Hugs and Kisses

Aside from the fact that we have a little lush on our hands (see previous post), we also have a lover. Hugs and kisses are things she has been working on and handing out more and more. Don't be too sad if she refuses when you ask for one though. She doles them out on her own terms.

Here is Maeve kissing Uncle Brendan when he was out for a visit.

He was one of the lucky ones.

This could be foreboding

Caution: PG 13 material follows.

I'm not too sure what to make of this picture (For those of you trying to make out what the bottle says - It's Strongbow, a nice hard cider.) Did her dad and I set her up by giving her an Irish name, is it truely in her blood? Whatever the explaination, I think this could be some troubling news to the parents of this child in college. Hey, as long as she gets good grades - Megan always did!

It's Official - She's Walking

She can do it. Not the most stable walker I've seen, but she's got it down. More often than not she can be found in the middle of a room now, standing all by herself, usually holding something that she has made way with - a book, a pen, paper she's shoved in her mouth. She can even lower herself into a squat, stand back up and resume walking. Not only can she walk, but she can climb up onto the futon to look out the window. I'm sure that's not all she'll be climbing.

A Mother's Dream

Only a mother could really appreciate what I'm about to write.

Tonight I took a page from my friend Hannah's notebook. I am in constant admiration that Hannah can get her children to eat almost anything, and always green things. Anabelle chanted with Mark once, "we love kale." I have also witness Silas eating asparagus end over end, kind of like a chain smoker, but not. It's truly amazing. Hannah tells me she just kept trying and of course hid things in other likable foods.

This afternoon on a mission to have her eat carrots, I mushed them up in her favorite yogurt, cottage cheese mix (a page I took from Helen's notebook). Little did she know that her favorite little snack would become the vehicle for goodness.

Then this evening it was like an angel had come down from above and taken over my child. I serve broccoli to her for the first time in many months. The initial trial got spit back out at me and I didn't try again because those darn little florets are hard to pick out of your hair. Anyway, following Hannah's lead, I put some butter the broccoli then poured some Bragg's Amino Acids (taste like soy sauce) over the whole thing. Maeve was eating the broccoli hand over fist, no prompting was needed. I'm down with the little extra fat and salt if it means she gets the other nutrients. Who knows, maybe she'll peak back over the 10% when we go to the doctors office again.

I began a chant of my own, "broccoli is great, give me another plate." She thought this was pretty funny and kept eating. Hopefully it will stick with her and she'll do it again.

Sleeping baby

I want someone to explain to me the formula, running car engine + baby = sleeping baby.

Early in Maeve's life I needed someone to explain this to me because apparently Maeve instillation of this formula in her little brain was a bit late. Remember the crying! Oi the crying! Now we fully appreciate this formula, have used it to our benefit on many occasion. What I need someone to explain to me now is how running car engine + baby + car stereo as loud as it will go AND a shaking car seat can still = sleeping baby.

Today on a quick trip out in the car, Maeve decided that our ride home was cutting it too close to her nap time. Go figure, she moves it around all the time, how could I know she was going to pick the ride home to kick it. I wanted her to stay awake until we got home so I could put her in her crib and actually think about getting something done (imagine that). First I started singing to her and reaching back and tickling her at all the stop lights. When I stopped any of those, her little lids would drop and her thumb went right into her mouth. Next when all those looked like they had failed, I turned the radio up, full blast, granted it was Gerrison Keillor. Possibly not the best choice to stimulate a child. As that began to fail I started shaking her car seat to keep her awake. The shaking had to register at least a 5.8 on the Richter scale. Despite all this, she fell asleep.

I just don't understand this. Especially because just last night all I had to do was turn over in bed, the sheets would wrinkle a bit and she was up like a Pop-Tart. I do not understand it one bit. If someone has an explanation let me know.

In the end, I hung out in the car reading a book with her while she slept for an hour. Good thing we both had down coats on...it was chilly today. At least I got some reading in.

An overview

Before I even get started, no she didn't sleep as well the next night. It was awful actually, but what can you do?

It seems that indeed we have a little person on our hands. I know I've said this before, but I am simply amazed by this. A year ago we cared for a little sac-of-needs. Now we on a regular basis received demands from that little being.

Walking is the preferred mode of transportation now. Crawling is merely what she resorts to when she has become frustrated with her wobbling or has shoes on. HATES them. I realize now I may have done myself in for by never putting shoes on her this summer. But then again, she did come out with a foot-loose and fancy free attitude, my shoe choice, or lack there of may not have had anything to with the fact that she rips her shoes (and socks) off at any moment she gets.

She is eating more, which may have a lot to do with the fact that sleeping is getting better. Mark says he stuffed her full that miraculous night. I tried the last two nights to do the same, but she resists me. Maeve sits in her highchair, usually pushed back away from the table with her feet up on the table like some Fortune 500 exec. She prefers things this way, despite the fact that it makes it infinitely harder to reach the Cheerios.

LOVES Cheerios....especially the way they fly through the air when she gives them "5." She learned to give "5" and likes to do it all the time, to anything. It can get a bit rough, so if you choose to engage her in the game, be prepared for a solid "5" to the face. Then she is told to be gentle and thinks that is the funniest thing since raspberries.

Raspberries, she is great at giving them. Hasn't cared for the food version as much though.

"uh-oh" has fallen somewhat out of favor. I think she has probably realized that Fortune 500 execs do not admit mistakes that easily. Has added "hi" to her repertoire. It's super cute to be greeted by the little gal, face pulled over the gate at the top of the stairs, saying HI when I get home. Makes me want to rush home that much faster.

Unfortunately she has added an ingratiating whine to her bag of tricks too. I'm sure there will be words (read: demands) that replace that whine some day, but for now it's short little bursts of a cry that lacks tears...unless she sees you looking. She can squint up her eyes real tight and squeeze out a tear for effect when she is really working it. Hopefully this is just a phase. I told her if she knows what's good for her she'll stop that because it's not going to keep the beasts in the forest away when her parents leave her in the woods. Growling would probably be much more effective.

And that's about it for our day to day. We are just plugging along and watching in awe this little life unfolding before our eyes.

Breaking News

********imagine the sound track for breaking news in your head...clanking typewriters, although out of date is what comes to mind.**********

Maeve slept from 8pm to 5am - NO wake ups. Read that again, NO waking up.

Of course her mother didn't. My body is so trained to wake up that I woke at 2:30, 3:30 and 4:30. At 4:30 I had the issue of also supporting the Swiss Alps on my chest so I layed in bed awake, after checking to make sure she was still breathing of course, wishing my chest didn't throb so much. Maeve eventually woke at 5am to eat, for which I was thankful. But I wondered if my brain traffic is what woke her up or did she just wake on her own.

Hopefully a question I'll get to ponder again tonight. I won't hold my breath, but I plan on drugging myself heavily in anticipation. I haven't decided on the drug of choice yet, but that's just details.

Making a Guest Appearance

Speaking of getting out of the humdrum of day to day. Uncle Brendan and his girlfriend, Monica, made a guest appearance at Maeve Space. Brendan made a special request to hit the blog, little did he know that I would use it to get him to send the pictures that were taken over the weekend. Some very funny ones that I'll update the blog with once they are available.

Uncle Brendan drove out Mark's new car. A Subaru dressed in Saab clothing. It's a zippy car (maybe a bit too zippy) and lots of fun. Let's hope that the car seat in the back slows Mark down some. I don't think Uncle Paul being a State Trooper in NY is really going to help Mark out here in WI. I'm sure if you ask Mark, he'll be happy to share some pics of his lovely new car with you.

