Max

My newphew Max was born yesterday, Sunday, Sept. 18th. He weighed 7 lbs 5 oz and was 20 inches long. He had a little trouble breathing in his first few moments, probably because it was a hard labor for my sister. But both of them are fine now. Which brings a sigh of relief to our family. Max is actually my sister's fourth child. Or he should have been. My sister had a miscarriage during her third pregnancy. And she, along with all of us, was nervous during this pregnancy. But everything was fine.

The other thing my sister was worried about was if Max's feet would be okay. Morgan, my oldest niece, was born with a club foot. She's had a few surgeries to try and straighten it out and she wore a brace when she was little. The doctor said she would most likely have to have more surgeries. But I guess, once you give birth to a child with this condition, then it ups the percentages for your other children, something like a 1 in 4 chance. But Max has perfect feet.

By the way...Morgan doesn't let her foot get in her way at all. She's a speed demon, running all over the place, faster than a speeding bullet. And none of us even think about it anymore until it's time for her to buy new shoes (one foot is smaller than the other). That kid rocks! :)

Morgan

Morgan is my older niece. She is 7 1/2 and in the second grade. What I love about Morgan is that she has total confidence right now. She can do anything and go anywhere and has no fear. She is very, very smart - almost too smart for her own good. And she's funny - our drama queen and fashionista. She loves to sing and dance and often puts on "shows" for us. It's pretty hilarious watching a 7 year old sing Red Neck Woman complete with cowboy boots.

A few typical Morganisms: at the age of 4 - "I'll never be a dog!". At the age of 5 "I guess I'll just use my tears for the watercolors!".

Morgan loves animals as much as I do, especially dogs and horses. She has a fish named BuddicaJoe that she says smiles at her to say hello. She wants to be a vet when she grows up so she can help animals who are sick. When I was there last week I asked her what she wanted to be for Halloween and she said a horse. Then she said she wished she had a fairy godmother who she could ask to help Santa bring her a horse for Christmas. Or better yet, to turn her into a horse. I asked her if she wouldn't miss her family once she was a horse. She said she would so she would ask the fairy godmother to turn all of her family into horses. But she would be the leader. Gotta love a kid who knows what she wants.

Madison

I need to lighten up so I'm going to talk about my niece, Madison, for a bit. She is 5 years old and a riot. She's a little quieter than Morgan (her older sister - the drama queen who loves the spotlight) but she is one stubborn & determined little girl. In some ways, she is very laid back and easy going. But if she wants something, she doesn't let anything or anyone get in the way. You should see the determination in her jaw when she is riding her bike as fast as her little legs will go to catch up with the bigger kids. She is a speed demon on her bike (just like her aunt). :) But it's not about winning for her. When we race (Morgan, Madison, & me), Morgan is all about winning and being first. Madison just runs for the joy of it. She isn't even aware of where we are. She's off in her own little world. I love that about her.

Madison doesn't watch tv or movies. She would rather be playing with her dolls. She has an infinite number of dolls and they are all named Baby. I asked her once why she didn't try Laura or Kathy or something else and she said she liked Baby. I'll never forget the utter glee on her face and the images of her literally jumping for joy last Christmas over the new kitchen and washer/dryer filled with baby clothes that her Papa gave her. I thought she was going to burst she was so happy. :)

She is also one smart little cookie. She started Kindergarden this year and so far her favorite part is recess. But she is working really hard on her numbers and letters and she loves books. I think she takes after me. :)