Month 14, Day 18: Big Boy Clothes

Well, if you're going to take big boy falls, you might as well dress like a big boy. Here's Max in his first button-down shirt. He looked sharp enough to go to work with Dad, although he looks like he does "Fight Club" in his spare time.

Month 14, Day 17 - Tough Guy Max

Max is real tough, with an independent streak, these days. And if he could talk, we're sure he's very opinionated too. Below, our "Rocker Max" is showing off his mad drumming skills.

Apparently, this is how all cool "Rock-n-Roll" babies sleep.

Grandmas, avert your eyes! An independent streak and over-estimating your walking skills is not a good combination. On the way home tonight, we let Max walk down the hallway to our door. After a few steps in his puffy winter jacket, he decided he was more than competent for the job and starting toddling a little too fast. And down he went - the rough floor showed no mercy (and the bulkiness of his coat prevented him from softening the blow with his hands), and he literally did a nose-plant. He's fallen before, but this indeed qualifies as his first "big boy" spill, complete with a few scrapes and a bloody nose. But being the tough guy he is, he bounced back and was soon showing Mom who was boss.

Month 14, Day 4: Max's Snow Day

Max's daycare was closed today, but he didn't seem too disappointed to spend it with Mom and Dad.

Seriously, getting a picture of Max without food on his face is near impossible.

Mom got Dad a "mad bomber" hat to keep his (very) bare head warm these days. So toasty the hat kept his head that it actually steamed after he took it off in the elevator following a jaunt outside. Max wasn't too keen on wearing it, but still he had a brush handy for all his new "hair."

Month 14, Day 3: Alas, the Other Fell

When Mom and Max went into the kitchen for breakfast this morning, they found that the other fir had fallen. Below is the current view of our patio without the beatiful firs, followed by a picture of the two downed trees.

On a brighter note, we survived the fourth biggest recorded snowfall and the second snowiest season in the DC area. Below, Max is giving Mother Nature a raspberry.

Month 14, Day 2: An Ode to Our Tree

For those who have visited our place, you may remember a huge fir tree shading our patio, just outside of Max's bedroom. Mom loved it; loved sitting on the patio with Max, watching it sway in the breeze or shake more violently with spring thunderstorms; loved the birds swooshing in and out of it; loved the privacy it provided and loved it keeping our place a little cooler in the summer.

Sometime between 4.30 am and 7 am today, it caved in under the weight of the snow from the 2010 Blizzard. Mom was bummed. :(

Bird's eye view of our fallen treen, taken outside our 3rd floor patio at 7am.

Our tree had a twin that stands outside the next apartment over. So far, it is still standing, but barely. The first picture was also taken at 7am, and it was already precariously tilted. Normally, it stands very close to the patio and you would not be able to see the other building in the background. The next picture was taken at 4pm - and you can definitely detect more leaning. Poor tree.

Below is a pictorial ode to our tree.

Month 14, Day 1: Max's Snowmageddon

How does Max spend the beginning of what could be the largest snowfall on the record (since 1870) in DC? Why, running around in the Jeep and getting a new "big boy" table and chairs, of course! At least now he can dine in style while being snowed in. After a while though, Mom gave up and plopped Max back in his high chair since he was more interested in pushing the table around than eating. But before that, she snapped a few photos of Max being a "big boy." The last few pictures show him chasing Mom around (usually it's the other way around).

Note to Dad: Be careful tomorrow morning when driving the docs/nurses to and from the local hospitals! We hope you don't lose control of the Jeep like you did this evening. But in case you do, imagine Mom berating you as usual. Any doubts we had about the roads being bad went out the window after the experience of careening into opposite traffic lanes and sliding sideways!