Eleven Months with Mag-Pie

Dear Maggie,

Today you are 11-months old and you are so very awesome! This month you stopped crawling and started walking full-time. You love walking everywhere. You spend most of the day walking from the kitchen to the living room to the bathroom to the den to my bedroom, over and over again. 

This month you went on your first plane flight for your first visit to Hawaii after celebrating your first Halloween. It was a month of firsts! You loved Hawaii and you loved Halloween. The plane, eh, not so much love for that. 

You are still sleeping in our room but not 100% because we want you there but instead because your sister is a hellion and keeps waking you up whenever we try to have you sleep in your crib in the room you share with your sister. 

You were the cutest little crab at Halloween! The perfect sidekick to your sister who was a Mermaid. I'm already plotting your costume for next year. Maybe your sister will be the sidekick! 

You are eating so many more foods. You pack away more food than your sister and it is impressive! You are not into straw, sippy or any other kind of cups. You like bottles and that is that. The problem is I'm cutting you off in about a month so this month we'll be focusing hard on getting you to drink out of straw cups (or something else). 

Your first birthday is coming up QUICK and I've already started plotting the celebration. I can't believe that a year ago, you literally burst into our lives with great drama. We are so blessed to have your smiling little face in our lives. 

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Forty Seven Weeks with Chicken Nugget

I realized that Maggie is almost a year old! I remember being so sick of being pregnant at this time last year but also not quite ready to have a newborn in my house. It's been a roller coaster of a year! Maggie burst into our lives and nothing has been the same since. 

A switch has gone off in Maggie. She used to be the easy child but is now bursting with energy. She walks everywhere. There is no crawling. She wakes up with a bright smile and keeps us laughing with her giggles. 

She loves to be involved in everything and plays with Molly's play kitchen way more than Molly does. We have been potty training Molly which means Maggie has spent a ton of time in her favorite room of the house, the bathroom! She thinks eating toilet paper is awesome (ewwww!) and loves sitting on the potty next to her sister. Seriously these two crack me up. 

Forty Six Weeks with Chicken Nugget

Somehow I completely neglected to take a chair photo for Maggie this week. I think we got lost in enjoying our last full day in Maui. Maggie sure had a grand time on our trip to Hawaii! 

Maggie thrived this past week and I feel like we saw a huge change in her. She went from this sorta walking, mostly crawling baby to this full-fledged toddler who walks everywhere. She's also amped up the food intake and lowered the bottles. 

Maggie tried all sorts of new foods and found most of them to her liking. We were surprised at her love for Asian noodles. We had quite a few meals with different kinds of noodles and she dug them all. The Singapore Curried Noodles at Red Star Noodle were a HUGE hit. 

We also discovered the Maggie finds water to be awesome! She would get so excited when we would go down to the pool or beach. And just like her older sister, Maggie is also a huge sand eater! Those diapers were not pleasant. 

We took Maggie on quite a few adventures, from an underwater boat ride to a tropical plantation. I feel like Maggie really got to experience Maui. I hope this is the first of many visits for her. 

One thing that Maggie did exceptionally well this past week is sleep! Of course it was in bed with Scott and I but she slept so well. It allowed us to rest up some. 

The Wednesday Links from Around The Web 11.12.2014

All Dressed Up For Mars and Nowhere to Go This is fascinating. I was enthralled reading about people who are willing to give up everything to go on what is most probably a deadly mission to Mars.

J.K. Rowling wrote another Harry Potter story - The story of Dolores Jane Umbridge

Self Care, in Theory and Practice I used to be so good at this but lately I'm struggling hard.

Finding Joy in the Process I can learn a lot from this post. Sometimes the process, the journey provides the most joy.

Maintaining a Long-Term Blog This was an eye-opening post and really made me think. What keeps you going on a long-term project?

Forty Five Weeks with Chicken Nugget

This week's update comes from Hawaii! We had a busy, busy, busy week with Halloween, Co-op Pumpkin Night all while I was attempting to pack for our vacation to Hawaii. Honestly, we all need this week of relaxation.

