Fall fun

Here's photos from Max's professional photo shoots this fall. Molly of MEFphoto.com rocks!!!

It's been a busy few months in the Stein household. September was full of fun as I went back to the classroom full time. I'm teaching 3rd grade at an urban school in New Haven. I have a lively class with many challenges. I am happy to be back, but it's always a challenge finding a balance, which I'm not entirely sure is possible. I'm trying to work more at school and not bring home work at night, but this is not working out on the weekends so well.

Lou is on night float right now. It's awful. I feel awful for him. While I mostly always take Max to and fro through the day, it's especially hard for Max who doesn't understand why he's going days without seeing his daddy! At least I understand what's going on, although it doesn't make it any easier!

August travels

Max and I went to Chattanooga, Dandridge, and Lynchburg over the past few weeks. We arrived in Nashville and Erin and Spencer drove us to Chattanooga. Max slept for all of 5 minutes in the car and was a great traveler! He didn't go to sleep until 9 that night (usually he's in bed by 7:30). The next day we hung out at Erin's parent's house and swam. The boys had a great time together and really seemed to enjoy each other's company. Of course, Erin and I enjoyed hanging out also. While we were in Chattanooga we saw many friends and family. It was SUPER miserably hot and my little sweatbox had to be changed several times in a day usually (his clothes). We went to the zoo with Erin, Spencer, Dad, and Lynn. WOW! What a fun day!

Max hung out with his great-grandmothers as well. Mommy Anne just loves him and says he's a great baby. Mama came over and played with him on the floor! She's doing great!!! Max loved being the center of attention and was am amazing traveler.

Next we drove to Dandridge to see Stephanie and her family. We had a great time relaxing by the pool and eating! Larry took care of the four boys while Steph and I went to see a movie! So lovely! Max loved hanging out with the big boys! Rex (her 2 year old) and he got along very well and seemed to be friends! Thanks for hosting us!!! We had a blast!

After Dandridge, we drove to Lynchburg to see Laura and Jason. After getting a bit lost (ok, very! and my cell dying) we finally arrived at supper time. I was more frustrated than Max at that point! Laura and I had a wonderful time relaxing and watching Max play. He loved the baby pool at her house.

Now he's shaking his head up and down and asking for, "wa wa." I'm so glad he can communicate now! Lou picked us up at the airport yesterday and both Max and I had a hard time going to sleep back at home. Oh, but what a great sleep it was! This morning Max was evaluated since he's not walking. The speech therapist said he's well above 17 months in his verbal and cognitive skills, but he does have a significant gross motor delay (low muscle tone). So, that's why he's not walking yet. We're going to start some PT with him.

Thanks for all our wonderful visits, but we sure are glad to be back home with daddy (who's on vacation!!!).

Family and friends visits

From Philadelphia visit

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WOW! Two posts in one month! I must be working part-time. I am only working at New Haven Reads for a few weeks until Summer School starts. Then, I'm back to two jobs for a month or so, then I'm leaving NHR. Max and I are traveling and hanging out with family and friends in August. Lou is off for two whole weeks, so we plan on having some major family time! YAH!

Our niece, Ashley, came to visit last weekend. My friend Leslie and I held a tag sale and I needed someone to watch Max while we did that, and Ashley was graduating from 8th grade the following week, so she was free! Lucky for us! Max absolutely adores her and I don't blame him! She's great with him and so fun to watch her interact with Max.

This past weekend Max and I went to Philadelphia. I made the mistake of taking 206 in NJ instead of the turnpike. What was I thinking!? The trip was free, but it added an extra 2 hours to the trip! We stayed at Aunt Carol and Uncle Mike's on Weds. night. Mira and Anja were visiting from California, which was why we chose to go to Philly then... We had a great visit and Mira took some amazing shots of Max playing in the grass! Max loved watching his bigger cousins and trying to play with them. Tova, Anne, and JD came over for dinner (complete with awesome matzo balls!) and we all watched our kids play and laugh (and cry) together. What a great evening!

On Thursday, Max and I headed to my former school, Imani, to visit friends. Visits there are never long enough, but I always feel fabulous when I'm there! I love seeing my former students and teacher friends. It's so wonderful to be able to go back to a place where I truly enjoyed my job and was challenged constantly! Not that I'm not challenged now, it's just different to not be in the classroom. Max needed a nap, so we headed over to my pal Rachel's house nearby, where she and I visited while he napped. It worked out perfectly! We headed up to Aunt Myra's in Yardley then. It just so happened that Aunt Pennie was also in town, so we had a triple aunt visit!

