Lazy Sunday...

Just hanging out watching the neighbors walk by thinking, "My doggies are way bigger than your doggies!"



Wait a minute! What do I see!!! Mommy has the camera out and I'm sure she is going to let me play with it this time!!! YEAH!!



"WAAAAAHHHHH" Why can't I play with the camera?! I want to play with the camera! I need to play with the camera! I am REALLY upset here!! Don't you even care?!?



There is only one thing to do in this situation! I'm calling Grandma and telling on you!!!



Grandma says you have to give me the camera now! It is my turn. Don't you believe me?!?



Maybe if I pretend I'm calling Uncle Eddie now and sort of reach over and grab the camera really quick...a sneak attack. That's the ticket...a sneak attack.



How about a stare down. Ever competed in a stare down with a toddler chickee...well you are in for it!!



Hey no fair!! No tickling the tummy! This might be cause legal litigation here...hey, I told you no tickling the tummy...okay, okay, you can do a little tummy tickling. Silly Mommy.



You might think you have won, but this is just part of a larger plot of mine to take over the world! Oh Yes!!

1 comments

Posted by Laura at 11:59 AM

Update Time

Maeve is growing so fast...it is unbelievable at times.

Here is a picture from last week. We had just purchased...NEW SHOES!! These are size 6 and Nike, just like Mommy! She just fits her size 5 shoes, but these size 6 with socks fit her beautifully.





If I listed all the things that she can do now, I would be on blogger all day, so I'll give a quick summary.

- She is starting to talk, just one or two words, but it is there. As of last week, her favorite word is (of course)..."No!". Just so everyone knows, I have firmly explained to her that as she is only 18 months old, that for her to jump ahead to a 2 year olds behavior is completely unacceptable. I think that lecture took hold and I'm sure that she will promptly start behaving herself...any day/year now. :)

- She is starting to pick up after herself and me and the dogs too. Everything on the floor gets put into the toy basket, including shoes & dog toys. I can not take credit for this, rather we have "pick up" time at her "My Gym" class. Thank you "My Gym"!!

- Motor skills & more Motor skills. She can hang with the best of them and I think is actually more advanced than many of the kids her age. This is especially evident at her "My Gym" class. We learn new skills every week and there are so many things for her to play with and on. I love this place, because everything they have out is for a different skill level and I can easily see how much she has progressed by what she tackles that week. This past week, she was starting to try the rock climbing wall. Maeve doesn't quite have it, but I can see she is very interested in it.

- Bonding. Every day I think there is no way I could love her more and every day I prove myself wrong! Maeve is not a huggy/kissy baby with me (the dogs on the other hand gets hugs and kisses galore), but she is such a cuddler & snuggler. Again, I love my baby wrap, because she loves it too. Sometimes she hangs out and just looks around, other times she snuggles right into me. Maeve loves to sit right next to me if not on me and usually has some sort of contact with me. She now will let me out of the room and her eyesight, but only if she knows where I'm at all times.

- "They call her Ms. Flirt" - OMG, this girl can flirt. All of the sudden this has started up. I know she likes the attention and she is quite adept at figuring out what will get her the most attention. Last week at Barnes & Noble, while waiting to buy our books, she starts flirting with the guy behind us in line. First it is the really quiet "Hi's", followed by the coy head tilt and shy smiles. By then he was completely smitten, but she completely wowed him with her one handed peek-a-boo. The next thing I know she is trying to shake his hand and (I think) get a phone number. He was a cutie pie though. :)

- Eating. What eating worries did I ever have?!? Now, I just wonder what she will not eat.

- Our first Urgent Care visit. Oh No!! Last weekend I was convinced she was gravely ill, so off we went as quick as I legally could to the nearest Urgent Care which is only five minutes away. Of course, by the time we arrived, her symptoms had mostly disappeared, although her stomach was still upset. Still in we went, Mother & Daughter, both pretty much in tears. The doctors and nurses were great. Because of her age, they prioritized us and we pretty much walked right in. The doctor did a very thorough check (I think mainly to appease me versus her thinking anything was wrong with Maeve) and she was pronounced healthy, but with an upset stomach. When we arrived home, she went straight to bed and slept through to the next morning, upon which she awoke smiling and full of energy again. I thought would get a couple of snickers about the "new Mommy" panic when I told some friends about our ordeal, but everyone had their own story to share. Personally, I could care less...$20 & a hour in Urgent Care was well worth the peace of mind.

Overall, Maeve is doing great. She has a total of 12 teeth now and is growing so quickly. At a year old, her 9 month outfits hung on her, now at 18 months old, her most of her 18 month outfits actually fit her. While still slender, she now sports a cute little pot belly which she likes to flash at everyone.

I should have some really cute pictures next week. We are going back to visit Grandma & Grandpa and all the rest of the family for the weekend. While there we will be attending our cousin's world famous hay ride and we are very excited for that. Also, Grandpa will be taking us for one more pontoon ride on the lake. It will be the last one of the season.

And before I forget...I can't wait for Halloween...the costumes I ordered have arrived!! Wait until you see Maeve in her new costume... 3 comments

Posted by Laura at 11:59 AM

Big Mouth Billy Bass - A Toddler's Dream

The phenomenon that swept the nation...well at least parts of the Midwest, (although it did make it to an episode of the "Sopranos") is back. Big Mouth Billy Bass is still delighting millions of children with his cheerful singing and driving adults insane wondering how many times can a toddler press that button to start him up again.

As of yet, the answer to the final question is still unknown, as they keep pressing the button. And at Grandma & Grandpa's house the fish in question continues to delight all the grandchildren, especially Maeve. She must have played that song a million times. She could not get enough of it.



