life with max: two years in.
My baby is TWO!
It absolutely BLOWS MY MIND that I am writing this post. I am sitting in nearly the exact same spot I sat when I wrote Max’s two week old post and the posts to follow that one. It sounds wildly cliché but I honestly have no idea where the time has gone.
It’s cool though, because my entire life has become one giant cliché. I don’t have any idea where the time has gone even though I have immersed myself in every.single.second of that. Remember when I wrote those posts two years ago about how I could FEEL the time passing so quickly, and how I already missed the time that had yet to pass? Yes. That absolutely happened and it still happens. Every day just goes too fast. I wish there was a way to slow down time. Like an ACTUAL way.
Is there a way that I can make these days slower?! Please tell me! HA.
So Max. He is a dream. He is honestly the best thing in our lives and we want to be with him every single second of every single day. He is so sweet. So cuddly. So HILARIOUS. Am I being that annoying parent yet? You can tell me.
It’s true though. I’m biased, Max makes us laugh day in and day out. It’s a constant struggle to not laugh when he misbehaves or does something that he shouldn’t. Even today at church when a baby cried, he looked at us so seriously and shouted (loudly) “baby! Quiet!”
AHHHH. No idea where he learned that.
And! Just this week, Max started saying “Mama! It’s so nice to see you Mama! I’m so happy to see you!”
Cue heart explosion right there. He said it out of the blue and it melts me into a puddle.
He can count to 20 (but always skips number 8!) and can say his ABCs. He loves to sing and swim and play and dance and help me in the kitchen. This is where it actually helps that I make such a mess in the kitchen. When he makes a huge mess, I let him! We have so much fun together.
He is obsessed with Cars and Lightning McQueen. The Daniel Tiger obsession is unreal too – someone said Daniel Tiger was like Justin Bieber for toddlers and it’s totally true. He still loves Curious George too and a whole host of books. Loves all things cars, trucks, buses and trains. I’m going to do a 2 year baby (toddler?!) favorites this week, so be on the lookout!
Let’s talk eating.
Max has hungry days and then days where I swear that he survives on a banana and a breadstick. He doesn’t want to even think about touching a veggie, but luckily he loves smoothies (which he calls “FOOTHIES!”) and I sneak a bunch of veggies in there.
His favorite foods are yogurt, bananas, chicken, oranges, any type of bread, waffles and meatballs.
If you follow me on snapchat, you might have seen that he asked for bacon randomly one day last week. Seriously, where does this stuff come from? I heart him so much.
One big thing that happened in the last few months… I stopped nursing. I last nursed Max the morning I left for a weekend work trip. I didn’t decide at that moment that it would be the last time, but as the days went on and Eddie and I discussed through the weekend, we figured why not give it a try when I got back. I was really only nursing Max once a day in the mornings and he went a few days without when I traveled earlier in the fall.
It was easier than expected, on all fronts. Our nursing relationship was so wonderful. I probably sound like a broken record, but I just loved it so much. It soothed and comforted both of us. The decision itself was really the only tricky part. On the plane ride home, I wasn’t sure if I would be able to do it. I thought I might give in, just because I loved our time together so much. But to be frank, I want more kids and well – it hasn’t happened. I researched all the “tricks” and tried them all. I struggled for months over whether I should stop nursing the child I do have to hopefully have another child. I really wanted Max to wean himself, but since it didn’t look like that was happening, we decided to give it a go. Thankfully it went great. And he is still the biggest cuddler.
I didn’t have to pump and had so little milk left that I just let it go… and it was fine. It wasn’t even painful at that point. What I did not expect was the intense (!!!!) sickness I felt for nearly two weeks afterwards. It was crazy! I was so nauseated, couldn’t eat a thing, had a pounding headache and was basically a basket case as my body stabilized. I was not prepared for that at all and didn’t realize it was a thing.
Since I stopped, Eddie and I *think* we have noticed a few more tantrums or a bit more crankiness, but it’s hard to tell if that’s from the lack of nursing comfort or… just because he is two! You know.
I do have to say that the things he flips out over are HILARIOUS. He asks for a yogurt. I give him a yogurt. He screams “NO YOGURT MAMA!” And the like.
In those moments where I feel a bit overwhelmed, one thing almost instantly crosses my mind, and it’s been the thing that has crossed my mind since he was born. It’s not going to be like this forever. And that part kills me. Pretty soon he will be in school and then, gosh, he will be out of the house! In all seriousness though, that is how I have approached the last two years. It freaking flies by. It’s the best time of our life and we are just eating it up. xoxoxo
24 Comments on “life with max: two years in.”
Max is just so adorable! Watching him grow up through your photos has been so wonderful!
Also, I see that you are indoctrinating him to the magic of Burgatory nice and early! I miss that place so much now that I don’t live in Pittsburgh anymore. We need one (or thirty!) here in Chicagoland!
I have literally read and reread all of your baby posts! I have an eight week old baby boy and I just relate to everything you said. Time is passing too too fast ?
Love it all so much. And seriously I’m going to breastfeed until he’s 2 at least ?
