Here's the latest stuff about Maggie!

Tuesday, January 23, 2001

Wow-- it's been way too long since I've written. Our latest excitement-- you have pink eye. Thankfully it doesn't seem to be too serious of a case. Your eyes had been getting goopy, and then yesterday morning were stuck closed, so we got a prescription, kept you out of school until you weren't contagious anymore, and we're back in business. You never had red eyes, although they looked a little swollen over the weekend and yesterday, and you never seemed to be uncomfortable.

You are getting so big. You look like a little girl, not a baby anymore. You spend all your time standing up and coasting, holding on to one thing or another. Another interesting thing is that you seem to have developed memory. If we take you out of a room where you're playing with something (to bathe you or whatever), when we bring you back and put you down, you go right back to what it was you were playing with.

Today I went to the chiropractor. I was talking to the nurse? receptionist? while she did my x-rays, and we realized that she had recently had a class with your Granddaddy Chris. She already knew that I had a baby, and after a few minutes, she asked what your name was, and said that she was in his class the day you were born and that he had told everyone he had a grandbaby on the way.

Let's see ... what else? Oh-- we have three walls of a shed in place. Your Granddaddy and GranLaura have worked on it the last two weekends. It will be so wonderful when it's completed, and they are so wonderful to tackle the project! On Sunday it was really pretty and sunny, so we bundled you up and set your pack and play up in the yard and filled with toys and you played very happily while we worked. Every now and then you'd stand up holding on to the side and dance until we laughed or clapped, then were happy to play again.

Your daddy is still on the mend from bronchitis. It has really hit him hard. I know he'll be glad to get it behind him and feel better. I'm glad that you didn't catch it from him, although I suspect that he probably got it from your Christmas illness.

I can't believe that you'll be ten months old tomorrow. Your first year has just flown. I was in a store the other day looking through a clearance rack of baby clothes. The three and six month sizes seem so incredibly small, it's already so hard to believe that you were ever that little. And now you've grown again and are in 18-month clothes. It's about time to go through the boxes in the attic again and see what we have that will fit you.

Posted by Rebecca at Tuesday, January 23, 2001

Tuesday, January 09, 2001

Today you went back to the doctor's for your two-week check-up on your ears. You still have a little bit of fluid on your right ear, but it's clear, so the doctor seems to think it should still clear up. He said that you look and sound a lot better, and wants us to just keep an eye on you. Whenever you develop another cold or sniffles, if it lingers, we need to bring you in to get that ear checked so we can keep one step ahead of it.

We sent Glo-Worm to school with you today to see if that helped with your naptime. You got a second one as a Christmas present, so we thought it was worth a try because you still don't nap very well at school. And apparently you needed a friend with you, because you slept better today, according to the teacher and your daddy, who picked you up today.

It snowed today! Two different times, and it was really coming down. But both times, after about 45 minutes of heavy snow, the clouds lifted, the sun came out, and it all went away. I wish I could have been with you to see your reaction-- when you were out in the snow that fell in early December, you kept trying to catch it and eat it, then looked mystified when it disappeared before you could get it into your mouth.

Tomorrow is my 29th birthday. How very strange. That seems so-- adult somehow. I guess I thought I'd be different, someone older and not me anymore, when I turned 29. It will probably be a rather uneventful day-- too bad it couldn't have waited until tomorrow to snow...

Your appetite has suddenly increased. I am afraid I won't be able to keep up with the demand because this is the first real growth spurt you've had since I've not been with you all day, so you haven't been able to stimulate my body to match your growing appetite. I miss being around you all day. You're getting so big and I feel like I'm missing so much. The evenings go so quickly by the time we feed and bathe you, and the weekends are spent playing catch-up for everything we can't do during the week. I wish I had more time to just sit and hold you.

Your latest trick is kissing. You shape your mouth into an "O" and press it on my face (or my nose), and are thankfully no longer biting or licking when you do that! Your teacher said that you kept trying to kiss her today. Sometimes you even do the "Mmm-mah" sound too. Very sweet.

Posted by Rebecca at Tuesday, January 09, 2001

Saturday, January 06, 2001

In the evenings while you nurse before going to bed, I occasionally rub your hair as you go to sleep. In the last few days, you have decided that you really like that, because if I forget to rub your head, you start rubbing your own head until I take over. What a silly girl. I always thought it was like tickling yourself-- something that just didn’t work. But you don't seem to mind.

