There Can be Only One . . . Year-Old

This past Saturday was Max's first Birthday party Part One: The Family. Sadly, our wee abode is too small to host friends and family simultaneously so the friends are scheduled for this weekend.

Max had a pretty good time. He was a little freaked out by his cake but, once he figured out it was a food-like object that needed to be squished to death, he got into it. Incredibly enough, he wasn't non-plussed enough by gooey frosting on his hands to later showboat by taking his first few steps in front of nearly the entire family.

The week leading up to his birthday was, I guess, the week his brain got the development memo: he started walking, crawling, clapping, and working on some really simple String Theory problems I've been leaving in his crib with a crayon. Now, if he would just get some teeth.


This has just been the most spectacular year. We want to thank all of our friends and family who have helped to make it so easy and fun.

Season 2 Premiere

Welcome, Friend. Please, Admire my Kiwi

I don't what it is about kiwi, but Max makes some unimaginably cute faces while he's eating it. So, for that, we give thanks to Kiwi for taking Max's cute and turning it up to eleven.

Teeth are Over-Rated

While Max stills loves a good puff now and again, we've pretty much moved onto actual, solid food. Even this picture, only a week old, is a bit dated. He liked his corn for about three days, but has since soured on the kernel. Peas, he still eats, but he prefers them off a spoon. Boca Burger, though, remains a staple. Some vegetarian friend of ours actually thinks the Boca Burger is too much like meat and, as such, not really vegetarian. I also have pictures of this same vegetarian trying and failing to eat corn on the cob, so weak and uncoordinated they were due to lack of protein. Take that for what it's worth.

But, so, anyhoos, Max eats food! It's pretty wild: you plop him into the Svan (which, I guess, he'll have until he weighs like 300 pounds), stick a bunch of food (broccoli, Boca, peas, corn, cantalope, pineapple) on the tray and you kinda watch him eat. He likes to stick broccoli florets in his mouth, close his gums and pull the floret out to harvest the little broccoli bulbies. He used to eat rice off the spoon but now he digs rice balls and plays with them until he's a starchy mess. It's all highly entertaining.

Frankie, as expected, has quickly grasped that "boy in highchair" equals "food on floor". Mealtimes have evolved/devolved into mildly madcap events with Katie and I cajoling Max into eating while Frankie snuffles all around the base of the chair, waiting for the next hunk of Boca to hit the floor.

Reporting for Duty, Admiral Byrd!

We finally got a decent shot of some gnarly winter weather up in here. Max was ready, he's always been ready. We actually think he likes the cold: everytime we go outside with him, he gives a happy-sounding "huh-huh" and sticks his tongue out to taste the cold.