The first weekend apart

This is the only real picture I have from this weekend to prove that we spent a day and a night away from Maggie. We couldn't take our camera into the concert venue, so here's Tyler at lunch eating some Memphis BBQ.

This weekend Tyler and I went to Memphis for the Beale Street Music Festival, without Maggie. Our good friends Janet and Smedly (real name Andrew) and their kids Evi, Zoe & Emet watched Maggie for us. It started out pleasantly enough: we dropped Maggie off, and she didn't even cry when we walked away. This was really nice for me because I was a little anxious about the whole thing. In the car I felt fine, but kept checking my cell phone to make sure it was on and the ringer was loud enough just in case Janet called. Sure enough, almost to Memphis Janet called: she couldn't find the noise machine which we use at naps and bedtime. She wanted to make sure it wasn't in another bag or something. Nope, I just forgot to pack it. Ok, we don't have to turn around, and she's doing fine.

We walked all over downtown Memphis: started at Rondezvous BBQ for lunch, a famed BBQ joint in Memphis for their ribs. They were PACKED!!! And, I think that impacted the ribs- they were NOT very good. Hardly any flavor, very blah. Whatever, I got the beef brisket and it was good. Then we walked down to Beale Street and all around there, then down to the park where the music festival was. It was in the mid-80's, and humidity was about 80% right there on the Mississippi. Needless to say, we were very hot and sweaty. Lucky for us, so was everyone else down there. Of the 25 bands that were there Saturday, we saw just 7. The highlights for us were Wolfmother and George Thorogood - I've wanted to see him for like 20 years. Finally go to!!! Yay! Wolfmother was a great show, too, I think that made Tyler's day. There were several other bands we wanted to see, but there were 4 stages and we had to make our priorities.

So, aside from the good music, I did get a little neurotic about Maggie around her bedtime. So from 7:30 to about 10:00 I checked my cellphone every couple of minutes to make sure I hadn't missed the call from Janet where she tells me that Maggie won't stop crying and won't go to bed and we'd have to come back. Ah, we never got that call, so that was great!

Sunday AM, we were going to sleep in at the hotel. Nope- I woke up at 7 on the button, which is usually as late at Maggie will sleep on any given day. Finally went back to sleep but the darn housekeeping lady woke us up at 9 to ask if we wanted housekeeping or if we were going to check out. That was annoying. So up we got, went for breakfast and headed back home. I had an orchestra recital to go to for one of my high school girls as soon as we got back into town, so Tyler picked up Maggie. When I finally got home at 4:40, she wasn't even happy to see me! She cried and started crawling away. But, it was SO good to come home and see her, I don't care that she was crying.

So I did it, I made it a day and half without Maggie. That was a long time. Not for her, but for me.

Ooh, hot!

Summer is just about here in Nashville. Monday it was in the 80's. We played outside for about an hour, a good part of that in the shade, but she still got red cheeks (from being hot, not sunburned). She also really enjoyed playing with a stick she found in the yard. So much for toys! We played outside for a good part of the afternoon Saturday, too. Maggie will push her Pooh car all over the grass and driveway, but still won't walk by herself.

Updates & Miscellany from Maggie

Here's a BIG update (sort of): Maggie walked last Monday, 4/16. I didn't post it at the time because we are still waiting for a repeat performance so I could put up a picture or video. I wasn't expecting it at the time because she was fussing that I put her down and instead of plopping on the kitchen floor and crying like she often does, she took 3 steps to me. I tried again because I was pretty dumbfounded that she even did it, and she did 5 steps the second time. Well, I must've done something wrong when it happened, because she absolutely WILL NOT do it again!!! She wouldn't do it for our friends that came over Monday night, and she wouldn't do it for Tyler, either. She will hardly even stand unassisted unless it's on the bed or on her changing table (see picture). So my little stinker can walk, but won't. I'll keep you all posted and as soon as she decides to walk for real I'll put up a video. This picture was from Sunday afternoon.

Maggie also loves to play with Daddy. Tyler was clowing raspberries on her head and she just loved it!

An amazing shot! Do you know how many times I've tried to take a picture of Maggie wearing her sunglasses? About a million. I finally got this one, it's a little blurry, but she's so darn cute! You will notice her necklaces: she wears them everyday now, even when we run errands or go to Mother's Day Out, or bible study, or church. She is SUCH a girly girl!

Last two pictures:
This week Maggie has taken an interest in the stuffed animals I've been keeping on a shelf in her room. Maggie is quite taken with the penguin from Poppy and Mimie. She asks for it (OK - she says please in sign language and goes "Ah ah ah ah" until I pick it out for her) each morning. She will even drop lamb to hold and cuddle it.

And finally, Teletubbies. We chose having cable internet over extended cable, so we don't get Nickelodeon or any other cartoon channels, but we do get PBS. Maggie just loves the Teletubbies! Here she is this morning laughing at the intro. She will sit through the entire program! It is a really cute show, and they always have video segments of kids and animals which Maggie loves to watch.

A Second Year in a Row

The robins have nested in the same nest from last year that I left in the rafters of our patio. Yay! I'm so glad they decided to nest here again. Below is a good picture of the babies in the nest, I took it from inside the house so I wouldn't disturb them. I just noticed the Mama robin a week or so ago, but she must've been there a while already to have hatched young. They are so cute!

On a related note, Maggie ATE a robin's egg shell the other day when we were in the yard. It was just the shell- no yolk- but that's what I get for not watching her like a hawk at all times. By the time I realized what was happening she had already swallowed it - no finger swipe could've gotten it. Yikes! Grandparents will be happy to note I have received visual confirmation of the shell's "passing".

