Last week of school (last week of his 1st year of preschool)

I can't believe the school year is almost over!  What a year it's been and Maxwell has learned a lot.  It's been fun to see him grow and progress.  He has enjoyed Chinese class and can say a few things.

Look at this big kid!  He seems so far away from the sweet little boy from the first week of preschool.

He has his first sty in his eye.  It wasn't too bad.

My last time following this good group of kids to the library on Tuesday to read to them.  

Here's me with the group.  I've gotten to know them all and will miss those that are going to kindergarten next year.

Video - Emmalyn knows her Kindermusik songs and immediately starts doing the actions to songs we sing.  It's fun to see her react this way (plus her wave is darling!).  So we sing these at night and she waves goodnight.

I caught Maxwell mid-sneeze

Dressed up in his "cowboy shirt" for cowboy day at school.

When we sign him in at school, I only put in the code and he does everything else.

He got a sheriff star at school.

Emmalyn making a huge mess at Brittany's while eating yogurt.  Sheesh.

Emmalyn playing with Maxwell's magnets.

Max really doesn't like it when Emmalyn screams, and he gets upset.  I try to tell him that because she can't talk, that's part of how she communicates but that doesn't make it much better for him. (I understand...it's not like I love her screaming.)

He was upset for some reason and not happy but I thought his sad face was so cute, I had to take a picture.

Helping me make his lunch on the last day of school.

A special note from mom in the lunchbox.

I'm not sure what in the world is going on with that hair.  Surely I didn't walk out of the house with him looking like that?  Maybe the wind was blowing?

So you can tell his hair is getting long.  He has told me that he doesn't want to get a haircut because he wants his hair to grow so that he can put it in a ponytail. :)

A flower with Maxwell's school picture (the ones I didn't buy because he does not look happy)

I went to help with the last class party.

Max, Dylan, Emma, Jacek, Harper, Nora, Sophia, and Noya

Taking care of his own plate when done - I have loved the great manners and skills learned in class.

Joshua, Bella, and Maxwell

Silly faces

These two have had lunch together nearly every day (and every time I ask Maxwell what she ate he tells me she had pizza.  I think it's a pizza lunchable) - - I think sometimes he's a little jealous.

Maxwell loves Bella

Maxwell and Ms. Cynthia

Max and Ms. Behar - - She has been awesome and a great asst teacher.  Ms. Cynthia is good but she isn't very warm.  Ms. Behar makes up for that.  She calls Maxwell "baby" and he likes it.  :)

Bella is like a head taller than Max

I took Maxwell bowling, just the two of us, to celebrate the last day of school.

The hand fan did some great things to that long hair

Big boy moving the ramp himself

Excited about one of his frames

Getting those fingers in the holes

This time it was all about doing everything himself...

Dancing the ball down the lane

Celebration

Video - Maxwell being a big boy and bowling all by himself.

Video - I call this Maxwell karaoke

We did pretty well

We had a great time

Max wanted to spend some time in the cool room (where it's dark with glowing pins) before we left.

Love this dimple boy!

And it was time for that sweet mop of hair to go...bring on the summer haircut!

Why, hello!  Who is this handsome fella?

The shirt Maxwell made in school - - Those are his handprints!  He let his hands get dirty. :)  This is a big improvement over early in the year when they had to trace his hands because he wouldn't let them put paint on them.

Update: 

Maxwell - At school, Ms Cynthia made a comment to me at the party that Max is 1 out of only 4 kids that have a healthy lunch every day.  I was sad to hear that for the other kids but it was a nice pat on my back that made me feel like taking the time to make it each day was worth it.  His last day it was obvious he had lots of friends and got lots of hugs from them.  The kids have all warmed up to me too and will want specifically me to help them or they want to talk to me.  It's really sweet.  Bella said that Max is her best friend (awww!!!)  It's so sad she's going to Kindergarten next year and won't be in his class.

At bedtime each night we tell Maxwell to do his "3 P's" - - Potty, Pullups, Pajamas.  It's an easy way to keep him on track.

Emmalyn - this week she hasn't had interest in nursing in evening so now only nurses at 5 am. I still pump 4 times (3 at work and once at 11:00 pm) in order to get 3 or 4oz.  I've read that there are still benefits with only 3 oz so I'm going to keep going. It's been hard to get 3 this week. :(  It's so frustrating to put in that much time and so little results.  Emmalyn doesn't like cows milk, either. I've tried lots of things including warming it up and holding her and putting in bottle. That's the best way but still most times won't touch it. 

Eating is tricky too.  She spits out her first bite then will eat it.  If a bite is too big, she is really good about spitting out and working on it.  She screams at restaurants to get what she wants and points to it - lovely...

If you say I love you to Emmalyn, she will make a kissy sound back.

It's May! (Mom's favorite month)

May is a great month.  Spring is in full swing.  The weather turns solidly into swimming weather.  I get to celebrate my anniversary with Peter, my birthday, and mother's day.  It's a great month!

My little ray of sunshine

I had a diet coke with lemon at work - in honor of my mom (it was her soda of choice)

Uh oh.  It's amazing how quickly this can happen.

