guess it is only time before we are in big, BIG trouble!

2008-01-01T11:39:00.000-05:00

2007-12-28T17:58:00.000-05:00

2007-12-26T14:55:00.001-05:00