bananas in pajamas

Tonight at dinner, Max said "banana."

So I got him a banana, and he said, "thank you."

And he ate his banana.

Then he said "banana" again.

"More banana?"

"Banana!"

So I got him another banana.

"Thank you!"

tower of power

I'm happy to report that Max did not spew from either end today, for the first day in almost a week. He went back to daycare, and seemed happy enough. Still not much of an appetite, and he's very whiny, but we'll take what we can get. He got his one-year photos taken (a little late) this week, and I'll post them when I get the time.

Meanwhile, Liam has become a master tower builder. He loves playing with the Mega Blocks. His major accomplishment of the last week (booger eating aside) was to build a tower taller than he is:

Quoth Liam: "I love my tower!"

what are they teaching them at that daycare?

Tonight's report. After dinner, relaxing on the couch.




"Mommy, look! This is how I get a booger!"












"Mommy, look! This is how I eat a booger!"





Charming.

st. patrick's day vomitacular!

This is Max. Max was in a great mood this morning, as you can see. He had a little stomach bug Thursday night, but seemed like he was rarin' to go, so we loaded up the bibs and sippy cups and headed for the Naperville Irish Party. The boys watched the Irish dancers with interest, and everything seemed to be going fine. We were about halfway through our $7 "corned beef" sandwiches when the unthinkable happened.

Yes, I'm sure you've already cleverly figured out that Max vomited. What you don't know is that he vomited. He vomited vast quantites of vanilla yogurt. All over himself. All over me. All over the chairs and carpets of the Holiday Inn banquet room. He spewed smelly vomit in a spectacular fountain right in front of a table filled with adorable young children dressed in green finery. Their exaggerated horror-movie faces and held noses would have been comical...if it weren't for the fact that a vomit river was flowing all around us. It was like a tragic alternate-universe version of the annual greening of the Chicago River, only this was a thick, white, chunky, odiferous river. It was like Linda Blair, only without the rotating head and satanic possession.

But not to worry. The janitorial staff was called, and speedily disinfected the banquet hall so the children could breathe freely again. Max got a fresh new outfit. And I had to take off my soaked shirt and go home wearing my jacket, reeking of puke and embarassment. All in all I have to report that it was not one of our better days. And of course, Max is perfectly fine now. He's eating his mac and cheese for dinner and making exaggerated "mwah!" sounds and smacking his lips when he wants kisses. Little bugger.

a new skill

Look who's mastered the stairs...



And the rocking horse, which was made for my brother J when he was a baby.




"I'm so proud of myself!"

thanks, mom!

Check it out. My mom made us a beautiful quilt for our daybed. Here's the tag with the pattern and stuff:



Here's a close up look at the pattern:



The boys love it too. They say, "Thanks, Yami!"

all about liam

Guess what we had for dinner?



Also, check out the latest in Elmo fashions. We're making great strides on the potty-training front. Up until recently, the only time Liam would use the potty was after his evening bath, but he's branching out and lately he's started using the potty at daycare too. Progress!

au bon pain

Witness, if you will, Mike's newest accomplishment, obsession, and point of pride:

cardboard tube sword fight!

I have no idea why Liam ditched his pants.



And later, the boys play peekaboo in Max's closet.

birthday redux

We've waited a few weeks for him to get healthy, and last night we gave Max his own little birthday celebration. In sharp contrast to his actual birthday, this time he was happy and interested in what was going on. And he ate a ton of cake!

He liked checking out the cake while we sang to him.



Then he got interested enough to stick his fingers in the frosting. (Note Liam happily egging Max on.)



Daddy makes a handy taster to make sure this new food is good:



And then it was off to the races with his very own giant piece of cake!



Of course, I took a few little videos of Max enjoying his cake. To view them, click here. After cake, the boys each opened a present (Mega Blocks for both of them). Max didn't really seem to care too much about opening his gift, but in typical 2-year-old fashion, Liam made up for it with his enthusiasm for gift-opening. And afterward, they both loved making towers together with their new blocks. A happy ending!

back-scratchin' bubble blower

Liam has decided that Max, like his mother, is too tense. So last night he chased him down and insisted on scratching his back:



Although he was initially skeptical, Max got into the act pretty quickly.



And then we brought out the bubbles. Max saw his first bubbles while in the hospital, and he really liked them, so ever since I've been looking for some bubbles to buy them. Everywhere I went I found things like Super Bubble Wands (3 feet long) or ExtraStrong Bubble Vials (that go on keychains), but no plain old bubbles. You know, the kind with the wand in the bottle? Then finally I found them yesterday at Walgreens with the Easter stuff.
The verdict? "I love bubbles!" shouted Liam.



"Thank you," added Max. (It's his new word. More on that later.)



And then Liam got into the act. After a few tries and some frustration, he finally blew some bubbles of his own.

presenting the circus forticus art gallery

Both of these pictures were created at Max's birthday party. I know, I'm a little late getting them scanned in, but better late than never, right? Anyway, we're very lucky to have two such talented artists in the family.

The first is a sketch by my mom, a.k.a. Yami. It's a quick portrait she drew of Liam when she was literally on her way out the door. Impressive, no? (Note: the red squiggle is Liam's work.)



The second is an original work of art by the budding young artist Liam. He calls it "Egg." And we're sure all you art lovers out there will appreciate the sophisticated way he captured the eggy spirit at such a tender age.