We've been busy - WHEW!!

We've had a lot going on lately!! Max continues to grow and learn. Friday, March 27th he finally moved while standing on his feet - WHOA!! I guess we'll say he "scooted" around a chair - the words/phrases walking or taking steps don't really describe how he maneuvered himself and it would be a bit of an embellishment to use those terms. He pulled himself up on one side and got himself to the other by sliding his feet from side to side as he moved around the chair. Maybe we'll have a country line dancer on our hands. Owen will have to get him a belt with his name on it for sure! Slowly but surely he's making his way to being a walker - YAY MAX!!

All Three of My boys!

One of his new favorite past times is going to the park. He LOVES swinging and climbing on the playground. Two of his MOST favorite people, Melissa and Clay Stone, joined us last week and he LOVED it. Max is completely enamoured by those two - especially Melissa (I have to remind him all the time that she's married). He met some friends at the park the other day and had a blast. It was so cute when he would crawl into Mary Katherine's lap. He would lay his head in her lap and place her hand on his head. It really was precious how he couldn't lay still until he was comfortably resting with his head perfectly in her lap. Her daddy commented on how Max is such a romantic. What can I say, we have a real ladies man on our hands. Here are a few more pictures from our last trip to the park. (I have baby legs under his shorts for extra padding due to all the bruises he has when he comes home - the bruises don't seem to bother him and the dr said not to worry.)

Climbing up the stairs

Playing in the Tunnel - he loves hanging out in the tunnel and usually backs up "traffic" (He really likes playing peek-a-boo with the holes in the tunnel)

Max had his first sleep over with his best friend last weekend. Harper has a new house in Stuttgart and Max just had to go for a visit. We LOVE their house - I mean LOVE it!! We miss them SO SO SO SO much but are so happy for them! We had tons of fun and can't wait until Harper's first birthday party this weekend. Harper is walking EVERYWHERE! Here are some pictures from our great weekend!

Blowing Bubbles with Sassy He got one!

Harper was a "little" upset when she stopped blowing bubbles! (it was so funny!)

Taking Harper's Car for a Spin
Max was getting no where fast so Harper came to his rescue

Here is a video of Harper pushing Max around

Cruising Around Town in the Wagon

Max's babbling turns into talking more each day. He'll say num-num (which his daddy taught him) when he's hungry and night-night when getting in his bed (sometimes and with prompting). He says no and ok ALL the time!! (He answers no to most questions - I don't know what we'll do!) At Stroller Strides, he tells us to go all the time when we're stopped but I'm not quite convinced he's really saying go (it isn't no though) or knows what it means. He also exclaims OH a lot. There are lots of time he'll mimic us and say a word perfectly. Max is also VERY busy. He loves crawling and climbing on everything. These days he loves to climb into any chair where his mommy is sitting. He likes to take a break from playing by sitting in my lap. It is such a sweet and special snuggle time! Max had his first date with Molly Butler - lunch then the Wonder Place. (His mom had lots of fun with the grown ups, Julie, Allison, and Angie!)

I don't know if I've ever mentioned it, but Max is so funny when he doesn't have clothes on (particularly when he's fresh out of the tub). He loves to lay on his back and kick his feet and flail his hands (let's put it this way, if he were standing - he would be running)! After his "run" I usually lay with him for a bit and he'll hold my hand while he winds down from his day (of course he's sucking his thumb). It is probably one of the most special times of my day. Have I mentioned how much I love him? Well, he got a new toy this week. It's a "castle" that has a rock wall and a slide. It would be an understatement to say he likes it.

Climbing the Rock Wall He gets a little frustrated at times when he can't do it
Here's his Oh face - he says, "Oh" ALL the time!

What a Cutie!!

Going down the slide - Face First

Have a Wonderful Week! Love, the McNultys

Our very own Evel Knievel?