Anyway...we had a great time with Brendan and Monica. A day in Madison, complete with folk singing at the Kids in the Rotunda (a free kids concert/gathering every Saturday morning during the school year). A walk down State Street and even better yet milling around Chicago at Navy Pier. Hope we didn't bore them to tears. The plan was to take them to the Essen Haus while in Madison and treat them to a stein, but Mark and I were too tired and I think in bed that night by 10. WooHoo. You'll just need to come back out when we're getting more sleep and can sacrifice a few hours out at the bars!

Lots going on

It's really interesting to me how as you get older (BTW it's Mark's 33rd birthday today) that time seems to go faster and faster. Yet when you are young time seems to drag on and on. The wildest thing of all that is when you're old, the day to day doesn't change all that much. Perhaps that is why time goes faster, you'd get bored otherwise. On the other hand, when you're young, new things are happening all the time.

Let's see...Maeve has had another tooth explosion. Two teeth at the beginning of the month when Grandma and Grandpa where here. Now two more have popped through, with two more on the way.
She is walking a little bit more. She can walk just fine, but I don't think she has her confidence built up just yet to really let go and go for it.
Maeve is talking more. The aforementioned 'Uh-oh' and attempts at other words.
Maeve is mimicking more too. I can't figure out why she does not know how to wave yet, she sure studies everyone waving enough.

So, while our days as adults have slowed in general, Maeve has helped fill them up with new things all the time.

Mission

The plan is to fill the front of the refrigerator with pictures of Maeve's family and friends, in particular, the ones that she doesn't get to see that often. For those of you that wish to participate, find or take a picture of yourself to be included on the fridge. Head shots, ones that she can see your face well are probably best. Feel free to email the picture and I'll print it here or you can snail mail the picture too. If you need my address, let me know and I'll be sure to send it your way.

Pictures like her father takes, head tilted to the side, tongue sticking out and eyes bulging, need NOT be included! Mark does plenty of that for her, and for goodness sake, I have to look at that picture each time I reach for my OJ.

Growth

I think we may have found an explanation for the terrible few weeks of sleep we just had over the past month...Growth. Mark and I have both noticed that Maeve seems heavier and also perhaps a bit taller. This thought was confirmed when I put a pair of overalls on her yesterday, a pair that two weeks ago required a massive amount of rolling in order to prevent her from tripping. Yesterday, no rolling required. All I can think is that it must be painful to grow so much all at once. The phrase growing pains seems literal here.

Alas, we have found ourselves in a more restful sleep cycle. I feel renewed by having more than 2 hours at a time strung together. And while we still don't sleep through the night according to everyone else's definition, I can say that it feels like sleeping through the night to me.

"Uh-oh"...

... is the latest in her language bank that she is trying to master. She says it often and often out of context, but she is working on it. Today she got the meaning right as she was playing with a new toy during a diaper change. Maeve was playing with said toy she got for her birthday. A toy that was given by a family member that clearly must have a vendetta against us, her parents. It's got bright lights and makes tons of noise. The main reasons that it is being reserved for diaper changes only...keeps her attention and it's a short enough dose that I am less likely to throw it out the window. But I digress. Maeve took this toy and intentionally hung it over the side of the changing table and slowly lightened her grip on it. She waited for the "thud" and announced, "uh-oh." Reply, "uh-oh is right. Don't think you're getting that back until the next time I try to wrangle you into a clean, dry diaper."

Which, while I'm on the subject, why do kids this age fight the diaper changes so much. I would think it is a relief to be in a dry, clean diaper. It's cold out, what could be worse than some thing cold and soggy on your bottom. I'm sad to say, the cleanliness factor I think is lost on kids. They don't seem to mind that they sit around in their own excrement. It's theirs after all.

Anyway, syllable by syllable she'll build her vocabulary. I'll help her practice, especially if it helps us practically get through the day.

Lucky Girl

Maeve is indeed a lucky girl. For the past week and a half she has had grandparents from both sides doting over her. As they all leave she is going to be looking around at her lamo parents to stir it up some.

Lets see, she has been to a petting zoo, got to play drums on some VERY large pumpkins, celebrate turning one, go to the children's muesem and tour a brewery. Not sure how that last one appealed to her senses, but if she is her father's daughter, she may become a beer connoisseur.

I guess it's only a matter of time until she figures out that her parents are really not that much fun. I'm hoping we have a few years before she finds us to be an embarassment. Then if I take after my father, I'll take joy in her embarassment and behave like a goof. Ya know, as much as he threated that though, I don't recall any of my friends describing him as a goof. Most were scared sh**less of him. Little did they know that he is a total teddy bear. And if you don't believe me, watch him with his granddaughter.

Those Boots Were Made for Walking

OK, well they are not really boots are they. But they are cute little lion Robeez.

While Mimi and Pop Pop were in town, we visited one of our favorite toy/clothing stores. If you've been reading the blog you'll know that Maeve is practicing her walking. Furniture cruising is a specialty of hers. Free walking though, only one step to date. While at the toy store, Maeve found a perfect walking buddy - a little doll buggie/baby walker. The video below was her first go at it. As she started to walk I quickly got my camera going. Had to make sure there was evidence because Pa wasn't with us and I knew he would want to see. The video clearly isn't shot by a professional, but I think it captured the moment just fine. Little did I know that Maeve would continue to walk up and down the store a few more times. I probably could have gotten a better video, but had run out of space on the camera card. Oi, technology.

(just click on the little play button).

Next time I do video, I'll have to remember to keep quiet. I know we are our own worse critics, but I sound goofy!

Judging by her skill here, I don't imagine walking is too far off. And from what a little birdie in Chester told me (and a random FedEx email), Mimi has sent Maeve a walker buggie of her own. Watch out sidewalks, here we come!

The Birthday Girls

Well I am proud to say that there haven't been any posts recently. Two birthdays in the past week and some attempts at celebrations.

My birthday was a great day. The weather was beautiful which is always an essential ingredient for a good day. Mark, Maeve and I went for a hike at Blue Mounds State Park. Mark and I got to walk and talk for over an hour...Maeve was asleep (she's that little striped blob on the right side of the picture). Something that probably only new parents can really appreciate. Mark then took me to dinner at Sardine, a nice restaurant here in town. I even got to get dressed up and Maeve was left at home with a babysitter. Big day for the adults!! Woo-Hoo.

And now that you have all read all that you really want to hear about me. I know how it is. Little interest in anyone but Maeve. She's ONE. A whole year has gone by and so much has changed. She came into the world so peacefully last year, aside from the few expletives her mother was barking. Mark and I watched the video of her birth and shed a few tears as we watched our beautiful daughter take her first breath. This past month she has been working on taking her first steps and practicing her first words. So much happens in a year.

And yet so little changes. Maeve and her sleep habits, mentioned previously on the blog here and here, have changed very little. Many of you probably thought I was just being overly dramatic for the sake of the blog. Mimi and Pop Pop (the Healy's), who came to hang with Maeve on her birthday, can now verify that I have not been embellishing any of it. The eve of Maeve's birthday she thought she would turn our night into an all night dance party. Unfortunately, I wasn't in the mood to dance. Neither was anyone else for 4 long hours. The car became her sleep inducer once again this weekend. And, thanks to Pop Pop, we all got to meet Jill, his new GPS. The end result being that we did very little for her birthday. Almost everyone was taking a nap, including her (thank goodness) for a good portion of the afternoon. We even tried to do a candle and cake that got thwarted because of a tired baby.

