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!

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!

An Attempt at Rice Cereal

Maeve may only be four and a half months old, but she's already formed a pretty opinionated self. When Maeve wants something, it's pretty hard to calm her or make her happy until you've met her new expectation. And if she's decided against something?

Hah! Just give up now.

I know her passionate personality will make her a strong young woman, and serve her well. I know as a toddler it will most likely be the center of our training and parenting, you can't always have your way. But have you ever tried explaining that to someone so small? Yeah..So for now, she's pretty well catered to. Don't misunderstand me, she's mostly a very cheery, smilely baby. People often comment how often she's just looking around with her wide, watching eyes with a silly grin on her face. It's just that she has two sides. Happy and annoyed. :)

Rice cereal, she announced last week, makes her the latter.

Her pediatrician had told us that sometime between now and six months we could start cereal, what signs to look for, what to consider, etc. She's still doing just fine nursing, and in retrospect isn't showing much interest in table food and what we're doing. But I got excited. So many of our friends have babies a week or so older than Maeve (Hi Megan! Hi Christine!) and they started, so why not!?

My lil' Maevey Bean watching Daddy pour her cereal.

Priming her. Isn't this fun Maeve?

She would like you to know it is indeed not fun.

And there you have it. Two bites in got us many loud screams and the biggest tears you've ever seen. We'll try again in a few months.

Four Months Old

I cannot believe it's been four months.

But it has. Monday marked four months since I birthed our little smiley sassy pants. Four months since I went from "I will never have this baby" to "I will never sleep again" to "I will never get anything done again." Four months since our surprise redhead made our lives complete. (for now at least ;)

Every day I am reminded, at least once, how lucky I am that we're able to make this stay-at-home thing work. While I do get stir crazy from time to time (how many trips to Target can I "need" this week..) and the adult conversation is a little lacking, it's still wonderful to get to spend my time watching Maeve change and learn new things. It's amazing to me how literally within the span of two days she'll have developed a new skill, make a new sound, notice new things or even have grown an unbelievable amount! Yesterday I went to put her in a 3-6 onesie that fit her last week and this week the buttons were barely clasping!

At four months Maeve has mastered rolling front to back and back to front. As of this weekend she's begun rolling around to get where and what she wants. Goodbye playmat. Goodbye ten minutes to wash dishes. She can also inch her way towards things when motivated. It seems the dogs are a great source of motivation.They will be very inconvenienced once she can crawl and doomed once she can walk. She is in love with her puppies, especially Kitri who still isn't quite sure what to make of Miss Maeve, but is very curious and gentle with her.

Kitri keeping Maeve company while I dried my hair. (Yay for...doctor's appts?!)

Maeve has turned my days into some new form of mommy alligator wrestling. Changing her diaper is a challenge as she flips herself around and kicks her legs as fast as she can while "talking" to me. Bathtime is a similar event, and often ends with her splashing too much water in her face or getting us soaking wet. She is super giggly these days too. I can never seem to catch it on film, but it makes you smile just to hear her deep little laugh. Among the things Maeve finds funny; pretending to eat her up (especially if you munch on her cheeks and feet and make plenty of "nom nom" noises), raspberries on her tummy, her feet in Daddy's beard, Mommy's hair in her face, singing and dancing silly songs, funny faces and her doggies. Everytime she gives a good smile her dimples pop and her little eyes sing! I LOVE it! I'm pretty sure people on facebook are petitioning I quit posting baby pictures but I.can't.help.it!!!

Ofcourse by the time I got the picture she was distracted, but still. It's so cute to see her perch with Adam and rub her little toes in his itchy beard!

As sweet and cute as she is, Maeve is also a tad opinionated and has very little patience for things not going her way. She's not high strung, but she's definitely not laid back either. Things that upset Maeve: not getting what she wants, being held facing in and not the crowds, being held by strangers, carseat, stroller, swing, bouncer...basically anything that contains her. Things that make Maeve cry: blowing your nose, sneezing loudly, dogs barking, keeping her contained too long and not putting her down on time for her naps. That girl loves to sleep and she's becoming less and less portable during naptime and bedtime.

All the cliches surrounding motherhood and parenthood are all I can think of to say about being a mother to my sweet little munchkin. I won't, because who really likes hearing those things, but know they're all true. Even in times of frustration I look at her, especially while nursing and think, "You're amazing! You're beautiful! I adore you and can't believe I'm so lucky to have you!" I imagine what she'll be like as a toddler, a child....a young woman. What her interests will be and where they will take her. How is it possible to love someone so tiny so darn much?

