Fastidious Fast Nugget

A few weeks ago, I called Olin "little nugget," which Max thought was really funny. He promptly called himself "fast nugget," I became "strong nugget," Anna became "slow nugget." The guy that drove us to the airport became "windshield nugget." You get the idea. It's been continuous since then.

In the car today, we were laughing about Olin, who was in his seat, food-stained and with his mismatched clothes, smearing his snacks on his face. Max asked why we were laughing, and I said, "well, Max, you're so fastidious, and Olin's just a mess." Max asked what fastidious meant, and I told him. He started laughing.

"I'm fastidious! Daddy's strongstidious, and Olin's walkingstidious... Mommy's laughingstidious.... HAHAHA... Outside its rainingstidious..."

And on and on. And on.

A Love Song

Max handed this to me this morning.

Me: What is it, Max?
Max: A love song.
Me: Who is the person the the left?
Max: Daddy, I said the whole thing is a love song. That's not anybody.

Olin gets some Bling

Olin liked Mommy and Daddy's necklaces from Halloween. Here is proof.

Halloween Indeed

This year we all dressed up. Here is a string of pictures...

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac

Superman and Cow

Superman and Super Grandpa

Superman and his fellow Crimefighter

Family with Orange Shoes

Max got up around 6 this morning, gulped down his cereal, and started to draw. Here is one of his pictures.

The image at the top is the sky, everyone has orange shoes, and Mommy is frowning because she stubbed her toe.

Olin Walks with Tortilla and Toothbrush

So we haven't put together the video yet (coming soon), but here are some pictures of our little Olin walking. Of course, he chooses to take one of his first walks holding a tortilla and a toothbrush.

Conversations with Max

Tonight at dinner, I made some below-average chicken, and Max wasn't very interested, so he asked for some cereal. I was exhausted, and capitulated. As he was sitting eating cereal, I reminisced: "Max, when I was growing up, we had waffles for dinner once a year. I loved it."

He paused for a minute, then shook his head, and still crunching on his cereal replied "You're making that up Daddy."

Family row boating in Golden Gate Park

To escape the heat on Sunday, we rented a row boat in in GG park and tooled around for a bit. Max had fun checking out the ducks and rowing the boat. In the middle of our ride he wanted to move to the front of the boat but we told him we didn't want him to fall out. He then sat for a second and declared. "hey, I have an idea, how about we make Olie fall out. That way he won't be able to play with my toys." ahhh brotherly love. It starts so early. Pretty soon we had to turn back, as Olin started squirming and screaming. Perhaps his life vest was squeezing his chubby little cheeks too hard.

BTW: Olin took his first steps on August 31. Our loud cheering didn't go over well, as he hasn't done it again since.

Olin's Birthday Movie, Finally

OK, it took a bit of time to publish, but here is a little movie of Olin's birthday, for all of you who couldn't make it. It was a lot of fun!



For a hi-res version, click here.

The House Was Jumping

Grammy (Kay) flew in for Olin's birthday party this weekend, and we went to pick her up this morning at the airport, with the whole family in the car. Once she got in the car, Max talked nonstop at full volume all of the way home. This is an approximation of their conversation.

Kay: Hi Max!

Max: Hi Hi Hi Grammy Olin's balloon flew out the window and went away! It went away!

Kay: Wow. Did it go up in the sky?

Max: Yeah Olin's balloon went up in the sky and flew far away and it kept going and going and going.

Kay: Yeah?

Max: Yeah and there were lots of other balloons and they all went together way over there! Over that hill.

Kay: Up in the sky?

Max: No! Not in the sky, over in the house. They're having a party! A party for Olin! They're all dancing!

Kay: The balloons are dancing?

Max: Yeah! The balloons are dancing and the [looking out the window] cars are dancing and the trees are dancing and the flowers are dancing [at this point he is laughing pretty hard, and so is Kay].

Kay: That sounds like fun! Are you dancing?

Max: No! I'm jumping. I'm jumping and the balloons are dancing and the cars are dancing and the whole house is jumping! The house is jumping and the walls are dancing and the ceiling is jumping and the backyard is jumping! And all the kids are jumping! Everyone is jumping! The backyard is jumping!

Kay: That's quite a party!

Max: Yeah, all the kids are jumping! And dancing! Its a party! Can we go there now, daddy?

... and on and

Zero to Fifty in Three Months - Olin Stands Tall

Olin had his one year checkup today, and we are happy to report he is average! In height, that is. At his nine month checkup, he was barely on the chart, but now he is towering at 29.5 inches, at the 50th percentile. Of course, he's at the 6th percentile for weight, but that just makes him a lot more portable, which is fine by us.

He's getting funnier with food, though. He is *always* hungry. But he gets so excited by throwing food on the ground it becomes exasperating to keep putting stuff on his plate. And when he gets excited by something, no matter the size, he is furious once it is finished (such as his favorite, a watermelon pop sickle, which is about as long as his leg).

But other than that, he is still extremely happy. And healthy. But probably not very wise.

Max back in Montessori

On Monday Max started summer camp at Montessori Children's House... returning to the style he enjoyed at his first pre-pre-school, Little Wonders.

