Happy Birthday to Max!

It is so hard to believe that Max has been part of our lives for three years today. Every day we spend with him is a blessing and an adventure. Today was the perfect birthday for Max. I was off school for spring break so we were able to celebrate all day long. This morning Brian set up Max's present. Max lit up when he came down to see his 'b-ball' set in the living room. After a yummy pancake breakfast, we were off to the museum of transportation for some fun on the trains. He loved his hour in the Creation Station. He loves 'reading' and he was so excited to read the stop sign in the community worker corner. We wrapped up his birthday with his favorite dinner - chicken tacos with a side of beans from Chipolte. He cracks us up, but he just can't get enough!

Celebrating Max's birthday makes me think of all the changes we have been through over the past year and just how much I have learned from our little man . . .

• routines are key - even at three
• while routines are great, flexibility is too
• everyone can benefit from an afternoon nap
• moving takes a lot of adjusting
• baby gates are helpful with the transition to the big boy bed
• potty training is not fun. . . at all
• early intervention is so important!
• an informed parent is their child's best advocate
• being a mom has made me a more empathetic teacher
• early morning wake ups are a hard habit to break
• the older he gets, the bigger the toys
• mommy's purse is no longer her own
• we can't leave the house without meow-meow kitty, monkey man, and more recently baby
• a sippy cup of milk and a baggie of O's make for a happy drive to the sitters in the morning
• giving up a pediatrician you love is really tough
• finding a pediatrician you love is really tough
• the older he gets the more entertaining he is
• he can make me smile, no matter how awful I may be feeling
• he wants to be just like daddy - and it is adorable
• I'm the luckiest lady alive!