Here she is opening a gift and enjoying a few other ones!

I've got more for you, so stay tuned and I'll be sure to update with more soon.

Ciao!

The Book Worm

I had the funniest experience with Maeve at the book store the other day. Normally I wouldn't even think of taking her into a book store, but I was needing to kill some time and thought their might be a kid play area. Many of you know that Maeve has an affinity for books. Mostly for eating them, but more recently for having them read to her. We have a bath tub version of One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish and Maeve laughs in delight every time I read that line. I dare say that the funny looking fish might have something to do with it.

Into the book store I go, searching for the kids section. I thought Maeve was having convulsions. I couldn't set her down fast enough. She wanted to pull all the books off the shelf and have a taste of each of them. I let her mouth one covered in plastic for a bit while I read a book myself to see if I might be able to tolerate reading it again, and again, and again...you get the picture. Reading time didn't last long though. She is getting more dexterous and deft (a little Seuss inspiration there) and was soon through the plastic and onto the book binding.

I picked her up and told her it was time to go. First I had to clean up all the books, the the stuffed animals that she pulled out and had strewn about her. As we left it was the first time that Maeve made herself known that she didn't like leaving. I'm sure there is more of that to come.

Have fun reading. If you're in need of some good kids books, try Frog and Toad or Gossie and Gertie.

A change for Maeve Space

You are in the right place. Maeve Space had a makeover. This mama needs to change it up from time to time.

Let me know what ya think. Remember, change is often hard initially, but we can always go back.

Sweet dreams everyone!

Fun in threes

Good things come in threes, or is that bad things??? Whatever the tale, we had three good things come our way this weekend. The first two good things come from beloved friends sharing good news with me.

One friend announced she will be getting married, how lovely for a new fresh start. Good luck and believe.

A different friend shared with me that she and her husband are newly pregnant. Hhhmm...the wonder of a new life. Breathe slow and drink it all in.

The third good thing came through Maeve, as good things in my life often do these days. Maeve and I were called this morning by our lovely midwife, Ingrid, to see if we would join her at a birth. Mark is gone this weekend, off with the corals and our car, so I warned Ingrid I came as a package deal. The birth we were heading to was to be the 5th baby for the couple. We figured Maeve certainly could blend into the chaos that is 4 children mulling around. Chloe, who is now the second youngest, is just 2 months older than Maeve and she is walking. Maeve was fascinated with Chole in a, "wow" sort of way. Chloe was fascinated with Maeve in a "I'm finally not the youngest" kind of way. Watching Chloe walk definitely had Maeve intrigued. As she stood unsupported, as she is doing more and more of these days...along with baby pliés (aka baby squats), she took a step towards Chloe. She looked a bit unbalanced and perplexed so soon let her self down to the floor.

Two by two

I read in a parenting/baby book that we can expect teeth to come in two at at time ever month to every other month. That concept brings to mind the phrase two by two, which in turn makes me think of that song, "the ants go marching two by two, hoo rah, hoo rah." Then as my brain keeps going with this idea, I think of evenly spaced out little soldiers marching along. So far Maeve's teeth have behavied nothing like this orderly little army.

As many of you know, Maeve had no teeth at all until she was 7 months old, than BAM...6 teeth all in the span of 1 month. It's like all those little soldiers were piled up behind a door somewhere and finally the door opened and they came spilling out. Fortunately for Maeve, all those teeth at once didn't bother her a bit (or at least we didn't think so). She took it all in stride, granted her shirts were soaked with saliva, but that had been going on since she was 2 months old. We didn't know any differently. Eventually that stopped once her teeth were in and for the first time in many months, Maeve wasn't always holding her own personal wet T-shirt contest. Since that explosion of teeth there havn't been any more. Until this week that is.

We have eye-spyed two upper molars coming in. Wasn't hard to figure out either once Maeve started drooling like a rabid dog again. Unfortunately this time around though, Maeve is feeling kinda crabby and under the weather. She's got a runny nose and real low grade fever on and off. She's just not as happy as she usually is. Sad to see. I'm hoping for her sake (and ours, I'll be honest) that she doesn't have another explosion of teeth. It might be nice to follow that two by two rule. Get two now, take break and work on two more a month or so form now. Guess those molars are serious business.

Send Maeve some love.

A beautiful day

Today is the first day the heat wave we were having finally broke. Thank goodness for that. I love the fall, the weather being crisp, the leaves changing colors, and not to mention it's a big birthday month in our house.

We decided to take a walk to breakfast this morning to enjoy the weather, and unsure how chilly it was outside I got Maeve ready to brave the breeze. Go figure, I bought that hat last year when she was just a few weeks old thinking it would fit this year. Guess she got cursed with Mama's small head.

We had a great breakfast, despite it being from a place that is a bit of a greasy-spoon (not my favorite) as Mark can attest to. The walk home found Maeve snoozing in the carrier. I took the time to walk around and admire all the things I love about fall. It's different when you slow down and breathe in the day. The leaves rustling, the water lapping at the shore. It was wonderful.

By the time Maeve woke up, I decided that the entire day should be spent outside. I returned home to change a diaper and gather some goodies for us to hang out at the park with.

We packed some water, Sophie, her fav book, crackers, and some stuff in there for me too. The sun was out, the breeze was blowing and we had a great time just hanging on a blanket together.

We did eventually head over to the playset 'cuz there were lots of kids and Maeve wanted to be in the mix. She sets herself in the middle of all the older kids playing, has no clue that they'll knock her over. She is just delighted to be in their presence.

Now I will admit, the pictures today were not just to fill everyone up with a little Maeve. My mission was much more focused than that. I know I am biased, but I just think Maeve is about the cutest thing going. I thought that perhaps others would think the same. Gap is having a casting call for new Gap babies. I took a peek at other kids entered in her age group and both Mark and I think she has a good a chance as any. We're hoping maybe Helen will post Milo's pic there too...they could be Gap babies together. (I'm goofy, I know.)

So here is how it works: A panel of judges will narrow all entries received down to 20 finalists (5 boys, 5 girls, 5 baby boys, and 5 baby girls). Those finalists will be voted on by the public from November 20, 2007 through December 15, 2007. The children who receive the most votes in each category will be announced as winners in January 2008.

If Maeve gets picked to be in the finals, I'm gonna bug you all to vote for her. I guess it doesn't pay much, but Mark and I would get a trip to San Fransico as well as a few other goodies. Besides, maybe someone will see Maeve there and we'll get some leads that will pay for her college. And, you could all be lucky and see Maeve plastered across your local Gap. So start early, send some lucky love!

Underwater diving

Everything was moving along like normal tonight at swim class. After blowing bubbles in the water - which Maeve is becoming proficient at I thought we would move next to practicing jumping in....but I was wrong. Tonight we practiced going underwater.

I will admit that I probably would not have adventured here on my own, but thought there were some qualified folks around, they must know what they are doing, right??? I did look to see if the other parents were doing it first though. I didn't want to be the only crazy to do it.

We were told to blow into their faces just before putting them under water and then dunk them and pull them towards your body to keep water moving over their faces to decrease the amount of water they might pull in if they haven't closed their mouths. Maeve held her breath on cue and under she went. She came up and was a bit confused and whined a bit about it, but then was fine. So we tried one more time. This time she didn't close her eyes or mouth and I think took on some water. She did cry after that dunk. I guess we'll be trying it again at some other class. Who knows, maybe Maeve will be swimming underwater soon!

