Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone!
The Godfrey family had a wonderful Christmas this year (as every year so far) and our lucky boy had so much fun playing with some of his favourite people and toys, old and new!

Thank you so much to everyone who bought presents for him, we had so many this year that we've kept a few in storage to have as treat/reward gifts for being a good boy - hopefully especially in toilet training which we'll try next month! Eeek!

Enjoy!


This was taken on our walk after lunch on our Scrubs Gangs Early Christmas party with Uncle Jimbo & Aunty Emma, Uncle Dom and Gunkie Weej. Yummy food and lovely friends - much fun!

This is the grown ups playing a board game after Max had gone to bed

Another early Christmas party was at our lovely friend Tracey's house with her, her husband Nimal, and their 3 (+ bump) gorgeous children, Rosabella, Raphael and Ophelia. Here the kids are enjoying the prize inside the pass the parcel which was a set of Christmassy craft bits.

Christmas Eve was the first of the family Christmas parties and Great Gran's 97th birthday. Here Max is with one of his favourite friends, Gunkie Wij! (Otherwise known as Uncle Peej)

Posing for a photo and playing with a car (one of MANY)

Snuggles with Uncle Jimbo

Another of Max's favourite people, Uncle Martin! Maxi had a wonderful time playing with him on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, and gave him some of the best eye contact and smiles of the day.

Christmas Morning and time to open stockings. Max's jammy top says 'all mummy wants for Christmas is me' - so true :) Santa brought Max a selection of musical toys including a harmonica and set of whistles as well as some glow in the dark stars for his bedroom and of course some chocolate buttons!

The present opening begins! These are a set of Cars movie books to help him learn to read and recognise colours/numbers/opposites etc... Thanks Uncle Peej!

These 2 pieces of art were made by Max (with help of course) at his Playgroup! They are particularly impressive because Max is not a fan of arts and crafts generally, apart from Playdough, but the ladies at the playgroup told me he worked very hard on these for Daddy and me. Bless him.

And he had a go at doing 2 kisses in the card!

Opening more cars (Ferraris) from Great Gran

Max and his Daddy

Most of the extended Godfrey family gang. We visited them on Boxing Day and had lots of fun playing with Dastan and the new presents, thank you all so much for his MANY gifts! Here we have (right to left) Nanny, Daddy, Sam, Scott & Melissa

Mummy, Max, Daddy and our lovely nephew, Dastan

Max playing with one of his presents from the Godfreys this morning. This is a hand held gaming device in the shape of Lightning McQueen from his favourite movie, Cars. This clever gadget has lots of games to help with learning numbers and letters and hand-eye coordination as well as being a very pretty, giant car.

Playing with a set of puzzle cubes, one of the gifts from Uncle Steve & Pete
And finally, here he is very excitedly watching his 'Spider' DVD from Uncle Martin, Aunty Cara and the girls. He dances along! Cute!

Thanks again to everyone, we have a very, very happy boy!

Max 3rd birthday etc and November

So our little Maximus is now 3 years old! I'm resisting the urge to say 'doesn't time fly?' because it's just too predictable...

Since we last posted Max has been making subtle little progressions in his social interaction, imaginative play, responsiveness and speech, which is all wonderful! He's still using a fair amount of growls and 'Max language' but we're getting there with the talking and he is using PECs a bit too which is particularly helpful for other people to whom he doesn't speak so willingly.

Max's birthday was very fun for all who shared it with him and he got some lovely presents (thank you all!)

Hope you enjoy the latest selection, as always, he is a dream to photograph :)

This is the face he pulls when I say 'max, where's my smile?' when I point the camera at him. Not the most flattering, but hella cute!

Mr Potato Head from the Hemelge family

Callum likes this one as it looks a bit like Tai Chi!

Selection of rescue vehicles from his friend George

This is at Jakes at Trilakes playbarn in Sandhurst where we spent some of his birthday before going to Sally's for a play. We went there with George, Dylan, Raphael and Ophelia and their mummies

Here's Raphael where Maxi just was!

Playing in the ball pit

This lovely fibre optic light was from the Froys. It has a hypnotic effect on everyone who's looked at it, particularly in the dark. Max just loves it. Very calming.

