A Very Maevey Christmas

This Christmas marked many a first for the "O" family. First Christmas with Miss Maeve, first Christmas meal cooked, first trip to Santa (who later swung by the house), first attempt at midnight mass with our little addition and the first time to build new traditions as a new family. This year was bittersweet for us; my family was in Hawaii (due to Adam's new job he couldn't take off just yet), and sadly my Granio is no longer here to call and send packages to. But Maeve brought us new life and excitement for the holidays and we were able to celebrate with Adam's siblings too. Friday afternoon marked the start of our merriment with Adam scurrying home from work at noon and our first trip to see Santa since our own childhoods.

I was a bit nervous about Maeve and Santa, but she slept until we placed her in his arms and was too confused to cry. Adam and I laughed at how her blue eyes and rosy cheeks match those of St.Nick, as if he could be her secret great-grandfather.

Saturday we lazed around the house and ate way too much pie. We put Maeve down at her bedtime and then scooped her up at 10:00 for midnight mass. A tradition in my family, midnight mass has always seemed peaceful and light...not so with a little one. We arrived to "The Carol of the Bells" and Maeve bolted awake, eyes wide and completely confused as to where her bed had gone.

I.felt.awful.

Mother's guilt my Christmas gift to myself. Luckily no crying she made, and instead she sat up and looked around; marveling at all the people, the greenery and song. It was hard to enjoy the service, I was so concerned about Maeve missing sleep, but I did love the end. Candles were passed out, and softly we sang. There is something so sweet and lovely about holding your not quite three month old babe and singing "Silent Night." It's a memory I will hold onto forever, Maeve's head finally resting, nuzzled in my neck.

Christmas morning found us eating my nana's sausage squares, and our own cinnamon rolls and mimosas while we marveled at the gifts under the tree and listened to "A Celtic Christmas." We were happy to see Santa had come, bringing our girl some clothes for the coming year, a book and a toy or two. He must have taken into consideration how far away her first birthday is. :)

Maeve and her daddy open her very first Christmas present, which happens to be from Shannon, Kyle and her whirly girly cousins Meg and Alice Virginia

The only picture of us ladies on Christmas. As you can see, I'd already been a spit-up casualty and had to change my pajama top to an old t-shirt

All day I found myself thinking..."how different this will all be next year, when she's nearly fifteen months..." By the afternoon we were in Little Elm, celebrating Christmas with Maeve's aunts and uncles. She was happy to get some extra cuddles, and we were happy to eat without holding her.

Uncle Jacob and Aunt Leticia

With her Elliott cousins

Uncle Mark and Aunt Cynthia with their Christmasy neice and nephew

Tonight, Adam and I are enjoying the fire and wine by the tree, waiting for Maeve to settle to sleep before we can enjoy our own Christmas feast. Just the two of us.

Merry Christmas to you all!

Merry Christmas

Maeve Kathleen, the first of none, has blessed us with an air of fun.

Euless is where we returned to take root, our family of three needed city to suit

Running her races with no signs of stopping, she finished a ten k with baby bump popping

Recruiting and staffing are Adam's new game, employment brokerage will lead him to fame

Yawning means Kaitlin and I aren't sleeping, for even in silence we're baby room peeping.

Can't recall what it feels like to sleep, if we don't get more rest we just might start to weep - seriously, this is big enough to be two in a row

Hawaii kicked our year off right, but three from two was not in sight

Red hair to match an Irish name, Maeve’s heritage was most to blame

Ink and love breed Kaitlin's blog, and save our story from the fog

Some cookies, pies, and cheesecakes too are products of a hobby new

Thanksgiving at a frousin's home was added to our scrapbook tome

Mother and child together all day is how the O's rock it (while Daddy's away)

Adam's woodworking tools are for now put away, but his violin sings when there’s time to play

So from our nuclear to yours, may Christmas spirit bless your doors.

Love, Adam, Kaitlin & Maeve

Rollin' Along

There is so much to share over these weeks since Thanksgiving. But on this busy baking-wrapping-shopping-Nutcrackering pre-Christmas weekend I will simply leave you with this little video of our Maevey Bean. At Thanksgiving she began to roll herself over and now it's become her favorite game. "Tummy time you say? Hmm, nope!"

(Please, please excuse my over-enthusiastic Mama voice..)

