Mommy Moments Challenge: #1 My Day

Inspired by my cousin @ This Fox Tail Lily and others mommy bloggers, I've decided to link up and join Inspired by Family Mag with their Mommy Moments Photo Challenge! 

Day one is Where/What I Spend My Day. 

Maevey is on the brink of crawling. For about a month she's been pushing up on her skinny little arms and rocketing back and forth before giving up and just rolling off to where she wants to go. So a good bulk of our days are spent having crawling intensives. Yes, Maeve is in training to be a competitive crawler. :)

Our days look something like this:

"I'll just lay here. This carpet is pretty neat to pull at..."

"Hmm, maybe I want that giant ball after all. I can do this!"

"How does it keep getting just out of reach?!"

"A little help here?"

"I'm so CLOSE!"

We have mastered crawling backwards...but that doesn't really getting us quite where we want to go.

*UPDATE*
Since I started writing this and documenting our days two days ago, Maeve crawled!! Not far, just two little swooshes forward, and she's yet to repeat it BUT she CRAWLED!!! Bittersweet, my tiny munchkin amazes me each time she masters something new or reminds me she's not quite so tiny as before. Frozen in my mind at about three months old, when I'm around our friends newborns I realize, this little bitty is nearly seven months old! I am so proud of her, and so in love! Her cheeky little faces always make me smile.

"This is VERY serious Mom, put the camera down."

"Look at me GO!!"

"Whoa!'

Girl's Got Attitude

A crank when too tired or too hungry, she's otherwise our cheery little nymph. Say her name, flash her a smile, or make some silly noises and she'll give you a chuckle and gummy grin.

...And every once in awhile you get a nice six month going on thirteen pose...like so...

Love my little cheeser!

Easter Days

Our church has a standing Easter tradition.

Every year on Easter Sunday we gather, favorite dish in hand, at the Varnell's perfect party house in Fort Worth's historic district. The food spills over from the dining room table into the kitchen, where it covers all the counters; cheesy casseroles, sausage balls and all sorts of cakes and pies. After a few hours of brunch with friends (complete with mimosas!) we head on over to the park to watch the little kiddos race to find those colored treasures hidden in the grass.

With the exception of our time in Amarillo, Adam and I have made every Easter brunch for the last six years. I have such fond memories of Easters from my childhood; I was really excited to celebrate with our little munchkin and usher in new spring traditions. A casual affair, we all dressed up this year. Maeve looked so sweet in her little yellow dress! (Thanks Mom & Dad!!)

With Maeve's new found delight for other people's food, the walk through the land of goodies was full of fist grabs with plenty of new tastes landing in her mouth.

(There may or may not have been some dives for our mimosas too...thankfully she missed.)

Daddy finally gave in and began sharing his brunch with her.

This has been a year for babies at Mosaic. All in all six babies in eight months. The littelist baby, Kaitlyn, was out of town for our Easter picture this year so we'll have to get another one soon.

Here you have (left to right) twins Felix & Luna (4mo), Alice (9mo), Harper (2mo) and Maeve (6mo).

All of us chuckled at the idea of our six little toddlers confusedly waddling around the grassy hills of the Fairmount park next Easter, not sure the importance of the little colored eggs. As the time of her first year with us is rapidly passing by, I really try and savor every day. (Even those harder to appreciate moments.) But holidays, it seems, always make it easier to savor the moments with Maeve...and admittedly, make me think of what our future Easters, Fourth of Julys, Christmases will look like and how many little bitties might be there to help make them perfect memories.

Somebunny Cute

I have a weak spot for precious kiddie pictures.

I have an especially big weak spot for precious kiddie pictures featuring my baby girl. A few weeks ago I found some dollar bunny ears in the bins at Target. I thought they'd make for an adorable photoshoot with Maevey.

I had not considered the fact that Miss Maeve had never experienced grass. She is her father's daughter; a true observer, and grass blew her mind. Seriously, there was no way to get her to crack a smile. She would look up momentarily, then grasp at grass and look concerned some more.

What is this?

Do I eat it?

Maeve and her red sidekick.

Six Month Maeve

Friday marked our munchkin's six month here with us, which is almost hard to believe. I'm not sure where the first four months went, or how it could be going by so fast. It sent me in a panic Friday, telling Adam "she's six months now, and soon it'll be summer and after summer it'll be her birthday and then it will be all over!!!"

Have I mentioned my flare for the dramatic?

It really is unbelievable how quickly it is going by and how fast she is learning and changing. I'm amazed every time I see her do something new.

As of her appointment Friday her stats read:

Height 26.5in 62%
Weight 14.olbs 17%
Head 17%

We've got ourselves a shrinking woman! She's a long skinny lassy, that's for sure.

Our little observer studying the paper she's shredding....