One little monkey

Sunday was not the most successful day in Maeve's acrobatic endeavors. First the girl was hanging out by the couch playing with some stackable blocks. She is slowly learning how to climb and thankfully it's mostly on things that are already in place. Meaning she hasn't put together that she can willfully move things into strategic position to climb on. As she was climbing on said blocks, one tipped over and a** over tea kettle she went.

Although admittedly not as gruesome as Helen looked here, for an 11 month old, I think it might be the equivalent.


The block she has in her hand is not the guilty party, but perhaps how she retaliated. Her eye was a bit red and swollen yesterday. Unlike Helen, Maeve's is already looking better the day after.

Now you might ask why I would consider posting a picture of Maeve that is somewhat blurry (despite Mama trying to hold her still by pressing my own face against hers). It's because this is about as good as it gets these days (at least for our little camera). She is in CONSTANT motion. Most the pictures come out looking more like this...



















Alas, with the help of a crazy bright flash I caught her on camera appearing somewhat still.




Now the day wasn't over. No, No. This one little monkey rolled off the bed, our bed that is. Mark and I are not totally sure how it all transpired. Just moments earlier she was sleeping peacefully, then "thud." We raced in to pick her prone little crying body off the floor. She's fine, she cried some, but she's fine. Mark suspects she was crying more from the fact that she learned that her parents were total morons rather than the shock or pain.

All is well today, no major bumps or bruises to tell of. I'm sure they'll be more to come though!

The countdown

Today is a big day in my little mind. Today Maeve is 11 months old. The countdown to Maeve's first birthday begins. I have appreciation for all the parents now lamenting over children getting older. It is bitter sweet at times. So exciting to see the milestones, head out on new paths, yet sad to let go of the days that have preceeded.

Our girl is busy babbeling, furniture cruising, starting to stand on her own more and more. She is a cruiser with her crawling. Thankfully my two legs still move faster than her four legged locomotion. She knows how to climb stairs, working on going down feet first. It's all great. The world through her eyes is shiny and new.

I'm sure the upcoming month will be just as fun as the rest, perhaps even walking by the end of it. I'll keep ya posted.

Sophie

Today Maeve and I went to Happy Bambino to get a present for a friend of Mark's that just had a baby. What to get, the store has so many cute little baby things? In reality I went for one purpose, to get a Sophie la Giraffe that is the rage of all the kids. If you've been checking out the sidelines of the blog, you would have noted that Maeve's Sophie la Giraffe (they are all named Sophie) has been missing now for some time. A rather sad loss as it was one of Maeve's favorites and a present from Jake, Helen and Milo. We have search hi and low for her. The Burley, the strollers, under the crib, in the hamper, behind the dresser...she is no where to be found. Not sure that Maeve really noticed one way or the other until today.

We found the Sophies and as I picked one up, Maeve's eyes lit up and she made a gleeful sound and lunged for her. Now I'll be honest, she could have had that reaction to just about any toy, but then again for those of you that witness her disdain for the snorkeling turtle, you'll know that Maeve doesn't jump for joy over any toy. I must admit I was just thankful she wasn't confused by the fact that it had appeared that Sophie cloned herself a few times over. I'm also glad I wasn't explaining why one of her favorite toys that has been missing for some time was now wrapped in a box at some store. That first pet (and loss of it) is going to be a hard one on this mama.

Well this won't come as a surprise to most of you, I'm a sucker. I bought two Sophies and busted one out of the box right in the store. Maeve was so happy to be chewing happily on Sophie's long legs again. She didn't much care that another Sophie was being gift wrapped right in front of her eyes.

We'll do our best to keep Sophie 2 safe.

Her first official word

For some time now Maeve has been babbling and often would say "ma mum ma mum" I just figured she was making noises that I wanted to attribute to her actual vocabulary. Turns out she has been saying my name. Today when I walked in during lunch and headed for the kitchen, Maeve definitely said "ma mum" to get my attention. I'm not sure where she got the British tones from, but we'll take it.

I'm sure Mark would love for his name to be next, but we decided today that she hasn't uttered any sounds similar to "Pa" just yet. I swear that when I'm home with her I talk about Pa all the time, but admittedly, Mark is home with her more. I guess Mark will start needed to make some plugs for himself.

And while we are on the topic of official words...where did all the comments go? While it's nice to keep writing and keep everyone updated, it's nice for me to know that you're actually out there reading. No comments is like being on a one-sided phone conversation. I know none of you are that shy, so get writing.

She can blow bubbles

Mark and I have been showing Maeve how to blow bubbles all summer and she has put her face to the water many times. Today at swim class she actually put her face down and blew some bubbles. I was so darn excited that I think I threw her off. She didn't do it again after that, but I suspect we'll have lots of time to give it a try again.

She did do some kicking too. I don't think she really knew what she was doing, but there must be something slightly innate about it.

While Maeve has an outgoing personality, I think we did her right by exposing her to water since she was born. Most of the other kids are really tentative about the water or just plain do not like it. Maeve has still been squeeling with happiness and likes to be there. Hopefully we'll keep that going and have her swimming in no time!

Well off to sleep. Have a great day everyone.

What a difference 6 ½ months make!

The blog has been looking a little sad lately. No recent pictures of Maeve (or anyone else for that matter). We just have been bad about taking the camera...and honestly, while I know that these moments do not last forever, I just can't bring myself to be snap happy all the time.

But alas...Helen of Destroy comes through for us.

Here are Milo and Maeve, 6 and 16 weeks respectively, cozied up together on a cold winter day.

Here are Milo and Maeve again, 6 ½ months later, 8 and 10 months now. The 10 weeks between them is quickly fading into the background.

We hear that Milo is now properly sitting (he wasn't so sure about it for awhile, so would just lounge about like George Castanza on Seinfeld), crawling AND standing. He likes to just go for it and make it a learning fiesta.

I love how adoringly Milo is looking at Maeve. It's like she just made some smart sarcastic remark about that crazy looking penguin in her book and Milo just had to give her a little smile. Yep, that's right, with parents like Mark and I, don't think that Maeve won't be slinging the sarcasm either.

Jake and I were off to the beach in the picture above and just decided to load them both into one Burley. At the time Milo still wasn't so keen on sitting up, but we thought Maeve would help hold him in place. They both got to the beach just fine. Just imagine this time next year, we might be having to pull the bike over to settle a dispute about who's book is who's.

A Girl and her hair

Well I am sad to report that Maeve my have been cursed with some aspects of her mother's hair.

Gone are the humid days of summer (not that I'm sad about that), and gone are the curls that use to adorn Maeve's little head. With the crisp days of fall upon us, Maeve's hair looks like someone ironed it in the morning. Let's just hope this is the only characteristic of my hair she got. I have strong hopes that she'll have nice thick hair like her Pa. I do hope she'll keep hers longer that her Pa is keeping his. (See previous post)

I will say that in addition to the straight hair, she has added a bit of bird's nest appearance after sleeping. Where ever she has been rubbing her head on the bed sticks straight out and gets all fuzzy. Oh that girl just might be cursed.

Swim lessons

Maeve and I went to her first swim lesson today. The goal of the class is not to actually teach her to swin, but to help her feel good in the water and to learn some basic swim skills and safety.

