Wow it has been so long since I have sat down to write your birthday letters and even blogged about how much you have changed and grown. You are doing an outstanding job at your new school. You are making friends with so many kids and you are really are making this school a home for yourself. December was a special month at school because your teachers and classmates did the Birthday Celebration for you where I made a poster of all the years you have been alive and told a little about each year you have been around in this world and they read it to your class. You lit candles, sang songs and walked 4 times around the “world” candle in the middle of your classroom. It was a beautiful and amazing celebration. You answered questions about the sun, the moon and all the planets. You did a great job. You were so proud and I was honored to be there with you. I think your favorite part of the celebration was handing out my special gluten free, egg free, dairy free cupcakes with dairy free and egg free icing at the end plus dairy free chocolate chips..the kids and the teachers were so excited. You were helping the teachers put them on the kids plates and all of the kids with allergies could eat them, which made you so happy too.

This is a picture of you next to your proud cupcakes that your Mom makes!

You have been doing a great job with practicing writing letters and Daddy bought you a book that you practice tracing your letters and then writing them on your own. We also started to work on reading at night. We are looking at the letters and then sounding them out and reading the word. You really enjoy this even though it is tough work. You LOVE all the Richard Scary Books right now and Daddy just bought your 3 more because we had read the 2 we own about 150 times already. You were so excited when they came in the mail. You are just growing up. You can put yourself to sleep now all by yourself at night and your hold onto Running Bear, Eagles Bear and Singing Blue Bear. They keep you company.

You are very proud of your room and your books. You are very proud of being an Eagles fan and often ask why everyone is not an Eagles fan. You room has a bunch of Eagles Jerseys hanging up and pictures of the Phillies and the Flyers. You, just like your Dad, are die hard Philly Fans. You an your sister both have your Eagles gear that you wear for game day but the season if over so we will wait for next year!

There is a great playground near us that has these water machines that you can aim at each other and shoot water. We went there with friends from out of town and you had a blast. You were soaked from head to toe but you enjoyed yourself so much. You love to play. You are also really into your imagination Playmobile castle and school. We sit for hours and play. You and your Daddy sit for hours and play with all the figures and just play pretend imagination. You have always been great at playing and you love to just have time to enjoy your toys and cars.

a href=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/maxsmom/5377217649/” title=”IMG_8153 by Maxsmom, on Flickr”>

You are definitely going through the 4 year old..”I want it my way stage” but seriously you are the sweetest boy with the most open and gentle heart. You may hit here and there when your sister annoys you or takes your car or destroys your castle or messes up your game..but I don’t blames you even though I need to discipline you and your sister for messing things up. You have a HUGE heart and you just want to love. You enjoy playing, baking, cooking, painting, drawing, snuggling and watching Dino Dan. You love to play with other kids and you have really stepped out of your shy shell and taken on your power and your voice.

This year you and your sister painted the most amazing picture in December that is hanging in our living room. You guys worked on it for 2 days. The canvas was 4 by 6 and it was bigger than the both of you but you worked and worked and it is so beautiful. We will have it forever. It reminds me how colorful you are and how much brightness you bring to the world. Don’t ever stop asking questions. Don’t ever stop playing even though I tell you everything is not a game. You teach me so much. Thank you my dear boy.

Love you always,

Mom

I promise things are settling down but the last few months have been full of change with our move and I have had to pack two months of your birthday letters into one..this has never happened but I think that is part of being a mom..just accepting that I can’t do it all. So enough about me and let’s talk about you.

First off-you still love life as you always have and for some reason you dig wearing your socks like this! Maybe you thought we moved closer to Miami!

So much has happened. You love your new school. You had a tough time at first and I don’t blame you. You were so comfortable at your old school but you have really grown to like this school. You are in a class where there are 3 to 5 year olds. It is a very traditional Montessori school where older kids help the younger kids. You go to school at 8:30 in the morning and I pick you up at 11:30. Sometimes you stay for lunch and then I pick you up at 12:30 pm but with your food allergies it is much easier to come home and eat your meal here as your school uses a microwave and I have never used a microwave for you in your life. Why start now?

