Happy List - Max 4.0

top things (in no particular order) that are making Max 4.0 extra happy lately

• he found the youtube channels: KidCity, Lucas' World, and the Axel Show by clicking a link, within a link and is totally mesmerized by all the figurines of his favourite super heroes and kids opening toys. I've never fully watched a video, but I hear it in the background- giant Kinder-like eggs with toys inside, toy reviews, people playing with toys etc. He's just like me, the more i watch reviews on youtube, the more enticing the Louis Vuitton bag toy becomes
• going to the mall with his lolo and lola; bottom line, grandparents say NO a lot less frequently than parents
• building 5-7 mini Duplo towers and setting them up like bowling pins. then, using his monster trucks or hot wheels and slamming into them. the more towers that fall, the stronger the monster truck or hot wheel
• reading AY NAKU! over and over again. it's our favourite book right now
• picking a super hero from his Marvel poster and pretending to be him/her for the day/night while he practices his ninja defence and attack moves. this involves lots of rolling on the ground, jumping, high kicks in the hair, rumbling, tumbling, serious ninja facial expressions, and various toys pretending to be weapons, and me throwing a squishy caterpillar toy at him so he can dodge it 

• going to the local play pit, play cafe (worth the $7 and they have good coffee!), playground with slides that resemble the Paw Patrol slide, pretending to be a paw patrol pup while going down the slide, and with toddler level jungle gym's, sandboxes, and large grass fields
• going to the mud fields and puddles; and guiding me to which puddles are safe for me to walk through as they're not too deep. he uses his 3 foot shovel to gauge the depth and decide whether it's safe for us to carry on. he also uses this shovel to gauge whether the muddy area is too soft or perfectly firm to carry our weight as he has had a bad experience with getting stuck in the mud
• finding a bike parking lot with lots and lots of bikes and ringing all the bike bells he can find
• he loves showing off this famous Michael jackson move while listening to MJ's #1's

• doing wacky dance moves in front of his sister while she's in the jumper. she reacts by squealing and jumping vigourously which feeds into him dancing some more for her. lovely cycle of laughs!
• talking about pee and poo, farting and us reacting to his farts. the more we react, the more we talk about it, the more we say "pee" "poo" "fart" in a sentence, the more he laughs! 

oh, KIDS! 

Life Lately, 1 month Post Partum!

they said, second baby's are so much easier!! 

and from my experience, this has proven to be true (knock on wood) in the first new normal month of our household. Maybe I just know what to do this time around? put to breast whenever and often, don't sleep with husband in same room, lower expectations for house cleanliness, lower expectations for daily activities, give husband a 'job' ie. take Max out, utilize the iPad (!!). Or that this baby is such a good baby, and not as needy as my #1 in their infancy "girls are so much easier!" they said. 

Mikkel!

^^ born like this; her hand against her face ^^

she's essentially asleep for 2.5-3 hours, and then feed/diaper change/tummy time, sleep again. she absolutely despises being swaddled and sleeps with her arms up, which is adorable (and temporary). she also can't stand a pacifier, giving me a look of disgust at any of my attempts at placing one in her mouth. our typical day:

• bedtime routine starts at approx 7:20pm (wipe down, naked tummy time, gum brushing) all while very upset and crying. typical fussy time. at near 745pm, it's a feed where she sometimes takes milk from both breast, but more often now 1 will do for 2.5-3 hours. her and i have our 1:1 cuddle time in a night-light lit room until she falls asleep - i just hold her, stare tenderly at her, and wait for her limbs to go flaccid, and then transfer her to her co sleeper
• throughout the night, it's a feed and sleep routine. usually she's in bed with Max and I after her first wake up. I change her diaper only if she poops because if she gets over stimulated, she thinks it's play time and neither of us won't be going back to sleep for 1.5 hours- whereas i'm just dying for sleep and getting ultra irritable
• wakeup time can vary from 730am to 830am, which sets us up for another fussy time until i put her on the carrier for another nap
• at night she goes to sleep right away after a feed, but during the day, she only sleeps while on the ergo (thanks to nursing, I'm a pro at holding it in ha!)
• needs a nap at dinner time lasting until just about 7pm or she'll be so overtired and will take forever to put down for night sleep. so far I've been diligent that this happens because her down time is my up time with Max

nice to know...

