Maggie Meets Santa

That and a picture pretty much says it all....

Paparazzi, Dinner and Avacado

Last night my parents, Joy and Delilah came over for a comfort food dinner. A delicious chicken and green bean casserole with warm flaky rolls and salad. It was warm and cozy in our house. The main purpose for this dinner was so Maggie and Delilah could have their pictures taken in their matching outfits that my Aunt JeanAnne had made from Nordstroms. They were a hit. Joy, Linda and I were like the Hollywood paparazzi with our cameras.

The girls were hilarious. You would think they would have put up a much bigger stink considering they had three cameras and an iphone pointed at them, flashes going left and right and me holding up the "whozit" in an attempt to get them to look at the cameras. Rarely did they both look at the camera at the same time and it was almost impossible to get them to smile at the same time. But we were having a great time. After about ten minutes Maggie started yelling at Delilah. Delilah is two months younger than Maggie and she was using Maggie as a support to sit up straight. I think our little Magpie started to get annoyed because she was looking at her and screaming. Delilah didn't bat an eye. Just kept her eyes on Mommy and waited until we were done.

Maggie also got to try her first bit of solid food. The pediatrician told us avacado is a good food to start with so we thought we would give it a shot. Steve mashed it up and I tried to feed it to her. She wasn't really having any of it. She pretty much put it in her mouth, rolled it around, and spit it back up. Afterward I read how you are supposed to introduce solid foods to your baby and realized that I had done it completely wrong. Oh well, parent fail number..... oh, I have lost count at this point.

My Sweet Sleeping Baby

Before Steve and I left for Chicago our sleeping was hitting an all time low. Maggie was waking every couple of hours to nurse and didn't sleep well in her bassinet or in our bed. Steve and I were exhausted and Maggie was cranky. We were all waking each other up all the time. The decision was made that once we returned from Chicago we would put her in her room in her own crib. I was hoping to keep her in our room until she was six months but that situation was no longer working for us. I didn't do any research before starting this process. In fact I haven't really read anything about parenting. Steve and I just try to go with our instincts and believe that if we follow how we were parented, we should be able to parent. We both have great role models and we feel that we turned out okay so why shouldn't Maggie. I knew one thing was sure, "crying it out" was/is a last resort. Crying is how babies communicate with us and I believe it is unfair to cut off that communication. I was/am not opposed to using it if it becomes absolutely necessary but I certainly do not want to use it as a first line of defense. Thankfully, in our case, it isn't quite necessary, yet.

We got home from Chicago Saturday night, late, and even though we ran into some issues with the cleanliness of the crib (thanks to our cats:() we were still determined to get her in the crib. I didn't want to start the cycle of her sleeping in our room again and make it even more difficult to transition her. Our worries were unnecessary. Saturday night was amazing. Yes, she still woke up, but it was only twice rather than 4-6 times. I think it also helped that I was not tempted to just put her into bed with us so I could continue sleeping while she nursed. I had to physically get out of bed, go down the hall, and sit in the rocker and nurse her. And while my sleep was still interrupted we all slept better because we were unconcerned about waking her up. I am positive that Maggie slept better and more peacefully.

Sunday night rolled around and I didn't know what to expect. She had slept great on Saturday but we were also getting home at 10pm Chicago time so I knew she was exhausted. Steve decided he wanted to put her to bed. So he changed her into a disposable diaper, put on her jammies, held her a little and put her in her crib with her pacifier and her mobile. She talked to herself for a few minutes and then started to cry:( Like I said I refuse to let her cry it out at this point so Steve went in and picked her up and reassured her that we were there and that it was time to go to bed. He laid her back down, gave her her pacifier, and turned on her mobile. She was asleep in minutes.

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday: Change her diaper, put on her jammies, put in her plug, turn on her mobile and shut the door. No crying, no fussing. She talks to herself for a few minutes and then is out like a light. Last night my sister-in-law was over with her 8 week old who was a bit fussy around 8pm. Maggie goes to bed at 7:30 and even with all the crying from Delilah she was still able to sleep thru it. I know these results ARE NOT typical. I know that I am very lucky to have such a good little girl. I also remind myself that it may not last forever so I just thank my stars while it lasts and appreciate it for what it is.

Thanksgiving 2010

This year we flew to Chicago to be with Steve's family for Thanksgiving. We have done this almost every year since we have been together (it is Steve's favorite holiday). This year was different because we were flying with Maggie for the first time. It was an uneventful adventure (at least the flying part). She was a great baby the whole way their. We even snapped a couple of pics! The way back is a story better left untold.

The trip was great. As usual it was a whirl-wind of activity. We drove all over seeing family and friends that had never seen Maggie aside from pictures. She got to meet her cousins and was a great baby. She saw a lot of Chicago from the back seat of the car.

Thanks so much to family and friends for making time for us. We had a great time.

Maggie's first plane ride
Maggie and Grandpa Sobieszczyk playing

I am ready for Navy Pier

Daddy buying Maggie her first Build-A-BearDaddy and Maggie at Navy PierMaggie with Kevin (Steve's oldest friend)

Cousins Sammy and StevenAuntie Deb and MaggieTurkey? I love Turkey!!

