Birthday Boy

Dear Max,

One year ago at 4:48 in the afternoon, you appeared in our lives like this:

Beautiful as can be! Crying and snorting (you still do that) and waving your arms. And everything changed - for the better. This is your huge self today:

Our first year together (not counting the 9 months we spent together before I could tell how much you look like your daddy) has been amazing. You are such a good boy and have such a big personality. I have the best job in the world right now - chasing after you and taking care of my baby boy. I couldn't ask for anything more.

Grandma Alyse and Grandpa Vic helped us celebrate your first birthday by going to lunch at the Arboretum.

Your two bachans were there too.

It was hot outside - unlike last year. Last May 25 was cool and rainy. I remember fogging up the back window of the car when we were sailing down Lakeshore Drive on our way to the hospital - I wondered (in the back of my head somewhere) if anyone could tell that I was not buckled in, kneeling on the back seat trying not to have a baby in the car. After making us wait so long (10 days late!), you were in a big hurry! We barely made it to the hospital before you were born.

Today you got to try Bachan Sumie's famous apple pie for the first time:

You LOVED it.

We love you. Happy birthday baby boy!

More travels

Max and I have been doing some gardening around our house and at our vegetable-garden plot down the street... We have a LOT of weeds at our garden plot, but we also have lots of lettuce sprouts coming up, which is very exciting! Hopefully all our other experiments will go as well. Though we have a lot of work ahead of us to get there!

He loves riding in his wagon! Especially when there are gardening tools to play with.

We took our last airplane ride for a while and went to Maine with Grandma and Grandpa Purdy. Max took his first boat ride. It was too early for whales, but we saw a Bald Eagle and porpoises and Harbor Seals.

Max LOVES macaroni and cheese (Annie's organic, of course!) and loved rubbing it all in his hair just as much as eating it.

We did some hiking at Acadia National Park:

And played in the sand.

And on the playground at the condo complex.

Max was super in the car. We spent a lot of time driving around exploring, and he was very patient. He even took a couple naps in the car.

We rode on a teeny-tiny turbo prop to and from Boston up to Maine. It was a crazy experience. This is a picture from the last row of the plane, where we were seated. The "main terminal" of the airport was a double-wide trailer and the baggage claim was a hole in the fence. It is a different world between Rockland Maine and Chicago's O'Hare Airport.

We have almost nothing planned this week so that I can get myself re-organized, do some vegetable gardening and get some spring cleaning done (finally!). We need it before our busy-busy weeks coming up with Max's first birthday party, visits from grandparents, CK 15-year reunion, Soldier Field 10-mile race, camping, and a trip to South Haven over the next six weeks. Lots of fun - but a lot of work to get there!

Travels

We have had a fabulous couple months with lots of travels and visiting friends. First we visited two of my boyfriends. My VERY first boyfriend:

And his little brother, my 6th (-ish - I've lost track!) boyfriend:

Then we went to Boston to visit friends and Max and I watched the Boston Marathon. For once it didn't make me want to run one. We watched from mile 24, and people were really hurting at that point. But we did have a perfectly lovely lunch with Jo and Makoto that afternoon.

Then we had a great, though short, visit with some friends in San Antonio on our way to Mike's conference. They have two little adorable kiddos.

Mike and Tom got wagon duty.

So fun!

Then Grandma Alyse and Grandpa Vic met us there for the rest of our Texas trip and we went on Max's first visit to a National Park - the San Antonio Missions.

We all had a great time.

Now Max and I are off to Maine soon, and his second National Park (all in his first year on the earth!). What a lucky boy. That will be all of our airplane-travel for a while. He is getting TOO active to be restrained to one seat!

He is super fun these days - he is repeating a lot of what we say (mama, dada, gaga, t-t-t, etc.) he barks (squeaks) when you ask him what a doggie says, he points to what he wants, he tries to snap his fingers when Mike does, he claps all the time (especially when cheering for himself climbing the stairs), and gives lots of kisses. What could be better?