• as of Sept 23, she's about 9 lbs 9oz
• her favourite side to sleep on, which almost is a sleep inducer for her overnight, is on her right side. this is consistent with her behaviour in utero as i always felt her body on my right side. she can turn her head to her left without discomfort, but range of motion isnt as fluid as the other way
• we sleep so well co sleeping
• she's doesn't have much of a shrieking, high pitched type of cry. she gives me warning "wah!" sounds which escalate a brief amount of time. super helpful overnight when I don't want Max to wake up
• she gets hiccups often, same as while in utero
• black hair, grey eyes

^^ the Ergobaby carrier is a must have for us. only way she'll nap during the day ^^

Max!

Max started preschool this September and i firmly believe it's one of the best decisions we've made for him. he's absolutely thriving in the school setting and has bonded with his teachers. i was really worried about Max's separation anxiety, and consulted so many blogs and forums. The consensus from real time mom's (and teachers) was that I needed to try to just leave him there. even though tears will be had, it won't be forever. During gradual entry (3 classes over 2 weeks), I stayed with him while baby wearing for the entire 2 hours- he didnt play with other kids, he didnt interact with teachers, and he didnt really participate in group time. He wanted to show ME everything and do everything with ME, and follow ME wherever I went (can you imagine how exhausting that is with a baby strapped to your chest and you can't really sit down properly? aiya!). On our off days, we talked about having courage, how we love him so much, how we will ALWAYS come back, and of course how to ask the teacher to go to the washroom. I let him bring a toy to class that reminded him of home, and most importantly, per the idea of my friend Helen, i gave him a picture of my husband and I that he could carry in his pocket and look at whenever he was lonely or needed some strength. 

First day tears, the teacher basically took him far from me, while i walked out after kisses and hugs and hung around taking a peak for 10 minutes- then I went home guilt ridden and on the verge of tears. When I went back for pickup (extra early of course), he was all smiles as i took a peak, and the teacher feedback was 'he did great!' Second day, watery eyes, kisses and hugs, picture of us in his hand, gave him to the teacher, and I left the building. 'He did great!' was the after school feedback, and he carried our picture in his hand throughout the entire class (aw!). Now 1 month in, he tells me that it's ok that I leave him at school all by himself (!!) and no tears or picture in hand needed. He's all smiles, kisses, hugs, and happy when I pick him up- yes! 

As for his relationship with his sister, he absolutely loves her! I asked if he gets upset when he's woken up in the middle of night by her cries, and he say's 'no she's a baby' happily. He tenderly asks her, 'what's the matter girl?' and hugs her, kisses her, pets her, rocks her on the bouncer, and heck even tells ME that she needs milk and to pick her up and hug her. i think they're going to have a wonderful relationship. I can leave this world in peace!

As for us...

my husband sleeps in another room, and gets plenty of sleep (tough life eh?). his job is to take Max out to the park at least for an hour, at least once a day (twice lately, since it's been so beautiful!). he's not exactly free from responsibility like when we just had #1, so when I am able to live in the moment and cherish some peace and quiet, i know it's not by my means alone, it's because my husband is doing something with loud, energetic, defiant Max! He's also been pretty useful in the food department and getting our daily groceries and cooking some meals. anything helps!

my post partum recovery has been pretty smooth. I'm getting sleep, albeit choppy sleep at night, but I'm able to chug along sans coffee. my biggest complaint is my lochia which fluctuates from nothing, to saturation especially during and or after activity like baby wearing. I'm trying to take it easy but I really cannot give up on this great weather while we still have it- i have the rest of the winter weather year to stay at home and watch tv. lately, i've been venturing out to downtown, the malls, and walking to our local Superstore - this is about as lively as my cardio gets nowadays but again, lowered expectations. if there's one thing I need to improve on with my overall self though it's to increase my patience with Max. My fuse isn't short, but dang he's one defiant, rambunctious little fellow- i don't even think it's baby related, it's just his age. I am aware, and I need to be more mindful of this before I ruin our connection. Lastly, friends have come to visit, and those I only get to see every now and then, have come to my neck of the woods to meet the baby or just to chill out even if it's for a brief period of time. I put on one of my maternity dresses today, and was in disbelief at how it fit me now compared to 5 weeks ago when I could barely button up the darn thing because of my abdomen. I miss some parts of being pregnant, but love not being pregnant so.much.more. Online shopping is my new outlet, i'm a happy camper!