At six months Maeve:

Loves:
Oatmeal, bananas and mangos.

Loves, loves, loves bathtime and to splash and kick in the water.

Delights in music, especially silly songs and Beethoven.

Exploring your face. Hands in mouth, pulling lips, grabbing nose....if you're a dog, she grabs your fur and tries to put your ears in her mouth.

Going outside and on walks.
Loves watching you read to her and trying to eat the books.

Hates
Peas. We have to sneak them in by mixing them with applesauce.

If she can't eat your food she throws a fit; and tries to grab fist-fulls of our meals if we aren't careful.

Still hates to be strapped down or confined.

Is a crank only when tired or too hungry. Consequently, this means she is a nightmare at church nursery....

Is Learning:

A sippy cup and keeps trying to drink out of our straws.

To feed herself with the spoon, taking it from our hands all the time though food usually ends up in her nose.
She is (rightly) convinced we were the funniest people in existence.

She still loves to snuggle, but often kicks and squirms like a toddler ready to run so that you'll put her down to roll around and try and crawl.

Can:
Pick things up, and moves them hand to hand.
Still rolls everywhere but is very serious about trying to crawl. She pushes up and tries to rocket forward.
Has dropped her midnight nursing!!! Wahoo!
Flips over constantly on the changing table and in the bath.
Has the best belly laugh and giant smiles. She often grins just because you looked at her, or said her name.
When she wants you to pick her up she puts her arms up and reaches for you, and if you've got a beard she grabs it once she's in your arms.

She's also very good at making messes...

Our happy girl!

Hangin' in the Big Easy

Last week we trekked on down to New Orleans for our second family trip since making the transition from two to three. New Orleans is a city I've been lucky to enjoy many times growing up, and my Aunt, Uncle and "baby" cousin live just outside the city in Slidell. Adam had been on one of our trips there before, but rain had kept us indoors playing pool and watching movies. Not exactly the Louisiana experience. (Although we did enjoy crawfish; that counts for something, right?) Determined to do it right (and to survive) we packed up our car Thursday, napped while our babe slumbered and than piled in the car at about 1am.

**I am not driving eight and a half hours with an awake carseat-hating baby. No way.**

We spent all of a sunny Friday wandering around the French Quarter; darting in and out of booths full of little trinkets, admiring street artists and eating the best muffaletta in existence (from Central Grocer of course!) under a statue of Joan of Arc.

The warm Louisiana sun mixed with the wet of the Mississippi made it feel like summer was already here; and you have to relax if nature tells you it's practically summer. Maeve was a wonderful little travel buddy. We had her in her stroller for a time, but my mother arms ached to hold her after only a few hours. Is that sad?

Either way, by stroller and sling, she made friends left and right as we went walking. As a redhead people seem drawn to her, wanting to touch her hair as if they'll be able to feel its vibrant color. Since she's a social kiddo, she's pleased to flirt, smile and giggle with each new friend. I'm sure all mothers feel this way, but I will never tire of hearing "your baby is such a doll!" or "look at that smile!" and as if on cue, Maeve will give a gleeful shriek.

Friday night gave way to catching up with family, telling stories and playing with the family's newest member. At one point Maeve began feeble attempts at crawling, hoping to get closer to her Great-Aunt Rhonda! This was an exciting first, and in the week since she's continued to practice pushing up and launching herself forward! I think crawling is coming very, very soon!

Saturday we took to the streets on New Orleans again, bringing my sweet cousin Sarah with us. We found all sorts of goodies, ate way too much food and enjoyed a cool iced coffee at Cafe Du Monde before taking in a street performance in Jackson Square.

As it became dark we mustered up courage and went on one of my favorite tourist excursions, a ghost tour!! I LOVE taking walking tours through the creepy underbellies of worlds past in my favorite cities. My favorite was a tour of Edinburgh, Scotland; complete with catacombs, witches and bubonic plague! The worst, hands down, was in San Diego with a fellow who seemed more into costuming than creepy history. New Orleans is probably the second best I've been on. Founded with crooks and prostitutes, influenced by the French aristocracy and a part of the Civil War there is plenty of colorful history to share within the streets.

Maeve was a sport and fell asleep in the wrap not ten minutes in to our tour, sleeping until its finish two hours later.

In perhaps the best fashion to finish up a vacation, we relaxed around the house on Sunday playing games and telling tales before loading up the car at night for our long drive back. All weekend Maeve reaped the reward of loving family; being hand-fed bananas, playing on the floor and having plenty of people to say silly things to her in sing-song voices.

It always feels so good to be around family, and so sad to leave them. I really miss getting to see all of mine more often. Thank you Uncle Craig, Aunt Rhonda and Sarah!! We had a wonderful time and can't wait until we're able to host you here in good 'ole Texas!

XOXO The "O"s ❤