It's really really official! Max is WALKING!!!

Max is Walking! It's Official!! from Catherine Just on Vimeo.

So I've heard from other folks around town - that once kids have the eyes surgery they just get up and start to walk! Seriously. I thought this was amazing but I didn't really know what to expect with Max....and guess what? He had the surgery on july 28th and on August 17th ( just 20 days later ) he just kept on walking without falling! I noticed right away that his center of gravity had changed and he was a lot more stable in his standing and his attempts at walking ( he has been taking up to 8-9 and sometimes 12 steps since around his first birthday ). Seeing it all come together is pretty amazing...and clearly Max gets a kick out of it as well. I'm jumping for joy for the little guy and I just love watching him be able to keep up with his friends at playgroup after months and months of him being left in the dust by all his cute girlfriends and guy pals. And - with walking also comes the amazing POWER NAP from about noon until 3 or 3:30. Oh man is this an incredible thing! I can stop eating lunch in 5-10 minute slurps while fearing he will wake up ( which is usually did )
AND I can make dinner - check e-mail - read - watch tv - call a friend - update my blog (!) and possibly do a little cleaning up ( but who wants to do that? Not me )

These days his schedule is

Monday - Occupational therapy 8-9am

Tuesday - Physical Therapy 9-10am about 30 minutes from home

Wednesday - Playgroup 9:30-11:30 which he just started to go back to because he isn't napping in the morning anymore. YAY for playgroup with his pals!

Speech therapy 1-2pm ( changing Sept 9th )

Thursday - Water therapy 4-4:45pm

Friday - Playgroup 9:30-11:30 at Club 21


Speech will change to 9am on Thursdays
and we have a few regularly schedules playdates with some friends and their kids each week as well.

ok - I'm off for a little playdate with a friend Max hasn't really seen in a while and I get to catch up with her mama and I'm looking forward to that and watching him walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk!

Hooray for Max!!!!!!!!!!

Why I loved this week...

Here is Theo. As you can see - he is an old soul. I could look at him all day and feel as though he would at some point turn to me and give me some secrets of the world, or at least my horoscope. He seems wise beyond his years. Max loves to try to eat his face or at least lick his cheek. I love his mama Ruth and adore baby Theo. So glad we could see them this week.

There's Max thrilled to be with Ruth and Theo. And look at Theo - would ya? That face. Man is he gorgeous. ( and yes Max is too of course! )
I love how Ruth is looking at Max. I can tell she loves him. And I love that.
This week my friend Juli and I were finally able to meet with our kids at Huntington Gardens.

I met her at Club 21 when our boys were about 6 months old (?) and we hit it off instantly. Brady and Max are 3 weeks apart and both have Down syndrome. I always say that Brady is Max's best friend. But I also say that Max's favorite color is orange and that he prefers his hair long. I can't wait to hear what he has to say about all of these decisions I've made for him. But I am certain that Brady and Max will be friends for a long long time. We are bummed that we live so far away and they won't be going to school together...

We live about 40 minutes away from each other and so it's SUCH a treat that we found a day when all of the boys were well and we were able to fit it into our schedules
We introduced Brandon and Brady to the Childrens Garden. Brandon Loved the water features there and the tunnel! Brady and Max sat on the grass together and then lost it and I have it on video but - as usual - haven't carved out time to download it to the computer.....maybe this weekend??
There's Brandon on the left looking up and me and Brady is passed out!
And my gorgeous little Max passed out after a fun day with his buddies.

Such a great week!

Max started clapping with his hands together on Monday and he is taking more steps and so determined about it. the clapping happens every time I say "YAY!!!" or "ALL DONE!" or if we sing the clapping song from our Music class. It's really cool. I love it.

This weekend Jerry and Max are going to Club 21 for a conference and I am taking an art class.

we're heading to a birthday party, a softball game to cheer on a friend, and to have lunch with friends. Phew! Life is wonderful - full - and I haven't even started to fill you in on what's happening with my photography business - and a LOT is happening.

more on that soon.

I LOVE SPRING!!

xo

c

all photos were taking with my iphone with the hipstamatic application. They aren't great any larger that you see on your screen - but I do love the effect.

new developments

here's Max in front of the bamboo garden at Huntington Gardens last week in the grown up stroller!

so we've been going to Huntington gardens almost every day. And this week we changed his car seat to one that stays in the car for bigger babies - and that means changing his stroller to the actual bugaboo seat instead of just putting the car seat on the stroller. This is a BIG change in many ways. The biggest one is that he would take a nap in the car and I would take him in the car seat and he would just keep on sleeping. So we could be out for 2-3 hours and he would nap almost the entire time in the stroller - in the car and never wake up.

Now I have to take him out of the car seat and then put him in the stroller and strap him in - which means he wakes up.

So.....long story short - I no longer leave the house at the time of his first nap like I used to. This way - he actually gets his full nap and it's undisturbed. But it means we had to stop going to my Monday women's AA meeting, my Tuesday Meeting at Club 21 where I had just started to go to a weekly volunteer meeting, Max's Wednesday playgroup with mom's club, And Friday's playgroup at club 21 he misses half or all of it.

And his second nap is from about 2-4 or 3-5 so we've been missing the Thursday playgroup in the afternoon and Friday's Music class.

So basically we are missing everything he is used to doing with me every day.

I realize that this is going to change once his naps go from 2 down to one nap but it's a big adjustment.

on another note - Max is starting to take his first steps!!!

Oh yes

one, two and three.

He is trying and trying to walk. It's amazing to see.

and - on yet another note

Jerry and I are celebrating our 8th year together. Today was the day we met. At our friends wedding in La Jolla. This morning we were sharing with each other that this is the best year yet. It just keeps getting better and better.

and...

Max started OT today to work on his fine motor skills. This is the only thing that he has a slight delay with. We are working on his pincher grasp mostly. But feeling glad we got this started right when he needed it.

one more thing....

and an update on the eye surgery - we have an appointment this thursday with another doctor and another appointment on March 22nd with yet ANOTHER doctor. We are basically seeing every doctor that our friends have recommended and we heard the names of these more than once by people we love and trust. I should write a short paper on each doctor and what we like and don't like about each of them. I'm sure you know me by now - I will be posting about all of them here real soon.

thanks to everyone who sent support and love our way. We need all of it!

We feel surrounded in a bubble of love for sure. I am SO glad this blog world, e-mail, phone and actual face to face human interaction exists! We are blessed with many friends and family members who are praying for - loving - and thinking of Max and that means the world to us.

Today - early this morning our friend Audrey had to take her daughter Estelle in for surgery for 3 different procedures. I was a bit emotional about this because I am close to knowing what this is like. I haven't heard anything yet - but we are sending them a lot of love tonight. Audrey is one of the founding members of Club 21. Her daughter is an AMAZING and BEAUTIFUL little girl. I love to watch her - she defies what you think it is to have Down syndrome. She is articulate, clear when she speaks, and a real "pistol" as her mom calls her. We love this family and we hope all is well tonight.