On Friday, Ali came to visit, and she, Pennie, Max, and I went to Center City. We went to my favorite shoe store, The Continental for lunch, and tooled around. Max missed his afternoon nap, but took a short snooze in the car. It's so fabulous how adaptable he is---he slept in three different pack n plays in a few days and was ok with it! Then, we were off again to get our hair cut! Max had his first lollipop while we were there, he loved it! Those pictures are on my phone...

Saturday was rather relaxing. Pennie, Myra, Max, and I went to Willow Grove mall. Max and I departed early so he could nap in a real bed. I also took a snooze! Scott came over and later Beth and her kids (Chase and Olivia)...so wonderful to visit with cousins! Max adorned the attention and especially was drawn to his cousin, Scott, who we think is a baby magnet---all babies love him! And I must say he is great with them.

Max and I headed back to New Haven to celebrate Father's day with Lou (who was post-call). I made the dreaded mistake of taking the GW bridge instead of the Tappen Zee. We sat in traffic going towards the bridge for 2-3 miles for 2 HOURS! Max was more patient than I was. We were jamming out to his Music Together CDs from music class.

On Wednesday, Max and I are headed out to Colorado to visit my brother, Dan. My Mom and Issi are also meeting us out there. I welcome any advice for flying with a very active toddler on a four hour flight). He's great with take-off and landing, it's just the entertaining in-between.

oops...a month has passed

From outside with Max/Alexa's shower Max, Lou and I loved sitting in the grass at our old apt. It started last summer when Max and I would wait out there for Lou to come home. That was before. Before Max started moving like a maniac! I'm happy he crawls, pulls up, talks, and reacts; but sometimes I long for the days when he just wanted to be held or swaddled. I am in no way ready for another child, I just appreciate him when he was in baby blob mode more now that he's mobile! Just today he started pointing to his ears, mouth, toes, belly, and shoes when we ask him where they are. He's already been pointing to his nose for a month or so, now he also says "NOOOOO..." (as in, nose). Mom and Issi have been here a long stretch. I love it when there here because I can come home at lunch time and see them and Max! It's also wonderful to have help! I feel like I've been on vacation. Issi put up gates on the stairs for moving Max and mom mostly unpacked us! Thank goodness! I just didn't have the patience to unpack. My job at school ends on Friday. I'm a bit sad, but feel very accomplished at helping my children become readers! The next week Max and I are off to Philadelphia for a visit, then the following week we'll be heading to Boulder, CO to see my brother, Daniel. Any and all advice for flying with a toddler is welcome! The last time we flew was in Feb. and he wasn't the major squirm he is now. In July I'm teaching Summer School and it's my last month at New Haven Reads. I'm just going to work part-time in the fall unless a teaching job comes along, but I'm not making myself crazy over it.

Toddlerhood

(R) Max had a photo session with Margot's dad, Tarsey. He really captured Max's funny faces!

Max threw his first tantrum yesterday. I was a bit shell shocked. My darling, adorable, cute baby started crying hysterically when I took the spoon that he was putting on his bare foot, then into his mouth away from him. I seriously was SPEECHLESS! I just asked him what he was doing. I did not give the spoon back to him. I did hide it though. It seemed like forever, but it was probably a few seconds and he stopped crying. He was finished eating, so we went outside and he was totally fine! Good-bye crocodile tears! He's been a bit moody lately (I so wonder where he gets that!?)... He's not walking or even cruising yet. I'm ok with that. We're moving next week and I don't really think I can handle much else going on! He wants to be held, held, held, then when he wants, he goes slack against my hip and slides down. Then up again. He has quite the vocabulary! He says mama, dada, ball, boon, egg, leaf (I haven't heard that one yet), yaya (his daycare provider), and various other ba, la, da, pa... We ask him where his nose is and he points to it! Of course, if we ask where anything else is, he points to his nose! Max holds the book correctly (Yah! CAP test for kindergartenders!) and will point to pictures in the book. He loves playing with his blocks, especially knocking down anything tall! He giggles every single time he knocks them down!

