July brought us back-to-back visits from two of our favorite relatives. Max was sick and miserable when Aunt Ashly first got here (we are very grateful for the pre-school on-demand channel we discovered), but by Friday his fever broke and he was ready to play. We went to the Museum of Modern Art to see some Pixar cartoon shorts. Max enjoyed them, but he got very inpatient when the screen was blank in between the shorts. The highlight of the museum was riding the escalator with Aunt Ashly, though we did get him to look at some colorful German Expressionist paintings.
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We played in the MoMA Material lab which has some cool blocks and fun books (though Max was just as interested in figuring out how to put his shoes on, a new obsession for him). 
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He had fun sitting on Ashly’s lap during the bus ride home, which was much more pleasant than the one to the museum, when his stroller got put up on a shelf and Max thought he was losing it forever and wouldn’t stop crying. He’s very attached to his stroller lately, especially the buckles and straps which he loves to examine.
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Ashly babysat Max while Brittney was teaching at a theater academy on Friday morning and when Mark and Brittney went to the ballet Saturday night. They had lots of fun playing with all of Max’s toys and emptying the dishwasher together.
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On Sunday, after Ashly left, we discovered an awesome drum circle in the park. Max like dancing to the beats. 
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Bubbe arriving Monday, bearing, as usual, some amazing books with lots of flaps and textures. Bubbe and Max enjoyed snuggling and reading on the couch.
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Max likes to wave to animals in books. The lucky ones get kisses.
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Bubbe braved the heat to take Max walking around the library, the Apple store and the playground. 
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Wednesday night we went out to a very long, slow French dinner. Max was extremely patient, entertaining himself by eating bread and playing peek-a-boo with his shirt. He tried and seemed to like Mark’s escargot. 
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Dining on the sidewalk was nice until rain started pouring down on us. We took our food to go and waited for the storm to stop so we could take photos by the fountain at Lincoln Center, where Bubbe was going for her first time to see The Cleveland Symphony Orchestra. Max was amused when the fountain got us a little wet again. Max was so happy the whole time Bubbe was here, basking in her love (and sampling her gelato).
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| Max may be slow in the walking and talking department (though he is starting so say a lot more – he now says, or approximates more, dog, please, this, that, duck, da-da, all done, up, out, eye, arm, an occasional ma-ma and we even got a ‘cat’ the other day), but he is an excellent matcher. He can sort legos by color, match all 50 pieces of a puzzle that has colors, patterns, and textures and corresponding pictures (i.e. ‘red and ‘strawberry’ and ‘checked’ and scarf,”) and all the animals in the puzzle farm book Bubbe got him.. |
| Video of Max matching with Bubbe |
| Lately he’s even been matching letters. |
| Video of our letter-loving tot |
We were sad to see Bubbe go, but we had a fun weekend with just the three of us. Saturday night we danced to a big band on the last night of Midsummer Night Swing.
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| This weekend we are taking a break from fun but too-hot NYC for a few days in Bar Harbor Maine. We’ll probably take a few photos while we’re there… |
Tag: Bubbe
Palm Beach
Bubbe had lots of fun activities planned for us during our trip to Florida, including a day of shopping on ritzy Worth avenue in Palm Beach.  
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Max’s favorite part of the day was lunch at an outdoor café. He ate almost the entire bread basket.   
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We looked at lots of fancy jewelry, and clothes and visited some art galleries (in one of which Max threw his shoe across the room but fortunately he didn’t hit any expensive artwork).We didn’t buy anything, but, thanks to Bubbe, Max did come home with a new skill – giving high-fives. 
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On the way home we visited our Boggess relatives in Boca Raton. Max enjoyed playing with former New Yorkers Steven and Jane.
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Thanks for a fun day, Bubbe!
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Beach & Butterflies
Max got a glimpse of an overcast beach at Thanksgiving, but this trip was his first real day at the beach. The water was too cold to swim, but he loved hanging out in the Florida sun.  
