3 years ago today, November 16th, we welcomed little Maxwell Graham into our family. Max gave me no problems while I was carrying him but my doctor decided to induce me 2 weeks early in hopes that I would have a nice 7 pound baby boy. R.C. and I woke up early, greeted Grandma Sayler who was coming to watch Russell while we went to the hospital, and then drove to the hospital on a chilly, misty, November morning. This was my second time being induced so I had some idea of what I was in for. The first few hours were a breeze. I was able to watch the food network in bed and enjoy a very quiet morning in the hospital. Early evening I began to feel awful and soon after that, we were able to hold our, not so little, Max. Up until this point our doctor was sure that Max was around 7 lbs., but she was wrong. I will never forget when she handed Max to the nurse to be cleaned up and weighed, and the nurse was certain that this baby was not 7 lbs., but closer to 9lbs.. She was correct...9lbs. 3oz.! Maxwell is such a great kid!! From the day he was born, Max has been a "go with the flow" kind of guy. I believe he will always be this way...

A few facts about Maxwell Graham:

• Max had really bad jaundice as a baby and we had to spend a few day in the Children's Hospital with him.
• He does not want to be 3 years old. The thought of this makes him very angry.
• Max did not talk for the first 2 years. He was practically silent. He understood everything you told him, he just didn't want to talk. Now he doesn't stop!!
• His favorite books are I Spy.
• He likes to play alone. Often I find him playing in a corner by himself and ask if I can play with him. He usually tells me he wants alone time.
  
• Every time Max eats a banana he makes a monkey noise. It is not always loud or very clear, but I assure you, he ALWAYS does it.
  
• He once wanted to be called Klondike. This lasted only a short while.
• Max loves to take baths. He will take a bath 4 times a day if you let him. They don't have to be bubble baths either. Just a bit of water and some toys and he's happy for hours.
• He has a hole in his lip. At least this is my theory. He cannot drink anything, and I mean ANYTHING, without having a HUGE dribble down his chin and shirt.
  
• Max is very content. He never asks for anything. He is happy to look at a toy or book in the store, but doesn't ask for it.
• He loves to listen to any type of music. Jazz and Tom Waits are among his favorites. He likes something he can dance to.
  
• He likes to help clean the toilet. He has enjoyed this for about 2 years now. I didn't force him to do this either!
• He love his "squirrel buddies".
• Max likes to give mommy and daddy things to sleep with. Each night when climbing into bed I have to move stuffed toys, blankets, crayons, socks, anything that he can find that he thinks would help us sleep well at night, gets puts on our bed. Very sweet, but it's a pain to get into bed when you are exhausted and find a vacuum attachment tucked neatly under your pillow.
  

Max has really opened up and developed a fantastic personality in just the last few months. We look forward to what the years ahead bring for this silly boy.

Happy (shhhhhh!!!) 3rd birthday Maxwell!!