Happy 2nd Birthday, Max!

 

Today Max turns 2. We are so excited to spend this day celebrating him. In our family, we have 'cake' for breakfast on someone's birthday---its a delicious coffee cake recipie I got from Noel Piper's book, Treasuring God in Our Traditions. Max's favorite book to read (and repeat, since he has it memorized) is Pizza Party, which is all about making pizza. So for lunch, we are making homemade pizza with him. And some good friends and family are meeting us at Applebees for his birthday dinner (his choice), and then coming back to our house for strawberry cake, ice cream, and presents!

Below is the questionnaire I do with all the kiddos on their birthday. This is the first year I've done it with Max. His answers are so cute... he's a bit obsessed with Strawberry Cake, and the ice cream truck!! <3

And below is the letter I wrote to Max to put in his 'birthday' file. :)

To my dear sweet Maxwell on your 2nd birthday,

Oh Max, where do I start to describe the year we’ve had? I think back you your first birthday with a smile… Daddy made you an amazing, giant Elmo cake that will not soon be forgotten (although you will probably only remember it from pictures).. It was HOT last year and yet so many people came out to celebrate with you. I think back farther to the day you were born. Also a HOT HOT July day (the day before, I threatened to stay in the produce cooler at Costco until you decided to come out—and I was only kidding a tiny bit!). You were 5 days overdue with no end in sight and so daddy & I, at the advice of our mid-wife, decided to evict you. Your birth was perfect (if I had to pick my ‘favorite’ birth as far as pain and ease, yours would be it). You have been a joy since the moment I first laid eyes on you (and before!). From the day you were born, you were an easy baby. You were born at 6pm, and we sent you to the nursery around 11 that night just until you needed to eat again. I thought we would sleep a few hours and then you’d be back to eat and snuggle. When I woke up at 5am, you hadn’t been back and the nurses told me you were still snoozing away in the nursery! That night was the first of many amazing nights of sleep. You did that almost exclusively until you turned 6 months old… then you decided you were hungry all the time and you woke up every two hours. That was ok though .

You were 7lbs 2oz when you were born, and at each subsequent checkup you had you were tiny. By your 9 month appointment, you were ‘off the charts’ small. If there was a ‘negative’ growth chart, Dr. Koil said you would have been in the negative 12th percentile. He was a little concerned about your height/weight combination, and about the very consistently ‘high’ number of pooping you did on a daily basis (Thank you very much for that, btws!!  ). So he put you through a battery of tests… he checked you for Celiac’s disease, cystic fibrosis, and about 50 other things that I can’t remember. All I remember are lots of doctor’s visits and a ton of blood draws. To make that long story short, he found nothing wrong with you and since then you have continued to be tiny, but healthy. On your two year birthday, the majority of the clothes you are wearing are 12 month size. Occasionally I can fit you into an 18 month shirt, but you swim in most of them. We are so thankful you are healthy.

Your smile and sense of humor are contagious, sweet boy. You are HALARIOUS. One of my favorite memories of this year is you putting a gift bag on your head at Grandma Jean’s house, and walking around the room, bumping into things and giggling (and making the whole room full of your cousins and aunts and uncles laugh too!). And I will also always remember you and Miles when we bought the van. It had been a long day for the two of you, but you handled it like champs—you both enjoyed playing with the toys the car dealership had out. You both were hungry after 3 hours of waiting patiently (it was 7pm, afterall!)… so I ran to get dinner while daddy ironed out all the details of the deal. You two were sitting at the little two-person kiddie table and waiting for your food. I gave it to you and Miles, while daddy and I sat nearby eating and signing papers. Not long after I heard you two laughing your hearts out. And then I heard the famous words: “Monkey Guck!” We had seen Indiana Bones, a story teller at the library that week, and he was telling a story about monkeys picking up their ‘guck’ and throwing it. To you and Miles, that is still one of your favorite phrases. I have that picture of the two of you laughing hysterically etched into my brain forever. Sometimes those mental images are better than any picture could ever be!

This year, I am so proud of how incredibly smart you are. Whenever I sit down to work on reading or letters with Miles, you are right there listening and learning as well. You can count to 15, and usually follow up with “Ready or Not, Here I Come!” You love playing with play-dough (I love the doughnuts and pizza you make for me to ‘eat’), you love painting and playing “Hot Cheery-O” (aka Hi-Hi Cherry-O). You love to talk on the phone, and anytime my phone rings you want to say hi to whoever it is. You have learned fabulous manners and are so faithful about using them. You can quote Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things, through God, who gives me strength.” You love to snuggle with me while I read to you before your nap, and you always bring your ‘blankie and Elmo’ out of your bed when you come downstairs each morning. You have a strong-will sometimes, but that’s ok—you’ve learned that from me.  You are absolutely the cutest thing. You are an amazing, silly, smart, and loving little boy, and I adore you, Max. I am always excited to look back on where you have been, and where you are going. I know God has great, amazing things planned for you.

Thank you Max… for always saying “I kiss it, mama” if I say something hurts. Thank you for always laughing at silly things we do together. Thank you for eating your pizza with no hands at Costco—it makes me smile. And thank you for sharing sweet eskimo kisses with me. Happy Birthday!

Love,

Mom