Video - Her cute "bye" along with the perfect wave

Lucky Maxwell got the rare treat of some Cheetos's.  Look at those messy fingers.

We were invited to Avery (Maxwell's friend in the neighborhood)'s birthday party.  It was a gymnastics party.  Maxwell was too timid to do anything.  His little sister on the other hand, she found something pretty quickly that she loved to do.

After like an hour, we finally got Maxwell to do something.  He refused earlier, even with Peter and I offering to help him do stuff.  So eventually we got him to talk to one of the "coaches" and she was really good at engaging him while the rest of the kids were enjoying some food.  That warmed him up a little and he at least sort of participated after that.  Peter thinks he just needed to feel comfortable with the adults/coaches and also didn't want to be embarrassed because it was stuff he's never done before and didn't feel confident he could do it.  

I wish I knew exactly what his barriers were because it's so hard as a parent to see things that you know your child would enjoy and yet they won't even try them.  Maxwell is such a great kid and there are some really outstanding things about him.  I know my parenting can make an imprint on who he ends up being as an adult and I don't want him to jump into anything but I also don't want him to be scared of trying new things or be scared of failing.  I really hope I can help him learn to overcome this.

Getting ready for the "snowball" fight (Maxwell is sort of with the group)

Look - he's doing it!

He was good to go with the parachute, but he'd played with a parachute before at Kindermusik

Birthday girl and Maxwell

This is his "cheese" face

We wrapped up the day with a swim in the hot tub at Mary Ann's.  Maxwell was excited to swim and I also let him wear a pair of flippers we'd been given.  He had fun!

Want to try it out, Emmalyn?

Noooooooooo!

She loves playing with this playset

Peter made Maxwell a "car" he could drive.  He had a lot of fun playing with it.

Our regular Sunday trip to Costco.  

Hi momma!

Sometimes I have to pinch myself because it seems so crazy that these two cute kids are mine ...I'm someone's mom!

Emmalyn got to take her first big girl bath!  She loved splashing but kept trying to stand up which just stresses me out.

Maxwell was chosen as the star student for his class so that meant he had to bring a poster with pictures of himself.  I had seen other posters outside the classrooms at the school.  There were some where the child clearly didn't do anything to put it together and then there were those that didn't look a perfect but you could tell the child had a hand in creating it.  My thought process is, who is this poster really for?  THE KIDS.  So who cares if it's perfect.  I wanted Maxwell to create the poster and then have pride in what he did.  

He did a great job of putting stickers on it, glitter glue, letters, and choosing where to put each picture.

Glitter glue hand print

It worked!

He did a great job on his poster

(not sure where his other shoe is)

He was so proud - way to go buddy!   (Next time I need to start working on the poster much earlier than the day before it's due.  Sheesh - - it's like I was in school all over again.  I clearly didn't learn my lesson about procrastinating.)

Maxwell's sleep routine now has to include socks.  He doesn't like to sleep without socks on.  He gets ready with his 3 P's - Potty, Pull-up, and Pajamas.  Then we brush his teeth.  He gets to play the iPad for a few minutes and then we read some books followed by cuddling and singing songs and turning on the sound machine.  When I turnout the light and go to leave, he says, "Good night, don't let the bed bugs bite, I'll see you in the morning light, don't let the super heroes get you."  

Maxwell definitely wants a partner lately.  He wants someone to shower with him, play with him,  and he wants to help me.  He loves to brush his teeth.  

The other day he asked to workout with Brittany because he "needed exercise".

At swimming lessons, he has a great backstroke with good arms. His front stroke is improving but there's still lots of room to grow.  It used to be that when he was doing his front stroke he would roll onto his back when he needed a breath and now lifts his head back so far ends up going vertical and losing all momentum. 

Maxwell, like everyone, has some bad habits.  His bad habits are saying "oh my gosh" a lot, wiping his hands on his shirt, picking his nose in bed, and playing with himself when he's pooping.  Hopefully he will grow out of these bad habits.

Emmalyn sorta says the following words - more, diaper, Leah, banana, yea, yes, max, dad.  She says "Momma" a lot - to get my attention and to communicate.  She sweetly gives me kisses a lot, loves Brittany and Joe.  If I had her to someone else, she will scream so hard she will start to shake.  She's a little drama Momma.  She's learned her first body part - her belly! (She sometimes will get "hair and "toes" but not all the time.)

Emmalyn is very chatty and talkative especially in the car lately. If someone is in the shower she will stay outside the shower, begging to join.  Diaper changes are tough right now due to so much squirming and fighting.  She also fights taking her vitamins.

Emmalyn has not been wanting to nurse for very long lately.  I don't know if that's because she quickly is able to get the little amount that's there or if it it because she's not interested in nursing anymore.  It more seems like the second option unless she's using me as a binky to go to sleep,, which she has been doing in the morning once I bring her into our bed.  She doesn't always want her 4 oz bottle of breast milk anymore but loves drinking water out of a sippy cup. I gave her some cow's milk this week and she tried it but didn't like it.

Both kids like asparagus which I think is pretty awesome!