Oh dear sweet Maggie, where did the time go? It's true she is really 11 months old today.
The one year birthday party plans are in the works and there is nothing I can do to stop it. Maggie must sense my anxiety because she is taking her precious time growing up. Which honestly, is fine by me. Everyone warned me that #2 would grow up so fast trying to keep up with #1...not my Maggie. She still feels like a baby, I mean she is technically a baby, but she really doesn't feel anywhere near a year old. I like that. I'm soaking in her babyhood every chance I get. I remember how fast it can go and luckily Mag's is taking it slow just for me...did I ever mention how much she loves me? Thanks Magpie!
With that being said, here is an 11 month update on My Maggie...
Eating
This has become an interesting topic around here. Maggie has seemed to develop some preferences in the last couple months...that's my nice way of saying she is becoming a "picky eater". I really don't want to label her with that quite yet, I keep hoping I can break the habit.
Too many tastes of Jack's honey nut cheerios and sneak licks of Jack's popsicles may have attributed to this little dilemma. I have banned any sweets from her chair or mouth to see if I can remedy the situation. It's certainly not awful, but it has the potential to be.
I have found that she is definitely a meat eater (unlike her brother). She loves chicken, pork, veggie burgers, fish, even seasoned up. That's nice. She devours grapes and will eat almost any fruit I put in front of her, except for mango. A big fan of apples and sugar free applesauce. Applesauce has actually been my ally in getting green veggies down her throat--I just have to hide them in a spoonful. Other than green veggies, I can get her to eat pretty much every other vegetable without disguising it, a little coaxing maybe, but no disguise...beets (yuck), lima beans (yuck again), corn, sweet potatoes, carrots, and even tomatoes. Of her green veggies, she prefers asparagus...we found this out recently when we were out to dinner. Since then, I steam some and keep it in the fridge like there is no tomorrow.
If she doesn't like something you will know right away. She puts it in her mouth, swishes it around for about half a second, and then pulls it out with a look of disgust. I just keep handing it back to her and eventually she eats it.
What has completely surprised me is her strong will towards using a fork. If she sees me eating with one, she whimpers and reaches out her hand until I giver her a kiddie one. Great, yes, she's using utensils, however, I am the one piercing the food on the fork, she eats it off the fork, and then so kindly hands me the fork so I will replenish it. It makes for a loooong meal. I will give her credit though, she lately has been trying to pierce the food herself, unfortunately, she hasn't been so lucky. We will get there.
It's hard for me to believe that it is almost time to wean her off of a bottle. As great as she is with her sippy cup, she doesn't seem ready. I'm confident she will do fine, I just feel like she is still a wee one. Oh well, I've got a month to start that process--a lot can change in a month.
Activity
I could easily cover this section in one sentence...Maggie's favorite activity is being attached to Mommy. But, I won't. I'll giver her more credit than that.
She does like to play, as long as Mommy is within arms reach. One of her favorite activities is sitting on her nursery floor reading soft books with me. She looks through the basket, she chooses one and hands it right over to me, as if to say, "read this one". Without fail, her first choice is always "My Piggy Book". It's a pink plush book in the shape of a pig head. She loves when the piggy eats his cookie and the sound effects that come from Mommy. I can always get a giggle and a smile.
Her other favorite activity is playing ball. I kid you not, this baby could sit on the floor for an hour throwing the ball back and forth with me or Daddy. Daddy claims, "she is our athlete". That obviously remains to be seen, but there is no doubt about it--she is a ball lover.
Mag's still loves her walks. We have varied our modes of transportation by adding the wagon, next up the push car. I try to avoid the stroller because I feel like she is in it enough as it is. Her favorite part of the walk is watching Cosby trot along beside us. Speaking of, she has become very adamant about holding his leash--thank goodness he is an easy dog to walk.
Of course, she is very fond of gym and music classes. That might be putting it lightly--she almost lives for Wednesdays and Fridays. Gym class is where she shows the most motivation to crawl. She is entranced by the babies and will do almost anything to get near them. And music class, well, she just loves music, so it is a perfect fit for her. She bobs her head to the beat, loves to dance, and is an avid drum player. She wears a smile for almost the entire 45 minutes (unless Mommy has to get up to return an instrument).
So, I'm guessing you have figured out she has separation anxiety. I am really not use to this--but we are trying to manage. I won't lie, it's frustrating and flattering all at the same time. It has really peaked here in the past month--perfect timing for her 1st birthday party, huh?
As for crawling, we are still not there yet. I never thought I would be saying/writing that at 11 months, but here I am. I will admit, I do have a little anxiety about the whole thing. But, like I've always said, my sweet girl is on "Maggie Time" and is in no rush to grow up. I can excitingly report that, finally, in the last week or two, she has shown an earnest interest in moving--and that is actually progress around here. She has pulled up, only to fall down seconds later and she even got on all fours today. She rocked back and forth and then plummeted to her belly. She was not happy about it. We will see what the next month holds...
Sleeping
This is an easy one--she is a Sleeper with a capital "S". Thanks to God, Babywise, and my diligent routine ( I have to give myself a little credit).
Maggie takes her morning nap at 9:30 and usually wakes at 11:30, unless I grab her a bit early. Her afternoon nap is from 1:30 until 4:30ish. And then she is back to bed at 7:30. Her morning wake up time is around 8:00...yes, I have been blessed.
She dives right into her crib, sound machine buzzing, her pippo (pink hippo lovey) in her hand, and a thumb in her mouth. A little kiss and she is off to snoozeville. So crazy that her separation anxiety doesn't effect her sleep or me leaving her nursery--I better not jinx myself.
So 31 more days and she is officially a 1 year old. Honestly, it's so hard to believe. I can say with confidence, that I have soaked in her baby months with every piece of my being. I hold her tight, snuggle her close, and love on her every chance I get. She is so yummy! And might I add...beautiful too! I think that's okay, since I am her Mommy.
We love you Magpie with all our hearts! Next month we get to celebrate just you and won't that be glorious!