Well, he may not ride a motorcyle over things but he sure does climb all over EVERYTHING! First things first - Max STOOD UP for the first time today, all by himself!! YAY!!! We went to the park where he climbed all over EVERYTHING - He climbed up stairs and slides, through tunnels and on rocks (he even crawled on his knees)!! He had lots of fun swinging and even went down the slide on his belly - FACE FIRST!!! This baby has NO fear - danger is his middle name! Then when we got home he pulled himself up to a standing position using the footstool and just stood there (holding the footstool) like he'd been standing all along! I'm so excited for him. Here are some pictures from the park (all we had was Kelly's blackberry so I apologize for the quality). YAY Max! This has already started off to be a FABULOUS weekend!

Look at that sweet smile!! He LOVES to swing.

Here he is climbing on the slide

Climbing and playing with his new friend Walt

Sliding - face first.

My Little Cutie Pie

Max went for his one year check up last week. He's 34 inches and 25 lbs. We're wearing 18 months - 24 months and 24 month/2T clothes. He lost some weight due to being sick so we were glad to see he was gaining again. Sadly, the doctor informed us that he had a double ear infection!! WHAT?! Our sweet little baby never skipped a beat, so we never knew he had an ear infection or any discomfort. We've decided McNultys are like Chuck Norris - they don't feel pain. He started his first antibiotic, which means he couldn't have his shots; so, we have to go back to the doctor next week for shots. His 8th tooth just broke through his gums this week. He mimics everything we do, especially if we cough. It's so funny. He is just SO cute and has his mom and dad completely wrapped around his finger. He has a new trick where he'll hold a toy out to you like he's giving it to you and then when you grab for it, he pulls it back and shouts, "No!" (well, he mainly does it to Kelly.) Such a little trickster! He's started crawling on his knees more. The other day he almost pulled himself to a standing position. These days you can get him to stand for a few seconds with assistance (us or a piece of furniture or something). He loves doing the hand motions to the itsy bitsy spider and will (usually) do them when you start singing the song. TOO CUTE! He still does his one handed hog call and loves patty caking. Last weekend we went to play with Shugah and AG. Poor AG, her big boy cousin kept pulling her hair and making her cry. I have a feeling she'll get him back one day! He drinks whole milk now and LOVES, I mean LOVES, yogurt. Pancakes and mandarin oranges have become favorites too. Here are just some sweet pictures of my baby from the other day.

He was, very intently, watching me work from the hallway the other day and just looked SOOO sweet. He was just laying there smiling at me. It really was precious and this picture does not capture that moment at all. It was almost like he was just as enchanted with me as I am with him!

Here he is making his move! Coming to see his momma!

He had to stop and play with one of his NEW favorite toys - the magnets from Allison

I love this face!!

Our Little Monkey!

Even when he's sad, I could just eat him up!

Have a wonderful week! Lots of Love from one precious 1 year old angel and the blessed parents of that precious one year old!!! (Even as I type it, I just can't believe my baby is a year old!) Hugs!

It's my Party...

but there was no crying at this party!! We had the BEST time yesterday at Max's first Birthday. It was absolutely perfect. Thank you so much to all our wonderful family and friends who joined us and helped make Max's party WONDERFUL. We love you!! If it weren't for Sugah coming early - Max's mom would have been icing and cutting fruit and croissants after the guests arrived!! Thanks Sugah and everyone who helped!! Take a peek!

You're Invited To See Max's First Birthday!

Here's his Birthday Hat! (Thanks Puddin') This is what Max's Shirt looked like (it of course had a 1, not a 2). The shirt had a big star on the back with his name in it. He had a matching bib too. (Yay Puddin')
Welcome to Max's First Birthday Bash

The Door covered with Monkey Max Magnet Keepsakes for Max's Guests The "Party" Room! The Cupcakes - these were so much fun to make!
A Little Decoration to Match his Invitation! A Pinata and a Birthday Plate! Max's Monkey Cake! A Chair fit for a Birthday Monkey The centerpiece for the tables Happy Birthday to You, Happy Birthday to You, Happy Birthday Dear Max ...
He can't wait for the cake!!

First Taste!
I think he likes it?

YUMMY!!