Our transition into this new normal household has been overall much more enjoyable than in 2012. my midwifery care will end in the next couple of weeks and i'm confident that my baby and family will thrive! Looking forward to 11 more months of constant change <3

Maxwell 3.5!

Where is the time going?
How am I already nearing the birth of #2 and forever changing the life of my first love?

Max 101:

Weight-
Height- 38.5" approx
Hand- a righty
Fav color- blue

Clothes: shirts 3T (4T is still baggy), bottoms 3T on average
Shoe size: 11
Diapers: pampers baby dry #6

Sleep: nap time 3-5pm usually (but sometimes 2:30-430pm) 6 days a week. Longest times are usually on stroller. As for night sleep, lights off at 930pm (and i'm out like a light). I think he falls asleep around 10:20pm and wake up time usually between 8:30-9am. he always wakes up happy. still a co- sleeper! however at my parents house, he requests to sleep alone in his own room, does so for a couple of hours, and then awake fresh...why so different at home!? bah

Soothers: definitely needs it as his crutch to get to sleep, but not necessarily to stay asleep. It falls out of his mouth at night, and if he wakes, I can hear and feel him look for it...then back to sleep once it's in his mouth. Then it falls out again. Definitely in his mouth while napping in the stroller. While at home, he looks for it and he either has it on and off while watching TV or playing on the iPad...or has lost it somewhere around the house (many many times) and I have to look for it (annoying). Whenever we're out though, no soothers (which he still calls "babies") until sleeping time. Article about pacifiers at this age HERE

Potty training: he's pooped in the potty x 1. he's voided in the potty and the big toilet multiple times, he's voided in bushes, at the beach, rocks etc ...he just doesn't want to do it consistently.

Favorite TV shows: Toopy and Binoo on Treehouse, Blaze and the Monster Machines via YouTube, as well as Paw Patrol via Youtube. He is not allowed to watch youtube videos while i'm off work. i'm pretty irked that my husband uses it as a baby sitter to get some downtown in the evening. but WHATEVER, look the other way....

Favorite apps: Toca Band (very cute, i like the little characters and sounds they make. you can create your own band and 'play' the individual instrument), and Monster Jam.

Favorite activities: throwing rocks at the ocean at New Brighton, biking, digging deep holes in the sand, picking fruit off of the local/public gardens, wandering around empty land and throwing rocks and climbing up hills, playgrounds and pools (it is summer after all!), watching his shows on youtube which consists of Paw Patrol, Blaze and Monster Machines, kids song videos, and various videos of people opening up Kinder Eggs and people playing with toys (weird)

Favorite foods: "rocket popsicles" which are torpedo shaped popsicles in red/white/blue, green apples, red apples, bananas, strawberries, oranges, hot dogs, curry pho, lipton chicken noodle soup, strawberry kefir, various cereals mixed together, gummy candies, toast with butter, bacon, plain pancakes, any type of fries. He however eats whatever we eat for dinner with no problem. If I want him to eat MORE, then I feed him...which is basically 90% of the time

Favorite toys: whatever is in the house. we downsized a lot and he never noticed. we got some Lego pieces which is kinda fun, but the novelty is wearing off fast because it's messy. Monster trucks, play dough on/off, construction vehicles are still popular

