Undies!

 

Back in May we started potty training Maggie. She, unlike the previous times I'd tried, took to it immediately and did an amazingly great job. My parents started putting her in undies for a couple afternoons while they watched her (thank you!) and when Chad and I picked her up from a weekend away we decided to fully go for it. And she totally rocked it and she even stays dry at night. Yay Maggie!

New Bed

Maggie's crib converts to a toddler bed and then to a regular double bed as she grows. We decided she was ready for the switch a few weeks back and this weekend we finally went for it. Let me tell you, she has loved it from the first time she saw the new setup. More than the "new" bed, she loves the new bedding and the idea of laying with a sheet over her. It's such a fun novelty that throughout the day on Sunday she climbed in and would pretend to sleep. So far naps have gone OK and bedtime has been great, so fingers crossed that sleeping well in this bed continues.

Dentist

Maggie had her first trip to the dentist last week. I know I'm a year late getting her on the dentist train, but sheesh, she still doesn't even have all of her teeth so give me a break.  We went to a pediatric dentist near us and the office was great. I am not going to brag about Maggie and her bravery because she left that in the car for this first visit. The visit started with the hygienist showing Mags the dental instruments, which thought were pretty cool. The hygienist then put the spinning brush on Maggie's fingernail to show her how it worked and Maggie thought that was OK too. When it came time to get that brush in her mouth? Forget it. She didn't even want to sit in the chair anymore. So instead Maggie showed them how well she brushes her teeth with a regular toothbrush (standing up).  After waiting just a minute the dentist came in to examine her mouth and teeth before giving her a fluoride treatment with a little brush. Once again, she did just OK. This exam consisted of Maggie laying on my lap, me holding her arms down and the dentist gently exploring her mouth. The office assured me that it's typical for a 2-year old not to want to be there, so I'm not going to be hard on her about it. At the end Maggie picked out an orange balloon and an Elmo book to take home (to go with her new toothbrush, paste and floss) for being a good patient. The photos above were taken when things were going well. Ha!

Car Seat

On Sunday we gave Maggie an early birthday surprise and switched her car seat from back- to front-facing. I have been strict about keeping her back-facing until age 2 and finally gave in 5 days before her birthday. Chad and I anticipated some sort of party from Maggie but instead she smiled for the camera and then really didn't show much care at all. Huh. Chad and I like being able to see her when we're driving, so at least two of us are excited about the move.

ABC? YES!

When Maggie was around 20 months old we began working with her on the letters of the alphabet. I assumed she was a little young but she showed major interest so who was I to deprive her of the alphabet? In this recent video you'll see she is playing with her new foam bath toys. While she didn't get them all perfectly, she did a pretty darn good job for 22 months old. R and W are her hardest letters to say. Oh, and watch your ears for my loud obnoxious shouting at the end. Sorry about that...

First Plane Trip

I have to admit I was a bit nervous about flying with Maggie. She's a good girl and I knew she'd be on her best behavior, but was does that really mean with a one year old? This flight from Sacramento was not a quick jump to Portland or Utah, it was a SIX HOUR FLIGHT to Oahu. Ouch. So anyway, I was a bit nervous. Turns out Maggie is a fine flyer. She got a bit antsy on the way out, as we all did, but there were other tots on the plane that she enjoyed meeting and we had new shows for her to watch on the iPad too. After surviving the flight out to Oahu the rest of the flights were somewhat easy. Thank goodness.

Walking on Sunshine

Maggie decided to take some first steps the day before her birthday. Since then she takes little strides here and there and especially likes to walk between two people. With that said, it's obvious that she thinks crawling is a much better way to get around. Or at least easier, faster, and with fewer tumbles. Here's a quick video of our little Frankenstein Monster moving this morning.

Maggie's Birthday Extravaganza

Maggie turned one last week, as you probably know, and we threw her a party on Sunday. Never in a million years did we believe that so many people would be willing to come help us celebrate her big day. We are so lucky! We had family and friends (51 people total--oh my), food, and heat. Boy was it hot. We had fans going outside under the tents and the a/c was cranking inside the house. The party was busy and a little hectic for me, but I think everyone had a good time. I know Maggie did.**A big thank you to my mom, dad and friend Crystal for all the help at the party, and to my friend Kellie for a few of these photos.**

Happy Birthday, Maggie!

One year ago today our sweet little Maggie was born. Without a doubt, this has been a wonderful, love-filled year.

Cruisin' for a Bruisin'

After Maggie figured out crawling and pulling up, the next logical step (see what I did there?) was cruising. So late last week that's exactly what she did. She practiced for a few days, then took a short hiatus to feel puke-y and fever-y, (and now is thankfully on the mend) and then back to work on cruising. Whew. For those of you we don't see on a regular basis, here's a sneak peak of her figuring out this leg-moving thing. (And yes I know she's wearing the same onesie she wore in the crawling video. It hasn't been THAT long...)


Mags Cruising from Lyndsay McCollum on Vimeo.

Party of Five

Let's just say Maggie hasn't been in the best mood lately. We couldn't figure out what was going on and why she was feeling grumpy and sensitive about every little thing. This afternoon the mystery was solved. Maggie rarely lets me feel her gums but today I was able to sneak in. When I did I instantly noticed something hard, in fact three hard things: new teeth. Ouch! Poor little thing. If I'd known about it I would have given her cold teethers and some teething tablets to help ease her pain. Ooops.  Let's hope that once these teeth fully pop through she'll be back to her old agreeable self.