She already knows how to blow bubbles in the tub, although does not do it on command, so missed her chance today at swim lessons to impress everyone else. I do believe she is the youngest there and by far the smallest. All the other kids are walking and talking, but I think some of them are closer to 2 or even 3....so we're doing OK.

Not that I thought Maeve didn't like the water, just the opposite. I figured it would be a nice way to spend some time with my girl after working all day. Especially as the weather cools some. It will feel nice to get into a warm pool. Of course when you really stop to think why you smell so heavily of chlorine when you get out, it muddies the image of a nice swim (pun intended).

Meandering to Montreal

Today is the day that Jake, Helen and Milo left for Montreal.

This week, through our window we watched the truck arrive in the driveway, get packed over the next few days, and then leave to eventually meet up with the Vanderkinos on the other side of the border. Of course I knew what this all meant, Maeve on the other hand just looked at me like I was crazy and laughed a lot.

Today as I watched and waved to them as they drove away, it set in how much we will really miss them. "Without their loving kindness, I don't know what I'd do." (A line from a Greg Brown song that always brings them to mind.) It's a good thing the seasons are changing and we'll all naturally take a shift into the crisp, sweet weather of fall. I won't have to bemoan that my friends will not be biking with us to the Farmer's Market or sitting out on the front lawn eating yogurt and granola. We can move through the next 9 months, exploring in a different way. Spring will be here before we know it.

We wish them well and expect that Milo's blog will soon be up and running. Helen won't have any more crazy meetings about a little dam up north that no one is communicating about. I hope this will allow her the time to send us updates of Milo and his milestones.

Ciao my friends, until we see each other again. (Our passports will be arriving in approximately 10 weeks).

Tall news on the homefront

Yesterday, for what seemed like 15 minutes to her parents, Maeve stood on her own. The reality is she stool for maybe 10-15 seconds, but she did it all on her own. After she got such a rave review from her adoring parents she thought she would give it a few more tries.

It's amazing to me how proud we are of this. We know that she will eventually stand and walk...most children do. Somehow though it is the most wonderful accomplishment. Of course, today when I tired to coax her into doing it, she would have nothing of it. Her mother's daughter....I think so.

Well off to enjoy an beautiful day. Hope you are all well.

Things found in Maeve's diaper

Things found in Maeve's diaper. One would think the end of this statement would be so simple...#1 and #2 right. WRONG.

Let's see...

- We have found a piece of a paperback Tom Clancy novel - of which both Mark and I knew right away what the foreign object was. Apparently book covers don't get digested much.

- One of our more recent finds has been styrofoam. I picture the scene went down like this in Maeve's mind..."hhmmm, that looks interesting. What could it be? It feels funny, it makes a squeaky noise when I touch it. What does it taste like? Ohh...just like that rice cake Mama tried to feed me the other day. Stop chewing immediately, just swallow and it will go away."

- A black bean completely undigested. I bet the corn would have done this too except that I ground it up first. I hear Milo passed some corn though. It happens in babies too!

- Grass. A little fiber is how I look at it.

- I am happy to report, as is Grandma Beth I imagine, that I have never found any stones in her diaper. Grandma Beth was very concerned when she was here that Maeve was putting rocks to her mouth. I was pretty sure that none went into the gullet and down the hatch, but one ever really knows. Then again, the fact that I haven't seen it in her diaper could mean that those stones remain in her belly. I hear that folks in other cultures do this on purpose to aid with digestion, or was that sand?? No fear, Maeve ate some sand today.

The possiblities are endless really. It brings to mind my friend's dog. I'm sure Spanky thought he was getting the short end of the stick. That crazy dog ate socks, aluminum foil and various other things. I do think the funniest was when he ate some crayons. His poop was speckled with color. If a human has to pick it up, might as well make it interesting.

I imagine Maeve is trying to spice her parents life up in this same way. Diaper changes can get boring after all. 6-7 diaper changes a day, 7 days a week, etc.....

I leave you with that lovely thought.

locomotion

Come on baby, do the locomotion...if you can identify the artist of that song you should hide your head in shame! I had nothing to do with the fact that she shares my first name.

Anyway, here in Maeve land we are working on locomotion. Maeve definitely wants to walk, she just has not been handed those skills just yet. She's been holding on to furniture and moving around some and will gladly tip-toe around if you give her a little support. Walking is just around the corner. For now she is crawling. Army crawling days are over though, big girl crawl is here.

Boy can that girl can move. She has the bruises all over her body, mostly her shins to prove it. I have to admit it's pretty darn cute to see her hustling across the park to see what the other kids are up to. Once she gets there she isn't even aware that she's still too small to play. Mama has to step in and redirect her focus. I'm sure those days will be here soon enough.

Other forms of locomotion. Maeve is really digging the swing these days. A month or so ago she thought it was cool and would take a push or two. Now she is happy to be pushed in the swing for 10-15 minutes. I think she'll take after me and like roller coasters and crazy upside down rides. Mark can stay on the ground and keep an eye on all our stuff while Maeve and I throw up our arms and scream into the wind as we roar down the coasters together.

Well, that's it for now. Sorry the posts have been few and far between this past month. The days are full with the day-in-day-out life stuff. I'll try to make September more exciting.

Sunday at the gardens

Maeve and woke up today after a wonderful sleep (see the previous post) and decided to go visit our friends that live in Troy Gardens. It's an intentional community north of us. There are 30 families living there with the idea of community embedded in all that they do. There is also community gardens that folks that live there and others can farm, as well as a CSA (community supported agriculture). I think the best part though is the restored prairie.

My friend Lael and I walked through the trails that meander through the prairie for well over an hour. The tall grasses swaying in the wind and crickets jumping to get out of the way made me long for a good hike. I can't wait until Maeve is big enough to take on a small overnight backpacking trip. I carried most of our gear when Mark and I went camping a few years ago, so if he can just carry her, we'll be set.

The CSA was sad to see today. The damage after a long week of heavy rain was apparent. Very sad here in WI. So many of the small farms were hit hard by this last week of rain. Some of those farms estimating in the tens of thousands of dollars for damage. We'll be sure to hit up the Farmer's Market to offer whatever we can.

Well off to rest, tomorrow is another day.

My amazing baby

Let me tell you a story of my amazing baby...

Well folks, it's been a long week away from the blog. The week in Madison has been a dark, dreary and very rainy one. The shores of the Yahara River and lake Monona are swollen due to all the rain and the rich folk that live on lake Mendota...but I digress. I will say that I was pretty happy about being on the second floor where it was always nice and dry, humid, but dry.

It was a week of indoor activity. Mastering pulling up on the furniture, starting to think about climbing on the bookshelves (oh dear, help the parents) and general baby mayhem. The week ended well though. The sun finally came out on Saturday in time for the Orton Park Festival. To date, this is by-in-large my favorite festival in Madison. Good music, some interesting food, great people watching and last but certainly not least Cycropia Aerial Dance. Cycropia is a dance company that does most of their pieces hanging from some sort of trapeze. They set up their equipment from this grand old tree in the park. The dances are set to music and the tree is all lit up as they dance. There is something magical in my mind about it. And I'll admit that it speaks to the heart of this once-upon-a-time gymnast. They offer classes and I think maybe next year I'll try to sign up.