She was talking to me here. "Bah bah bah oooooooh"

Happy four months munchkin! Our lives will always be for the better because of you!

Lots of 3AM

If Maeve isn't teething or going through one long growth spurt, than it's obvious she's trying to kill me.

We have seen an awful lot of 3am these days, and that's not usual for our family. We were incredibly lucky that Maeve came home wanting to sleep long stretches. At night those first six weeks we set alarms and had to wake her up to get in most of her late night, every two hour feedings. Normally her schedule is bedtime at 7pm, midnight feeding and 6:30am breakfast. Like clockwork! Most of the time she starts to wake up before we've gotten to her for that late feeding. Naps have become the similar clockwork predictability, back down in the morning until 10am, back down from 12:30pm to 3pm and then perhaps a catnap in the late afternoon while we wait for Daddy.

Not this week my friends. This week has been exhausting. Starting Monday night we've been waking up just about every other hour. Down at 7pm, up at 10pm, up at 12am, up at 1:15am, up at 3am, up at 5am, up at 6:30am, up at 8:45am....then down at 11am, but a short short nap. Essentially cutting out her first morning nap, shortening her other and being a bit of a pill in between. Let me tell you, it's been quite frustrating. I know there are others out there who have it worse, who hardly ever get sleep, but this has been a rough week. I knew I was exhausted when sometime between bedtime and "DOES SHE KNOW IT IS 4AM?!?! I WAS JUST IN THERE!!!" I went to go to the bathroom and ran into the door. Because it was still closed.

Oye.

We have several theories. One is teething; she can't get enough things in her mouth, and if you get close enough she'll pull your hand or finger in her mouth to gnaw down. I haven't taken a good look in her mouth, but last weekend my sister-in-law thought she could see something lurking down in those gums. Our second theory is the obvious, especially the more I read. In ten days our little munchkin will be four months old!!!! While there's no noted 4mo growth spurt, it's not impossible that she's having one anyhow. All the signs are there; constant demand for food, messy schedule, crankiness, latching on and off in frustration. Yep, she's a regular peach right now. My only hesitation, outside of her timing, is that her last growth spurts have only lasted about 24-48hrs, and last night was our fourth night of crazy. Finally, our last theory. She's trying to kill me. Or at least drive me into madness. Maybe she's bored, and hearing me mutter to myself at 4am and walk face first into walls is very entertaining.

Grandparent Visit

The "O"s at the Dallas Zoo

This weekend Adam's parents were in town, which means several things. Our whole family got together, Maeve had plenty of extra snuggles, and there was a second Christmas celebration!

Saturday we, along with Adam's sister's & brother's families went to the Dallas Zoo together with Grandma and Grandpa. All in all, that was fifteen people. :) Yes, we're quite the crowd. (and we were missing two folks!) We have yet to take Maeve to the zoo post-utero, though she made it to the Oklahoma City Zoo a few times while I was pregnant. She's in a new stage of awareness that really made the zoo fun. When her grandfather held her up to the monkeys her head moved side to side and up and down following a particularly frisky monkey across his enclosure. It was incredible to see, especially since it was just a week or two ago she seemed to REALLY see the dogs for the first time.

We loved seeing you all, and so did Maeve! We can't wait for the next visit!!!

Grandma and Maeve.

Grandpa and Maeve.

Very happily opening prsents from her sweet grandparents.

While in DC my Mom and I dug this photo up. I'm a few months older than Maeve is now. We girls love pink dresses and white bonnets!

PS: I have no idea how I turned my post into a hyper-link and thus cannot undo it. ;)

Gabby Girl

If Maeve is anything like the rest of her O'Connell and Fisher kin, she'll be a talker. A three hours at a time, I'm so excited I might be getting louder, ohmygoodnessdidyouknow kind of talker. My Nana and my mother both are queens of conversation and growing up, my mother had to finally call it a night after hours spent chatting together in my parents bathroom with me. When we get together our conversations are still a main event. My brother Ryan is one of the few guys I know who likes to call just to chat, my dad enjoys telling stories and even my cousin Shannon can rival me in the gab department. (And you know I mean that in a good way.)

It seems Maeve is determined to fit in with my side of the family and has started her squaky-talky phase as of a couple weeks ago. Usually in the mid-morning and right before bedtime, her sweet sounds make me smile every time. By the time I picked up the camera her chitter was dying down and she was gearing up for nap time, but you can still hear her a little. :) Again, this video is pretty dark and from about two weeks ago, but it's short and it's sweet.