Grandma and Grandpa SobieszczykI got my bib and I am ready for the fixin's
Cousin's Olivia and Isaac
Friday night and she is done!

3 Months

The months just seem to fly on by. I have so been busy balancing baby, work, husband and home that I find myself at the end of the day falling happily into bed without a care or thought in the world. This is why I have neglected the blog so much. But my good friend Rachel commented about the lack of bloginess so I decided to get the baby down for a nap and spend some time on the computer. Since I have very little time before I have to get her from her nap I am choosing to post pictures. Lots and lots of pictures. Obviously I am behind because Maggie is now FOUR months old but whatev. Maybe I will get to posting those in December....

Conversations with a 10-week old

More cute pics

Bath-time

If there is one thing that can make Maggie happy as a clam it is her bath. She loves to get in the warm water and splash around. She is all smiles no matter what kind of mood she was in five minutes before her bath. I didn't document her first bath but I did get a couple of cute pics during her last bath. What came after that bath was much more hysterical for myself and for Maggie. For Steve, not so much.
Maggie had just had another wonderful half hour in the tub when Steve took her out to get her diaper on and her pjs. I was in the other room putting stuff away when all the sudden I hear "OH! Oh my God!" I run in and see a look of horror on Steve's face. He proceeds to tell me that our daughter just peed on him. Sure enough there is a huge wet spot on his shirt and running down his shorts. I instantly start laughing my head off and make a break for the other room to grab the camera so I can document this hilarious moment. Before I can make it back to the bedroom I hear and even louder "OOOHHHHHH NOOOOOOO!!!!!!" I go running back in and can only laugh harder as he tells me, and then I hear for myself, that Maggie has pooped, A LOT. Now none of the poop actually got on Steve because he was holding her in the towel and cupping her bottom, but it was one of the best moments since we have had this little girl. I have been laughing about it almost daily since it happened.

Maggie enjoying her bath!


AAAAAHHHH I have been peed on!

Stop laughing and DO something.

It's okay sweetie. Daddy still loves you.

Maggie looking at her Daddy sweetly and happily after a long pee and a large poop!

My brother is a cop

A few (okay maybe several) weeks ago my parents, Steve, Maggie and I all headed to Salem to see my brother Vinnie graduate from the Police Academy. For the last year, almost, he has been serving with the Oreon Police. Twice a year the state has their mandated Policy Academy that everyone from all over the state must attend. He loved every second of it. If you know my family you know that all he wants to do is save the world. He has been a marine for over 15 years and now finally gets to live his dream of being a cop. There have been times he has complained about the idiots that he has chased down but I know he secretly loves every second of what he does. One added surprise was that he won the award for best overall performance in his class. We were so proud of him!! Here are a few pics from graduation day.

The proud parents with their son.

Vince's family plus me and Steve and Maggie.

Daddy and Maggie before the ceremony. She was so well behaved

Vince receiving his award for best overall performance!

Question

A voice said, Look me in the stars
And tell me truly, men of earth,
If all the soul-and-body scars
Were not too much to pay for birth.

-Robert Frost

Thanks to All

I just wanted to write a quick thank you. I heard from a bunch of you after I posted my list of ailments with words of encouragement and prayers. As of right now things seem to be going well with all of us. Aside from still not sleeping more than three hours at a time at night everything with me has cleared up pretty well. The infections/blocked ducts have resolved along with the high fevers. Thankfully I never had to use antibiotics which meant I did not put Miss Maggie at risk of thrush. Small victory for me, yeah! I should note that not using antibiotics was a personal choice and one I would not recommend for everyone. I caught the infection in the very early stages, thanks to my good friend Missy, and was able to fight it by sleeping, resting, nursing, drinking a ton of water, and more sleep/rest. With the passing of the infection my blood sugar has also stabilized. Life will never be the same but at least now I can function as Maggie's mommy and not as just a pair of milk bags. It is incredible to see the changes in her. Over the past five weeks she has developed so much. It is a miracle to watch her grow and develop a little personality. Our days are not just about eating, sleeping, and changing diapers. There are several periods during each day where we get to interact and "play" together. I am having so much fun getting to know our little girl!

Family and Friends Meet Maggie

Over the last four weeks we have had a few visitors stopping by to check out our new addition. Thanks to all who have stopped by not just to see the baby but to also lend a hand in the cooking and cleaning.

Grandma Linda

Grandpa Cole

Grandpa Mark and Grandma Deborah

Vince, Leah, Lauren and Joy (and baby D)

Crazy Cat Lady Cindy Davais (yes I will be shipping my daughter off to her house, she is THAT fun)

Kinsly Hubel (who was going to play a huge part in our childs development but just found out she got into medical school in Dublin, YAY KINS, so I guess we will have to find someone else)

Dr. Hem Deodhar (By far one of my favorite people on this earth. Although I think she tried to steal my baby when I stopped by the office yesterday)

And last but not least. Maggie's first boyfriend, Bennett David Clear. Born to Rachel and Cameron Clear just two days before Maggie. It was so obviously love at first sight.

For more pics of Maggie, check out my previous post:)