You did ok on your very first plane ride! You didn't sleep nearly as much as you needed to especially since you were up half the night before and I had to wake you early for the plane ride. You wanted to walk up and down the aisles while staring at people. You weren't happy being confined to a lap but did way better than your sister who threw such a fit that she puked. Let's try not to repeat that plane ride on the way home.

For Halloween, I dressed you up as a Crab to complement your sister's Mermaid costume. It was adorable! We hit up Daddy's work for some Trick or Treating fun. Then we came home and had pizza while I ran around packing up the final bits for our trip. 

You had a blast at Pumpkin Night at your sister's co-op! I think you are already getting excited about going to school there next Fall. You especially loved riding on the rocking horses. 

We also had family portraits done by my friend, Kelsey of Sweet Peeks Photography. You were so good and we got some really cute shots! I'm so excited to show them off!

Photo credit: Sweet Peeks Photography 

www.sweetpeeksphotography.com

Photo credit: Sweet Peeks Photography 

www.sweetpeeksphotography.com

Forty Four Weeks with Chicken Nugget

You are walking and it is adorable! I love watching you toddle around the house. You have become even more of a squirtly kid which I honestly did not know was possible. You are in perpetual motion!

We celebrated your Aunt's birthday this week and you had a great time at their house as long as the dogs didn't come near you. For some reason, the dogs scared you. Your poor little lip went out as far as possible when they came near you. 

As Winter approaches, we've been spending more time indoors. I expect we'll be hitting up the Tot Gyms a lot so you and your sister can wiggle out some of that excess energy. 

Pumpkin Delights!

After visiting the pumpkin patch, we came home with a ton of pumpkins! I can't resist gourd season. I however dislike carving pumpkins because of the mess. I have enough mess in my life with two little ones running around the house. BUT I still wanted to decorate pumpkins with Molly. This is her first year really getting into Halloween and I love celebrating it. Maggie still has a few years before she'll understand all the fun.

While Maggie napped one afternoon, Molly the Mermaid and I got to work on decorating our pumpkins. I found some awesome Martha Stewart Transfers at the local craft store and pulled out my Kitty Pumpkin Kit that I bought a few years ago at Pottery Barn Kids.

We decorated the pumpkins for about 15 minutes before Molly decided she was all done. I finished them up and had a blast sticking on the bugs and spiders. One of the perks of decorating pumpkins this way is that they last longer and I don't have to worry about rotten pumpkins.

Nine and Ten Months with Mag-Pie

Maggie,

I'm combining your 9 month letter with your 10 month letter because well these past two months just flew past us. The biggest news is that you are walking! You took your first official steps just two days before your 10 month birthday. You've been tentatively taking a few careful steps and then a few fast ones when you forget that you are walking. It's adorable.

You've also moved into your new convertible carseat and while you weren't sure at first, you've started to love it. I love the cute pink giraffe pattern! I had a laugh with your dad after I installed your seat. You see with your sister, I called the Car Seat Lady out and had her install the seat. I learned a lot from her but I now have the confidence and know-how to install your car seat (a Britax Marathon like your sister's!). She is a great resource and I did learn a lot of tricks from her. 

You had your first trip to the Pumpkin Patch and it was a blast! We had corn dogs, apple cider donuts and picked some great pumpkins. You wore the pumpkin suit that has visited the pumpkin patch and were the cutest little pumpkin. 

You also visited Mt. Rainier when my friends visited from England. You were a travel champ and it was a fun trip. I'm looking forward to going back and doing some hikes next year. I'm hoping you'll be up for them by then or at least riding in the hiking backpack. You had a great time with my friends from England and we were all so sad when they headed back across the pond. Next time we see them, hopefully it will be on their turf. 

You love food and have decided that you want to eat all the same food that I do, teeth be damned! I mean you only have two little bottom teeth (though I've spotted your two front teeth trying to come in!) but you eat whole apples and pears like it is nothing. You must have jaws of steel! 