The head of the school came up to me and told me how special you are because you were 5 of 16 kids that offered to do an exercise where you would help a younger child do their work. You thrive when you can show your independence and leadership skills. I was very proud of you as usual.

The biggest thing that has happened is you wear big boy underwear! Yep you heard me. Three weeks ago the school emailed me and said it was time. You had a few pee accidents but that was it and now you wear underwear-I cannot believe it. I am so proud of you!!

You love the pool. We swim everyday and sometimes a twice a day. We converted the pool to a salt water pool and it is so nice. You have been taking swim lessons and you can swim about 6 feet wall by yourself and lift your head and kick. You can also jump in on your own and dive down for rings. It is amazing to watch you each week get better and better. We have a lot of thank you’s to Miss Tracy for teaching you how to swim because in the beginning you cried everyday and then one day you said you were going to swim and you did. It was such a classic Max MOVE!

You are just loving our neighborhood. You often ask if we are moving back to our old house but we explain that we have moved and that we have sold that house. I think you kind of get it. You love being outside and we have huge doors that open up to our pool and backyard and so the whole house, since it is also one floor, seems to be one large play room.

You are a great big brother. Sometimes your little sister upsets you but most of the time you are great at helping her and helping me. You are still so stubborn and I am not sure if that will ever change but it is just who you are. You are cracking me up with some of he things you say like, “baby, stop you are giving me a headache or baby, stop you are making me tired.” Oh boy-I hope Ii don’t say those things. You think you are the police man in this house!

Anything Dinosaurs is the new theme in the house. You love watching a new show called Dino Dan and any documentary with Dinosaurs. It is very cute. You still love Kung Fu Panda but you have moved onto the next level of really wanting to watch show that stimulate your brain. You still are awesome with your imagination and playing. It always amazes me when I see you playing and  what you say we should do with all the toys or little characters in your story that we are playing out.

So basically my big boy-have fun-keep dreaming-keep asking WHY-keep exploring and I love you very much.

Love,
Mommy

Wow..I am I late this month but so much has happened. We are in the process of moving and not only has it been crazy insane but I also was just trying to finish nutrition school, get us finalized in Philly, pack us up, and shed so many tears..so I am late..very late and I write this post actually from our hotel room in Boca Raton, Florida (your new home town) because I want to write tell you all about how much you have changed and grown this month.

Transition has never been easy for you..I swear you and I have that in common but you have been so amazing. The other day I was crying, as I was working out on my elliptical and you said…
“Mommy, can I talk to you about why you are sad?” I said..yes and you asked me why I was sad and I explained that I was sad because we were moving and I would leave my friends and my family. You asked me the name of my best friend and I told you. You then told me I should write down all the names and give them to Daddy so he can call them and then I won’t be so sad. You also told me they could visit and text me. I started to laugh. Then at the end you said..” Mommy, don’t be sad because we have a pool.” And I said yes sweetie, We have a pool. I should not be sad at all. And you reminded me again that Daddy would call my best friends and have them text me. Where do you get this stuff?

You also told me the other day that you “could not do something because your brain fell out into your tummy”…you also told me the other day that “this guy was giving you a heart attack”. Where do you get this stuff? Cracks me up. Your are too smart for your own good and you always have a story for why you cannot do something when you don’t feel like it-especially saying sorry. But you are a very loving guy I just think you are going through your ALMOST 4 year old stage and this is part of you testing the boundaries.

So yes we moved officially on the 28th of August and it has been tough. You were very excited but I think the change has been a lot for you and mostly because your Dad has been out at the house daily doing stuff and we are living at a hotel and I know there is a lack of stimulation which you thrive on. But you had a great time at camp this summer for the month of August. At camp they had some chicken eggs hatch in your classroom and it was very exciting. There were over 10 chickens and they were so cute. You also went in the sprinklers every day and played with some of your best buddies. It was a great summer. You had a great time with Teacher Brenda and her son Mr Matt. I was so happy that she was there for you in the summer and we were sad to say good bye as she has loved you so much this year.