Thanksgiving 2011

For Thanksgiving Adam, the bean and I headed over to Oklahoma as we have these past three years and celebrated with my cousin Shannon (read more and see more about our Thanksgiving on her BlogHer blog) and her family. The first Thanksgiving we spent together was at my parents in 2008, after Adam and I got married. By the next year my parents were back in DC and we've been headed to Oklahoma ever since! There's no telling what our plans will become next year, Shannon's family is moving on to Texas (WOOT!) so hopefully we're able to continue things here in the Lone Star State.

Our grandmother passed away the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, so it felt safe to be with another of Granio's girls the week of her passing. I've been avoiding thinking of her too much, though now that I'm here in DC it's a challenge. I find myself in tears after looking at my Dad for too long. Time in Oklahoma though was fun and surprisingly relaxing. Full of giggly excitement from 2yr old Meg and coos and cries from the two redheaded babes, just 12wks apart.

Our hands were full, but so were our tummies. Yummy food, storytelling, meandering walks, real time with our husbands and SO much pie! I love the holidays. As they develop and pass I find myself wondering what it will be like when the girls are older and running around together, when Maeve is helping me bake in the kitchen, when there is more than just one "O" baby.

Through everything, life is sweet.

My Granio

A week ago today, my Granio passed away.

She was passionate, opinionated, funny, beautiful, adventurous and devoted. A fiery red-head with the spunk you'd expect, she gave our little Maeve her fiery locks. Her home always smelled warm, like her, and was full of things she loved. There were so many pictures of her grandchildren, and recently her great-grandchildren, that she kept them on a rotation. The walls were decorated with pictures of times at the lake house and sprinkled throughout the house were childish gifts and trinkets we gave her each year.

Nearly every time you visited, the house was re-arranged. As she got older we would make surprise visits to try and keep her from going to too much trouble for us, it nearly always back-fired though. Adam and I took our first trip together to visit her in 2006. Following my Dad's advice we didn't tell her we were coming. She had a weak heart and we didn't want her re-arranging the house. After ringing the bell she opened the door in surprise, hugged us and swore if my Dad or Uncle Kevin had any kids do this again she would leave the house to the Salvation Army...and she probably meant it. She pushed us out the door with cash and her car keys and told us to come back in an hour so she could ready the house.

She always won.

She was funny.

I am pretty sure no other grandmother threatened to spank them with a fly swatter for disobedience. And I distinctly remember her teasing threats of a "knuckle sandwich" followed with a good laugh. Her laugh was light and always accented with a slight snort and a sigh.

I will miss her laugh.

She was adventurous.

I loved her tales of sneaking out of the nursing school dorms at night to go "out on the town." How they would have to take turns sneaking out the window for fear of being caught. Even the activities she planned with us weren't typical "grandma" trips. She planned outings to exotic petting zoos, the kind with camels and llamas, drives out to Maryland to explore the most beautiful park full of miniature ponies, paddle boats and playgrounds. I remember games of miniature golf, and her often winning.

She loved her animals.

Visits to her always meant visits to her sweet dogs and hearing of the strays she has taken to the vet and saved. In later years she began coaxing cats as well. She was always concerned for animals, and I remember how much she worried when she learned Adam's dad was a hunter. She never wanted animals to suffer, not for any reason. Not having a dog of our own, we always loved that visits to her meant visits to a dog. My brother would stand in the backyard throwing balls for her old Golden Retriever Jessie while Jessie just stared at him and lied back down. She taught us to never bother a sleeping dog, to always train them when they're young and that if you really love your dog you'll cook them chicken and rice for dinner.

She was generous and thoughtful.

She remembered things you told her. When my brother was younger and getting ready to get his first dog, books came in the mail about choosing the right breed and training your pup. The gifts came without warning and always with a simple note, "I thought of you and thought you could use this." I was in the third grade the first year I performed in the Nutcracker. She drove down from DC to see my performance and brought me "The Nutcracker" book. When I expressed interests in music, the Charlotte Church cd came in the mail and a note about her watching her on Oprah. Her latest love was Charice, though she was pretty devoted to American Idol too. Trips to visit her meant picking out sweets in the grocery store, trips to the bookstore and treats sprinkled throughout your stay. Every time we went into the city without her, or it was time to go to the airport we were handed soft coolers full of bananas, sandwiches and sweets. Oh, and an umbrella, gotta have an umbrella. She made gifts of her jewelry to us girls, wanting us to enjoy it as we grew older. Each piece accompanied with a story about our PopPop and when he had given it to her.

