Mommy Moments Challenge: #8 Makes You Go Hmm or YUM!

This last weekend our little family joined many of our friends from church for a weekend long camping trip at Cedar Hill. 

Here's a tip, if you are considering camping with your near seven month old. Don't. 

Adam enjoying his rest while Maeve and I hangout in the
 tent...since it's only 5am. 

She kept trying to crawl down inside our sleeping bags
 and explore ever nook and cranny of the tent.

For the most part she did really well, only woke up once the first night and slept all the way through the second. The real problem was that, try as we may, there was no way that child was going to sleep on Saturday. Wonderful friends took turns wearing her in our new Ergo carrier (LOVE!) and that would do the trick for about 25min. I was able to get an hour out of her late Saturday by wearing her until she fell asleep and then laying down with her and slowly rolling and unbuckling until I no longer had her in the carrier. I still don't know how Adam managed to nap, it was ridiculously hot, bright and loud in the tent. (Did I mention I'm not really the outdoors type?) 

Studying the waves.

My two favorite people.

There were obvious perks to camping though. Late night conversations with friends by the fire, playing by the lake and indulgent camp food. I don't know how many kids I counted roasting miniature donuts for breakfast! We didn't bring suits to go in the water, so we didn't swim, but we did walk along the tiny waves with Maevey. She was a hoot! She loves the pool and bathtime is her favorite, so it was no surprise to hear her tiny giggly shrieks everytime a small (and I mean t-i-n-y) wave hit her legs. Because we're in a crawly-put-it-in-my-mouth-I-want stage the little pebbly beach was interesting. I don't know how many times we had to fish rocks out of that child's mouth, and if it wasn't rocks in her mouth, it was her Daddy's hat. Or my soda bottle. Or the dog's leg. (yes, really, the dog's leg.)

Beach pals.

This is PERFECT for teething! Thanks Daddy!

All in all it was fun. Though, I did come home more exhausted then when the weekend began, I will admit that was no perk. I think if I had it to do over Maeve and I would have spent the night at home or at least gone home part of the day Saturday so she could get some good sleep in. But as someone who thrives on people time, camping is the perfect setting for my conversation fix. And though I may not be much (HA!) of an outdoors-woman, it is beautiful to make these new memories with our new little family. So one day we can tell her "Oh, we've always had so many adventures with you Maeve, even when you were a wee little babe!" 

Mommy Moments Challenge: #2 Puts a Smile On My Face

My days are full of Maevey giggles, squaks and babble. She can make a thousand faces in a single moment, and she constantly makes me laugh. 

"MAMA!!!"

"Hallo?"

"HI!!"

 We started crawling last week. Just tiny moves, we're up to about five crawls before we fall down now! Woot!! If you lay on the floor, Maeve-O will give a loud, happy squak and start coming at you to grab your face. 

Who wouldn't love hanging with this kiddo?

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!