I selfishly had to see this performance, and seeings Maeve hasn't done so well with nighttime sitters, I decided I would make the sacrifice of possible sleep and wake her up to take with me. The performance started at 9:00pm and my little trooper happily woke up and got dragged along with me. She smiled as usual to anyone that would make eye contact. She even watched some of the performance. Not sure if she was genuinely interested or just darn tired. We made it home by 11:00pm and she went right to sleep. She then proceeded to sleep her 2-3 hours, waking to eat only, and we slept in until 9:00am! I was so proud (and thankful) to my girl. She has won herself an occasional ticket to other late night activities should they arises. We both felt well rested and proceeded to have another great day together.

That's the story of my amazing baby. Doesn't take much to impress this mama!

Blog worthy

Well it's has been a long week away from the blog. Maeve's grandparents, Beth and Evan, were here for the week and she was busy entertaining them.

Maeve went to the Henry Vilas Zoo and the Mt Horeb Mustard Museum this week. The zoo is a bit ahead of her just yet, but she didn't seem to mind all that much. Until we tried to get her to feed the goats. Not a concept she is familiar with yet, after all, she doesn't each much other than breastmilk herself. The biggest goat climbing the fence and trying to hog all the food did not sit well. Maeve didn't cry, but she didn't smile or laugh either. We'll have to try that one again.

As for the museum, you'll have to ask Mark or the grandparents for that tale. All I know is that she came home with a onsie that says "POUPON U". Mark thinks this is the funniest thing. I suppose some of us never grow out of our potty humor stage!

Hhhmm, what else is blog worthy this week. Aahh, yes, the night of possibilities. I call it this, because judging by the last 2 nights, this is not a trend yet, but a glimmer of what is possible. On Thursday night Maeve went to sleep at 7:15pm and didn't wake up until 3:15am. That is 8 hours for those of you trying to calculate. I thought I had died and gone to heaven, but first I thought she died. I was up at 1, 2 and then 3:15 to check to make sure she was still breathing. It was like the first time she did not cry in the carseat. I thought for sure she must have smothered herself. There was no way my child could have slept that many hours in a row without waking up. Too bad it couldn't have been more like the carseat experience. That was like a light switch that got flipped. We've never had a screaming car ride since. But as I said, the last 2 nights we haven't been so lucky. I did try to give her as much praise as possible, but that didn't seem to have much affect.

Well, it's raining here this weekend. Trying to fill our days with indoor activities. Makes me tremble at the idea of being stuck in this apartment this winter. We'll have to get Maeve a good down snowsuit so we don't go crazy indoors.

Off for now. Hope you are all well.

Ode to Fatherhood

Definitely not Mark at his finest, but possibly his funniest.

I'll give him that he was up at 4 am minding the girl as she wasn't sleeping.

Two Rivers and Manitowoc

Last minute Mark put together a trip for us to Two Rivers and Manitowoc, WI. They are two neighboring towns in northeast WI on the shores of Lake Michigan. Before we left we checked out what might be going on for the weekend there and thought we were all set.

The first thing we wanted to hit was a kayak paddle down one of the rivers that ended in a street fair, Roger Street Days. Well, Maeve lived up to her sleeplessness as usual and we didn't get to bed until very late Friday night. It did mean that we slept in a bit Saturday morning...so we missed the paddle. We decided that was OK and took a bike ride to Manitowoc. Had some ice cream sodas and treats from one of the oldest shops in town. The towns boast that they are the originators of the 'sundae.' I can't confirm or deny this, but at least every ice cream shop in town did sundaes really well. We biked back to Two Rivers in pursuit of Roger Street Days. The advertisements promised music, dancing, food, beer....the usual fare. Well, when we finally stumbled upon it, all I could think to myself was that I have seen more people show up for a blood drive. It was a really sad sight to see a few families camped under a couple tents eating their hot dogs and music playing from a boom box. We almost sat down out of pity, but instead decided to go hang out at the beach.


Maeve as usual had a great time in the water, despite it being pretty cold. That girl is a 'Sconie after all. If you close your eyes and imagine salt in the air, you could almost convince yourself that Lake Michigan is an ocean. You can't see the other side and the wind kicked up the water so at one point decent size waves were rolling in. Maeve did cuddle up for some warmth when she was done playing.

On Sunday we spent some time at Kohler-Andre State Park. It's beautiful there and we'll definitely have to go again when we have some more time. The park is just south of Sheybogan, again on the shore of Lake Michigan. Lots to see, beautiful landscapes and a little more fun playing in the surf.

Until the next post! Goodnight Madison!

Amoebas

Ever look at amoebas under a microscope? Constantly changing shape and always in motion. That is what Maeve and Milo looked like the other day at the gelato shop. What a lovely site to see these two beings, both dressed in sherbert orange learning to move their bodies.

First things first though. The initial folks that looked like a bunch of amoebas were the flock of girls that surrounded Milo on the street. Those boys eyelashes just pulled those girls in like moths to a flame. Should have heard them ooohing and aahhing at him. Then they saw Milo's girlfriend, Maeve. Another few oohs and aahs and they were off. We then took the celebs to the gelato shop to cool down.

Maeve and Milo sat/stood/crawled/bounced/bopped, you name it, on the bench next to us. It's amazing to see their little bodies always in motion. Always making corrections and adjustments. Their little orange clad bodies were sometimes wrapped around each other as they made their way. Gross motor skills and motor control depend upon the proper functioning of the brain, skeleton, joints and nervous system. Soon they will master that and move on to the fine motor movements.

What I would trade, beg, borrow or steal to witness just a few more moments like these before they move on .

Alternababysitter

For those of you that haven't read Alternadad, give it a read. On second thought, maybe just the folks that are currently or soon to be parenting young children that is. The humor might be lost on the other folks.

If you have read it then you'll think Alternababysister is funny too. Katie is Maeve's babysister, alternababysister that is. Do not be fooled by the tattos, the self-admittedly low cut shirt and funky hair. Katie is not your average gal, she is all the things you want in someone caring for your kid though. She's warm, fun, caring, has the voice of an angel, plays the guitar and the list goes on. Maeve adores her and Katie tells me the feeling is mutual.

Mark and I attempted a night out on Friday with Katie as our stand-ins. She did great, Maeve on the other hand decided she was going to try out Katie's bag of tricks. Eventually we came home early 'cause it sounded like our girl had had enough and well, we want Katie to want to come back. We gave her some combat pay that will hopefully make up for the bad night.

Accidents happen

Accidents do happen...this goes on record as the first major official parental screw up Mark and I have had. Unfortunately, it also goes on record as the first major injury Maeve has had. Notice I say first. My daughter does not seem to have a lot of extra fear hanging around, so I imagine I'll be putting my nursing to degree to work at home as much as I do at the clinic.

At dinner the other night, Mark had just finished frying up some fish and put mine on my plate. I was busy getting Maeve into her highchair so we could all sit down. That girl and her lightning fast moves grabbed a piece of the fish before I even saw it coming. Her little brain had not had to process something so painful until that moment so it was a delayed reaction for her to open her hand. By the time I got the fish out and we got her hand under water, she already had a blister forming.

She's OK. She has 3 small blisters on her right hand. After some TLC, and hour of crying and some ibuprofen she finally went to sleep. I thought she might be affected by it today, but it didn't seem to slow her down at all.

We all survived the event and like I said, I think this is the first of many to come.

Fun at the dinner table

In attempts to get Maeve to eat something, we've gone to just having food time be fun time as much as possible. Mimi and Pop Pop can attest to the fact that Maeve will suck the juice out of a piece of chicken in her little mesh bag, but she isn't such a big fan of getting spoon fed mushy food stilll.