She was devoted.

When my Granio loved you, she really loved you. She had these photo albums she made for my brother, cousins and me full of every picture we ever sent or she ever took, ever picture we ever colored for her and every piece of correspondence. She loved us, and it was a tangible reminder seeing those albums grow year after year. She and I talked a lot on the phone, but we wrote each other constantly. I began writing Granio as a child and by the time I was in 8th grade I was writing her several times a month. I looked forward to her letters coming in the mail. She was full of concern, advice, love and excitement. The last letter I received from her was for my birthday in August. She wrote about worrying about my being pregnant in our record heat, excitement over the baby, happiness that my cousin Shannon and I were close friends as adults, her thoughts on the Republican candidates and admitted she didn't feel well, that she needed to slow down. Something I'd never heard from her before.

Things happened so quickly with Granio. She wasn't feeling well, and not quite two months later she's gone. I've tried not to think of her too much this past week because when I do I feel like I can't breathe. My parents had booked me a flight out, I go to DC tomorrow. I won't have made it in time. She'll have never met Maeve and I hadn't seen her since last year. This is the first time in my life she won't be a part of my DC visit. She won't be there to hug, to laugh with, or to talk to. There's no Christmas present to buy, no birthdays to remember the Christmas card I had already addressed will never be mailed.

It seems unbelievable that she could be gone, too painful to really consider.

I will always love her, I will always miss her, and as my fiery redhead grows I will tell her about her great-grandmother and all the things I know.

Baking Therapy: Molasses Sugar Cookies

Tonight's treat is molasses sugar cookies. They are gooey, spicey heaven!

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups shortening
• 2 cups white sugar
• 1/2 cup molasses
• 2 eggs
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon salt


• 
  

Directions:

Melt the shortening in a large pan on the stove, and cool.

Add sugar, eggs, and molasses, beat well.

Mix remaining dry ingredients together and add to the pan. Coax your dear husband into mixing the batter well.

Chill 3 hours or overnight.

Form into walnut-size balls.

Roll in granulated sugar. Place on greased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart and bake at 375 degrees F for 10 minutes.

Store in an airtight container to keep from getting overly crisp. If they do lose their softness, an easy way to restore it is to place one slice of fresh bread in the container with the cookies for a couple of hours or overnight and they will be soft again!

Back to Baking

Anyone who knows me, especially my mother, will tell you I don't enjoy cooking. At all. Never as a little girl did I volunteer to help prepare our holiday meals or ask my mother or grandmothers to pass on their recipe secrets. No, when it came to cooking I would try and distance myself from the task as much as possible which meant I was often given the worst jobs; peeling, shucking, slicing and dicing. Ick. My brother always jumped in to help and has had a real talent in the kitchen since he was very small. I also lucked out on the marital home front, one of Adam's hobbies is cooking. But there's a whole other side to the kitchen for me and that is baking.

Anytime my Nana was preparing cookies I was her girl, I can create any family cookie from memory. And pies! Cakes! I spent my childhood studying my mother's cherry pie, and at holidays pumpkin pie has always been mine to make. Every occasion called for a double chocolate cheesecake, and now on my own I bring the pumpkin cheesecake. When Adam and I got married the bread machine was one of my favorite gifts and I was almost giddy when we bought a cookie gun!

Now, with Maeve here, I have practically no time for myself and have been going a little nutty. So, the last two weeks, at about 1am,when she's asleep, I've baked. Cake, muffins, cookies, bread. Anything carb-loaded and delicious when made from scratch. :) There is something so relaxing about baking, something cathartic. It helps me feel like myself as I'm working to discover the new me now that I'm a mom. And it makes me happy to know people are enjoying my treats. (Oh yes, I've been sending every baked goodie to work with Adam) So, I thought since I'm diving back into this old hobby maybe I would record my successful recipes as I go. The ones I think you really MUST have! I am definitely no Christy Jordan, but I know what I love. Hopefully you'll find something you want to try! :)

The Seventh Week

Whoo, what a week! A week from you.know.where. Maeve's schedule has been more than off, it's been practically none-existent. I have been exhausted, frustrating and feeling generally incompetent as she has screamed, wailed and moaned her way through our week.