You are also getting very attached to your Glo-Worm all of a sudden. It reminds me so much of Haley to see you in bed sucking your thumb with the tip of Glo-Glo's hat in your fist, rubbing against your cheek.

Today when I picked you up from school, I knew something looked funny. Your daddy put your outfit on backward today, and the teachers didn't notice and fix it or anything.

And this evening you exacted your revenge. While we were getting ready to bathe you, you were sitting in your daddy's lap while I tried to trim your bangs. Every time I would get near your head with the scissors, you'd sneeze or cough on him and jerk so I'd have to pull back. Then when we undressed you for the bath, you spit up in your daddy's face and then wet all over him and his shoes. I don't think you missed a single bodily fluid this evening. But thankfully, for once, it wasn't me getting drenched.

It is amazing to watch you walking with your walker toys. Sometimes I look at you and I can't believe you are as big as you are. What happened to my little bitty baby?

Posted by Rebecca at Saturday, January 06, 2001

Tuesday, January 02, 2001

Today was your first day back at school since the Wednesday before Christmas. You did well-- and you made a new friend. There is a new little boy in your class, he's about your same height (if not shorter), but four months older and walking. It looks so strange for this little bitty guy to be walking around the room! When I arrived to pick you up today, you were in your crib, standing at the plexiglass front and your little friend was on the other side of the glass. You were both putting your hands up against the sides of the glass, like you were pressing hand to hand, then pulling your hands back and clapping. What silly babies!

Over the weekend we went to the baby store and used the Christmas money you got from Aunt Leslie and bought a Elmo lawn mower for you. It has an adaptable handle so it's a walker toy now, then a lawn mower to push in the yard once you're older. We brought it home and put you behind it and you immediately started walking! It was amazing. Your daddy and I just looked at each other, and said we should go hide the toy so we can keep you crawling and little forever. You are growing too fast!

You celebrated your first New Year's in style! Your Aunt Cherie and Uncle Glen and Uncle Michael and Tom came over for dinner. You actually went to sleep before everything got started and we put the air purifier in your room to generate more white noise, and you slept all the way until about five minutes before midnight just as we were pouring the champagne. So I got you up and you rang in the New Year, then entertained everyone by waving at them and clapping and pushing your Elmo mower around. As soon as everyone went home, we put you back down and you went to sleep again. I guess you just wanted to be a part of the action!

You still have a little bit of congestion, but sound and seem to feel so much better. I think the worst of this is definitely past us. You'll stay on the antibiotic until next Tuesday when we go to the doctor's.

Posted by Rebecca at Tuesday, January 02, 2001

Friday, December 29, 2000

Although your chest is still rattley, you are making improvements. Thankfully your Nana and your GranLaura were able to come Wednesday-Friday and keep you so you didn't have to go back to school until you are all better. So you've had three days of doting grandparents and undivided attention-- what better medicine could there be?

You still have a nasty cough, but are much less lethargic and are resting better. I think we are definitely on the mend.

You are really getting so interactive. You will play patty-cake now if we just say the words and don't move our hands. You know what it means. You also are clapping all the time, and occasionally will also accompany that with something that sounds very much like "yay!" You say Mama and Dada, and are starting to give kisses-- mmm--mah! You figured out how to slap your hands on the water in the bathtub to make a big splash, and how to stand up in your bath seat (groan!).

Today Nana and I took you to get your nine month picture. I was afraid if we waited until you were well and we had time to go while the studio was open, we'd never get it done. This time you were big enough to use the neat props. We got one picture of you sitting on a wooden fire engine, one of you in a little toy boat, one of you on a rocking horse and the one I think will turn out the best is you holding on to the side of a little step ladder. I can't wait to see the pictures. You looked so cute in your little overalls.

You have also become much more interested in table food-- everyone's but your own. Every time I am trying to eat or drink anything, you stare at me until I look at you, then smile and make chewing noises. I have started sharing part of my bagel with you each morning. One little piece and you're happily gnawing away for 20 minutes!

I am so glad it is the weekend, and that it's a long one. It looks like your Uncle Michael and Tom are going to come over for dinner that night, which will be nice. Not much else to tell, except that your daddy and I are SO glad that you are starting to feel better.

Posted by Rebecca at Friday, December 29, 2000

Wednesday, December 27, 2000

Well, unfortunately your first Christmas was nothing like we'd imagined. Your cold moved South-- into your chest. By Christmas Eve you were wheezing and your breathing was ragged and your little chest rattled with congestion. We spent the evening on the telephone with the nurse on call for your doctor's office getting the symptoms to watch for to determine when to take you to the emergency room. I spent almost all night Christmas Eve in the recliner holding you because the only way you could sleep was sitting up because you couldn't breathe. So unfortunately after all the stress and very little sleep, we didn't feel very Christmasy, and you didn't feel much like opening presents.

