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.

Bye Bye Gravy Days

Let the real parenting begin - or chasing as we shall call it for the time being.

Maeve has had a busy few days. She is getting onto her knees more and more and rocking back and forth, so close to crawling. She mostly still prefers to do her army crawl though. Which I have seriously considered pitching a "Swifter Onsie" to the Swifter company. All her shirts are pretty dirty by the end of the day. I could save so much time and just let her clean the floors - she should have to do her part yes??

Then last night she figured out how to pull up to standing in her crib. Thank goodness we lowered her crib last week. The problem is she freaked out a bit when she didn't know how to get back down, that or she was really hungry. At 4 in the morning I wasn't really inclined to figure it out.

Still smiling like crazy and still keeping her parents up at night like it's her job. I was hoping we would get a break and gets some more restful nights, but I bet she'll want to be practicing her new acrobatics.

Maeve goes to MMoCA

We took Maeve to MMoCA today - Madison Museum of Contemporary Art. She seemed to like it. Particularly the hard wood floors that she could spin around on to see everything in the room. Now only in Madison could you set a baby down on the floor of an art museum.

Mark and I walked around for about two hours. Some really great pieces, I'm sure if any of you get out here soon, the exhibits will change, so we can go again. The best piece was an interactive old payphone. There was a list of about 10 numbers you could call. Mark tried a laundry mat in the Bronx, but no one answered. You could also call Union Station in Chicago and a bunch of other random places. The exhibit note said it could produce some "negative and positive outcomes." We may just need to go back for that one!

Introduction to Maeve Space

Hi everyone,

Blogging is new to me, so bear with me as I figure it out.

I'm hoping to post here at least once a week to give you all updates, hopefully including pictures of Maeve. That should satisfy you all!

Love Debbie