I am not sure when you started to look so grown up but all of the sudden you do. You are such a great boy and I am so lucky to have you as a son. You make me so proud in so many ways. You have endless love that you show in hugs and kisses constantly. You may be shy at first but without a doubt you will be showing your break dancing moves to that person when you feel like it. I have always needed to let you pave the way for yourself and give a shove when needed..in a gentle way but I have needed to just tell you that it is cool and you can do it and it will be fine and just to step up and well you do it..of course when you are ready..it is just your personality and stubborn as a bull-just like your mommy.

So I love you and always be who you are and I hope you love your new life as a Boca Boy and I hope you love your new Montessori school..and I hope you always reach for the stars and never stop laughing..as you think everything is funny..I love you.

I know this letter is so over due but these past few months have been hard for me to blog with the big move..I know no excuse but if you know anything about your mom..this is huge for me. But lets talk about you. You are such a big boy. First off, I have to say you also got Hand, Foot and Mouth and you were so sick…huge sores in your mouth and it was awful but you also gave up your bottle and your formula. You decided that you were a big boy and that you now prefer to drink lemonade, apple juice, carrot juice and water. You were a trooper during your sickness with fevers that went up and down and sores in your mouth that made it hard to drink but you still watched lots of movies and had fun at the beach.

I swear you were meant to be in the water. When you started to get ear infections at 9 months and we had to keep your ears out of the water it was hard-I am not sure for you but hard for me because I knew you loved the water so much but now you are a surfer. You just love it and you are really good. Daddy actually pulls you really fast down the beach on your board and you ride the waves and sometimes you fall but your scream for more.

I think one of the things I love about you the most is that you think everything is funny. I love the faces you make. This one is the classic Max face.

Down the shore we stayed in barnegat light and I think it was the 4th time you have stayed on Long Beach Island and it made me sad because I knew it would be a while since we would be back since we are moving to Florida so there were lots of treats and lots of eating. It is really amazing that your body does great when you are really just happy and in the sun so check all of these great pics of you eating your yummy gluten free stuff..

well this one was  not gluten free-but you only ate the icing..lol

Basically you just love life despite the 3 1/2 , I AM DOING IT MY WAY OR THE HIGHWAY STAGE YOU ARE GOING THROUGH but I think all kids go through that or at least that is what I am told. I love your curiosity. I love that you have a story for everything. I love that when you dont want to do something you say you are tired or you say your back hurts you or say that the baby hurt you..you have a story for everything..You are great at figuring things out-and you love to help..of course unless you dont feel like it. But really you are a great kid.

As far as speech, your teacher Miss Marlene Belkin says that you are at 80% and that is amazing. I am so proud of you. I can see your personality coming through in your speech and trust me even when you did not have words you could light up a room…you have never lacked in that area.

You still LOVE trucks, cars and now Love Dinosaurs. You are using the potty more and more and wear pull ups. We have some accidents and you do not like to potty at school but you will when you want to and I have learned you cannot be pushed..hhhmmm..wonder where you get that quality from? You are just a great kid and an amazing brother. You love to play HARD. You are so excited to move. You keep asking when we are moving to the house with the pool. I have found a montessori school that I am excited about and your sister will attend for a few morning in January. I am excited for your new life In Boca raton Florida. You will be my little Jewish Surfer Boy. I love my dear Angel!!

So much to tell and I have not been writing in my blog with our busy life. First off, let me just say you are so handsome. I am amazed that you get more handsome each day. You love your Daddy so much but I know you love me equally just in different ways. You love to hit and wrestle with your Daddy but when it comes to hurting yourself and needing a good snuggle and love you turn to me. I think if you had it your way you would have the both of us with you every second of the day.

Well school ended a week ago and we headed for the beach. YOu LOVE the beach and love the sand. You actually like to pretend that you are swimming but in the sand. You love the take your clothes off and swim in the sand and the water. It is a delight to watch and hysterical too. You enjoy taking outside showers and you are very good at peeing on the rocks outside while you wait for the shower to get turned on. You still think you can be a dog like Esther. It is quite cute. I had to explain to you that you can pee outside but not  poop. You did not like that nor understand why you could not poop outside like Esther. I am sure this is one of the many conversations we will have in your life where it just does not make sense to you but it happens to be a common rule in life.

