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 Month Stats

Baby girl's appointments are often the highlight of my month. It's exciting to see how much she's grown, hear where she is percentile wise, and find out the pediatrician's take on her development. The shots...I could do without the shots, and so could Maevey, but what can you do?

Holding steady our munchkin continues to be tall and skinny. Though not in the 90% like we were as babes, she's still 77% at 25.5in and up from 33% to 40% at 13lbs 5oz.

I'm convinced the weight gain is all in those sweet Fisher chipmunk cheeks.

(Along with her nose, it's one of her for sure Mama traits

Funny enough, the when the sweet older nurse at her appointment remarked on those "big ole cheeks" Maeve burst into tears. Upon apology and telling our sensitive girl it was meant as a compliment, she stopped crying.

I could not make this up. It was hilarious.

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.

God's Presence

At church we've just begun a series about our relationship with God. Alongside services we're doing small groups and reading "Can You Hear Me". This first week began with a meditation on Psalm 139 and Jeremiah 23:23-24. We were to contemplate what it meant to experience the presence of God, to be aware of God's presence and how you know.

1-6 God, investigate my life; get all the facts firsthand.

I'm an open book to you;

even from a distance, you know what I'm thinking.

You know when I leave and when I get back;

I'm never out of your sight.

You know everything I'm going to say

before I start the first sentence.

I look behind me and you're there,

then up ahead and you're there, too—

your reassuring presence, coming and going.

This is too much, too wonderful—

I can't take it all in!

7-12 Is there anyplace I can go to avoid your Spirit?

to be out of your sight?

If I climb to the sky, you're there!

If I go underground, you're there!

If I flew on morning's wings

to the far western horizon,

You'd find me in a minute—

you're already there waiting!

Then I said to myself, "Oh, he even sees me in the dark!

At night I'm immersed in the light!"

It's a fact: darkness isn't dark to you;

night and day, darkness and light, they're all the same to you.

I've shared my feelings with some close friends in the past about how I experience God, but it's something I keep private for the most part for fear some won't understand. Our church is unique in the fact that it provides "open mic" a chance to be a part of service and share "your piece of the mosaic" and that was something I felt I should do because I KNOW how I feel about this. So, while I mull over things here on my side of the woods, I thought I would share with you what I shared with my church family last weekend.

When I’m listening to certain music, epic & pressing in some way, after a few moments a feeling creeps into me that I can’t quite name. My chest tightens, I feel the urge to close my eyes, and I need to move. I can picture the movements, the perfect movements for that piece of music.

Sometimes it’s just the urge to dance that comes over me, without any music at all, a particular move my body wants to make, always accompanied with the tightness in my chest & the urge to close my eyes. Watching performances with the specific type of music or dance has the same affect for me, often with tears.

For me, dancing has always been a very private and guarded thing. I either want to be alone, or somewhere safe, removed and expected, like rehearsal or a performance. Dancing I’m no longer myself, but this puppeted creature, moved about by the music and something that isn’t of this world. It’s how I was created to feel and express, to worship and be. Dance, ballet, is where I meet God, where I see Creation and the only place I can express myself to God and feel like I’m heard. It’s my prayer.

When I see a beautiful movement, feel my limbs stir or see a graceful dancer, to me that’s proof of God’s existence, these ethereal movements orchestrated by a higher power.

I thought about sharing a piece with you all tonight, but I don’t think I’m quite ready. So instead I’d like to share this short clip of Polina Seminova. It may not strike you as particularly epic or intense but I love it because she possesses amazing grace and skill. She moves with the music in her rehearsal clothes in an empty auditorium, feeling everything. I think she feels God here too.

Polina Semionova from Sebastián Acevedo on Vimeo.

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. ;)

Botanical Gardens

The Friday before New Years found Maeve and me in the Ft Worth Botanical Gardens with Adam's sister and her two children. It was only 70* out, and most of the garden was in winter hybernation, though the roses were in bloom. A whole section if the grassey hills was covered in orange and red fallen leaves. Elizabeth ran around making "leaf angels" and Ethan was rolling cartwheels through the crunchy carpeting.

Maevey girl, the weekend of her 3mo birthday...

Aside from a few steps, and hills too good not to run down, my neice's request was to guide the stroller throught the park, and I was happy for the break. It seems impossible to me that the girl who was just three when Adam and I began dating will be in college before our oldest is even in the third grade. For now, she adores her baby cousin, asking to hold her, begging her to smile. I'm sure in the coming years Maeve will hold her up with admiration while Elizabeth tries to sweetly shake free of her, and we'll smile and remind her of these days.

The afternoon sunlight through the trees by the pond. Sometimes I forget how good it feels to just be outside.