Maeve was quite the dancer when the fish was singing, bouncing, twirling & jumping all around the place. Of course, she toned it down a bit when I pulled out my camera. Here is a really quick clip, only five seconds, but you get the idea. If you look closely, you can see the dog looking on from the background. He has that "been there, done that" look going on, as he has witnessed all the grandkid's "discovery" of Big Mouth Billy. :)

1 comments

Posted by Laura at 8:42 AM

Maeve's Summer Vacation...Part 2

Vacation is a good time to DANCE!! And if you are a 17 month old toddler, the "Big Mouth Billy Bass" fish has the perfect tunes to groove down with...oh yeah! Here she is pushing the button for at least the millionth time and showing off some of her moves.




After a long day of dancing, it is nice to unwind on a nice pontoon ride with Grandma...



Then find a seat of her own and share a few fish stories. "No, really, the fish sings and he is really good at it. Really, I'll show you when we get home."



Finally, it is time to help Grandpa steer the pontoon. Someone has to be in charge afterall!

1 comments

Posted by Laura at 8:31 AM

Maeve's Summer Vacation...Part 1

We had so much fun on our vacation. Maeve was on the move and ready to party. Here are a few pictures to show what she was up too.

Swimming at her cousin's new house. Thanks Uncle Tony & Aunt Melissa for having us!



One of many eating pictures. She gives new meaning to gaining weight on vacation. Maeve was an eating machine.



Caught in the act! I think she was after the remotes again. She loves things with buttons and now she has figured out that they do things (like turn the TV on and off.)



Playing with Grandma & Grandpa's dog. Poor Nieko, Maeve loves him. I think he received more kisses than any of us that week.

0 comments

Posted by Laura at 11:26 PM

Vacation Time

Well, we just came back from vacation. We visited Maeve's grandparents, aunts, uncles & cousins over the holiday. We both had a lot of fun, but it is good to be back home and not living out of a suitcase again. Maeve was a trooper throughout it all. She is fast earning her stripes as a road warrier! Flying out, she was a perfect charmer to those around us. We only had one tough moment. Right after we landed while waiting to get off the plane, she had a complete, and I mean complete in every sense of the word, meltdown. It lasted only a minute or two, but if I had a picture of the people sitting around us it would be priceless. It varied from complete surprise (as she was so good throughout the flight) to complete astonishment (that so much noise could come out of such a little person.) Once we were off the plane and heading towards G'ma & G'pa, she was fine again. Of course, she recognized them both and greeted them with huge smiles.

Then we were off to spend the night at Grandma & Grandpa's house, only to get up the next morning and drive down (along with Maeve's grandparents and two of her cousins) to her Aunt & Uncle's new house three and a half hours away. Maeve did pretty good on the drive, although at one point my Mom turned around and asked if this is what I called a "meltdown". Not even close, just a little cranky. ;) Once we arrived, all the kids had a blast playing with their cousin, exploring the new house and swimming in the pool. Maeve did her best to keep up with her three cousins and they were all great sports about including her in the play. Maeve laughed and giggled the whole time, well most of the time. The next day once the kids woke up, the fun repeated itself...more games, fun and swimming in the pool. In the afternoon we said goodbye and headed back home, my parents, myself and the three grandchildren. On the way home, we stopped at McDonalds and Maeve wowed everyone with her ability to stuff several french fries into her mouth at once. Matter of fact, everyone was happy to see her eating so much (last time we visited, she was still only taking the bottle with very little solid food.) That day, not including dinner, she had eaten two bananas, a hotdog, two granola bars, three pieces of watermelon, countless french fries, several McNuggets, milk, water and I know I'm forgetting some things. She was constantly signing "eat" and chowing on everything in sight.

Once back at her Grandparent's house, she rather grumpily settled in for the night. I think she was a bit thrown by another new bed, but after walking her a little bit she was ready to go to sleep. After that it was smooth sailing at Grandma & Grandpa's house. She ate, played, ate, visited her cousins, ate, took boat rides and ate some more all week long. Did I mention she ate? My little skinny mini has turned into quite the chow hound. Normally, she signs and says eat and I make her something. Not at Grandma & Grandpa's house...oh no. Now she wasn't content with what I put out, it had to be exactly what she wanted. In the end, I just took her to the refrigerator and let her point at what she wanted. She tried it all, especially loving corn on the cob, brats, bananas and beef stroganoff. What is it about the grandparent's house that children know their every whim will be catered too?!

I have several pictures to post, but I'll just put the following up for now. Here is Maeve and her grandparents right before we left for the airport to go home. She knows she is leaving and is not happy about it. Would you be, if you had to leave a house where you were the PRINCESS! :)

Bye Grandma & Grandpa!! See you at Christmas!!


4 comments

Posted by Laura at 7:57 PM

Then & Now (April & September 2007)

This morning started off a little chilly, so I dressed Maeve in long sleeves and long pants for the first time all summer. Looking at her I realized that I had pictures of her in the same outfit from April, shortly after we arrived back home. Her clothes are sized 12-18 mos, but she was swimming in them in April...now look at her.

April 2007 - Miss "Skinny Mini" with her pants falling off of her. The onsie was huge on her too.



September 2007 - I should have taken a side angle picture of her. Then everyone would see the onsie strettcched over her little pot belly. Pants are still a little long, but fitting nicely now. She is even wearing a size larger shoe now too (and about to go up to the next size.)



The face of an angel. An angel about to take her hair pretty out that is. :))

0 comments

Posted by Laura at 7:45 PM