Baby Update

I have a love/hate relationship with my baby right now.  I love that she is growing and learning new things, but I hate that she's not really a baby anymore at all!  Catie is closing in on her first birthday and things are changing fast.  If she's near furniture her preferred mode of transport is walking (cruising), although she has gotten to be quite a speedy crawler.  She likes to crawl up the stairs all the way to the top and then turn around and walk down them (while holding Mom's hands of course).  She knows how to drink out of straw now as well (and got her first sip of chocolate milk because of that - I really didn't think she could do it).  She knows how to wave 'bye-bye' and does it every time she goes up to bed, without being prompted.  And she knows how to shove her sister out of the way to get what she wants.  Poor Maggie, she never shoves her sister, she knows it would land her in a time-out, but the baby doesn't suffer the same consequences.  Maggie's pretty smart though, when we made a big deal out of the shoving I asked Maggie if we should put Catie in a time-out and she said, "No MOM, Catie is just a BABY!" 

So like I said, love/hate.  She really is amazing, aren't all babies?  And I love to see her little brain working and growing, but WHERE DID MY BABY GO!  The year went so fast, it's weird to think that in just four months she'll be the same age Maggie was when we moved into this house, a toddler!  Wow.

Maggie's 2.5 Stats

I forgot to post this a few weeks ago - Maggie's updated stats.

Height: 34.25 inches
Weight: 24.8 pounds
Head: 19 3/8 inches

Was 10-25% on height and weight, 75% on head. She has grown two inches since her second birthday, but only put on one measly pound.

Cate's New Stats

Catherine had her 2 month check-up today. She is 11 pounds (50%), 23 and a half inches (75-90%), and 16 inch head (90%). Two shots and one oral vaccine.

At this same age her sister was 9 pounds 9 ounces and 22 pounds. Actually, looking in the baby book right now... Cate is the same size at two months that Maggie was at four months.

Cate's New Stats

Catie had her 1 month doctor's visit this past Wednesday. How does she stack up to her sister? Well...

Weight: 9 pounds 4 ounces, 50th percentile
Height: 21.5 inches, 50th percentile
Head: 39 centimeters, 75-90th percentile

Maggie was always only about 5% for height and weight - about an inch smaller and a pound lighter at this same age.

She got one vaccination at the visit, the HepB boost, and turned the color of a tomato she screamed so hard. Poor baby.

Maggie's New Stats

Height: 32.25 inches
Weight: 23.5 pounds
Head: 19 inches

10-25% for height
10% for weight (woo hoo! finally out of the single digits!)
75% for head circum. - which leads me to quote..."That's a huge noggin, a virtual planetoid! HEAD... MOVE!" If you guess what movie that's from you win a major award. Well, not really, but won't you feel smart :)

No vaccinations today, next one is at two and a half.

A Day For Milestones

Today was Maggie's 18 month wellness appointment. Doctor kicked the tires and looked under the hood and she's a beaut! Three shots this time - Diphtheria/Tetanus/Pertussis, the flu shot, and Hepatitis A. Here are her growth details:

Weight: 20 lbs 3.5 oz. (3-5%)
Height: 30.5 inches (10-25%)
Head: 46 cm (50%)

All are normal.

The highlight of the day came later... when she said "I love you" for the very first time!! I was saying it to her, and asked her if she could say it. What a big girl.

Another first today, Miss Maggie became a mommy! We were at the store and she picked out her very first plastic-headed baby doll, without any prompting from me (because quite frankly, those things kinda creep me out). She found it on the shelf, pointed and said "Baby!" and hasn't put it down since we got it home. She gave it her water cup, gave it her binky and lovey, and took it for a stroll in the doll stroller. She showed daddy her new baby, and has given it lots of hugs. I think she's really happy to be a single mommy.

And last but not least... she ate chicken tikka marsala for dinner tonight and LOVED it! I think it's so interesting that I can't get her to eat mashed potatoes, but she loves Chinese food and seems equally impressed by Indian food. Apparently she has a very diverse palate.

15 Month Stats

Miss M had her 15-month wellness visit with the doctor yesterday. Here's what we learned...

1. Miss M loves running up and down the halls at the doctors office... naked.
2. I'm going to need to buy one of those molded plastic jungle gym jobbers, the one at the doctors office was the highlight of the trip.
3. Miss M still does not weigh 20 pounds - she's 19 pounds 3 ounces.
4. That weight puts her in about the 7th percentile (up from the 4th percentile).
5. Miss M is 30.5 inches long - almost 50% percentile (up from the 25th percentile).
6. Miss M can reach one helluva high note. Shots are not fun at all.

It's like an Orange on a Toothpick...

Just figured out Miss M's percentiles...

At 12 months:
your child is 17.8 pounds, and that is
at the 4th percentile for weight.

your child is 28.25 inches, and that is
at the 18th percentile for height.

your child has a head circumference of 18.11 inches, and that is
at the 73th percentile for head circumference.

Miss M's new 12 month stats

Munchkin is 17 pounds 8 ounces, and 28 and a quarter inches long. No, I don't know the percentiles on that ;)

Two shots today - in bed about an hour early because of them. Well, the shots and the very dramatic tumble down three carpeted steps into the basement. That one scared the crap out of both of us. She's totally fine, but that was it, the day was officially OVER.

Gymboree!

Miss M attended her first birthday party yesterday. Miss A from daycare turned one and hosted her party at Gymboree. M had a blast, crawling all over the slide and mats, getting right into the middle of the action with the big kids. She was jumping off the boxes (with my help) and walking across the giant air tube (with my help), she was even crawling right up to the teachers all by herself and played with them.

