Monday, December 10, 2012

Ten years of Max: a love note


Dear Max,

This week you'll be 10 years old, and it is hard to wrap my head around that. In some ways, I can vividly recall your birth and first year. And in some ways, they seem like a lifetime ago.

Your progress this past year has been especially wondrous. I get ecstatic when you do something new, because it opens up new horizons for you. Thing is, you have never stopped amazing me and your dad, and inspiring people around you. 

This is the first year you...
...started spelling out words on your iPad and got the gist of telling time.
But you've always been...
...bright.


This is the first year you...
...started asking questions, like when I said we'd be going on a Disney Cruise in December and every morning afterward you'd wake up and ask "Oooh-aye?" ["Today?"]
But you've always been...
...curious.


This is the first year you...
...walked up stairs by yourself.
But you've always been...
...determined to move your body, however you could.


This is the first year you...
...got into cooking; making scrambled eggs is your fave, with your dad standing guard.
But you've always...
...loved to eat. Oh, what a chubalicious baby you were. Confession: I used to nibble on your arms and legs. I did.


This is the first year you...
...liked purple.
But you always...
HA! JOKE! You've been purple-centric for more than three years now, and you're not showing any signs of letting up.


This is the first year you...
...got markedly better at grasping things, even with that right "helper" hand. And wow, can you point!
But you've always...
...tried so, so hard to manipulate your hands and fingers.


This is the first year you...
...were toilet trained! WOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOO!
But you've always been...
...a champion pooper. In the months after you were born, one of the ways your dad always made me smile was with a song called "Max makes big dooooooodies!" (Be grateful YouTube wasn't around back then.)

This is the first year you...
...and Sabrina really started playing together.
But you've always...
...adored her.


This is the first year you...
...started looking like a big kid—a very handsome big kid.
But you've always been...
...the most beautiful, smiley boy I have ever known.


Happy, happy 10th birthday, my Max. You make me proud and happy every single day.

Love,

Mommy

25 comments:

  1. Awww that made my heart melt! And these pictures are just adorable!! Happy Birthday, Max!!

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  2. Happy birthday, Max! Double digits, woohoo!

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  3. Happy birthday to Max! Those are some wonderful pictures. :)

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  4. beautiful -
    Kristen

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  5. I think you missed one development which to me, trained in language acquisition and neurocognition, is a biggie: Max is starting to communicate in what linguists, at least, would consider sentences. What's a sentence? Basically, a subject and a verb--or, less technically, a thing and an action. (Stock expressions like "Gimme five" don't count, because to the kid, it's probably no different than one long word like "gesundheit".) Two examples jumped out at me: 1) Max said "It (they?) went off" when asked about the lights after Sandy, and 2) Max said "trees" (a thing) while using a gesture for falling down (an action). Of course that is not how most people talk, but in the deepest structural sense, that's a sentence. So now he's mixing speech-words and sign-words in one sentence, but I wouldn't be surprised if this is a precursor of his putting spoken words together.

    So, I think you could add:
    This is the first year you…
    …formed sentences.
    Bur you’ve always…
    …made yourself understood.

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    1. This is one of the trillion reasons I am grateful for this blog--the perspective I get from other parents and, on occasion, experts like you. Yes, you are so right, he is forming sentences in a variety of ways, and that is truly A Big Deal.

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  6. what a touching post. happy birthday to max!

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  7. HAPPY BIRTHDAY,MAX!all the way from London uk
    love from becky

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  8. Happy birthday Max! BTW, although you're quite dapper in all of your photos, I'm in love with the last one-- the b&w on the bed-- beautiful!

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  9. Love the photos! Happy birthday, Max! <3

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  10. My love to Max! This post is a true love note. It is meaningful (for all of us) and heartfelt. Thank you for writing it and posting it.

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  11. Happy Birthday to Max - I remember each and every one of these pictures (my favorite one of all time is the one of him in the sailor suit). He has definitely come a long way thanks to you and to his positive outlook and determination. My love for him is never ending.

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  12. Beautifully done, Ellen! I love all the photos. You're right - Max was one of the cutest, chubalicious babies EVER! And he's definitely one of the most handsome 10-year-olds ever as well. Happy Birthday Max!

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  13. Yes...a very handsome ten-year-old. In this year's picture, you can really see in his face what a nice-looking adult he's going to be!

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  14. Happy b day big guy sending lots of love to u today

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  15. love all the pics, happy birthday max!

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  16. Thank you, Max, for inspiring me for a year.

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  17. Beautiful words and pictures to celebrate your Max! Hope he had an incredible birthday. Here's to many more years and inspiration from him and you!

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  18. Thanks, everyone, for the birthday wishes. Max is having a celebratory WEEK! And planning for his next birthday party, too. :)

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  19. So Precious!! Happy Birthday Max

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Thanks for sharing!



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