Soooo, we've just adopted the 'have at it' method. She seems pretty happy right? Her face and everything else around her is covered in the cracker she was eating. Then there was the spaghetti noodles that I gave her to play with. Those puppies were stuck to everything.


Then there was the clean up. Another fun activity for baby that created more work for Mama later....but well worth it in my opinion. I had a chance to clean up most of the dinner things while she played on the floor in the water. There was tons of water on the floor, but that needed to be mopped anyway.

I bet you are all dying to have Maeve over for dinner at your house!

I love this thing!

Maeve had a love with Megan's coffee table. She could stand next to it and practice her new skill, but best of all she could crawl through it. The first run through didn't produce great results. She had not figured out that the floor was a bit of a drop, so on her way out she did a face plant. That only happened the first time though. After that she was set to go!

Bean Town, USA

With much anticipation, I'm sure there are a few folks out there waiting on another post.

Maeve and I just returned from a long weekend in Boston. We had a great time at Megan and Ciaran's place with the entire Healy clan, et al. . I must admit I'm a bit jealous that my little sister lives in a way better apartment than I do. Then again, ya get what you pay for!


Our weekend included Harvard Sq, the Museum of Science, restaurants, T-rides, and lots of walking (lottssss of walking...oh wait, that is Mary and Billy! LOL). The weekend had many firsts for Maeve. Her first taxi and train ride, she spotted a butterfly, and a whole lot more. Here is Maeve enjoying herself in the mirrors at the Museum of Science....this was not a first however.

Well, I must admit, I'm a bit tired right now and have been trying to figure out how to get pics posted from a website to this darn thing and have failed miserably. So I'm going to call it a night and come back to post tomorrow.

Crazy hair and a few teeth

Yep, that's right Maeve is standing. The last few weeks have been full of big mile stones. Maeve is still employing the army crawl to get around, not using her knees all that much just yet (Swifter onesie, "save me"). She has added to her repertoire the ability to crawl around and get back to sitting all on her own. And yes, she can stand. She pulls up on us mostly, hasn't started to pull up on the furniture too much just yet. Soon we'll have to secure those book shelves to the wall.

Who could resist this face? These are the first pictures that Mark and I actually got that show her teeth. We have many blurry shots of the top of her head or the floor in efforts to share her teeth with you. I think on the above one she had just woken up and I stunned her!

My opinion is that Maeve looks a lot like me in the first picture, but this next picture, she is a spitting image of her Pa.

Nothing too funny today from me...tired as I am. I'll be sure to post after we head home from Bean Town.

Sleep - According to Wikipedia

Sleep, as defined by Wikipedia, is the state of natural rest observed in humans....regular sleep is necessary for survival. Apparently Maeve's literacy level has not allowed her to peruse the above site or all the literature supporting Wikipedia's statement. Or she thinks "necessary" is up for debate!

I did not think the necessities for survival really required so much coaching. Lets see, breathing, sucking, swallowing....she seemed to figure these things out just fine. WHY can't she figure out the sleep.

Maeve has taken to waking in the middle of the night and crawling around the bed. Mostly on top of me. You ask, "why is she in bed with you?" Well the answer to that is, I'm trying to get as much freakin' sleep as possible. This tired body is not even willing to get out of bed and take the few steps the the crib any more. Mark is enrolled in our night-time routine now and is experiencing the sleep deprevation more now too.

After some further internet investigation (which of course has the answers to everything) I believe I may have diagnosed Maeve - Maeve has Morvan's syndrome which is people born with the rare genetic disorder Morvan’s fibrillary chorea orcan. Therese folks can go without sleep for several months at a time. This must be her! We're going to the doctor's office tomorrow, I'll run it by him.

PS - I'm really joking about the Morvan's syndrome...just in case you midwesterner's didn't get that!

Parenting lesson #495

Despite the fact that your child has just filled her diaper 5 minutes prior - DO NOT allow her to bounce around naked on your freshly changed white sheets.

That's all I have to say about that!

Picture updates as promised

Ok all you Maeve fans....turn you cursors to aahhhh.....the weekend at the beach (You can acutally click right on this link - Can't believe I know how to do that, but I do). Picture updates from the day at the beach as promised.

Nothing too exciting to report today. Maeve did get 2 more teeth at the end of last week and is working on the other 2 teeth that are ready to come in. It has made for very rough sleeping and a cranky baby. I can't believe that I actually have the phrase 'cranky baby' and Maeve in the same sentence, but alas it is true. Hopefully we'll be back to normal soon.

Pretty as a lil' red wagon, aint she!

The Camping Trip, Part II: The Fun

The previous post may have left you with the idea that camping with a baby really sucked - it certainly made me think that....but that was just one piece of it. The camping trip was actually a lot of fun.



The campground we were at was surrounded by two small lakes, Luna and White Deer Lake. There is a trail around the lakes that we had a chance to walk. Lots of lush green mosses, ferns, wild blueberries, raspberries and strawberries. That was just what was on the ground. Above ground we got to see a section that seemed to be woodpecker haven. I think we saw at least 4 species of woodpecker - one being the elusive Pileated woodpecker. Jake was our tour guide through that area and I felt like I was on an episode for the Discovery Channel.

You say, "It's July and you're wearing long pants and fleece?" LOL - it was predicted to be 75 and 20% chance of rain. Well, it was more like 60's and 100% chance of rain.




We had a bike ride, including some picking of the afore mentioned berries. I think there may have been some elbows thrown. Of importance, no one got a black eye! We all got to go for a swim, babies too. Mark had kind of a rough swim. One of the Loons on the lake didn't much appreciate him trying to swim on through though. She was buzzing the perverbeal tower. Once she realized Mark didn't pose much of threat to her young, she left him alone.



Ultimately we had a great time. Good company and beautiful surroundings. Try, try again - that's how the saying goes and I think we will.

"Helen of Destroy"

The Camping Trip, Part I: The Irony

Aaaughhh, the irony that Mark and I would get a little sleep by having Maeve in the car, in her carseat.

Do you remember the first 4 months of Maeve's experience with the car/carseat....not so good. The car/carseat would automatically induce panic mode. I thought my sister was going to have a coronary on one ride. The car wasn't even parked yet and Megan was pulling Maeve out of the carseat to stop the screaming. Then, poof!!! One day, the crying stopped. I had to pull over because I thought for sure she must have stopped breathing. Low and behold, Maeve found peace with the car/carseat.

Now apparently she has found even more peace. This weekend Mark, Maeve, Jake, Helen, Milo and I went camping in northern WI. Admittedly, our arrival was a bit crazy. We had to set up the tent at midnight in the pouring rain (the rain stopped the moment we were ready to climb into the tent). Maeve just got to hang out in the car during all of that though. We finally had our nest all set for the night, brought Maeve in, I thought I could nurse her and we would all settle down for a good night sleep. Instead, Maeve thought it would be fun to crawl around the tent and her parents for the next 2 hours. Finally, Mark took her back to the car, strapped her into her carseat and out she went. I think she was glad to have the element of newness removed so she could sleep.

You would think after 24 hours and more time to explore the tent that she could settle down for a good night sleep the second night....NO. Back into the car for some sleep. I think if we camp again, we might just have to pull the car up along the tent and let Maeve sleep in the car while mama and pa stretch out in the tent for some sleep.

Overall it was a good trip and I think we'll have to try it again. The Eisly family adventures in sleeping just get better and better.

