Giggles and Hugs

Baby Max is 10 months old today! Isn't that unbelievable! In 2 months he will have been alive for a whole year. That bewilders me that I will have a one year old baby on my hands in what will probably feel like 10 minutes.

Yesterday I took Max to meet some friends at a place down the street called Giggles and Hugs. Vomit, right. I've driven past this building a million times all decorated in primary colors to get the attention of the kiddos. It's only 2 blocks from my house and I can literally walk there in less than 5 minutes.

But the thing is that I never wanted to go there. No matter how close and convenient it might be, I just thought it looked like a place full of snot-nosed kids that would give me a head-ache. And why would I take a baby to a kids' restaurant? It just didn't make sense to me.

But it has been pouring rain here for a week and we haven't had any outside time. Plus with the holiday season in full effect, I haven't wanted to deal with crowded malls filled with frantic shoppers. So yes, when a friend asked me to meet at Giggles and Hugs yesterday, I promptly said yes and even looked forward to the outing.

What I quickly learned about this restaurant/kids' playground, is that it is perfectly suited for the kids AND the parents. I'm still learning the ins and outs of the baby community, but this establishment like many others definitely had the parents in mind from the get-go. And the prices are reasonable too!

The parents can sit at tables and order delicious entrees while the kids play in a safe, vibrant playground. There weren't very many people there and we had a blast. I could just let max "go" without having to watch his every single move because it was a huge baby-proofed land.

He attacked tonka trucks, held on to the jungle gym, and tipped over little horsies. The size of all the furniture was perfect for him to pull up onto his feet over and over again between falls. This was the equivalent to disneyland for babies and Max had so much fun exploring all of the terrific toys.

The best part of our time was the most exciting "first" for Max. He stood up all by himself for 3 seconds without holding on to anything. He pulled himself up to the standing position and just let go and balanced himself with his arms out wide like an airplane. He was so proud until his short-lived standing spree was over and he fell back down onto his little bootie. I couldn't believe my baby boy stood up for the first time and I was so happy to be right next to him enjoying every second.

We also had fun going to our friend Rachel's 1st birthday party. Max loves his sweet girlfriend and tried to take every toy she held out of her hand. Too bad for Max because Rachel does not part with her toys easily. I think this picture sums it up, and I couldn't resist the opportunity to see Marc with two babies in his arms. Of course it wasn't his idea to hold both babies at the same time. ;)