My Maggie: 7 Months

Maggie is 7 months old today. This "birthday" month has been the hardest for me to swallow to date. We are over the hump--the halfway hump--on our journey to a year old. Maggie's babyhood has been such a joy, and even though I still have several months of it to enjoy, I can't help but think that it will be gone in a blink of an eye. She almost makes me think I want another...key word "think".

So here is a look at our magnificent Maggie at the 7 month mark.

Eating

Maggie is officially a real solids eater. We start the morning with a 6 oz bottle and then head to the kitchen for the good stuff. She eats rice cereal mixed with an ounce of milk and fruit. If I had to guess this is her favorite meal of the day. She loves sitting at the table with big brother, whom often distracts her. There are mornings where breakfast takes a good 45 minutes. Listening to my kids giggle is well worth it though.

At lunch she takes a full 8oz bottle with no solids.

And then her dinner, which really isn't exactly dinner time, more like 4:00ish, she takes a 4 oz bottle and eats her veggies. So far, she is huge fan of orange and yellow veggies. When it comes to green ones, Maggie is a little more hesitant. I have to trick her by mixing the green ones with something brighter. Not always, but often. After her "dinner" we head up to wake Jack from his nap (one of M's favorite activities). This meal goes much faster without the distractions.

She tops of her day with a 8oz bottle after bath and before bedtime.

Last month I made a incorrect assumption that she was possibly becoming a ravenous eater like brother was at this age. Seems I was wrong, probably just a growth spurt or getting use to formula as opposed to nursing. She actually is a pretty slow eater, she dawdles a lot, takes breaks between bites, and takes her bottle in a fair amount of time. Not a big gulper.

Activity

Now that Maggie is an official sitter her list of activities has doubled. A few of her favorites are...

*stroller rides

*blocks on her nursery floor

*watching Cosby

*bath time

*gym class

*playing with big brother

*gnawing on every toy we own

*music class

*bed time books--her favorites are Goodnight Moon and The Big Red Barn

*sitting by/on the fountains at the baby pool

*watching other kids play

*her play mat

*waking big brother from his afternoon nap

*listening and dancing to music

*swinging on the playset

Sleep

Thankfully not much has changed in this arena. Maggie wakes between 7:45-8:00 am in the morning with a giant smile. She takes her morning nap around 9:30 am for about 2 hours. She then takes her afternoon nap at 1:30 pm for another 2-21/2 hours. And she is still holding on to that evening catnap at 5:30. This one only lasts about 45 minutes. Then she is off to bed at 7:30 pm after bath, bottle, and books.

In Other News

Well, it looks like the beach fever was a false alarm...still no teeth. I keep waiting and looking and so far nothing. She sure is showing all the signs--lots of drooling and chewing. Who knows?

Although, Jack is notorious for making Maggie belly laugh, she still prefers Mommy over anyone. I'm sensing a little separation anxiety--it seems a little early for that. We've been playing a lot of peek-a-boo and Mommy will be right back games.

Maggie is a giant roly poly. She has chubby rolls in places that I didn't even know were possible. It is so delicious! Depending on the brand, she is mainly wearing size 9 months. Although, she can still fit in a few of her 6-9 month clothes. She is wearing a size 2-3 diaper and I'm thinking we will be heading to the 3's sooner than later.

She might have the biggest smile I have ever seen on a baby. I love it when she gives me one of those wide open grins. Usually Jack is the only one who can solicit those. Maybe it's her lack of teeth that makes it look so big, I don't know, but it sure melts my heart.

About halfway through this month, I plan on introducing solids at lunch, some finger foods (puffs, Cheerios, etc.), and adding meat to her dinner. Wow! We've got a full plate ahead of us...literally.

And that is our Magpie at the 7 month mark. We are over the hump and have enjoyed almost (I won't lie) every minute to date. We adore you Mags! Happy 7 month birthday sweet one!

One Of The Perks To Being A Sitter....

...is you get to sit up in the bath tub. And actually play with toys! We can hardly get Mag's out of the tub these days. She has always been a bath lover, but this sitting thing has taken it to a whole new level.

Yum! I love this girl!

Ships Ahoy! It's A Boy!

For Cristina, that is. With two precious girls, (and I mean precious), Cristina is finally adding a baby boy to her brood. Lucas, his middle name is still up for discussion, is due to arrive August 3rd. I can't wait to meet that sweet baby boy.

While we were waiting, we sprinkled the Mommy to be with a nautical themed shower this weekend. Talk about fun decorations, not to mention the food and friends were top notch. And thanks to Kristen for hosting at her beautiful home--it was the perfect venue on a perfectly sunny day.

The fun goodies were located at the entry table in sand pails--yummy and adorable crab and sailboat shaped cookies. I'm so mad that you can't see the sailboat cookies in the red pail. Trust me, they were darling.

Instead of the traditional baby clothesline, we did a fishing net complete with nautical wear for Lucas. How fun it must be to be a summer baby!

Look at these divine desserts...compliments of Kristen. Yum! They tasted as good as they looked.

This boy won't be short of precious clothes after this shower. And doesn't Cristina just look beautiful pregnant?

The hostesses and Mommy to be...Kristen, Isabelle, Cristina (and Lucas), Adriana (Cristina's lil' sis), and me.

Beach Week

We just returned from a sunny and sandy week at the beach. It was our second annual trip with the Heilmans and the Miccas. This year it was 6 adults and 6 kiddos. Next year, with Cristina's upcoming addition, the adults will be out numbered. Yikes!

I have to admit, the week was busy, and at times, overwhelming. It was my and Clay's first attempt at life outside the comfort of our house with two little ones. Regardless of the challenges, Jack had a fabulous trip. He bunked with the big kids and even slept on the top bed per his request (I was shocked). He spent every single day at the beach and/or the pool. And he consumed enough sweet treats to last him the rest of the summer.

Maggie had fun, not quite as much as big brother though (that will come in time). Unfortunately, she fought a low grade fever for the first four days, teeth anyone? And with the fever came an extremely tired baby. She basically slept the first half of the vacation away. There wasn't much I could do to keep her awake, day or night, so we went with it. By the end of the vacation, she was feeling better and even made one trip to the beach and two trips to the pool. I'm sure all of that will change next year.

If you're curious, we were on the Gulf and it was beautiful! No oil or signs of it for that matter. We were extremely grateful for that. Our beach house was gorgeous (thanks Cristina) with plenty of room for all, our own pool, and a view.

Of course, I took way too many pictures. After we got home and I had a chance to regroup, Jack and I looked through all 165 of them. It was a nice reminder of how fun our family beach trip really was. What better way to organize all those memories than with a slide show? Enjoy the show and imagine the sun shining on your face and the waves crashing around you.

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