So Many Activities

There are so many fabulous toys and activity centers to delight growing minds.  Maxie liked lights and music and buttons and things to grab onto.  When he was really little, we would put him on his playmat and his face would light up.  This crazy song plays with a evil little laugh in the background.  Ted and I liked to sing along.

The next level was the bouncy seat.  We bought him one that just vibrated to start and he liked it fine. He would sit and watch the monkeys bouncing.  One day we went to Auntie Jessica's house and sat Max in baby Everett's seat and Max went nuts.  He was entertained for the whole visit.  So, of course, I left and bought him one that very day.  Anything for my Max.

The "boring" bouncy seat.  He liked it but nothing like the "Rainforest Bouncer"

Here he is in Costa Rica, in the Rainforest, in the Rainforest Bouncer.  

He loved it so much, we brought it on vacation with us.

Nothing that came before delighted Max like his exersaucer, which Amy M. deemed "the office" for her kids and which we adopted.  Max LOVED the office.  He has one at our house and one at Grandma's house.  Grandma even fed him in the office.  He loved all of the buttons and pullies.  Ted and I also most loved to sing along to "1....2....3...Let's Jump!  Ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba BA!  Ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba BA!  JUMP!"

I have no videos or photos of Max in his jumperoo.  He loved jumping up and down in his Einstein Jumperoo.  We found a new one on the "Booby Brigade" Yahoo group site and drove to Pasadena one day while Max was napping.  The couple who sold it to us said their daughter just cried and cried when she was in it.  Not my Max!  He got so much exercise in that thing.  I would sing "jumpie!  jumpie!  jumpie!" and his smile would get bigger and bigger as his little chubby legs would jump up and up and up.  

Arrowhead was lovely.  Jan's cabin is perfect and there is a deck with a view of the lake.  Ted and I played chess and cards and watched a movie.  It was nice to get away.  I tried, just for one day, to put all of my sad thoughts to the side.  Then, I went to sleep and had that most horrible dream and I woke up Sunday a total wreck.  I spent most of yesterday in a panic.  The horror of Max's death slapping me in the face over and over again.  We went to lunch "someplace fun" (Ted wanted to go "someplace fun", we settled for Gordon Biersch in downtown Burbank).  Wouldn't you know it.  Two families, one inside and one outside with beautiful sets of twins.  The inside twins were probably 4-5 months old, the outside twins were about Maxie's age.  The panic grew so much, tears were flowing down my face and my heart was racing out of my chest.  Then, in one instant, I faced my fears and just watched the babies, because I LOVE BABIES.  And, I WANT MORE BABIES.  I am just so sad that I will never again see MY baby.  My favorite little person.  I have to try to focus on the idea that we will have more babies and that this will NEVER EVER happen again, right?  I mean, this can never ever happen to us again, right?  It just can't.  I wouldn't make it.

I almost forgot to mention that last night Ted was grilling some salmon for dinner.  He called me out on the deck and pointed out the most beautiful, perfect rainbow in the sky.  I actually don't think I have EVER seen a rainbow that didn't come after a storm.  This rainbow came after yesterday's storm though and it felt like a good omen perhaps.