You were a great companion when we moved Grandma from her house to her new apartment. You've enjoyed visiting her in her new home and especially love the attention you get from the other residents. 

You started going to daycare on Thursdays when I work in your sister's co-op classroom and you are doing so well there. Your daycare teacher always has such wonderful things to say about you and I think she secretly wishes that you were there more than three hours a week. I like that you have three hours of your own time a week. You didn't nap there on our first day and then took an epic four hour nap but you've now adjusted and usually take a short nap at daycare. 

You've also started pointing and I must say that the pointing stage is one of my FAVORITE stages. This next month is going to be full of so much fun! We have a trip coming up, you'll start walking more and pointing! I really hope the pointing ramps up. I love you little Mag-Pie. You are still the happiest little baby I've every met and bring joy everywhere you go. 

Forty Three Weeks with Chicken Nugget

We started Halloween early this week! We headed to the Zoo for their Boo-Tastic Celebration and dressed the girls in their costumes. Maggie is a crab to complement Molly's Mermaid desires. I figure she'll voice her own costume desires soon enough and until then, I'm going to take advantage and make the girls dress up in matching costumes. 

Maggie also went on her very first carousel ride! She was not 100% into it but I sure had fun. I'm pretty sure that her love for the horsies will grow quickly. 

Maggie had a fun week but has a wicked diaper rash that I'm hoping clears up quickly. She's been a bit of a 'crab' about it (sorry, I couldn't help myself!). 

Forty Two Weeks with Chicken Nugget

This was a busy week for Maggie with visitors in from the UK who kept her busy, happy and giggling. She did great with a wonky schedule and even experienced her first visit to Mount Rainier. I can't wait to take a family weekend trip up there next Summer. Maggie was a champ for the long car ride and only lost it near dinner time but after a stop in Tacoma to fuel up, she was back to her happy self.

Maggie decided this past week that she only eats the same kinds of food that I'm eating. If we were out having Mexican food, she was pissed when I offered her beans and rice but was thrilled when she was able to have some of my burrito. I guess her two little bottom teeth can really make a dent!

Maggie still isn't taking any independent steps but she walks all over the place while holding onto one of my fingers. She just needs to gain a bit of confidence and then she'll be toddling all over the place. Until then she is like lightening with her crawling. 

Forty One Weeks with Chicken Nugget

The weeks are flying by and soon you'll be a year old. I remember this time last year being so exhausted but compared to this year, it was nothing! Maggie is such a funny kid. She loves blowing raspberries and scrunching up her face. She's so close to walking but just doesn't have the confidence yet. 

Maggie's smiles keep all of us in giggles. She's just so darn happy all the time. She also an apple thief! I've tried eating an apple every day in the past week and she's stolen them all to nibble at them like a squirrel. It's adorable. Sleep is still only OK. I'm working on getting her onto a firmer nap schedule which I hope will help her nighttime sleep. I'd really like to help her sleep completely through the night and have her stop coming to our bed at 2 a.m. It's crowded in there! 

Forty Weeks with Chicken Nugget

Somewhere along the way, Maggie became quite the character. She cracks herself up and loves to toddle around the house. She's not quite walking but she's getting really good at standing up on her own. She moves fast too and loves climbing the three stairs up to our bedroom. 

Maggie had her 9 month check-up and got her flu shot. The look of betrayal on her face was priceless. She got her first taste of donut though because in this house if you get a shot, you get a donut. Except I feel like 9 months is a bit early for sugary donuts so I let her have a bite off my pumpkin cake donut before feeding her some fruit. It's all about compromises. 

Maggie is LOVING daycare on Thursdays and has learned how to turn on the waterworks once she spots me. Such a little stinker! I spied on her last week and she was happy, happy, happy. Then I popped my head in and she started wailing. Her daycare provider and I started giggling because we know that ploy! All in all, Maggie is doing awesome and I promise to post her 9 month letter soon.