What a great day!

My day with Max...

Sometimes I feel like the most impatient mom in the world. I think that maybe I am too quick to scold Max or to tell him "no" and get upset with him. Today was a stress-free and (mostly) tear-free day for us!

We started off with a pretty quick and tasty breakfast (I make him cereal with milk and bananas) and then headed out to the aquarium. It was so fun, we saw the sloth moving around and eating and Max just ran back and forth in the amazon (with all the school kids laughing and moving out of his way), that was before we even got into the children's play area for family music time. Lots of singing, playing and running around there too! It was great to see some of our friends: Aunti Liss, Brandon, Sadie, Jen, Ryoko and lots of others.

Max fell asleep in the car and napped for 2 hours! It was a good time for me to get some work done, so I transcribed one of the most difficult files I have had so far. I was frustrated, but Max certainly cooperated and napped quietly.

As usual though, I have a regret. When Max woke up, I was not quite finished working. Max wanted to read a book and I had to say no to get the file finished and sent in. It was only 20 minutes. But I HATE saying no to Max when it comes to something like reading... It led to some tears. I debate about whether or not they were real tears, as it was easy to distract him with a noisy toy.

But as soon as I was done, it was play and reading time before we started out for some visiting!

Off to the deli! I wish I had taken some pictures. Tevere Deli on Hastings has closed it's doors for good. Close family friends of ours own it and it's always been a fabulous deli. Unfortunately we have not been there nearly enough. But it was really nice to be able to be there one last time. Even though a lot of the shop was packed up and missing, it was great to be a part of it. Thanks for all the great sandwiches, soups and lunches over the years! Not to mention the fabulous party trays. You will be missed!

Max and I played there for a while before heading to Grandma & Grandpa's.

I think that Max has more fun at Grandma & Grandpa's than anywhere else. He never stops running around and exploring. Not to mention the fun that he has following Grandpa around. Max is constantly taking the remote and changing Grandpa's tv to something different, just because he can, or adding a little special something to his tea, or lounging beside him on the couch (momentarily, as he does NOT like to sit still for longer than a few seconds).

Max has also discovered how to open the doors there, they have different door knobs than we do (thank goodness, I'm safe for a bit). So far, he can only open the door when it involves moving the handle and then pulling the door towards himself. He has not quite figured out how to push the doors open yet. We had a great dinner and then changed into pajama's for the drive home.

I had pajamas there so I could change Max before heading home because for the last couple of months, anytime we leave Grandma & Grandpa's and it's dark outside, Max falls asleep in the car. Go figure that tonight, when I'm prepared for it, he doesn't. Big surprise there. So we came in and cuddled on the couch for a bit before going to bed. Tear- and yelling- free, yay!

So now, as I tidy up the house and get things ready for tomorrow I decided to stop and reflect on what a great day we had. Tomorrow's going to be another busy day and I won't get to see Max much at all, so I'm learning to make the most of the time that we do get together, it's nice to have these days to reflect back on.

Max learns so much, so quickly! More and more words are being strung together, he listens and understands and repeats everything. Our "conversations" are starting to make sense to people that are listening, not just to us. Which has been it's own kind of entertainment. Today he spent a lot of time saying "mummy. mummy. mummy? mummy! mummy." with all kinds of different intonation. I think he's starting to understand that I answer to that (that was the brunt of our conversation on the 15 minute trip to the aquarium). He usually spends a lot of time saying "dada" and "puppy". Tonight, he got to feed the dog, so he followed poor Christopher Plummer (yes, that really is Grandma's dog's name) saying "puppy! puppy?" with a piece of kibble, trying to get him to eat it. He didn't quite understand that the dog couldn't get it when it was inside his closed fist. So cute!

I am so grateful for the time that I get to spend with Max and family and friends. Also, that we and our friends and family around us are all happy and healthy and safe.