If I say, "Max, where's your ball. Bring me the ball, please?" He will find one of his many balls and bring it to me or at least show it to me. I am so delighted that he is where he is developmentally. Equally so I am glad that I can talk with my fellow mommy friends without feeling like we're competing (it's HARD!). We all recognize that our kids will hit milestones at different times and that's ok. Max did get teeth on April 30!!! Two of his bottom ones popped up! Maybe that's why he's been Mr. Moody? He's also down to one nap a day!

My bookclub book just came today, so I need to get reading. I'm almost out of boxes to pack. Is anyone reading this?

Toddlerhood

(R) Max had a photo session with Margot's dad, Tarsey. He really captured Max's funny faces!

Max threw his first tantrum yesterday. I was a bit shell shocked. My darling, adorable, cute baby started crying hysterically when I took the spoon that he was putting on his bare foot, then into his mouth away from him. I seriously was SPEECHLESS! I just asked him what he was doing. I did not give the spoon back to him. I did hide it though. It seemed like forever, but it was probably a few seconds and he stopped crying. He was finished eating, so we went outside and he was totally fine! Good-bye crocodile tears! He's been a bit moody lately (I so wonder where he gets that!?)... He's not walking or even cruising yet. I'm ok with that. We're moving next week and I don't really think I can handle much else going on! He wants to be held, held, held, then when he wants, he goes slack against my hip and slides down. Then up again. He has quite the vocabulary! He says mama, dada, ball, boon, egg, leaf (I haven't heard that one yet), yaya (his daycare provider), and various other ba, la, da, pa... We ask him where his nose is and he points to it! Of course, if we ask where anything else is, he points to his nose! Max holds the book correctly (Yah! CAP test for kindergartenders!) and will point to pictures in the book. He loves playing with his blocks, especially knocking down anything tall! He giggles every single time he knocks them down!

If I say, "Max, where's your ball. Bring me the ball, please?" He will find one of his many balls and bring it to me or at least show it to me. I am so delighted that he is where he is developmentally. Equally so I am glad that I can talk with my fellow mommy friends without feeling like we're competing (it's HARD!). We all recognize that our kids will hit milestones at different times and that's ok. Max did get teeth on April 30!!! Two of his bottom ones popped up! Maybe that's why he's been Mr. Moody? He's also down to one nap a day!

My bookclub book just came today, so I need to get reading. I'm almost out of boxes to pack. Is anyone reading this?

Family and friends visits

From Last Import

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Here's a picture of our niece, Ashley, pushing Max at the park. She lives about an hour away and came on Friday, spent the night and took care of Max while I worked on Saturday. Max loves her!!! We can't wait to have her back! Max is enjoying the outdoors as the weather becomes nicer (sometimes). He's very happy outside. When he cries (rarely), if I take him outside he will stop no matter the weather.

Today Max and I visited Mia, Lena, and Mikaela in Armonk. We had a wonderful relaxing day playing inside and outside.

Blog slacker...

End of March 2010

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I apologize for being a blog slacker, I'll try to be better. We've been very busy with birthday parties, parental visits, and work! Max celebrated friends' birthday parties and then celebrated his own on March 13 at Blend. Our Music Together teacher was the one who led the party and it absolutely rocked! We didn't sing Happy Birthday to him because I thought he would freak out. He knew exactly what to do with his cupcake baked inside the ice cream cone (Thank you Jaymie!!!). He put the cupcake up to his toothless mouth and went to town on it! He really enjoyed it! We gave me another one on Sunday (his actual birthday) and sang to him with a candle in the top. He definitely likes sweets. He actually really likes chocolate, so if I'm eating something chocolate, he thinks it's for him. I share a bit with him because we don't want to be the "NO SWEETS" parents; it's ok in moderation. He's not eating it every day.

My mom and Issi visited and kept Max home while they were here. We had a wonderful visit with Dan (my brother) also while they were here. My dad and Lynn came last week and hung out with Max. Although it's hard to live far away from family, it's so nice when they visit! I appreciate their company more having a long-distance relationship.

Max is a eating, toothless, crawling, goofy face-making little guy! He is an absolute joy. Yesterday he wasn't feeling so well and was a bit crabby--Lou and I didn't know what to do with him! Poor baby! Until next time...