BUT today made a huge difference. Today, for the first time in more time than I care to remember; I showered in the morning, did my makeup and we left the house. Better than that, we lived to tell the tale! We made it out to Fort Worth for an afternoon of fun and at 10:45 Maeve has finally FINALLY given in to sleep. And while I'm not usually much for drinks I feel I have more than earned this weeks heavily poured margarita. ;)

Happily I leave you with this; proof that I still sometimes shower and wear makeup...ok, when I have help and am leaving the house to see someone. These two pictures were from our lunch with friends today at Central Market and the last photo was from Friday when Adam got home from work.

Oh what a difference help makes!

Shiny Happy Baby

So, really this post is for my mom. I will, however, move forward pretending all of you out there are just as enamored with my little bean as I am. The (short) video is a bit dark, but Maeve has begun to really coo, gurgle and smile. You can see the hint of her tiny grin in the beginning.

Follow Up

Well, my six week post-partum appointment was Wednesday. I have to admit there was something sad to me about walking into the midwife offices and knowing it was my last time there until the next time. I've so loved everyone there and almost felt like I was leaving friends behind when I said goodbye and walked out the door. Everything checks out, although the bean had a meltdown and had to be passed off to the office staff for cuddles during my exam. Oh that girl! When I came out she was fast asleep.

On the weight loss train we have made some baby steps of progress. All in all with Miss Maeve I gained 98lbs. (Yes folks, that's no typo.) Six weeks after my girl's arrival and I've lost 52lbs. So...only 48lb to go! This week I joined the gym and am hoping that between Zumba and getting back to running I can shed what's left quickly. Now...I just need the motivation to exercise when I could be napping! :)

Before I go, a glimpse for you of my six week bean. A little girl who much prefers napping in my bed to her own...

Rookie Moms

One of my favorite mommy blogs out there is RookieMoms.com and if you haven't visited them, you really, really ought to! The blog is co-written by two friends in Berkley about motherhood, and new motherhood in particular. Today they had a guest blogger who definately struck home with me, so I thought I'd link her post. It's short, I promise! Give it a read!

http://www.rookiemoms.com/rookie-mom-voices-johanna-at-7-weeks/

At Five Weeks

At five weeks our little Maeve is still a lot of mystery. She's helping us navigate the night time hours and discover what bedtime for an infant is like. Ever the cuddlebug, we're working to teach her it's ok not to be held all the time. Last night was big for us in that we went to church for the first time since she was born! We had plenty of volunteer baby snugglers, I got to see friends I've missed since September, and Miss Maeve got to meet her little friend Miss Alice, just a few months older than her! Next week we'll all be welcoming the Reagan twins into the world, and there will be two more baby friends to love! What a year! Six babies will born to our circle of friends between June and February. We couldn't be more excited!

Our weekend in pictures:

After successfully nursing in the Target parking lot, Maeve passed out burping.

My sweet, sleepy girl.

Arms crossed, holding her head as she sleeps.

After church Adam and Maeve took the dogs out and then sat down to rest "just a sec".

One Month Checkup

Today was the bean's one month checkup. It was also our first outing by ourselves.

*EEP!*

I am happy to report, we survived! Getting there was a mess, but we weren't even late! Maeve's stats read as follows;

Height at Birth 20in, Height Now 21.5in 69%

Weight at Birth 8lb2oz, Weight Now 10lb 72%

She's fit as a fiddle, though she's a bit spotty from some baby acne and sensitive skin. Poor girl. Luckily it's due to clear up in the following weeks. After our successful appointment we ventured out to Las Colinas and met Adam for lunch for the first time, and she slept the whole time! What a treat! Ofcourse, we paid for that with a massive afternoon meltdown at home, but the important thing is we made it out of the house alive!

Aunts and Uncles and Cousins-Oh my!

This weekend our lucky girl got to meet her Aunt Cynthia, Uncle Mark and cousins Elizabeth & Ethan. She was in cuddle heaven!

Aunt Cynthia and the sleepy girl.

Maeve fell instantly asleep on Uncle Mark.

These girls gotta stick together!

The Merry Month of Maeve

Today marks a solid month since our baby girl's birth. It seems unbelievable that so much time has passed since we went from a couple to a family of three. In these last four weeks we've seen her change and grow before our eyes; losing much of her newborn looks and wail, beginning to "coo" and "ahh", having her first bath, and winning over many of our friends and family.

The bean at a day old.

The bean at 4wks

At a month old....