Your speech is amazing and this year we chose not to hire a therapist while we were at the beach because you are doing so well. So it is a true vacation. You have no school and no speech therapy. You are talking so much and saying the funniest things and oh gosh-even repeating things like, “Shit” and then your Dad said “put a Lindsay bracelet on Samantha to keep her in check” and you repeated it..so funny. You are doing great. So great that you are the little negotiator..you negotiate the amount of cookies you get for going pee/poop on the potty, car/trucks/lollipops etc. Yes, we are bribing our child to use the potty and it seems to work. LOL. You are wearing pull ups most of the time and sometimes big boy underwear. We are so proud of how hard you are working and if bribing works then so be it.

You love to wrestle with your sister and play lots of games. I think you both have a love/hate things going..one minute you are playing and laughing and next minute you are both crying or one is hitting and the other is crying. You are the best of friends and you are so sweet to her. You refer to her as MY Baby. She loves you so much. And we love you so much. There is not a lack of love in your life and it seems every time I look around you are getting a new gift from one of your grandparents who adore you too.

I love you sweet little boy-and yes you remind me daily that you are not a baby but  a big boy!

Hugs to you forever.-Your Momma

You are a rock star. I have decided that even though you love to be guided by following the rules, you just love life. You live hard and play hard and LOVE hard. You have always been a  great big brother but now you want to help. You like to bathe samantha, put her to sleep, carry her and most of all make sure she is not getting hurt. You are the same way at school. Your teacher Miss Brenda says you protect the kids and they listen to you. You are such a great little man. You just want everybody to be happy. I swear you are always looking to find ways to laugh and it is a valuable lesson that you are teaching me.

School has been great for you. Miss belkin says that you are doing amazing with your speech. She said you have gone way beyond any of your goals and we are so proud of you. You are observing and using your words in all situations. You ask Why, Where, Who, What..you went from not speaking one word in March of 2009n to non-stop talking and I love when you say..”Is that a good idea?” It cracks me up because when you have an idea you always make sure it is the solution. You remind me so much of myself.

I also have to say you are very cool and very liked. You have two best friends at school, Thomas and Bruno, but you also hang with a few more boys that want to be in your crowd. You are in the phase of “LET ME PICK IT, LET ME CHOSE MY CLOTHES, LET ME..LET ME..LET ME”. It is awesome to see you taking care of yourself. You can put on your clothes, your shoes, brush your teeth and use the potty. You still do not using the potty at school but I am sure we will get there eventually. I am not worried. You whole life you have done things when you are ready and not a second before. You even picked out your shoes on the New Balance website. Yes, you will only wear New Balance..I had you in these shoes as your first pair of shoes and you refuse to wear anything else. But this year you wanted to pick them out and then press all the buttons on the computer to go to the check out and you did. Such a big boy.

You LOVE the Car Movie. You get a car movie car (under$4) every time you poop. I know we may be spoiling you but it has been the only thing we can give you. I tried candy-even gluten free and it was messing up your stomach and then I tried gluten free and dairy free chocolate and it messed up your stomach so we give cars. I wish it were easier like M & M’s but the Cars are fine and you are at least motivated. So you have a lot of cars and well you are going  potty a lot too and that is good. Since we are moving probably at the end of August, we need to get you potty trained because most schools do not let 3 years in the class unless they are potty trained..but like I said..all in your time..

I know you are my kid and all moms think their kid is handsome but you are SO handsome. You are just a very cute kid. Everybody loves you..your teachers, your grandparents and us. You have a spark for life that cannot be put out. You are loving books these days and we read books every night before bed.

You are going through that whiny 3 year old phase and throwing down your toys when you don’t get your way and I am hoping this is just a phase. i have actually had to tell you to go in a time out because not getting our way does not mean you can throw your toys. I probably need to put myself in a time out and take a mommy breath at those moments. I am sure being this ago is tough so I am trying to be loving and supportive. I love you and hope I support you in all the ways you need me too. You are a great kid and you are just growing up so fast.

