Baby Max has become Baby Boy Max

Sorry for the delay between posts. Life hit pretty hard. Nicole and I have been working hard working and doing bathroom remodels. I feel like I'm in college all over again... staying up till 1am and 2am. Only now I'm up working, not partying, and I'm trying to be as quiet as I can be, rather than as loud as I can be. Life is funny.

Max is no longer baby Max. He has turned into a little man before my eyes. He's gotten stocky and big. Before too much longer, we're going to have to start warning people about his strength and quickly changing temperament. Do not, I repeat, do not take his plastic screwdriver away from him... ever. Could he possibly fall and jam it in his eye? Sure. But it's HIS eye and HIS screwdriver. And mom already saw it and didn't say anything. So just walk away dad. Just walk away!

He's really been fun lately, outside of a few temper tantrums, and sure... the face slapping. But he means well. He told me he's just wanting to know where the line is, so he knows not to cross it. That is always his intent, really. He loves us. But seriously, he has been a bundle of laughs lately. This may be the best age to have a child. Here's a few of his highlights:

• He's been talking a lot. He has mastered all the consonants. Well enough to use them in really long words or foreign people's names, if he wanted to. Tonight he rediscovered the "L" consonant. So everything he said either ended with an "L" or started with an "L". Previously it was the "GHK". Trianghkle. Sghkuare. Dadaghk. He almost sounded Russian.
• He's also turned into quite the dare devil. Everything in life exists for him to either sit on, stand on or climb on. Falling is a myth. An urban legend if you will. At least it is until dada gets distracted talking to Papa on the phone. Thats usually the perfect time to somersault off the kangaroo climber in the sun room, and land on the floor forehead first, back second. Let the frustration crying and screaming commence. "Where were you dadaghk?" Worst feeling in the world by the way. I'm still kicking myself.
• Lately he has mastered his own spin on the classic animals. He knows which books have which animals, and if he wants to do one of his animal impressions, he'll bring you the book with the correct animal, and do said animal impersonation before you even open the book. It's really funny. It goes like this: "Oh, thanks for the book Max. You want to read it?" Then he gives you his elephant or wolf or cow. Then you open the book to read it to him, and he walks away. It is classic. If only I could remember everything he does. His elephant is a scream. He locks his body down and squeezes out a high pitched scream. The wolf involves him throwing his head back and fashioning his mouth into a circle as he looks at the ceiling. The howling sound isn't quite as scary as a real wolf, but intimidating, nonetheless. And the cow is the same old "moo" sounding cow, but with a really pronounced M.

Okay, I'll try to stop here. Here's a quick list of likes and dislikes followed by some pics.

Likes:

1. Construction Equipment - All Kinds.
2. Papa.
3. Mama rocking him to sleep.
4. Climbing on things.
5. Outside.
6. Riding things or sitting on things.
7. Waving at random people.
8. Plastic screwdrivers capable of impairing his eye site forever.
9. "GHK" sounds.
10. Turtles and monkeys from build-a-bear.

Dislikes:

1. Dada rocking him to sleep.
2. Discipline for face slapping.
3. Falling.
4. Grocery shopping that involves more than 1 grocery store.
5. Pea skins.
6. Diaper changes.
7. When papa isn't paying attention to him.
8. Pasta.

Here's a quick slide show to get everybody up to date. Look how big he has gotten. My boy is a tank!!