Oh yeah - pictures, some really good ones coming up. I promise, I promise that I will be updating with pictures soon if I have to go get a card reader tomorrow myself!

Channeling Aunt Megan

Lots of folks have said that Maeve reminds them of Megan, my sister. I've definitely seen some attributes that are Megan's, but now I think I may be seeing more and more things.

I'll begin in a cephalocaudal fashion (head down for you non medical folk).

Her head - Maeve's hair is red enough to elicit a comment about her hair color from just about everyone. I seem to remember everyone thinking Megan's hair was going to be strawberry-blond. Now look, she's some version of blond...what's the number on the bottle Megan?

Her nose - Maeve has recently figured out how to voluntarily move air through her nose. She likes to crunch up her nose and sniff in and out. Megan used to do the same thing. Megan's probably started from some wicked post-nasal drip, the poor kid, but we encouraged it so much it became her party trick.

Her nose again - Maeve has an obession with her thumb like no other. Recently she has started curling her index finger around her nose while she sucks away. It's been a long time, but I do remember Megan doing the same thing. Oh and the little button nose, that's like Megan's too.

When you bring a child into the world there is a little hope that you'll recreate yourself to some degree (replace yourself if you will). It appears that I have helped recreate Megan. Perhaps some day when I become an Aunt, I'll see some of my attributes in that little person.

The one thing I can hope for is Maeve not being just like her Aunt through the teen years. I already suffered that once, I don't think I need to do that again! Love you Megan!!!!!

One of my all time favorite pics

Here is another of Maeve, courtesy of Jake and his amazing camera.

A few picture updates

Well you all know the beauty on the right....but you may not know the handsome devil on the left. Milo (see previous post) is the love of Maeve's life, second to Mama and Pa that is. How could she resist him. He's friggin' adorable.

They are older pictures actually,about a month or so. I suppose if you took a percentage of their lives, well then it's huge, but you'll all have to just settle!

Not sure that Milo actually authorized this, but he didn't seem to mind much.

Sleep when you're dead!

Sleep when you're dead...this is Maeve's new motto.

Apparently sleep and teething are mutually exclusive. Maeve is working on 4 more teeth, this time the upper ones. All are on the verge of breaking through and until they do, she'll be chewing on anything, including myself sometimes - which is not good. (Dad, stop laughing!) I find myself continually checking to see if the teeth have broken through, as if that is going to make the time go by any faster. It is mildly entertaining though. Just imagine if we as adults had to endure all our teeth coming in at once (for some of us it would be great to get an adult set of teeth - touché Dad!). I know I would probably be self medicating heavily. I would choose to go through labor and birth 5,000 times over (and that I would do drug-free) before enduring tooth/mouth pain!

Really Mark and I should have known the day Maeve was born that she wasn't going to be a sleeper. Born at almost noon and didn't go to sleep until 3 Am. That's 15 hours - what newborn does that???

The other thing that has become apparent to me recently is that a young human's survival instincts do not kick in for some time. I know this because if they did, the young human in our lives would know that her parents need some sleep before they go insane. I also know this because Maeve shows no fear as she reaches the edge of the bed and would otherwise go right over if one of us was not around to put a stop to the perilous fall. Alas we love her too much, even in our sleep deprived state. We'll continue to beat the pavement and protect her as much as we can.

Signing off, wish me a good night sleep.

aahhhh.....the weekend at the beach

Maeve, Milo, Helen and I spent most of the weekend at the beach. The lake beach that is. The heat has been incredible here this weekend and it was the perfect place to keep cool. We went to BB Clark beach which is on lake Monona, west of our house. It's perfect for kids because there is plenty of shade to stay out of the sun and the water wasn't too cold. We just set up a blanket and hung out for the better part of each afternoon this weekend. On Saturday when Helen and I went, we forgot the snacks, and well, what's a day at the beach without snacks. Maeve and Milo didn't seemed to mind, their snacks are always ready and available! Today we remembered and it made for a perfect afternoon.


Maeve really liked the water. She squealed as she bounced up and down in the waves. Of course she looked super cute in her new bathing suit....whose only function is to contain the spills. I for one, am super happy she didn't have any. I can't imagine what it's going to be like getting that suit off when it does happen. Maeve loves watching other kids...and they really like watching her too. The older kids generally don't understand that babies don't much like getting splashed though. Milo was happy to just be hanging with his people. He did kick his legs a lot when he first got in, but then he was really content to just be chewing on the strap from Maeve's hat. We'll have to check in with him a bit later to see how he really felt about the water.

Maeve hanging at the beach!

Some of you may be asking who Milo is. Well, what would a blog about Maeve be without mentioning Milo. Milo is Maeve's brother from different parents. Milo is Jake and Helen's son. They live across the street and it has been a life saver and super fun to have them living there. We'll be sad this September when they leave for Montreal while Jake is on sabbatical. It's only 9 months though, we can do it!

I will have to update the post later with pictures from the beach. Card slot is still out of order. So check back here and I'll be sure to update when we get up and running. Edited 7/18: More pictures as promised.

Friday Night Fish Fry

Maeve attended her first official Wisconsin Friday Fish Fry last night. Mark will be sad to learn when he returns from his regatta tonight that we went to the fish fry without him. Because these two girls can never sit still, Maeve and I went with Sam, Silas, Helen, Jake and Milo. Speaking of not sitting still, a meal with three kids is full of acrobatics and interrupted conversation. Then there is the occasional break down. As long as you're OK with that, the meal can be quite enjoyable. All the kids did really well though. Maeve had a small taste of the fried cod, can't say if she liked it or not, but I'm sure we'll have another fish fry to give it a try. Milo eventually took a siesta in his mom's arms. And Silas, well, he could be found in Sam's lap, under the high chair, in the high chair and just about anywhere else around the table you chose to look.

Most of you reading this are not Wisconsinites so I thought I would give you a little background about the Friday Night Fish Fry and it's notoriety here in Wisconsin.

Despite Wisconsin’s fame and glory for being the nation’s Dairy State, Wisconsin is also home to a weekly tradition that has surpassed generations: the Wisconsin Fish Fry. The Wisconsinites love their fish fry about as much as the New Yorker loves their pizza. It's such a phenomenon that if you Google "Friday night fish fry" you will pull up over a million references, mostly related to this fair state.

Don't ask me who this is - Probably some German at the local fish fry
I thought a few more visuals would make the blog more appealing.

Apparently the tradition hearkens back to German Catholics in Wisconsin observing meatless Fridays. During the Prohibition era, taverns created this social weekly event as a ‘marketing’ opportunity; business was slow, and they needed to come up with a catchy concept to bring patrons into their doors. Featuring a Fish Fry quickly became popular, and gained statewide attention to become the best Friday pick!

Ironically we tend to spend much of our time with out-of-towners like ourselves. So I didn't really get what the big hoopla about Friday night fish fry was. I think most Coasties have the same thought. After now having been to one, I can attest to the fact that the social aspect of it is awesome. Folks chatting at their tables, chatting with folks at other tables, generations meeting other generations. It was great to just eves drop on a conversation and learn that the guy next to us, their with his wife and new baby, had grown up on the block of the older gentleman sitting behind us. They shook hands, talked for a minute about the younger guy's dad, and then went back to digging into their fish. Now the fish, well can't say it is my favorite fare. Mark on the other hand would beg, borrow and steal to get the Fried Walleyed sandwich at The Old Fashioned Restaurant.