Anna took him on Monday, and he seemed to really like it. The first day is usually easy... it hasn't set in yet that he'll be going here *every* day. But it was really fun to watch what he did when he got back home.

He spent the next hour or so in front of his train table, which he hasn't used much lately, re-enacting his day with the trains: he projected himself onto a lesser known Thomas Train called "Madge." Madge was new to the track, so the other trains helped Madge find a cubby to keep her stuff, and they showed her around. Madge really liked the new track, since there was so much to see, and the other trains really liked showing her around. He was being very gentle with all of the trains, and it made us feel very good about his initial take on the school. We'll see how long it takes before he starts smashing the trains together again...

Olin stands alone!

Olin has been cruising for awhile now but today he let go and stood without leaning against anything! It was only a few seconds but he seems ready to take off walking any day now.

Max's first movie

I took Max to see his first movie today: Wall E. He earned a big adventure for going to bed 5 nights in a row at 7:15 without asking mommy and daddy for things and protesting. I picked Max up from school and the whole drive to the theater he kept asking "is this it mommy?" over and over. "It's going to be so exciting," he said.

We bought our tickets and when we walked into the theater, I wish I could have captured the moment on film. With the widest eyes, Max exclaimed, "look at all the seats mommy. Why are they all the same? Where are the other kids?" We essentially had a private screening of the movie. He tried to sit in the chair and was so perplexed why it kept folding him up that he sat perched on the edge clutching the seat in front of him almost the whole time. Half way through the movie he settled back in his seat, so proud that he had figured out how to keep it from folding up. The previews started and Max kept leaning over asking me, "is this Walleeee mommy?" After 5 long previews I was wondering myself if we'd ever see Wall E. Then it came on and Max was beside himself. Not knowing the quiet movie voice, anytime Wall E wasn't on the screen Max would yell "where's Wall E?" then Wall E would appear and he would say "oh, there he is." I kept feeding Max rice cakes and banana chips as he stared at the screen. I handed him a jelly bean and with wide eyes he smiled and just said, "wow!" I have never seen someone savor a jelly bean like that. Then in the middle of the movie he announced "That is the biggest TV I have ever seen. Why is it soooo big?" At one point he just leaned over and hugged my neck and smiled, almost unable to contain his excitement "This is a big present mommy. Can you see ok?"

The movie was dragging on and Max said "Mommy I am getting very tired. I really really want to go home." I tried to leave and he freaked "NO! We can't leave because I never ever saw this part before." As the end approached it was clear that Max was exhausted and had to pee really badly. As I carried him out to the bathroom he cried at the top of his lungs over and over again "FREEEEEZE it Mommy. Freeze it". He is clearly part of the on-demand generation. Then the movie was over and we walked out and he desperately wanted to go into the men's room like the bigger kids who were sitting in front of us. Outside, Max ran to the car with so much energy and happiness, telling me not to step on the cracks in the sidewalk. As we were climbing into the car, Max spontaneously hugged my legs and said " I love you mommy." He chattered the whole way home about climbing a tree with Olin and Daddy.

I think this experience was almost better for me than for Max. At one point I looked over at him perched on the edge of his seat, staring at the screen and I welled up with tears. I wish I could bottle up our afternoon. Seeing life through the eyes of a three year old is a huge gift.

The things Max says

Max is picking up on all sorts of phrases these days. Suppose you ask him "do you want noodles for dinner?" He'll invariably start his reply with "Actually, I think I'd like some..." I'm sure he gets this from one of us, but in a 3 year old it is just plain funny. It is similar to his "No, but thank you for asking," or when he gave me a drawing the other day, and I thanked him, he said "maybe you can put it in your office... but actually you can put it anywhere you want to Daddy."

So tonight he's had a bit of trouble going to bed, probably due to a late nap in the car on the way back from Target (where I heaved him out of the car, threw him over my shoulder, climbed the stairs, plunked down on the couch, with him still on my chest, and still fast, fast asleep). He had called me back into his room with a plaintive cry of "Daddy I need a hug." After giving him a hug I told him how much I loved him: "Max, I love you so much." At which point he looked me in the eye and said, "Daddy I love how God made you."

Wherever he picked this one up, it made my day.

Burgers and Bands

We had a really nice July 4th this year, making it out of the cold foggy city in the morning to Sausalito, where we saw the end of the parade and then joined the music-filled festival by the water. Christine, James and William joined us for the BBQ corn and burgers.

Daddy, Max and Olin found a tree to use as a bench, and then Max spent about an hour trying to skip rocks into the water, unsuccessfully, except in his own mind. "That skipped 3 times, Daddy!" Olin just sat in the grass and giggled.

Afterwards we headed back into the city, and had more burgers! This time at Nate's place. Then, of course, in bed before the fireworks. Perfect.

Olin discusses world affairs

As Olin grows up in the shadows of Max, he has developed a nuanced and complex world view... listen as he discusses the current political environment, using a lens cap as a metaphor:

You should (can) see the other guy...

We sent Max to school today armed with his new response to questions about his eye... and when he came home he couldn't stop saying it, thinking it was the funniest thing in the world. He probably got one laugh, and that was it. Seemed worth capturing on camera:

Slow down, Max...

