My Maggie: 15 Months

Has it really been 3 whole months since I did a "Maggie" post? (and just so you know, I move to an every 3 month update after the 1st b'day--so, I promise, she hasn't been shafted) But, wow, so much has happened and Maggie has changed in so many ways...where do I even begin?

My Maggie is truly my love...snugly, sweet, and kissable down to the core. She loves to be loved. There is no where she would rather be than with her family. When she takes off to play at home, she always comes back for a little touch, just to confirm I am still there and to remind me that she is still mine. If we are away from the comfort of our own home, she lingers a little longer. Sometimes, she practically lays across me while checking out the scenery. Other times, it's a simple hand on my leg.

She takes in a new environment from the safety of Mommy's side. I call her "my soaker". And when she finally gets the courage (and she almost always does) she explores, but only to come back for a kiss or a touch, before she is off again. I've come to appreciate Maggie's way of experiencing life and embrace it with her. I've decided to work with it instead of against it, and it has made all difference in her little world. Everything with Maggie is in baby steps. And since she is still my baby, that is fine by me.

I could never choose one word to describe my Mags. She is happy, content, cautious, and a little diva-like all at the same time. She usually knows exactly what she wants and she isn't scared to tell you. But, at the same time, she can be calmed in an instance. She definitely does the dramatic overreacting if she tumbles, a toy is taken away, or wants something (usually a Mum Mum from the pantry), but normally she only puts on a show if she has an audience. Generally she's a pretty content gal...just soaking it all in and learning from big brother. Like I said, my little "soaker".

With Maggie's budding personality, I am figuring out her "likes and loves" on a daily basis. She loves shoes, yogurt, silverware, big brother (but, who wouldn't?), the bath tub, Baby Mum Mums, Jack's sippy cups, Pinky, kisses, hats, Mommy's jewelry, tickle time, instruments, combs, naps, the wind in her face, and mirrors. She likes books, balls, Cosby, other children, and new faces over time.

But, of course, with "likes and loves", there comes dislikes. For Maggie, those include...diaper changes, veggies (a daily battle), dinner at 6:01 or anything later (dinner time at the Cibula household is 6 on the dot and I better not be running behind), being alone, teething, mittens, and the word "no". Luckily, her likes and loves out weigh her dislikes.

Maggie is still my super sleeper. At least 12 hours at night--7:30 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. Still a morning napper. Although, she has been cutting this one down. What use to be a full 2 hour nap has turned into an hour and a half, and on a rare occasion an hour. Fine by me. She is getting close to the dropping age and honestly, it's been nice to get going a little earlier. I expect this one to be a goner come the close of April. The great news is she has extended her afternoon nap to a good 3 hours on those days. Regardless, she gets what she needs and I can tell by what a happy baby she is. (and yes, I will continue to call her a baby as opposed to a toddler until she actually starts toddling).

On that note, Maggie is a mover. Just not a conventional one. She has her own way of crawling--left knee down, right foot up. It's definitely different, but it gets her where she wants to go. She is also a full fledged cruiser and will use any person or piece of furniture to get her to her destination. Mags has even begun taking independent steps. The most we've gotten from her to date is 7. I'll admit right here, I cried. This is all new to me. Jack LITERALLY went from crawling to running, there was no build up. So watching Maggie progress has been an absolute amazing joy. The best part is she loves it too. That is, the game of taking steps back and forth between two people she loves--a giant smile covers her face the entire time. We are getting there, but like I said my Maggie likes to take things in baby steps (no pun intended).

As for eating, Maggie can be a challenge. She likes to eat, don't get me wrong. The hard part is what she devours one day, she won't even touch the next. I've made some really BIG mistakes stocking up at the grocery store thinking I've finally found something she likes. Basically, if it were up to her, her diet would consist of chicken, bread, and yogurt--these are the staples that she never sways from, even on a bad day. Obviously, she doesn't get to make the menu, so I've found other things that suit her palate and that are considerably healthy.