Looking joyful before a bedtime

Much to our delight, Maximus has begun to get an interest in maps! Not just any old maps mind you - maps from fantasy fiction and gaming worlds! He's not interested in globes and real world A-Zs. So awesome. :) We're thinking of getting some in frames to put up in his room. Some of them are quite beautiful pieces of art...

Callum and Max looking serenely at the lake and birds at Shepherd Meadows in Sandhurst

This is a birthday present from us which he opened early - a money box! It's already full of coppers - going to have to take to the bank so we can fill it up again!

Playing on the stairs at Mea and Great Gran's house. Max really loves it there - so many stairs and rooms!

Callum calls this 'Bong' because that's the word he says when he tips Max upside down. It gets many belly laughs :)

This is a funny face! Not sure what that was all about...
Love the little golfer outfit though - this was for Grandad

This is Max's handprint angel he made at playgroup. Quite a momentous occassion as Max is not generally a fan of arts and crafts and especially not painty stuff as he doesn't really like the feeling of it on his hands, so the brilliant ladies at his playgroup did an amazing job getting him to do such a perfect one. They are amazing generally actually.

Max's super excited face anticipating Daddy chasing him for a tickle! If Max is still awake when Callum comes home from work Max will always run and hide in his bed waiting for Callum to come find him. So sweet.

These are my attempts at encouraging Max to do some art, I drew some hasty Christmassy pictures and asked him to colour them in. He's getting better at colouring inside the lines, though he still is not very entertained by the whole idea and takes some prodding to come and have a go. (Sigh) Fortunately I have 3 fabulous nieces who love art and craft so I can get my fix with them. Phew!

September - October catch up!

So the life of Max is joyful and fun as ever and he is making some lovely gentle progress with his speech, communication, play and social skills. Max now attends playgroup on Monday and Wednesday mornings as well as a family support group (which I call Furby Group as it's at the Margaret Wells-Furby Childrens Centre) on Wednesday afternoons, and he has also just started his first block of one to one speech and language therapy where we hope to encourage his speech, gestural/sign communication and use of PECs - picture exchange communication system. What a lot of stuff! :)

Here he is playing with his slinky, just to give an idea of how much he's grown. He's about 95cm we think - it's hard to measure him! And weighs 3 stone.

Whenever we go to Sally's house for a play the builder's hat comes out...

...and Mummy has to wear one too!

Peepo with sheds is also very popular

This is the same thing in our shed at home

I caught him by surprise in this one! He's gone back to loving drawing on his blackboard which is lovely. He's creating some really nice marks and shapes and loves rubbing out a nice full blackboard of scribbles!

Daddy made a wonderful little Pingu replica out of plasticine which Maximus loved as Pingu is his new favourite :)

He's watching Alphablocks here

Aww this is really sweet. There's an episode of Pingu where he learns to play an accordian and this is the little action he does now to replicate it (he's a proper little mimic when it comes to favourite shows and films). If I start humming it, he takes my hands and makes me sway them from side to side while humming or singing and he joins in. Cuuuuute!

Playing in one of his favourite areas in the house, the side of my bed, where he plays with my Avon products, matching tubes and bottles and interacting with them in all sorts of ways.

"Seeeeeeeesawwwwwww"

This was the first day we played with the pipe cleaners I got him as an alternative way to get creative. I made various shapes and animals out of them but Max likes the circles best as he could loop them onto Ninja's tail! He didn't mind at all. :)

Helping Mummy do baking!

Playing with playdough with Daddy. He likes the feel of it squidged onto his feet. :)

He also lines them up in various ways, this time in a circle around himself.

This was taken at Shepherd Meadows where we often go for walks at the weekend. It was a GORGEOUS bright, cool day.

Daddy and Max spinning around

Proof that I run! :)

Max loves to walk holding hands, especially with Daddy

This is a shape matching puzzle Max really enjoyed at Sally's house, waiting for school run pick up to see Jack Jack

If you can see the expression here you'll see how much Maximus LOVES his Jack Jack and bouncing on the trampoline