Last year's post: http://spaidfamily.blogspot.com/2006/05/backyard-birds.html

During the Week: Mother's Day Out

Every Wednesday I work at Mother's Day Out at our church. I work in the babies room with Maggie, the children in there are 1-2 years old. At first, I wasn't sure I liked working in there - changing other babies' poopy diapers and cleaning runny noses was not real appealing, and Maggie bringing home a new cold each week wasn't fun either. BUT - Maggie doesn't get sick every week now, and I'm past the diapers and noses. It is a lot of fun to see all the kids (who were 1 last summer when we started and are now almost 2) play and talk and grow right before my eyes, Maggie included.

Maggie is the youngest in the group, but since I work there she has to come along. Last summer and fall when I subbed, she slept most of the time or just laid on the floor watching the other kids. Now, she's right in there playing with all the older children - stealing sippy cups, playing king of the mountain, stealing toys, etc. It's funny though, since she's the youngest and still looks like a baby without hair ALL (and I mean all) the older children want to hold her, or pat her head or hug her. She doesn't always want to ge held, so sometimes she gets pretty upset. But, I still think it's funny.

And every other child knows that Lamb is Maggie's, and if she leaves it somewhere in the gym during playtime they will bring it right to her. A lot of the moms have commented that their children talk about going to see Maggie when they are in the car on the way to MDO. Maggie, thank goodness! doesn't realize all the attention she is getting, so it isn't going to her head.

Anyway, I finally brought my camera to record some events of the day.
Maggie decided she wanted to ride in a car like the other kids. This was the first day she's ever tried to get in one of them. The car didn't work out so well, she got stuck trying to get out the bottom instead of the side door.
Sorry Zayli, I know you and Jake have an arranged marriage, but Jake's making moves on Maggie. He gave her kisses, UNPROVOKED, two times, I think, then I asked him to do it again for the camera.
Finally, two short videos from the day.
1) Maggie is still not walking on her own, BUT she can walk behind a push toy if it is heavy enough not to fly out under Maggie. I put MacKenna on the car, and she weighed it down enough that Maggie can push it, all over the gym.

2) Maggie has gotten the hang of climbing. She can get on the futon and couch in our house, the coffee table if we let her. She can also get on the rocking chairs in the nursery, which is cute, but dangerous when she stands up on it once she's up. Here she is getting up and talking. You will note that she has Lamb the entire time.

Happy Easter!

Look at that cute baby! I took this picture earlier in the week, before temps dropped to freezing, so don't worry about Maggie being cold =).

Ah, lots of chocolate bunnies and sugary peeps and jelly beans. What a yummy and fun but not nearly a worthy enough way to celebrate the most important gift we could ever receive: salvation by believing in Jesus' death and resurrection. Having Maggie makes all the candy and eggs and stuffed bunnies a lot more fun to buy and enjoy, but as a family we hope to not lose the original significance of this Holy Day in the midst of all that peripheral stuff. May God bless you and your family on this very special day as we remember the sacrifice God made on our behalf. Happy Easter!

"For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. " 1 Peter 3:18.

It was a hair-raising experience!

Sunday morning I washed Maggie's face and head (no time for a bath) before we headed off to church. After rubbing her hair with a washcloth, her hair was standing on end. I'm so glad for two things: 1)my camera batteries had juice in them to capture the moment and 2) our house is small enough I can run to the other end to get the camera and get back in just seconds.

Bouncey little baby!

Here's Maggie bouncing and playing on our bed after I had to clean out her nose. Since we got back from Mexico she's been a runny-nosed little stinker. I can't tell if it's a cold, or allergies, or if she's getting another tooth. Her poor little nose just keeps dripping! Here she is alternating between "cleaning" her nose and bouncing, and making some darn cute noises in between.

A Week in Ensenada

We got back from Ensenada, Mexico on Saturday night, really late. Now, when you think of Mexico beaches, usually you think of lots of sun, right? Well, you'd be wrong. We only had about a day total of fair skies, and even then it wasn't warm enough for me to even think about taking the tags off my new swimsuit. But we did have a great time with Tyler's family, and the house we stayed in was really cool (except for the cold water showers and broken furnace). We played a lot of card games (I suck at Hearts by the way), filled out countless sudoku, crossword and other word puzzle pages in the books Tara brought, watched lots of cable TV, ate a lot of food and the boys drank a lot of Corona.

Our first part of the journey involved us flying out to Orange County, CA on Saturday and staying with friends of Tara & Alex. We OF COURSE had to have lunch at In-N-Out Burger on Sunday on our way from OC to Ensenada. Maggie liked it just fine, AND figured out how to drink out of a straw when we were there.
Once in Ensenada, we went to the Costco and another grocery store to get our supplies for the week. Alexis and maggie had a good time in the 2-seater cart.
Tuesday we went to "La Bufadora". It's a natural hole in the cliffs right on the ocean that spouts up water with the tide. It was pretty fun to watch.
A tradition: the men, their cigars, and some Corona. It was really windy and cold, but the braved it for the afternoon. You'll note the Coronas are on the ground, maybe it was too windy to keep them on the table?
And, pictures at the beach. It was a sunny afternoon, but still a little cool. Maggie took a little while to acclimate to the sand, but once she did she had a great time - even ate a mouthful of it!!! In fact, when we put her down on the wet sand closer to the water, she turned around and crawled backwards, like she was going down stairs to get away from it. (see video).
Maggie climbed into Alexis' beach chair all on her own! And would you look at the perfect posture? I love it!
Maggie and Daddy walking on the beach where we stayed. The view from our house really was spectacular! Lots of beautiful waves, and you could see the lights of Ensenada at night.

Hey Mom, what is SPF 45?

Well, we're off. We are joining Tyler's family in Ensenada, Mexico for a fun week. I've packed all the necessary items for Maggie's week in the sun- a hat, sunglasses and all the sunscreen in the house. Many pictures to follow next week.