Thank you so much for sharing life with Max with all of us!!! He is such a cutie and being that my son is only a year older, I’ve been able to laugh and cry right along with you. The winter wonderland you’ve created at your house is AMAZING and I would love to know your secret to keeping a toddler from taking off all the bottom ornaments!!!
HOW AND WHY IS HE SO FREAKIN CUTE????? I seriously cannot believe he’s 2 already. I remember when you announced your pregnancy on the blog and its been insane to watch him grow up. I seriously live for yours and eddies snapchat/insta stories of Max. Seeing him talk is WILD. He is such a sweet, cute boy. HAPPY BIRTHDAY MAX (sorry I’m a day late)
Sooo cute! Life your Max posts:) I have a lil man who is 20 months and it is the best! Where did you find the adorable Christmas hoodie Max is wearing?!
Haha. Each birthday post for my younger son starts the exact same way as your post, except my baby is 8. If you find a way to make time slow down, please share because I can’t handle how old my kids are now. Max is so cute!
Your posts about max are soooo touching and love that you discuss the real life things that no one ever wants to get into, like weaning. My baby is almost one and while I hope maybe to get pregnant sometime in the near future, I can’t imagine a time where I don’t nurse her. So thanks for sharing your thoughts. Max is very lucky to have such a smart, loving mama :)
Thanks for sharing about your end to nursing, that’s encouraging to me. I’m pregnant with number two and trying to figure out when to stop nursing my 18 month old. It’s so nice to hear that it was smooth for you and that you just dried up, no pumping or anything. I’ve wondered about that.
Happy birthday Max!
GAH! He is adorable. I’m so glad you said he doesn’t eat veggies because I am stressing out big time that my kids aren’t into them. I’m a veggie fanatic…KILLS me! We’re hitting a major sleep regression and my daughter is getting up at least once a night basically bc she want to play with me. It should make me mental but I kinda (mostly) love it. These days go so fast. I’m holding on tight. Happy Birthday Max!
I swear he’s the cutest baby I’ve ever seen. God bless him.
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This sounds so much like me. Nursing was the best, but I found out that my hormones did not regulate until a couple of months until I completely stopped. It took about four months total to get pregnant afterward. :)
cannot believe he is two! mine firstborn is turning two next month… i remember reading your pregnancy posts and thinking how close in age our kids are and just so enjoying all your posts. your advice has been wonderful :) my due date for baby #2 was a few days ago. (still pregnant!) i will say a prayer that you become pregnant with your next very soon! thanks for sharing your life with us, all these years!! (i can’t believe how long i’ve been following your blog! yearsssss) have a merry, joy-filled christmas!!
The last photo of Max in this post is beyond adorable! Wow, nice work!
I couldn’t get pregnant while nursing either. I never even got my period back either time until a few months after I stopped nursing (so about 15 months postpartum). Each person’s body responds differently! Happy birthday to the little man!
I have so enjoyed all your Max updates. My son Liam will be six months old on Christmas Eve and it just all goes by SO QUICKLY! I’m trying to soak it all in, even the not-so-great- things, because I know they won’t last for long!
I love your update posts and how much you enjoy motherhood — it makes me excited for it someday :) Max is precious — have a wonderful Christmas!
lol @ Max’s favorite foods including “any type of bread”… me too, Max. Me too.
I feel your pain mama in the sense that I love the now but get overwhelmed by the hard days/moments and yet get sad about the inevitable passing of time and the future when I’m old and they leave me and lead their own lives, haha. My husband calls me a total weirdo for being sad about the future (i hate commercials when they go off to college/get married/have their own babies). He’s like, chill woman, they’re still babies NOW. Motherhood=longest period of basketcase-ness!
Glad weaning went relatively well! Good luck on trying for #2!
He is adorable! Could you please tell me where you purchased that Santa jacket?
I am so sad that my daughter will be 3 in April. 3 is crazy to me, how is that going to happen?! I love how neither my daughter nor Max can say smoothies – Amelia says “mooovies” and I kind of hope she never grows out of that one? I didn’t appreciate the baby stages nearly as much as I should have but your posts remind me to truly try to live in the moment with kid #2. It’ll be a whole new adventure seeing Amelia as a big sister in June. Cliche but every day she amazes me.
I totally and completely loved this Jessica. My oldest is about to turn 6 (I have zero idea how that happened), and my husband and I feel the same way! We have never taken one single second for granted but the time just slips away! I had to stop nursing in order for my body to get back into the swing of things to have more babies too. I take an herb called vitex as soon as I quit nursing and it brought my cycles back SO much faster (like 6 months faster) than when I didn’t. Max is so cute and I love how much you love being his momma!
I’m just re-reading some of these after your new(ish) pregnancy announcement and I can’t help but wonder-when you got sick after stopping breastfeeding, were you already pregnant? Was it morning sickness? Not sure of the timing and thought it would be a fun crossover. 😊
hi! i wasn’t – i had about 4 months in between the time i stopped nursing and when i got pregnant! the post-nursing sickness was SO weird (and very similar to morning sickness!) but from what i’ve researched i think my body was just in shock because i had been pregnant/nursing for almost 3 years straight! so it was like my hormones were going wacky, haha.