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...

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".

Lil' Bean

Because she's so darn cute...

37wk Appointments

This week between the perinatalogist and midwives we know:

001 is DEFINATELY an O'Connell babe, she's measuring 7lbs 4oz which is a full pound more than most babies at this point, and a pound more than Adam at 40wks.

She is projected at 40wks to be between 9 and 10 pounds and about 23in! While it may come as a surprise to others, no one in my family is even blinking. My brother and I were well over 9lbs, my Dad was a 10lb baby, and my frousin's girls were 9 and 10lbs. We grow 'em big an Irish over here!

My perinatalogist this week jokingly asked "Is this your first baby? Are you trying to set some kind of record?!" He also mentioned, "I mean, if you've ever considered taking up smoking now might be the time...." :)

001 has continued to drop, and her heart rate has settled on a low 130. Other than that there are no signs of any impending labor.

I am at a 1, but I was last week too and there has otherwise been no progress. Today the midwives stripped my membranes "a little" with no expectation of my body being ready for labor, but with the hopes that "since this baby would clearly be just fine if she was born now" that maybe I'd have some great progress over the week. That was at 8:45am, and I have had some contractions today but they've been too inconsistent and short to get excited about. In fact, typing this I realize the last one was hours ago. No signs of baby :(

This was the first week in my entire pregnancy that I have gained no weight! Sounds silly? At 85lbs weight gain (gee, thanks thyroid) I will take what I can get!

I know being at almost 38wks (Saturday) doesn't mean much, and it could still be several weeks, but gosh I would like to be done and on the other side of this! Adam's birthday is Monday and he keeps asking 001 to come then, the ultimate birthday present! If she does in fact come closer to her due date, October 2nd, she'll be an early gift to us for our third anniversary, which would be pretty neat.

The Carseat Is In!

For my 25th birthday my parents bought me our jogging travel system, and I have to say that it may be my favorite gift yet. There was something so exciting about finally having her stroller and car-seat here waiting and it was so much fun to have Adam assemble it all today. Now 001's car-seat is buckled in the car, waiting for her to make her appearance. My jogging stroller sits waiting for a run, oh how I can't wait to go for a run again!

Did I mention the jogging stroller has ipod speakers? Neat!

Today marks the full moon that the labor and delivery nurse spoke of last week, and aside from some on and off Braxton Hicks, there is no sign of baby.

*Sigh*

I didn't really think it would happen since there had been no indication we were tracking to meet baby today, but I have to say I had hoped! :)

Mosaic Baby Surprise

When we got to church tonight, the table in the back of the room was COVERED in a sweet pink table cloth and all things baby and Kaitlin. Diapers, items from our registry, groceries, diet coke, my favorite snacks and desserts, and goodies for the evening. Adam was apparently in on the surprise, but my sweet friend and mentor Holly (she married us) had organized this surprise baby-party for after church. I was completely blown away. Mosaic provided some of the goodies, but our friends did so much for us too. Other friends, including a couple we're just getting to know, gave us TONS of hand me downs. One new friend said they were her favorites of her daughters clothes that she couldn't bear to part with, but wanted us to have. We also received many hand me down diapers, diaper pins and covers! (For cloth diapering)

I love our church, and felt so loved and so happy. Everyone brought pieces of parenting advice for my scarpbooks, and we stayed and talked and ate and partied. Someone even brought creme brulee and cheesecake for me.

Adam counted, 52 diet coke cans, 12 bottles. HA! Do these people know me or what?

Pretty Little Things

Last night Adam and I started tackling our list (ok, my list) piece by piece and decided the biggest thing to take on was laundry. Yikes! We hadn't cut any tags in the whole shopping process, and we have clothes for quite a few months in since babes in my family tend to grow very, very quickly. I couldn't resist snapping a few pictures before everything made its way downstairs to be washed. I'm sure you're sick of pictures of my baby clothes pictures, but I just had to share a few with the world!

While it's not the best picture, here is 001's coming home outfit. Adam and I picked it out together last weekend and both LOVE it!

I know Christmas is quite a ways off, but we couldn't resist this sweet little dress and matching bloomers!

My sweet friend Jenny bought 001 her first ballerina outfit!

The List

I know I'm just hitting (just?!) 36wks this Saturday, but my veins are running full of panic. Things, even crazy things, that I MUST have done as soon as possible. (Read:NOW)

In no particular order, my list includes, but is not limited to:

1.Washing all Baby Clothes and Linens---why does this seem overwhelming?