Favorite books:  whatever he grabs from the shelf, which could really be anything or the same thing every night. I have to admit that books aren't a big part of our day until bed time

on his sister:  Max has been aware to be gentle with me and only is serious about getting picked up when he's officially of the rails and is having a meltdown- then and there he needs lots of TLC, hugs hugs hugs and comforting and i've been able to get away with him straddled and just holding me. We have one big brother book, and we read it every now and then. Funny enough some of the scenarios and toys in the book are similar to what exists in his own world so he easily relates. My coworker advised me that it's really helpful for him to have be a participant in the care of the new baby, and be assigned a 'job.' What he's actually going to do I don't know, and believe me, I'm very flexible about it...but i think starting off with getting a me a diaper for his sister is easy enough. He uses her name freely, and is reminded of it often. He speaks gently about her, and how he is open to possibly shorting some toys and teaching her how to play with them (however, his iPad is currently out of the question lol). my biggest concern is our sleeping arrangement, so i'm trying to savour what he and I have now, and remind him how unavailable I most likely will be for the first while when she arrives. that I can't sleep with him, but daddy will, and his sister won't be sad. Of course, he replies with, "but mamma i'll be sad because I want to sleep with you (torture me, why don't you!? awwww. clearly a work in progress). We remind him that he's going to be the big brother and that he has a role in protecting his sister, and of course, last but not least...she really loves him and can't wait to meet him! I have way more research to do.

on tantrums: i would say he's at the more sensitive time of his life since he was a baby. so many stupid reasons why he would escalate to full blown end of the world tears lately (ie. he wants an apple whole not cut, he's too hot to sleep at night, he wants to be picked up by me but not hugged at the same time..wtf?). sometimes i can just catch myself and what I'm saying that would put him over the edge, other times when I'm exasperated and put my foot in my mouth, I literally see the situation spiral down...down...down...and I'm in for about 30 minutes of invested time consoling him. the biggest lesson I've learned during those moments are to not bother talking to him because I won't get anywhere, just be there and hug and cuddle and wait. When he's ready and settled (again about 30 minutes!), then he's able to tell him what led to his meltdown, we talk about, and i get to remind him to use his words rather than random pointing, screeching, escalating, temper tantrum behaviour. All is well afterwards...phew!

• Max makes me laugh all the time, his actions and words are just so funny. Mamma, I'm going to go mountain biking when i'm older, when I have hair on my bum (lol!!!)
• he is a happy boy 95% of the time
• he's got excellent physical skills and very agile, his athletic abilities come from my husband
• I love that he knows the words to his emotions (so many words, always a work in progress of course)
• he reacts to my "look" of disapproval, which I give when he's doing something I don't agree with. When he sees my "look" he knows it's not right. Then he asks, "is mommy happy?" 
• when he cries, he looks for me and reaches out for a hug and hold. he keeps saying "mamma hug, mamma hug" repeatedly until he feels better, and then he asks himself "why is Max crying?" and at this time he is so much more reasonable and easier to talk to and teach right from wrong...this pertains to anything he does
• he can be shy in social situations for the first 30mins-1 hour then he relaxes and is very personable
• i always get compliments on his behaviour at adult parties and get togethers 
• he randomly says, "mommy I love you." even if we're just doing nothing...on a bus...waiting for our stop to come along. this boy really really loves me
• if he knows he did something wrong, he looks at me and says, "mommy I just love you," and tries to distract me from a naughty behaviour
• he calls us 'mommy'  or "mamma" and 'daddy' 
• he's very exothermic, he's hard to sleep beside in the summer because he radiates so much heat. he sweats a lot while he sleeps...he gets this from my husband
• even though i have plenty of cool bandaids, he doesn't really like bandaids on his scrapes
• he needs "privacy" when he needs to have a poop. which means that he needs to be in another room (at home only), or we need to be relatively far away from him (like 10 ft), or feel that he's "hiding" and we can't stare at him when he's trying to poop (or at least make him feel like we're waiting for him with added pressure). when he's done, he'll call or tell us.
• he can't stand washing his hair or getting his hair wet
• if he really loves something, he wants to sleep with it
• got food poisoning in early July and he wanted me ONLY. very clingy after that and since, also his whiny voice has been used quite often (aiya!)
• first canker sore! apparently he got it by biting down on one of his monster truck's wheels
• able to separate himself from toys, and actively donate items he feels he no longer wants
• theres a battle to brush his teeth every night ranging from mild to harsh
• he's been really good at back talking lately, sometimes his responses are just so logical that he can't be fooled by us 

Preschool in September!! 

A Bike Rider In the Family!