Love, Mommy

I swear I look at this picture and wonder where my little boy is because he looks so grown up. I am amazed at how fast the time is going even though some days feels so long.

Now Miss Samantha was having a love affair with this rabbit. It was really cute because they had three sections the gate was low enough that she could reach the animals. There were chickens and two kinds of rabbits but this one was her favorite. It was so cute to watch. She was being so gentle too and I was really proud of her.

Max also enjoyed feeding the goats and sheep. It was so much fun. They had little bowls of food for $1.

We had a wonderful time despite the total mommy move on my part. First off, it was hotter than I thought and both my kids had long sleeve and pants on and then the stroller that I keep in my truck needed air in the tires. Those are both total mommy moves but at least nobody looked really hot and nobody would have known that it was hard to push the stroller with no air in the tires. I swear my brain can only hold so much information at one time.

As for the move, we have decided to delay the move either till december if a buyer is willing to wait that long or next summer. It just felt rushed and Max is not fully potty trained and so I was becoming insane. Bottom line:insane mother = insane family. So I let go and said this is when I can do it and we will see if it works but at least I let it go and are getting back to normal-slowly-FYI-I don’t do change well and admire people that can. Those type of people give me hope for myself. LOL

Just yesterday as I was putting you to sleep you turned to look at me and said, Mommy I love you so much” and you kissed my cheek. I think this explains what kind of boy you are. You are a lover. You tickle my forehead sometimes as you are falling asleep or when we wake up. I told you the other night that we are best of friends and you agreed. You always love to hear how much people love you. When I tell you that and name all of the people who love you-it can change any emotion you are having into pure joy.

You are also ALL BOY. Your teacher said that you were playing Kung Fu Panda at school and got in trouble because you were hitting a boy in his head. The boy said he liked it but the rules at montessori are NO fighting. Of course you asked Why and I tried to explain that I know you were playing but still school has those rules. You thought that was silly.

CARS, CARS and CARS from the CAr Movie. They rule your world. See you keep getting more because that is you treat for going potty-3 pees or 1 poop. Well as you can see from the first pic-the cars are increasing and they keep coming in the mail daily. It is awful cute that you and Daddy pick out the cars on the computer together. It is fun for both of you. You guys also love to watch Car Movie mini takes on You Tube.

Your speech is going great. Your teacher Marlene Belkin is so proud of you and said just this week that you have done better at this point that she expected. We are so proud of you. It has been a hard month of detox and there was a week where you were having some issues with your speech but you bounced right back. Your teachers at school feel the same-that you are doing so well. They say you are the Protector for the kids. If a kid is doing something wrong or a kid gets hurts then you step right in to try and help.

Basically we just doing a lot of playing and cuddling. You are really loving books right now and you are very interested in the Why and What of  everything. It is so much fun to watch your grow and let me also say..you are such a handsome little guy. I am not just saying that because you are my son..

I have tried to explain to you a few times how special our bond is and will be forever. You and I are so similar and sometimes we bat heads but I get you and your are my first child. You are my first for everything and you have been an amazing child. You stand 38 inches tall and 35 pounds in weight. You are strong and strong willed. You are determined and curious. You love the beach and the big city. You are a great traveler and an awesome little man. You love playing soccer and you love school. Your best friends are Thomas and Bruno and you request constantly to have a party where we only eat chocolate, ice cream and cupcakes. I love you so much. I love being your mom and you have graced me with allowing mw to be that person in your life. happy Birthday my dearest boy.

Love,

Mommy

You have really become your own person this month. You are using words to express so many feelings. You will often walk around saying things like..”That makes me MAD” or “baby you are being bad because you are taking my cars”. We are so proud of you and how you are expressing yourself. It is truly amazing to watch you grow and become confident with your words. It is crazy to think that one year ago you did not even say one words and no it is endless. WE ARE SO PROUD OF YOU! WAY TO GO MAX!!

You LOVE anything that has to do with the CAR MOVIE. I swear we watch it 3 times a day and you actually pretend with your own cars that they are in the movie. It is very cool to watch you play as you have such a great imagination.