Tuesday you were back at the doctor's (we luckily already had a nine month check-up scheduled), and he upped your dosage of antibiotics and put you on an asthma medication to enlarge your bronchial tubes and hopefully allow you to breathe better. You are still really congested and your breathing is still really gurgly and whistly, but hopefully we're making progress. Your eyes are a little brighter, and you are definitely sleeping more peacefully, so I think you're slowly getting better.

We are not putting you back in daycare until next week so you have some more time to recover. Your Nana came and took care of you today, and will come back on Friday. Tomorrow your GranLaura will keep you. I am so glad that they are able to help out so we can make sure you have time to get better.

Even though we were all sick, we did have a good Christmas overall. I just can't believe it's already over. It kind of seems like a blur (which, with all the cold medicine we've been taking, that's entirely possible!).

Posted by Rebecca at Wednesday, December 27, 2000

Saturday, December 23, 2000

Your cold has been getting steadily worse this week, so we took you into the after-hours clinic today, our last shot before the holidays. And guess what-- you have a double ear infection. So we're back on antibiotics. Poor thing, you're so pitiful because you're so completely congested. You didn't sleep very much last night-- I feel like I earned my Mommy Wings for rocking you a good part of the night on my shoulder so you could breathe enough to sleep.

Today we also went to your Grandpa Chris and GranLaura's-- her parents were in town and wanted to see you. They gave you a cute little stuffed bear in a ballerina dress and the most beautiful smocked dress. I think it will be either your Easter dress, or the dress we take your 1 year old picture in. And you were such a good baby, even not feeling well.

Tonight your daddy and I have put together your climber thing that's your big Christmas present. It took a lot longer than we thought, because first we had to drag all the pieces into the bathtub to scrub them with Mr. Clean (it had been kept outside), then dry everything, then figure out how to assemble it. It's really a neat thing-- we want to wake you up to let you see it, but will restrain ourselves. I think it has to go down in history as my best yard sale bargain-- $120 in the J.C. Penney catalog, $20 at a yard sale!

Well, it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Our tree is full of presents. Our refrigerator is getting full of cooked food to take to your Nana's house on Monday, and your daddy and momma are exhausted. This is just going to go down as our sick Christmas. I'm starting to feel a little bit better, your daddy is in the middle of it, and you're struggling with it-- this cold weather has really gotten to us all.

You have just started crying, so I am going to sign off now. I am looking forward to tomorrow and seeing how you take to opening presents.

Posted by Rebecca at Saturday, December 23, 2000

Tuesday, December 19, 2000

Happy Birthday, Pop! Again, I'm fighting with Blogger and just had my ten minutes' worth of typing disappear, so I will do my best to recreate this short and sweet--

On Friday your class had a Christmas party, and you were the only baby who didn't cry when Santa Claus visited. You also had your first taste of party food-- apparently I needed to be more specific about what foods you can and can't have. During your class party, you had Cheese Puffs, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and cookies. You'll eat anything!

And Saturday we took you to Fat Man's for a picture with Santa, and again you were such a brave girl! You weren't impressed, but you didn't cry.

Your two front teeth have cut through and it totally changes your smile. It is so strange and startling to see the teeth there! But it seems pretty appropriate that you got your two front teeth for Christmas. It's only a few days now!

We have gotten so many packages in the mail from extended family and friends who sent you a Christmas present. It makes us very happy that so many people are thinking about you.

Today we stayed home because I have a nasty sinus infection and you have a cold. Your daddy took us to the doctor, then we took it easy. It worked out well because they are consolidating the classrooms at your school this week since so many kids are out, and yesterday you got a nasty bump on your head when a big kid knocked you down to get to one of your toys. I'll be glad when they go back to the regular schedule.

Last night we had dinner at your Uncle Andrew's and Aunt Melinda's house. It's the first time we've seen their new house. You seemed to like their dogs, and didn't seem scared at all, and didn't even mind the few kisses you got on the face! And you were so good and slept at their house until we carried you home and put you in your crib. What a good and adaptable baby you are!

Well, let me go while the going's good and see if I can actually post this one without it disappearing.

Posted by Rebecca at Tuesday, December 19, 2000