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When I look back even to the pictures on the carousel, Max has changed so much even in these last three months!

And what is amazing too, is Kristin and I have been friends for the last 30 years! Incredible. I guess we are getting older, but time just seems to be relative. Lots of memories we have together, 30 years worth. I feel bad that such a beautiful bride is captured in such a goofy photo, but i think it’s pretty fitting. we are both a little “off” as people say. and I think it was WELL into the reception… haven’t had a hangover like that in quite a while.  So i adjourn. And will post some text if I chose to move the blog somewhere else.!!

this blogging is time consuming as far as updating pictures; our computer is old and slow so i’d rather just avoid it. so i will adjourn this post and get some pictures updated….

A view from the farm

lunch in the “new town”

 mommy caught a cute one!

pretty much the best blueberry pie i’ve ever made

first day of school at home

little max size door

I’ll add the pictures in the next couple of days as I will have a little time, for Max started SCHOOL today! Well, daycare. And at the end of the day, I think he really enjoyed it. It didn’t help though that he was a big crab when he woke up today.  He cried and sobbed while we were there getting settled. I forgot his soymilk, sunscreen and diaper cream, so ran back to get those and when i checked back in, (through the one way glass) he was sitting with one of the teachers, Ms Megan and doing that “shoulder shake and deep breathing” after you have cried very hard and are trying to settle yourself back down.  It was all very adorable and there are so many more thoughts to get down, but I wanted to get the weekend addressed first and then I can talk more about school. For now, I’ll get this stuff out and then get some pictures updated soon.

:)

my good little guy, letting me clip his nails, oh and i regrettfully, but too late now, cut of his curls when i was trying to just ‘clean up’ the skiddly little hairs that were too long.

curl free, and playing with the new sprinkler out back.

4th of July, a good capture of his little itchy nose habit.

first family ride, down our alley, house on the right.

615 8th Street

and of course his scooter’s new home out back.

we are settled, i love it here (but ask me again in January). Im so at peace, getting the place settled with final touches. slowly making new friends and mom friends that seem to jive with my way of life.

we have a new pediatrician, ironically at the same clinic that i will be working. it was a get aqauainted visit and she came recommended from the family across the street. max did get a hep A vaccination and is still not himself  (from last thur) had a temp of 103 friday into saturday morning. but we’re slowly getting back on track. Dr Barton whom we/I love also gave us her impression of daycare facilities in the city/town. the one that she highly recommended though doesnt have the flexibility that another one near us has as far as scheduling his days there, since i dont really know when i’ll be working… but she still recommended the one we are on the fence about…. my head is realing from this little tid-bit, so i’ll leave it at this and address it in another post.

we had a welcoming reception for the neuro dept tonight and had a 14yo babysitter who was great, even tid-ied up the counters and got max down without a hitch, she checked on him a couple of times as she felt she needed to. she is the daughter of eric’s director (how cute and they actually used to own and live in this house 10 years ago. Max’s room was Angel’s room, so it was really special for her to come here and be in the house again, she remembers it even though she was 4.5 when they moved

ok. i’ll do a picture post now, before i get timed-out.

and instead of rats out back we have three juvinille bunnies that frolick around and even let max approach them.

ok…. gotta run

thanks to tim and jessica that sent us a kick-butt edible arrangement!!

so, with motrin in his belly, he seems no worse for the wear this afternoon, was a little freaked out this morning though….

eric wanted me to post a picture of the teeth, but i can’t say i feel like it right now.  his beautiful brand new teeth, i’m thoroughly bummed.

this might have been the last thing i needed right now as we get ready to move…..

A picture of our new house, and the “field of fun” playground.

Here’s a few shots from the lobbies in one of the hospitals, incredible huh?! The “Subway” in the one photo refers to the underground tunnels that basically connect all of downtown Rochester, they have a “Skyway” too.

Eric had a great trip to Chicago, and I had a great couple of days there with him as well. We stayed out late (late for me 11pm) and indulged at restaurants and consignment shops and had a blast with our friends.