She will eat cheese, but only if its in a sandwich (go figure). I hide veggies...a lot. Like in cheese quesadillas, applesauce, and those squeeze Happy Tots things (LOVE THEM!!). Seriously the best invention and they are packed with veggies. She will generally eat most fruits. But again, I have a few tricks up my sleeve. She doesn't like bananas (odd, I know). So I buy the freeze dried ones at Trader Joes and she gobbles them down. She'll eat strawberries, blueberries (her fave), and purple grapes (no green ones though), cantaloupe (only with a fork), and watermelon. I actually went ahead and introduced her to peanut butter. I was running out of protein options (a girl can only eat so much chicken) and she really liked it and thankfully no allergic reaction. I didn't figure, but you never know.

I find Magpie's eating habits unusual too (for our family at least). She eats one really big meal a day and at the other two she kind of just nibbles. It did alarm me at first, Jack NEVER turned down a meal. But, she is not Jack and she is not a boy (note to self). The other habit I have found odd is that 5 out of 10 times, she turns down milk at bed time. It never affects her nighttime sleep, so I've learned to just go with it. I have no doubt she is getting what she needs based on her big ol' belly and her big ol' dirty diapers, so it is what it is.

As for size, my Mags is going to be petite, no doubt about it (according to the Pediatrician anyway). I pray every night that she will be taller than me, even if it's just a tiny bit. I sure hope God is listening. Petite is fine, but short is no fun. I find that she is very true to size when it comes to clothing. When she was a year old she wore 12 month clothing, now at 15 months, she wears 18 month with a little room to grow. It makes clothes shopping easy (which is the absolute last thing I need with her endless wardrobe). I've recently moved her up to a size 4 diaper. We were in the 3's for a loooong time. Again, this is all new to me after having a super sized son who continues to grow at an outstanding rate. However, we did have her 15 month well visit this week and she is definitely a growing girl. Even with her small size, the pediatrician says she has baby fat rolls in all the right places and growing just perfectly. Here are her most recent stats:

Height 31" 50th percentile

Weight 22.10 oz 40th percentile

Maggie is a babbler and has a growing vocabulary. Most of her "talking" comes when it's just the two of us, so most people wouldn't even know she talks. Again, she is usually soaking it all in during group situations. However, her words include...shz (shoes), bye bye, mama, da (daddy), Jck (Jack), duhh (dog and duck), bu (bow), hattt (hat), booh (book), vrooom (car or anything that goes), bebe (baby), moh (more), ssss (socks), papple (apple), and ite (for right back while bobbing her index finger in the air). There might be more, but that's what I can remember off the top of my head. She has a few animal noises too--baa, woof, quack, boing (for the bunny and kangaroo), waddle (for the penguin), moo, and the elephant (however you would spell that).

Her favorite toy is whatever Jack is playing with. I kid you not. However, it seems to be working for us. Thankfully she never puts anything in her mouth except for food, so my fear of choking on small pieces is pretty much null (knock on wood). And thankfully, Jack is amazing at sharing with her and she with him as well.

But, if Jack is not around, she will generally go for anything she can stack or take in and out. Her fine motor skills blow my mind. Maggie can tackle some shape sorters that are clearly above her age level. Stacking cups are definitely a fave, blocks, and Little People are up there too. She also adores her green reading chair and can sit for lengthy periods of time reading books. 50% of the time they are upside down, but still reading, none the less. For the most part Maggie likes to do it on her own and isn't crazy about me taking over. That is pretty hard for me because, 1) I love to read, even kids books and 2) I feel like she could get so much more out of them if she would let me narrate. Regardless, I am truly happy to see she is acquiring a love for books--it took us a while to get there.

So there you have it....Maggie at 15 months. If you are still reading this, you definitely get 2 gold stars in my book. And if you skimmed your way down, you sure did miss out on a lot of precious tidbits on my baby girl. If I've said it once, I've said it a million times, this little Magpie of mine has stolen my heart. She is such a beautiful and amazing part of our family. I think we have all found ourselves helplessly in love with her. She is a Daddy's, Mommy's, and Brother's little girl all rolled into one. We love you Mags! Happy 15 months sweet baby girl.

*note this post was written and pictures taken on Maggie's actual 15 month birthday (February 9th), but I waited to publish it until we got her stats at her DRs appt.--I promise I didn't forget about you Mags:)*