^^ next time ill catch this on video! ^^

Last summer my husband bought a brand new bike for Max at a local garage sale for pennies! Way too big in 2014, but this year Max's legs are just long enough to make full revolutions. A lot of 'practicing' and getting used to the concept of pedalling was done in our condo hallway (especially during the winter). To our surprise, it only took 3 days of teaching this week, once he was able to reach the pedals (along with a snazzy new helmet that Max himself chose and nice weather), to learn to ride a bike! as for me, I learned to ride (a bike with training wheels) at 8 years old. Im super impressed that this little big guy can already do laps around the track, turns, skids, pumping breaks, hop on and hop off at 3.5 y/o...what! by the end of the summer, I bet he'll be faster than our abilities to run (kinda scared about that!).

^^ no tears full fledged fall off the bike ^^

^^ first comes a yellow bell, then...a basket and streamers ^^

Three year's old is seriously getting better and better, I keep saying this about every age but this year has been my favourite thus far. This will be another summer to remember! 

Maxwell 3.0

Happy New Year readers!

My sister finally gave birth to Max's cousin early this month!

Although he does state that he "doesn't like" him every now and then, his actions are very gentle and loving towards the new member of the family. Check out the picture above, no coercion needed for those gentle strokes! So proud of Max lately, can't help but reinforce all of his positives with a million kisses and hugs.

As for us, we're counting down the 2's and slowly welcoming the 3's. Max has been a really good two year old that we're wondering if we'll be thrown a curve ball for the next toddler stage (were we just spared? hehe). But for real, I'm really loving and living with a toddler, it all has been so much fun. there are daily laugh outbursts around here and mind-blowing moments because he is just changing so much right before our eyes- this time, we're not that sleep deprived so we notice them!

Some Max 101's lately:

• weight approximately 32.5lb's, and 37" tall
• tops are a solid 2T and bottoms length at 3T but he still needs a belt with denim as his waist is small (more 2-2.5T in size). Shoe size approx 9-9.5
• the clarity of his speech and the way he can articulate himself has been complimented on by strangers and family (I often hear, "he's a good communicator for a Boy!" whatever that means).
• we take 1 nap a day (usually a 2:30pm), with varying lengths of 45 mins to 2 hours. He only uses 1 pacifier now to sleep, it's really his Pavlovian stimulus to turn his centres for activity from on to SLEEP.
• Our night sleep is 9:30 lights off. I have no idea what time he falls asleep because i'm so tired that I just pass out. However, he wakes up anytime between 815-9am (thank you, child!). 
• we still co sleep and we love it especially in the winter. He's a bit of a yo-yo sleeper though where he sleeps at the foot of the bed, then up higher and there's no rhyme or reason with the pattern- but he's a great heater! I love it when he ends up under the blankets, sleeping right beside me. 
• favorite foods are fruits in season, and apples all year. Excellent eater! However, he'll leave the table early to play, and will the rest of his plate if I feed him the rest of his dish. Usual breakfast is Raisin Bran/Cheerios/or Rice Crispies with raisins and hemp hearts. Lunch is bought from wherever we're located (and if at home, sandwiches and Lipton soup), and dinner often has rice as he's not a potato person unless they're fried with gravy (Costco dates!)
• as for candy, anything gummy- especially worms! Cant tell if he's a salty or sweet person because he won't pass either up 
• favorite toys are anything Monster Trucks. When we got "Grave Digger" for him for Christmas, he slept with it for a week! We ended up getting him an iPad mini for Christmas and he gets screen time privileges in the evening.
• his favourite apps are: TOCA MONSTERS, LITTLE FOX, ENDLESS ABC, MECHANIC MIKE: Monster Truck Edition (i know this links to the Android version, but whatever)
• He IS OBSESSED  loves Gangnam style music video (original and the Hulk version) and watching live Michael Jackson concert footage to which he has to dance to and perform for us multiple times a day. We have a costume bin filled with dress up clothes; like a Michael Jackson hat, gloves, shoes, black pants, white socks.. :op (thank you Dressew!)
• our favourite book is still The Incredible Book Eating Boy, and I refer to Henry the little boy when I want Max to take big bites of his food!
• finally, this is the season of WHY? everything I ask or whatever he says has a "WHY?" in it. I had only read about this in books, or seen it on TV, but it's so much more amusing in real life.

Mama, I'm going to tell you a story,

(ok go for it)

one day there was a boy riding a horse...WHY? 