You are still a great eater. You love grass fed bison burgers, goat milk kefir, kombucha, carrot juice, rice, brown rice pasta, veggies and fruits. I swear you could live on fruits and veggies and you haver been that way forever.

You love to act like you are mad but if I even tickle you or say something you break out in laughter. You can rarely stay upset and I think you find it funny to pretend you are angry.

You have two best friends at school: Thomas and Bruno. I hear that you are the three BOYS and you guys run the show in a good way. You ask often if they can come and play cars with you at your house and eat ice cream and chocolate. You love coconut milk ice cream and you love when I make chocolate icing for you to put on your muffins. You always tell me that you love me. It is adorable.

You have a sweet soul. You are always helping me with your sister. You are always sharing your food. You are always worried about people in general. I love that you are all boy and yet have such a kind heart. You are very sensitive and that makes me happy. You are all boy with lots of love. It is a great combo.

I would just say that you love life. You enjoy every ounce of it and it is wonderful to watch. You have an amazing sense of humor and are constantly laughing. Even though it was a tough month so far because you were sick for two weeks off and on, you still found a way to enjoy. I am so glad spring is here because you have been loving the sun and we are playing outside on the swings, with your big green car and chalk. It is great..ah forgot to mention that the sandbox.

You are a great son and a great big brother. Thanks you for being so awesome. Thank you for always challenging me to be better than I am. I love you so much.

Love, Mommy

I think this picture says it all…CARS..you love cars and the movie CARS. WE watch it daily and you have all of the cars and the huge truck MACK that carries Lighting McQueen. There have been nights where Mack goes to sleep in your bed and there are many days where I have to wash your CAR MOVIE pajamas almost daily because that is the only pajama you want to wear. But it is awesome and you can play for hours with your cars and they are so important. I think your favorites are Mader the tow truck, Mack, Lightning Mcqueen of course, Doc, the Sheriff and well there are so many to even list but you love them..you are such a boy.

Your speech is expanding every month and now it is not uncommon for you to say multiple sentences together. You still work with a speech therapist named Miss Belkin at school two times a week on articulation but I think in the end it was also just your time to talk. I dont doubt that all our hard work (and you did not say a word in March-not even ma ma or dad da) did not pay off and clearing the strep from your gut and changing your diet according to your allergies but I also feel that it was just your time. I think school has been huge for you and your love your school and I do too…montessori learning has been awesome.

You have had a good month in general. You have watched the snow fall so much this past month and went sledding a few times at Nan and Pops house and went down the hill all by yourself. It was amazing to watch you be fearless and we were so proud of you…a little worried when you almost crashed into a tree but then daddy re-made the path and it worked-no more near crashes. We also went sledding at one of your school friends house and you had a blast.

You  have been amazing with your sister. You guys play and share and there are few times when you want to be alone except bath. You are very clear that you like to take a bath alone. I think the earlier days when your sister splashed you over and over has created this alone bath situation but so be it..because it is your time and I am happy that you are saying what you want and need.

You are still a great eater. You now love zucchini too. I swear you would be a vegetarian if beans worked well with your tummy but you do love your grass fed bison burger that you eat for lunch daily with rotating cultured veggies every other day.

This month we have had a few power struggles about saying the word sorry..which has always been hard for you but the other day you said it right away..I will also say that prior to this experience the other day we had three fights..one an hour long, then one 40 mins and then one 30 mins but then you said it with ease and I was so proud of you.

You are saying the funniest things these days and I can see already that you know how to use your words with saying things like..I don’t have the words to say it and I am tired and my body hurts..these words all the things you said to me during our SAY SORRY FIGHT but I held strong..which is so hard. I am sure one day you will know how hard it is to set boundaries with your kids because you just want them to be happy and feel no pain but I also know that giving your happiness and safety in your life is setting those boundaries.

You are now asking WHY to everything and I am trying my best to give you very complete answers. I know you are like me and you just want to understand the WHYS of the world.

You are an amazing little man and I love you dearly. You are the light of my life and I am so happy that I am your mom. Keep exploring and never stop asking WHY.

Love,

Mommy