2. Having Adam replace her light with a ceiling fan

3. Finding a screen for her room

4. We have NO BABY TOWELS! Worse, I can't commit myself to any because they all seem thin or itchy. I nearly lost it in Target the other night...

5. Clean out, deep clean and wash the car.

6. Clean car needs to be rid of the two spots of bumper sticker residue. (Yes, I know this doesn't affect baby...I can't help it, it's driving me mad)

7. Send out shower thank yous which are now almost two weeks old. Where did I put all my friends addresses?!?

8. Write our birth plan. By Saturday. We are supposed to take this to Bradley class Saturday morning, and to our appointment with the midwives Tuesday. I'm glad to envision and put together an idea of what we'd like, but embarrassed to actually do it and have other people read it. Sad?

9. Finish my scrapbook of our life before baby. I've been stuck completing Christmas for the past 3 months.

10. Catch up her scrapbook and create some pages for once she's here.

11. Make a drop off at Goodwill.

12. Before she's here I NEED the house decorated for the fall/Halloween, or it won't happen and I love holiday decorations! (I know this shouldn't matter...)

13. Why can't I keep our room clean?!

14. I really need to make and execute a shopping list for my "obscure" labor & delivery goods. Things we've had recommended like; honey straws, lolly pops, pads or depends (HA), etc.

15. Pack.our.go.bag.

16. Make some kind of plan for our dogs. What do we do with them when we go into the hospital? Must make a plan.

17. Buy replacement tubing for pump.

18. Sanitize the pump.

19. Order our pre-fold diapers, snappis and wetbag.

20. Call the property manager about that broken closet light...

21. Put the cling sunshades up in the car for the baby.

22. Pre-register for the hospital.

23. Put away all the random things piling up around our house.

24. Exchange Kitri's muzzle for one that fits for night time, or I will kill her when she wakes up the baby.

25. Measure space for blowup mattress and replace our broken one for Mom and Dad.

26. Chiropractor

27. Are we officially set with the pediatrician?

28. Tour the hospital.

29. Buy celebration champagne and cigars (for my parents and Adam). I know this one really isn't urgent, but its personal importance to me has it nagging me constantly.

30. Organize her clothes better by size so I can see at a glance what is what.

31. Find her at least one more heavy blanket since she only has the one.

32. How the heck do you swaddle a baby? Must learn.

33. Never mind swaddling, how are we supposed to use cloth diapers?! Oh.God. Must learn that too...

Playgym Magic

Today was our shower, and a huge thank you to those of you who came and those of you who showered us at church. :)

As you can see, one of the most impressive gifts was our bottles....Truth? While excited and thankful for these bottles, this is the only shower picture where I don't look a mess...

After church this evening Adam decided it was time to assemble the baby's playgym, which Kitri studied careful and was completely afraid of once Adam turned on the music. Ha! Poor dog, we'll see how she copes with her life turning upside down soon. Duchess, predictably, slept through all the action.

*Showcasing*

*Finishing Touches*

Baby Face

On days like today I find myself dreaming during an afternoon nap of what our sweet girl will look like. I was born with nearly jet black hair, Adam platinum blonde, and most of our family is somewhere in between. She's already measuring about a week ahead; will she be a 9lb baby like her mama or even a 10lb baby like her Grandad and cousin Allie V? We know she's ahead in growth for now, but will she be a tall girl like me, or a petite thing like her grandmothers? Will her skin be fair and creamy like mine, or will she be able to tan like the Fishers and many Owens?

At the moment I have no pictures of Adam and I in our first weeks, but I do have the following pictures at several months from the wedding slide show that never was. :) My mind can go on forever trying to mesh the two images into a new person and I can never seem to really envision her. Can you imagine that from the beginning of her life God knew exactly what she would look like and she's already the perfect combination of us. Amazing to consider...

Baby Adam: Daddy

Baby Kaitlin: Mama

Where's Baby?

Last night, I changed things up.

Instead of going for my usual insomnia, I went for crazy dreams and panic. Maybe it was only one dream, but in the morning light I feel like I had about five last night highlighting the grandiose lack of maternal instinct.

I kept losing my baby. No one took her, no one threatened her, I did not abuse her. Like a set of keys, I could never seem to remember where I had set her down. I spent the whole of each dream running through my house trying to find her, assure her safety, and move on with our day.

In the end she was always somewhere bizarre like; on the fridge, in an empty bathtub, by the mailbox, or in a taxicab. Yeesh. Let's hope this isn't some foresight into what my parenting skills will be like!