(lol)

This lovely little man, is my 3 year old xoxoxo

Maxisms at 31 months

Where the oooh-ahh mamma?

While eating some strawberries, Max: Touch my tail mamma!


Max's new it word is "bum bum." Max: I love asparagus bum-bum, i want to eat cookies bum-bum, i love mamma's bum bum. Good night bum bum.

me: "what did you dream about last night?" Max: moe-moe (our cat) sitting on the toilet paper.

as we're walking home (about 15 minutes away, me: hey want to get off the stroller and walk? Max: no thanks, ill walk at home

me: can you put that back in the toy box please? Max: no thanks actually

as I'm pretending to sleep so he'll continue to sleep at 7am, he cups my face in his hands and whispers, "have a good sleep mamma."

why?
what's wrong?
please please please mama please?
no way jose.






i haven't done a Max update in ages! He's changing so much every day with a new oh about 3-5 words a day - most i don't know where he picked up from...i think it's about time to capture this little as a 31 (!!) month old.

Weight: approx 30lbs
Height: approx 36.5-37" <-- tall enough for Playland 2014 kiddie rides!

Max loves reading: any books that involve trucks and diggers like THIS and THIS, and as for books with stories we read Nursery Rhymes, The Gruffalo, and The Beginner's Bible often.

Max loves eating: for breakfast we have a fruit smoothie or milk + fruit bowl + raisins + carb bowl (ie. dry cereal, buttered toast with hemp hearts, fruit granola bar). for lunch, we're often out. Our go-to's are Opa Calamari with rice which he devours, OR a grilled cheese/ham/spinach or kale sandwich. Our bring along snacks are fruit (apples, strawberries, grapes. or oranges are a hit), goldfish, snap peas or rice crackers. For dinner, he eats what we're eating, the food is often always a winner if broccoli, rice, or fries are involved. Then for an evening snack it's more and more fruit. He is only allowed to drink whole milk, water, and sometimes juice.

Max's favorite toys: monster trucks, diggers, cars, trucks, cars, and trains in that order, then it's balls and shovels. i carry or find some sort of vehicle(s) in every purse i have.

Max is wearing: size 8 shoes (but probably 8.5 is better, 9 being too big). 2T shirts. 2T pants. size 5 baby dry.

Max watches TV!: i was really into the whole anti-TV idea, but at this age i need to get stuff done and he needs to be distracted. his TV time is almost always in the evening after we've spent the entire day out and about, his favourite shows are Toopy and Binoo, Caillou, Zigby, and My Big Friend.

Max on the iPad: we're still not wholly on the iPad bandwagon because i found it really annoying (after two age attempts) that Max would not play and instead be focused on going on the iPad attending to his games/watching his truck shows. There were times when he couldn't let the thing go on a sunny day and had to have a cry about it, absolutely not acceptable to me. To initiate some boundaries, and because i am a believer in the educational abilities of the iPad, we've initiated 'iPad Sundays' where he has free for all access to the thing while at home. his favourite activities on the iPad are watching Monster Truck videos via YouTube, playing the apps Elmo Loves ABC's and Endless Alphabet. I like to encourage him to play Gus on the Go because it teaches him and I tagalog words.

Potty trained?: not interested in sitting on the toilet at all, in fact uses it as a stool or car storage or hat most of the time. He is aware of when he's voiding and holds his diaper, mamma i go pee pee but not interested in taking his diaper off to try the potty. As for poop, he tells us after the fact and not interested in trying to sit on the potty when we see poop cues. We are enjoying the Potty Book in the mean time.

Bed time: Bath time around 730pm. During the summer, we've been staying up till 9pm with lights officially out at 9:30pm, and we're co sleeping. He's usually asleep around 1015pm and wakes up at 9am. He still uses his soothers as cues to sleep (at night and nap time), and i pop it out when he's fast asleep. He has to hold one and have one in his mouth lol. Sometimes i can get away with not needing to give them to him all night, but they're mainly both back with him by 6am to extend our sleep time. As for nap time, he sleeps around 2pm for 2-3 hours (the latter amount when we sleep at home).

So far Max has been a really good two year old, *knock on wood* though that three will be just as fun.