Rochester,  Minnesota came next. It was a gloomy day when we arrived and I had moments of intense anxiety as the town was deserted and the first few places we saw weren’t what we had in mind. We found a natural foods co-op and it began to improve from there. The next few days were warm and sunny (unseasonably though) and we found a great house that we settled on. The neighborhood is awesome, super awesome park close by and a bike path to the grocery store and points all over Rochester. We’ll be very happy there. Mayo has a foundation funded by “Mrs Mayo” from way back when, for a Mayo Families Connection; which is an extensive support system and activity hub for med students/residents/fellow’s spouses…..

maxi awakes, have to beat eric to his door!

My max update quickly;  realized that i created a monster with not letting him feed himself with a spoon long ago. He is 17months old and still wants me to do it. We began a feeding protocol on Friday and have made some progress. But the moment he gets frustrated, the spoon goes flying and so does everything on it, i have been able to catch the bowl, and the new bowls i bought for him today have a suction thingy that is semi max proof.

this kid is amazing and hysterical and sooo smart. but we all know that, so i wont go into detail now. should have some new pictures soon. they are in the computer at least!

I look at these pictures and then i look back at ones over a year ago and think, how insane it is. he always looks the same to me; yet he is such a  big boy now. These were just from this weekend, a visit w Tim and Jessica (the bike helmet), a midday nap in his PJ’s, to the kitchen floor shots in his new sandals. I asked him to smile and that’s just what I got, one w flash and one without. Oh this baby, too cute!

I just had to throw the prego shot in; it looks fake! He was still close to 3 weeks from arrival!

The others are from our weekend w/ Grammie and Grandpie McDade at the botanical garden in Baltimore, it was our first time there, can’t believe it… it’s so close and so kid friendly. And there are some shots from the zoo, it is our first trip back since they closed for the winter. Max was cracking up at the giraffes eating ’sticks’ from the branches of a broken down tree, they updated their habitat so you can get so close to them while they eat. The close up in the stroller is of him watching them from another vantage point in their habitat. He also loves the tram from the entrance of the zoo to the animals (it’s a really, really long walk).

On another note (i just saved the entry), we thought we would binky wean max, and after a week of trying (he had lots of nightime wakings, early and crying ones, horrible napping; barely one in the morning and none in the afternoon) we re-introduced it. He still will only use it and doesn’t request it anymore than for in the crib. We don’t even use it for stories before he lays down and we are all much happier. He does carry Jelly around constantly and seeks him out for soothing if he gets an ‘ouchie’ or is frustrated. I am not too worried about the binky issue, he might just have the dispostion to ditch the binky on his own when he is ready.

so, just about 3.5 months til move date. i’m already figuring out what we can buy for the pantry that we will use up and not end up throwing out. time to plan for movers and my MN license, that will make (i have to count)…6 states that I am going to be licensed in.

I’m so psyched i got this updated, thanks for all who keep up!

Love,

Lisa

i’m so fricken mad, i just spent the last 30 minutes plus, max is now awake and no one is updated!!!!!!!!!!!

anyway, onto maximilian.

ok, max is 15.5 months old. and we learned, as we already thought, that he definitely is allergic to peanuts. we see an allergist on monday, i’m not sure what for… our pediatrician recommended we did, and Dr Travis rules, so we’ll do what he says. he thought it would be good to see this guy, dr shuberth who is up to date on all the research etc before we head out of town. we have been fortunate to have actual titres of max’s allergic response at 7mo and 15mo to be able to begin to follow them over the years, 25% of kids outgrow their peanut allergy, so it is good to have some actual numbers to coincide rather than just a skin test. so we carry an epi-pen and benadryl wherever we go. i have pictures of the reaction to post once i get my act together.

we had a great time in florida w my parents in january and max did great on the plane and in the hotel. i did finally realize that it probably will be a good idea to take darlene and doug(in-laws) up on their offer to come stay w max while we go to chicago and then onto roch, minnesota (to check it out together and find a place to live. big step for me)! doug and darlene are coming next weekend as well as ahead of time in april. this will be great, they’ll get to see max in action, learn a little about his nuiances and get ready for what they are getting themselves into!! i keep picturing them climbing all over the playground equiptment with him as he isn’t able to do so independently yet .

our countdown to rochester, minn is at 4 months now (including all of June). it will be hard to leave our neighborhood and the new friends we’ve made, but as i have been for the last moves we made; “i’m ready.” although it took me two years here to stop crying about leaving chicago!

ok, good enough for now? let me see about pictures…

Lisa