So Max ended this Father's day quite nicely, with a little bump on the head, as he slipped on the kitchen floor and glanced his eye on the corner of our kitchen table (granite):

Luckily, an emergency room is literally across the street. I threw an unhappy Max over my shoulder, and took him into the waiting room, looking quite a mess.

The nurses and doctors loved him, especially when I goaded him into replying their questions about the cut with "you shoulda seen the other kid." But the doctor who cleaned up his eye, named Josh, wasn't responding to any of Max's jokes, and when Josh left Max turned to me and asked, quizzically, "why isn't Josh fun?" Good question, Max. Because everyone, really, should be.

Goodnight, Max

Well, it still hasn't been easy to get Max to sleep. But we do have some fun trying. Tonight I figured I would just stay in his room for a while, and let him babble on, thinking that he would get tired and shut his eyes, and fall into a relaxing sleep. Well, he's still talking in his room right now, but at least he is still calm.

Some highlights:

Max: Daddy why do you have hairs in your nose?

(I laugh)
Me: Because I'm an old man, Max.
Max: (laughing) You're not an old man, Daddy. You're a new man.
(I laugh)
Max: (laughing) You're not a new man, Daddy. You're a short man.
(I smile)
Max: No, no, no Daddy. I say You're a short man and then you laugh.
Me: Oh, Ok.
Max: You're a short man.
(I laugh)
(Max laughs, a lot).
Max: No, you're not a short man. You're a new man.
(I laugh)
Max: (snickering) No, no, no, you're not a new man, you're an old man.
(I pretend laugh, Max laughs and laughs and laughs, having completely cracked himself up).
(20 seconds of silence)
Max: Let me tell you a story. Max got up, and it was a beautiful day, and...

And he went on, for 30 minutes. Even though he was clearly playing me, sometimes it is those little moments that I just want to bottle up and keep forever.

tired men and puzzles

So after a night of Max not sleeping at all (long story), we struggled out of bed, and got Papa and Dickie over to the house again. Papa and Max spent about an hour doing a 100 piece puzzle, singing songs. Not the most exciting video, but the singing is worth a quick look...



For hi-res, go here.

Run, boys, run!

Papa (Jim) and Dickie (Anne) were in town, so we picked Max up early from school and went for a beautiful walk along the edge of the Presidio, overlooking the ocean. Max was in rare form, and just kept running and running, pretending he was Lightning McQueen. Check him out in this video.



For hi-res, go here.

Boys in the Bath

Tonight Max had barbeque chicken and Olin had a whole lot of prunes, so they both needed a bath. We decided to give Olin a full-size bath with his brother... he loved it!

Jumpin Olin

Max and Anna went to Dan Zanes this morning to sing and dance together, which gave Olin and me a chance to relax at home. I took a quick video of him playing his favorite jumping game in his saucer... while wearing the sweater my mother made...


For a high fidelity version go here.

Olin gets Knighted by Max

Finally the 'Dance'

For the full quality video, go here.

Max and Mia

Whenever Mia comes over, Max has the best time. We get a little tired of the shrieking, but love how Max collapses in exhaustion when Mia leaves.

They never stop giggling and running around. The best is when they dance. Not very polished, but very unique! We'll post a video soon.

Thanks for dinner tonight Mia (and Rachel)...

For Papa

I want to tell him how I spell your name. Just tell Papa. M.E.Y.E.R. That's my name. Is it "meyer?" It's Meyer! M.E.Y.E.R... M.E.Y. means Meyer. Yeah.

Standoff

Later in the day I went grocery shopping since both kids were taking naps. Shortly after I left Max had woken up, screamed for 15 minutes in his room, then joined Anna in the living room. He then demanded she get his two favorite toy cars, Lightning McQueen and Doc Hudson. She said she would be happy to if he just said please. He said no. So she said, we'll just sit there. So they sat in silence on the couch for 20 minutes, facing sullenly away from each other (ok, Anna might have been laughing) and this was the scene when I got home.

The kid is stubborn, just like us.

Discovering Saturday

Olin, for once, could have some fun. We went to the Discovery Museum in Marin, where there are good areas for Olin to goof around. Mmmm... rabbit. After he bounced around on the waterbed lily-pads for a while, we went outside, and he had a nice chat with brother Max.

I think Max was saying "Yes, Olin, someday you can play with your toys. But for now you're very small so they're all mine."

Olin

Um, I make loud noises. At Olin. Um. I want. Um. My horse wheels move like that. And he say Neigh. And he's a horse. And he has horse hair. Do you see? Do you see his horse hair? Yup. I'm going to pet him now.

Stacie in town, Olin commando-ing

Anna's longtime friend Stacie was in town this weekend -- we just had a nice night out, the 3 of us. Claudinea came over to watch the kids, and Max was wondering why "the girls" couldn't stay and hang out with him. "Maybe Stacie? Maybe just Stacie can stay, Daddy?" He loves his guests.


Olin seems on the brink of crawling, much different just in the last two days. You put him in the center of the rug, and try to close your eyes for a minute, and then he's eating a chair leg across the room. Scary.