The bean likes to be snuggled to sleep in our bed. She loves her wubby and to be swaddled, anytime of day. She prefers to be held in your arms or the wrap rather than watch the world from her swing. She falls asleep in the car, on walks and while she eats and she sleeps through just about anything!

My little boppy sleeper.

Some days I look at her and immediately am drawn to thoughts of our last 24hrs as two. Our precious time in the hospital, hours creeping by, full of quiet wonders and speculation. I was in pain, I was elated, I was nervous, I was antsy, I was crying, I was laughing, I felt so alive. I don't know that I've ever felt more love for Adam than I did that night. There is something unbelievable romantic about knowing the person you've committed your life to is standing by your side, loving you through this incredibly hard thing; a marathon event with the ultimate prize you created together and both get to share in.

Our new family.

Life is amazing, and I wouldn't change it for a thing.

Your Daily Bean

Yesterday was the first day of just Mama and Maeve. This weekend, with Adam's help, I was able to catch up on some sleep during the day, but it still did not quite prepare me for our Monday. Maeve did well after her first two feedings, but come 11am she was done. Exhausted, she hit meltdown city. For two hours, every time I got her to settle and finally dared lay her down, she woke up sobbing after no more than 5 minutes! Why did I let my mother go home?! Not knowing what else to do, I put her in the car and we drove around town for about 30minutes. Wrongly assuming that did the trick, I took our slumbering babe upstairs, set her carseat in our cool dark room, shut the door....and heard crazing wailing.

*SIGH*

Did I mention I have no idea what I'm doing? The answer came when I finally just laid down and snuggled my little Maevey Bean, and off she drifted. Oh. It's that easy? Unfortunately since she over-exhausted herself, she had no interest in eating and then kept us up until the wee hours; mad, hungry, tired and with a much greater will than either of her parents.

Today she's sleeping soundly. A little too soundly... Now, in my growing fear and paranoia surrounding these little bit, I wonder, "Will she be up all night? What's the price I'll have to pay for a midday nap?" Goodness, at least she's a snuggly, loveable night owl.

My chimpunk cheeked girl, once she finally gave in.

Mushroom Maeve in her new pjs and hat Adam found for her. Look at those long fingers!!

Saying Goodbye

Today was the day I'd been trying for weeks to pretend wasn't coming. Today we put my Mom on an airplane back to Virginia. My mom flew into DFW the day my water broke, having anticipated a few days time together, maybe even a week before baby came. Instead, as you all know, Maeve made her appearance the next night. Originally she was supposed to leave the following week, and we pushed it a week. Then...we pushed it another week. Three weeks in all, I don't know what I'll do without her! It was wonderful to have the guidance, company and care. I will miss the calm reassurance and loving time spent with my mom, and Maeve will miss those extra snuggles and grandmother love.

Come back soon Mom!!!

Maevey Bean 3wks old

Maeve and Mama 3wks old

three generations of O'Connell women

Lil' Bean

Because she's so darn cute...

Learnin' to be Mama

It feels strange that Maeve has been here with us already for 18 days, and we've been home together for 15! We really struggled initially with nursing, but these last 5 days we seem to have found our rhythm. We've not needed to trick her into nursing with the syringe, or finger feed since last Thursday; and instead of becoming angrier when I get ready to nurse now seems to calm down and relax when she knows that's what's about to happen. Further evidence of her knew adjustment to nursing, at her appointment last week, Maeve had already jumped to 8lbs 15oz in not quite two weeks! That's right, she's becoming a little chunky munk, her O'Connell genes shining right through.

(I'm hoping by writing this I don't in fact jinx us...)

I managed to talk my mom into extending her stay, and am worriedly looking towards her departure Saturday. I'm not entirely sure what I'm going to do without her help once she's gone!

Read: I don't feel very qualified to do this on 'my own.'

But for now we're spending our time nursing, snuggling and napping. Occasionally sneaking out of the house for a midwife or pediatrician appointment.

I know I'm biased, but just look at this little cutie!

Lil' Cousins

After our first week home, my 'frousin' Shannon and her youngest, Allie V, came to visit us! Just 14wks apart, I'm excited to see our girls relationship develop and grow over the years. I'm also curious as to how Allie's older sister Meg will do with two little girls to play with and boss around! ;)

Shannon, Allie V and my Mom, Gigi

The Bean and her "Aunt" Shannon meeting for the first time.

"Great Aunt" Gigi and lil' Allie V