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On our way to Florida we found Max’s appetite that he’d lost temporarily during his ear infection. We kept discovering new favorite foods, like this asparagus quiche. (His varied diet during his vacation included lentil salad, salmon, strawberries, brie, sundried tomato and gorgonzola ravioli and more). 
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Max loved playing in the sand with Bubbe.     
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That afternoon, Poppy took Max to Butterfly World, where we saw many colorful flying creatures and beautiful flowers.  
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Poppy bravely fed the Lorikeets.
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Max had fun on the swings and slides outside Butterfly World.
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While we enjoyed all our fun activities, some of Max’s favorite moments were reading with Bubbe and Poppy.
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And he rode his favorite car some more.
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Lucky Max
Our little leprechaun was lucky to get a visit from Bubbe the week of St. Patrick’s Day. We all celebrated at a party in the club on the roof (and Max ate some green peas for lunch). 
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Max loves to stare at Bubbe’s face and help turn the pages when she reads to him. There was lots of kissing, holding, and walks in the (mostly) sunny weather. She made him smile and laugh lots with stories, singing and dancing. Video of Max dancing with Bubbe (you can see how much Max’s reflux has improved – this kind of motion used to guarantee a puke) 
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It wasn’t all fun and games; Bubbe encouraged lots of exercising, tummy time and rolling over. 
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We went back to the local restaurant where we celebrated Max’s six-day birthday to celebrate his six-month birthday. Max looked very handsome and in the hat and sweater his Bubbe made for him. 
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With love and support from all his family, Max has grown a lot! 
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| Max is super-lucky because he didn’t have to say bye to Bubbe for long. Tomorrow we head to Atlanta to see Bubbe, Poppy and Uncle Alan again. And Max is very excited to meet his Aunt Karen and cousins Sam and Anna, and, if he’s super-lucky, maybe his favorite bulldog Uga. |
| Click here for more photos |
More Favorite Things
| Poor Max has had a cold the past week and half. It was so bad two weekends ago that the only way to get him to stop screaming was to let him watch some of the Super Bowl, which he found pretty fascinating. He usually doesn’t get to watch TV, but fortunately he has a plethora of favorite things (in addition to Uga, balloons, and his mobile, which continue to entertain) that he loves to look at, listen to, and touch. |
Mirrors. He can’t get enough of his handsome face. Bubbe took this great photo during tummy time when she was reminding him how to roll over.
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The frog on his bouncy chair, which he finally figured out how to pull to make music. He really loves it when Mark dances along to the song. Here he is watching his talented dad in fascination.
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The revolving stars on his swing. Now when he put him in the swing, he looks up right away and waits eagerly for his light show to start.
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Going for walks outside, even when it gives him hat hair. 
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Kisses from Bubbe. His Bubbe and Poppy were here for the worst of Max’s cold and Bubbe’s kisses made everything better. Max loves people and is starting to notice and watch other babies.
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| Chocolate…oh wait, that’s one of his mom’s favorite things, which she can’t have right now since the doctors think Max might be allergic to second-hand dairy and soy. We’re seeing a pediatric allergist Friday to get some more info, after which Brittney might go out for a fondue/sushi/hot fudge sundae dinner. |
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Every day we discover a new toy or item he is fascinated with to add to our arsenal of secret weapons to calm him down when he is having reflux or is too impatient to burp, or when we want to see him smile. Other favorites include: |
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– His stuffed Sebastian crab – The crazy rattle with a lion face that his great-aunt Ruth got him -The book ‘Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?” that Nonna gave him (especially when read by his dad, who now has it memorized) -Maracas or anything else that makes noise -Listening to music (he seems to like show tunes and classical, but that’s what his mom makes him listen to) And more… He is getting really good at grabbing and sometimes holding things and focusing really hard, as you can see in these photos. We can’t wait to see what else he falls in love with! |