Is Getting Bigger!!
Max had his 6 month Dr appointment on Monday of this week and checked out great. All parts are working correctly and he is right in line for proportion. I believe the official medical opinion for Max is that “he is one big dude..”
His current stats are:
31 Inches Long/Tall (100th Percentile?) Chart
23.1 Lbs (98th Percentile) Chart
Proportion: (48th Percentile) Chart
 
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I was wondering when and how the baby teeth came in (and when they fall out.. ) Found this nice graphic online:
Ok.. Here’s the pic I’ve been promising. It took Max falling asleep and some delicate maneuvering with his lip and the camera, but I was finally able to capture photographic evidence of Max’s first (and nearly second) pearly white… Feel free to click on the pic below for a view of slobber in High Definition…
Max had a HUGE weekend to honor his mother’s first Mother’s Day. He started everything off by popping a second tooth through his tiny little gums (with a little bit of help from his dad) Still no pics yet, but will have one soon. Tooth #1 is front and center now like a drool covered Tic Tac. On Saturday, Max went SWIMMING for the first time. We put on his Swimpers (or Swuggies as I can’t remember the brand) and put his cool board shorts over the top. He looked like he was ready to surf. He spashed in the shallow end and plunged in with Mom and Dad in the 4-5 ft deep section. As soon as he was submerged (not his head) he immediately began a little frog kick pattern that assured us he will grow to be quite the swimmer. He absolutely loved the water. He splashed and played and only dipped his face in the water a few times (by accident) Would have stayed for a long time, but Mom reminded Dad that Max may be getting a bit cold. Can’t wait to take him back!
From the pool, Max and fam went to the Children’s Museum via a Mexican food lunch. No work for mom today, it was all play and observe time for Max. We went straight to Dinosphere and we were eagerly anticipating Max’s reaction to the darkness, the flashing strobe lights, and the loud noises of the simulated thunder and lightning storm: didn’t phase him a bit. He appeared to be just as interested looking around at the other children and families as he was the giant skeleton of a T-Rex. After a closer look at Dale Chihuly’s Fireworks of Glass and a sojourn at Take Me There Egypt , Max was plum tuckered out. Have to ride the Carousel next time!
The weekend ended with a Sunday’s Mother’s Day Brunch of bangers & mash and other Irish fare with the kin at the Claddagh Irish Pub. Max wasn’t too much trouble as the rest of the family ate the buffet, though he threw his toys on the ground at least 157 times. He enjoyed the personal performance of the strolling fiddler and smiled devilishly while being doted on by a familiar waitress. You could tell by the look in little Max’s eyes that he would have preferred the Black and Tan libation of his father to his bottle of baby formula! (ok.. not really mom!)
Sunny weather permitted a long and lazy stroller ride through the neighborhood back at home and finished off the evening as always drifting to sleep in Mom’s arms…
This is a picture of the card and present that Max made for Charity’s first Mother’s Day:
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Here’s an updated pic of Max’s plant as of 5.28.11:
This weekend, we took Max to the “Clinch” of Virginia to meet his great Granny Counts and his now-dubbed Papaw Counts. Max did okay on the drive to and from Coeburn, only adding about 2 hours to our trip each way. Spending a couple days in the green, green mountain landscape and enjoying laughs over biscuits and gravy was a great break for all of us. Here are some photos of Max with his mountain kin.
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It must have been the western Virginia cornbread he was gnawin’ on, because Max sprouted his first tooth last Friday night! We took a trip out to Coeburn, VA to see Max’s kinfolk for the first time and the little guy took the opportunity to cut his first pearly white. It’s his bottom right front tooth and, as far as getting a picture,  it is about as elusive as the Loch Ness monster. We expect his bottom left to be popping through soon as well. Lot’s of great pics and videos of Max and family in the hills of Possum Holler’ soon…!
These two had some quality time together over Easter. (In case you are wondering, Max didn’t  put the scratch on her face.)
Ok, so it’s a cheap attention grabbing headline, but I was very excited to purchase some new Dr. Brown’s Baby Bottle Nipples in size 3 for Max today. He has been working very hard to get his B-Juice and Formula and now that he is officially 6 mos, he can graduate to the larger “topper” size.
Another happy pic of Max at Easter:
This Easter, Max got to spend some time with his cousins Caroline and Sophia. A bright cloudy day was a blessing and allowed kids to play with grass and bubbles!
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Max ate his first sweet potatoes this week. He is enjoying each new food and is very skilled at getting it all over his hands and face. He leads with his mouth, but still tends to grab at the spoon or push the food in with his fingers. He’s getting the hang of it…
Max really enjoyed his first carrots last night. His entire palette of cuisine now includes: B-Juice, Formula, Rice Cereal, Oatmeal, Green Beans, Peas, & Carrots! I think the only thing we weren’t expecting when adding this new orange colored food, is exactly what carrots would look like when they come back up.  He continues to grow and do new things every day. He has developed a fondness for the cats and watches them intently. He gets a chance to pet them occasionally, but needs assistance to ensure that he does not grab a handful of fur. Max has quite the grip. As you will see in the pic below, one of his favorite after-school activities is to hang out with dad, lounging around and watching Yo Gabba Gabba! Ni Hao, Kai-Lan, & the Wonder Pets on Nick Jr.
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I realize now that I should have put some info on this rather than just post it with no explanation. This is a QR Code that can be used by certain devices and applications to link directly to information on the internet. In this case, it is the MaxHopkins.com website. For those of you with iPhones or Blackberries you can use free apps like RedLaser to scan and process QR Codes. It’s a lot like a bar code only with more information. You can create these for free very easily at websites like this one.
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