We had a busy weekend with a Kentucky Derby party and a BBQ on Saturday and then a park birthday party for our little three year old neighbor today.

Here is how Maggie has felt lately:

And here is what we found, after a bit of tickling, this afternoon:

And here is how Maggie decided to pay back Chad after all that tickling and tooth feeling:

Happy (Belated) Easter

Despite the celebratory occasion, Easter Sunday was cold, windy and dreary here at our house. Maggie didn't wear her Easter dress and didn't even open her Easter baskets until later in the evening. Fortunately she didn't know any different and didn't complain. This year is the only one I imagine we'll be able to get away with doing so little for a biggie holiday and that's fine with me.

Maggie is nine months old (today!) and to honor that milestone, and to honor Easter and Spring, Chad, my mom and I had Maggie's photos taken at fancy JC Penney. They turned out cute and we should receive the final photos late next week. After the photo shoot we came home and took a few of our own. Maggie wasn't cooperative, but hey, she was good all day so we can't complain. The green basket is homemade from my grandma (aka GG) and it's her most special basket yet. Thanks again for Maggie's gifts, Grandma!

And Next She'll Ask for Unlimited Text Messaging

Yesterday Maggie figured out how to get from a laying into a sitting position. That's not entirely true, but yesterday is when the concept actually stuck. She did sit up on her own a couple weeks ago when she was playing with Chad but forgot after that one evening. Yesterday, however, she remembered, and sat up for most of the day and much of this morning. Who wants to lay down all the time, right? That's so February 2010...

One new skill at a time, I told her earlier this afternoon. There's no need to rush things. But she was having none of that. I think maybe she took it as a challenge, actually, and wracked her brain to figure out something else that would change her world. And that skill, she decided, would be crawling. She's still getting the hang of it and has only done a total of oh, 15 steps or so, but she's definitely on the move. I'm thinking maybe this one will be like her last skill where she forgets about it for a couple weeks before picking it up again. Holy canoli, wish us luck!

8 Months

Today Maggie is eight months old. This age is a fun one. She's able to play with her toys independently and is curious about the world around her. She loves to stare at people and usually gives them a sweet smile. Her favorite word, and only word so far, is mama ma mamamam mamama mama. Music to my ears. She enjoys spending time in her Bjorn and loves seeing the sights and cruising in her stroller. She rolls around on the floor and is almost ready to crawl. She gets to her knees and jumps, hops or rocks back and forth, unsure of what to do next. I haven't told her that she's preparing to crawl and have offered nothing in the way of encouragement or praise for nearly doing such a thing. I'm not ready to be a mom of a crawler. Just not ready.

Happy 2/3 of a year birthday, Maggie! We love you.

Houston, We Have a Tooth

Maggie's first tooth finally decided to make an appearance. Yesterday I thought I felt a little something in the morning but wasn't completely sure. After Chad came home from work he confirmed that yes, there was a LITTLE something and it probably was a tooth. We braced ourselves for a terrible night last night but it turned out fine. Maggie slept from 9pm to 7am and wasn't fussy a bit. Hmmm...maybe it wasn't a tooth after all. Then this morning after her breakfast I poked and jabbed her mouth again and that LITTLE something got a LITTLE bigger. And sharp! Let's hope tonight is just like last night. She's one tough cookie.








Below are a few photos of our morning together: Maggie smirking because she has a secret tooth; wait a minute--are her eyelashes growing too?; can't hide all that drool; and finally, what tooth? I just want to laugh and play!







Excuse the various qualities of photos. I was playing around with my camera settings, trying to figure out what works and what doesn't. Obviously I got plenty of shots that didn't work, but I included them here anyway.

More Food

Yesterday I gave Maggie sweet potatoes and she seemed to enjoy the new taste and flavor. Now, because you're supposed to wait three days before introducing each new food, it'll be a few days before I try her next new meal. With that said, I'm on a food-making kick so I spent yesterday afternoon processing butternut squash and zucchini. When she's ready I'll have them on hand and after a quick thaw we'll be good to go.

Pip Pip, Puree

Now that Mags is six months old and rice cereal is old hat, her doctor says she's ready for baby food. We received a baby food cookbook as a gift and I put it to good use this afternoon. I decided to start Maggie, as suggested by the doctor, on sweet potatoes and peas. I first steamed the organic peas, then roasted the sweet potatoes before processing them both down to a soupy puree. I made enough to freeze so Maggie has a few meals ready to eat. Let's hope she likes them.

Food

Now that Maggie's six months old (almost) and showing interest in food other than the boob we decided to take the plunge and feed her rice cereal. Yum, yum. For those of you who haven't had the luck of trying it before, it basically tastes like watery flavorless goo. And Maggie, not having much to compare it to, loves it! Her first taste of cereal was Saturday and she dove for it at each spoonful. We thought she'd push it out of her mouth, but this girl ate it and wanted more.

Fast forward to Tuesday. After Chad set up Maggie's high chair we plopped her in it for an evening snack. And without a hitch she was at it again.

Another Milestone!

Last week Maggie stood on her own for the first time. Of course we put her there, but she was able to support herself and stay put for a little while without us holding her up. Now if she'll just learn to sit independently! We're working on it...