Morning at Maplewood Farm!

^^ dream come true! ^^

We spent most of the morning at Maplewood Farm in North Van the other day. I had never been before and Gene, although growing up in North Van, doesn't recall ever setting foot on the grounds! As a result, it was the first time for little Max. The weather was absolutely fabulous for us this day and the day prior, which made for a not so muddy farm experience (regardless, i highly recommend bringing an extra pair of shoes for kids unless you don't mind crap on your upholstery). Furthermore, even though it was a pro-d day for school, the farm was relatively empty when it came to people and crowds. This was definitely an added bonus as there were plenty of opportunities for Max, who was already unsure and a bit scared of some of the animals whom he'd only seen in books, to run, play, and touch them. Max had a great time and actually didn't want to leave, more specifically he wanted to stay and feed the birds all.day.long even though the birds weren't eating the bird food...i mean these must be the most well fed chicken and birds in the neighbourhood with all the traffic that comes through this farm! 

^^ this little lamb was so sweet with Max! it just stood there letting him caress his head for so long ^^

^^ for a while i thought this goat was a statue because it just stood there for such a long time ^^

^^ he wanted to take this home ^^

^^ just a little scared of the poultry that were oh, about 1/2 his size in height! id be scared too ^^

^^ hi chickens!! ^^

Harmonica Love

we recently came across a couple of Harmonica's and just had to buy them. we've been slowly accumulating some random instruments at home with the intention that Max will one day play them. but y'know instruments are such an individual thing and in my opinion you really need to be called by the instrument to endure such a love affair. commitment, passion, hard work, happiness, connection with the music...it's like a freakin' relationship. 

anyhow, the harmonica has been such invaluable source of entertainment lately. when we first whipped it out of the packaging, he reached for it right away...probably because it was nice and shiny...but he didn't let go of it because he was interested. first and foremost, the instrument is great for toddlers as the skill to produce lovely sounds involves some simple breathing. sure the sounds aren't official songs (but really, the beauty blues harmonica is how cathartic it is, is there really sheet music for it? i don't know), but it took Max all of 5 tries to understand how to play and slide his mouth left to right as he blows (or more precisely, exhale and inhale to create sound).

i love how the harmonica is apartment friendly, pocket friendly, handbag friendly; just take it and go! lately Max has taken it to my parents house, the park, and the mall as his carry around toy. i can totally picture Max keeping this in his back pocket say in high school and whipping it out to woo some friends (or girls) with his mad blues skills! haha! i know a little too ahead of myself, but start them young and so many years to enjoy and practice! 

because we got 2 harmonica's, i've also been on youtube trying to learn how to play myself. um, i've watched 2 youtube video's and barely have advanced passed how to hold the thing! it's not easy, and you have to wrap your mouth/lips a certain way around the holes so you aren't always playing two notes but able to selectively play notes as individuals, as pairs, as groups, and do tricks that involve hand movement and inhaling and exhaling. let me reiterate, it's not as easy as it looks! all fun times nevertheless. 

i totally recommend a harmonica, that is a real harmonica vs. plastic play things you can buy at the local big box store. sounds better, plays easier, and if you think of it from an development investment point of view, wow the talent to be had can be mind blowing. love love love for years to come.

Coloring with the Toddler

I finally whipped out (well found) the stash of markers and crayons i bought on school-supplies-september and have been having a ball with Max on stay in days. I'm pretty sure I'm not alone here when i state that i love the smell of crayons (especially a new box) and it brings me right back to my elementary school days. Max is also well on his way to getting some smelly felts and the Laurentien pencil crayons- which by far beat out the Crayola ones ten fold. however, i haven't seen them around lately...do they still make them? i digress...

what do you do with all your kids' art? I'm not a big sentimental type at this stage because Max didn't actual do it all on his own, but be rest assured I'll have a huge binder or portfolio or even CABINET once Max starts creating his own art! I'm really appreciative of Strong Start's art stations where they have easels, supplies, felts, near endless amount of stuff with a new craft every other day or so...thankful because i don't have to buy all that non-apartment friendly stuff and be able to pick and choose the ones Max gravitates to.