The parachute and bubbles where highlights of the day - they spread out a parachute, sing a song, and blow bubbles at the kids. M crawled right to the center of the parachute and kept trying to pick up the bubbles. She was completely enthralled. She also thoroughly enjoyed scarfing down her first cupcake. She sucked all the frosting off the top of the cupcake then took little nibbles of the cake while I held it (she ate the whole thing). One of the older little boys saw her and said, "Mommy, look at that baby's face!", M was full of frosting. Then I noticed that his mommy was meticulously picking the pink sprinkles off the top of his cupcake because he didn't like them. Maggie literally inhaled her cupcake, and yet the four year old was disgusted by sprinkles. I hope she stays this open-minded.

Here are a few pictures from Daddy's phone camera:


M's very first cupcake - she's in love.

Bubble time on the parachute.

Miss M's new 9-month stats

Height: 27 inches
Weight: 15 lbs 3 ounces
Head:44.5

50-75% for head circumfrance
25-50% for height
3-5% for weight

All are just fine.

We just got back from the appointment - she's becoming quite a regular around there.

She kissed me!!!

I just got the best kiss I have ever had in my entire life! Miss M was napping on my lap as J and I watched a movie in the family room. She woke up content and curled up to sit near my shoulder. As she gazed into my eyes I said, "Hi honey, wanna give me a kiss?" but she just starred at me. So I started making funny faces at her, sticking out my tongue... then just smiling. She looked me in the eye and leaned in really close, closer, closer... and gave me a kiss right on the lips! One of the top ten moments of my life, easily. I love my girl.

Our boring week...

OK, so this video would be totally boring if you're not a family member. It's Miss M's recent highlights - standing and crawling - and a little bit of dogs acting like morons.

Da-deey

Hand to my heart, I swear that I heard Miss M say "Daddy" today. She woke up this morning and I went to get her out of her crib while J went to make her bottle. I brought her into the kitchen so say hello to J, he turned around and said "Good Morning" to her and she got all happy and said "Da deey"! Woah! What did she say?! The timing was just too eerie, the second he turns around and that is what comes out of her mouth? Not ga ga, not raspberries, not a squeal, she said daddy! We couldn't get her to do it again, even though we spent many mindless minutes blurbing baby talk versions of the word trying to peak her interest. Oh well, maybe tomorrow morning.

Miss M's new stats...

We had our six-month pediatrician appointment yesterday and got FOUR SHOTS! Poor Miss M, she screamed and screamed, not that I can blame her. The tears were a plenty alright. Then last night she ran a fever because of the whole thing. Poor girl.

Anyway - She is now 25 inches long and 13 pounds, 2 ounces (although I think she might weigh more than that, she's had diarrhea the past 36 hours so she's probably lost a few ounces).

A new feat of strength...

I'm sure you all know by now that we have a little Hercules living with us, and her feat's of strength are not just saved for Festivus (Seinfeld reference). Miss M jumped another hurdle this past weekend - pushing up into a sitting position. I have to say, it's a little disconcerting to put your baby in her crib on her tummy to play and to come back three minutes later to see her sitting straight up. She's also becoming a bit of a mountain climber, so I guess it's time to lower the crib mattress.

Oh, and she's six months old today. Can you believe it? I can't. I pulled out a six-month size pajama for her last night, and it almost fit - and it looked gigantic before I crammed her into it. She's getting so big, my little nugget.

First day of daycare...

Kindercare must dip these kids in sugar before they send them home. We went to pick up Miss M from her first day at the daycare fully expecting to be retrieving a traumatized, tired, cranky little baby. Oh how short she fell of our expectations. The darn kid was positively cheerful! Sprightly, silly, giggling and smiling - LOVED daycare! "Take that mommy - I don't need no stinking mommy... not when I've got other babies to stare at, and two crazy teachers wrapped around my itty, bitty finger."

She left happy, came home happy, happily ate her applesauce, happily squealed and played with her toys, happily splashed in the bath, and happily passed out cold at 8:00pm. Then happily slept for 11 hours straight. If this is what it's going to be like more often than not, I think I'm due for an attitude adjustment regarding daycare.

Five months old yesterday

Can you believe it? Miss M is five months old! Soon enough she'll be asking to borrow the car! We celebrated her five month birthday with a hearty round of congratulations for mastering (well, almost mastering) yet another feat of strength - sitting up by herself. For about the past week she's been pretty solid on the tripod position, but yesterday we were all playing on the bed (drop the baby and she goes bouncy, bouncy, bouncy, yay!) and given the nice, cushy protection of the comforter we thought it would be a great time to practice our tripod skills. I sat her down on the mattress and we were a little surprised to see her sit straight backed, balancing herself, no hands on the matress, for a good 20 seconds. Yes, she still topples over. Yes, I still have to place her in a seated position. And yes, it still only lasts 5 to 20 seconds. But we're making progress! And she's ahead of the game - books say about 6-8 months they usually start this. I love my little wunderkind. I'm sure there's a trade-off coming for all these super-fly fast motor developments -- like she won't be potty trained until she's five or something.

We LOVE carrots!

Tried Miss M on some carrot mush last night and she actually opened her mouth and reached out for each spoon full! She likes it, she really likes it!

It's a bird, it's a plane...

It's a helicopter! No, it's Miss M! I think it's offically time to retire the attitude that Miss M is a baby lump. Yesterday afternoon I put her down for a nap in her crib and came back half an hour later to find her flipped from her back to her stomach and lying 180 degrees in the opposite direction, AND she had managed to turn on her light-up aquarium thing all by herself. She is a lump no longer.

Another testament to her strengh... she has this nice little pillow that props her up, but clearly doesn't prop her enough. Yesterday she was using all her little baby neck and ab muscles to try and hoist herself completely upright into a sitting position. She kind of got stuck halfway, but now I know it won't be long before she'll be sitting up all by herself.

They really do change way too quickly.