He enjoyed his cake SOOO much! By the time he finished he had it in his eyes and up his nose!! In fact, after many q-tip tries, he still has icing up his nose!?!

Thanks for stopping by! We certainly missed all of the friends and family who didn't get to make it to the party, but hope you enjoyed seeing some pictures of Max's fun day! Lots of Love!!

Happy FIRST Birthday Max!!

I cannot believe it has been a WHOLE year!! Seriously, where does the time go?

Here we were that morning, Ready to get Started!

The Calm Before the Storm!! (for many reasons)

Max One Year Ago TODAY!!

We are so blessed to have our sweet baby boy. This has been such an amazing year of firsts and we still have SO many more to come. Max has FINALLY started showing some interest in standing. He'll get on his knees and with a little help he'll go through the motions and actually stand! I have to say, he does not enjoy standing, so I think we still have time before he actually takes a step or stands unassisted. He still army crawls everywhere. We have him pretty contained but once he sees an opening, he goes FAST. It's hystercial to watch him crawl, which looks more like a wiggle, really fast to try to get to a "no zone" (as we like to call them) before being stopped by one of his mean ole parents.

Riding his Birthday Present

He has this new pout of sorts. It started at the hospital last month. He kinda puckers up like he's about to kiss you when showing his disappointment. He does it sometimes when he teasing you. It's SOOOO cute! Speaking of kisses, we've been working on blowing kisses. So far, he'll only go as far as to place his hand over his mouth - he hasn't actually conquered the "blowing" part. Last night, we were giving each other five. He loves to clap or slap hands. It always makes him giggle. I love when we lay together and he holds my hand. He'll giggle sometimes and it just warms my heart. His new favorite song with hand motions is the Itsy, Bitsy Spider. Max particularly loves when the rain comes down and washes the spider out. One of his new favorite past times is to get on his knees and change the channel on the television or turn on the dvd player, especially when Kelly is watching something. He absolutely LOVES babies and little kids. We've gone on a few play dates and all he wants to do is hold the baby's hand or pat the baby on the head (or pull their hair and grab their faces - whoops! We're working on gentle too.) A few weeks ago, we went to the park to swing and he really enjoyed it. He would just scream and squeal in delight when swinging towards me. His smile is so infectious and his little laugh is enough to bring a smile to anyone's face! He's definitely discovered pitch! Now, he not only "talks" and squeals, he does so at different volumes and in different frequencies! He has this new really high pitched scream. It's provided lots of entertainment!

This doesn't fully capture the new pout, but you get the idea

Max is still such a happy baby. Lately, he's been a little under the weather but even when he's sick he's just an angel. (Poor guy is actually sick on his birthday and went to the DOCTOR!! Luckily he's young enough he doesn't realize the bad timing of his illness.) He just sucks his thumb and snuggles with his mom or dad. I hate that he's been feeling bad but have really enjoyed all the extra LOVIN'. Sleeping is still one of his favorite past times. He goes to bed about 8:30 at night and wakes up about 7:30 or 8:00. He still takes 2 really good naps around 10:30 and 2:30 (Sometimes he'll sneak in a cat nap around 5:00 - he's definitely my child). As far as eating, he really only wants to eat food he can feed himself. We've started branching out to big boy foods and look forward to adding more dairy to our diet. He LOVES turkey and the lunchable jr.s are a real favorite. As far as clothes and size, he is wearing 18 months and moving into more 24 month clothes. He isn't really gaining more weight, but it seems as though he continues to grow taller which makes some of the 18 month clothes too short. We go to the dr. Thursday, so I'll have stats then.

Max and his weird sleep positions

His party is this weekend. We can't wait and will have more pictures soon!! All and all this has been the most amazing year of my life. A year ago today, I had no idea what mother had in store, but I've loved EVERY moment. We are so blessed that I'm able to work from home and spend my days with him. It's just been amazing to be here for every milestone! I love spending my days with him and look forward to what this year will bring.

Happy Birthday Sweet Angel Bear!!