^^ he really dislikes having dirty hands, by dirty i mean after he draws all over them ^^

^^ right handed?? ^^

^^ though i love the smell of crayons, i like felts better at this age because the colour pay off is so much greater. I'm sure it's because he doesn't know how to hold the crayons yet but he gets tired of them easy and finds it more fun throwing them and gets upset when they break! ^^

^^ we won this P'Kolino desk at a Raspberry Kids online contest! it serves as the perfect spot for his art time (and his homework time in the future!) as well as storage for his art supplies so far ^^

I love cultivating art time and art appreciation with Max. there is so much literature on the benefits of art expression with children (ie. they'll learn that there is more than one right answer and ok to have different points of view). 

Dd you know my grandpa's brother was the national artist of the Philippines? Read about Vicente Manansala HERE! see some works HERE! Max, oh the possibilities in your bloodline! 

Wow Vancouver, it's Cold Outside!

^^ best friends....^^

hey Vancouver, we're freezing!!

though the weather has been absolutely fabulous (sunny), our hands and faces are freezing when outside. it's kinda hard to play in the playground when that arctic wind just runs down your back sending chills down your spine! we did a stint at Strong Start and guess what? everyone must've felt the same way because there were the most kids i'd ever seen at our usual school (like 20!) and of course the parents brought their little sickies too. At this moment, I'm listening to Max try to nap with a stuffed nose, breathing through his mouth, and more restless than he has been since the beginning of 2014. anyways, what have we been up to lately?

First and foremost, the kid is obsessed with Michael Jackson and we have to play the #1's CD every single day. i guess the nightly performers had a lasting impact on the little Max because he's now wanting us to not only listen to the fast songs (The Way You Make Me Feel, Thriller, Don't Stop Till You Get Enough etc) we have to dance with him too. No we can't dance in the kitchen as we're trying to cook dinner, we have to dance in the living room and drop all other activities a multi-tasking parent is trying to do to satisfy the need for a little party. I have to admit it's fun, and we don't have to do it for very long as long as it's done! In essence, the kid really snaps me out of my go-go-go mentality and asks for time to chill out. whatever makes you happy kid! As for Thriller, he associated Vincent Price's voice to a "monster" and we can't dance during that time.  Max needs to stand still, point to the radio and say, "scary" "Max scared" and when the speaking voice is all done, he has to laugh like Vincent Price laugh's and life carries on. So cute, so innocent. Did i tell you Max know's how to moonwalk- or rather walks backwards and calls it the moonwalk? how about spins around like MJ does? oh and how about says "OWWW" just like Michael Jackson? hehe

Max has also mastered the fake cry-whine....if even this is what you call it, but it's to get something he wants. not sure where he got it from but I'm thinking from dad when he's pretending to do or be who-knows-what. Max partially closes his eyes like he's crying and over exaggerates his lip and mouth movements (a little pursed lip too) like he's talking with a frown. his talking voice is like someone hurt him or he's about to fake a cry. seriously so hard to describe, but it's kinda cute and the requests are innocent. mamma dance :o( mamma cookie :o( mamma smoothie :o( thank goodness he hasn't learned to apply it yet to toy stores or anything that requires purchasing (y'know like those nightmare kids you see on TV or in real life on the brink of meltdown). Max is easily distractible and i think the fact that i let him run loose in a toy store and leave with nothing all the time has helped the situation. 

and the cutest of all recent changes, Max is a tender caring concerned little man. if he sees another kid, he asks for his toy and asks me if he should share (sometimes yes but sometimes some kids are ruthless and just rip the toy out of Max's hand before Max gives it to them...grrr), but Max is just so good that he'll wait for it and if not patiently then ill take the toy back. 

If Max is hurt, he wants a hug and to always "put ice" on it lol

not sure if it's a good thing or a bad thing, but i planted the "hold my hand or mamma might fall" idea in his head one day out of a point of desperation and now he reaches for my hand to prevent me from falling (not that I'm a klutz).

the surefire way to get him in bed for night sleep? tell him that mamma is cold, and he'll come to bed right away and hug me and stay the night (otherwise he'll keep running back and forth to the living room and bedroom because he has unfinished play business).

what can i say, the kid loves me!

^^ ....and lately each others' personal heaters ^^