Growing Up!

So things are going pretty well here on the home front. My maternity leave is quickly winding down, three weeks left. The time is flying by...wish it would have flown this fast BEFORE, during all the waiting and waiting and waiting.

We went to my brother Todd's turkey plant on Wednesday (not really his plant--he just counts the turkeys and the money they bring in).

Thursday we ran all over town. We dropped our paperwork off at daycare and met some of the caregivers, we made a couple other stops (including seeing Grandma at work) and then headed to Wal-Mart. Mari loves Wal-Mart (super stimulating!) but she was so tired that she slept the entire time. Since I don't have a carrier-type car seat, I had to prop her up in the front of the cart...so cute, snoring all through Wal-Mart.

Thursday Mari turned 10 months old. Nothing exciting happened, it was actually a not great day. Two days of schedule interruptus and we were both a little cranky. Mari would not go to sleep but was too tired to play (very unusual--she can fall asleep at the mere mention of naptime). She also wanted nothing to do with me and the rocking chair...this was especially hard because she is just really starting to get cuddly and want my affection, so this seemed like a setback. So we both went to bed crying and exhausted.

Friday was a much better day. We went to Lowe's to order new carpet for Mari's room (this was originally Ollie's room and we have some "puppy chewing issues" that needed to be resolved--we were waiting on the installation special!) and got to see Granddad and lots of his co-workers. My previous feelings from the night before were washed away. Mari used to flirt with anyone, talk to everyone and charm the socks off people. I think she was used to seeking attention anywhere she could get it. Now she is subdued around strangers, not scared just quiet. As soon as we would walk away, she would start babbling to me and smiling. I think she is finally comfortable with knowing that I will give her the attention she craves and doesn't need to seek it from anyone that is around (maybe I'm reading too much into this--developmental pysch and sociology of the family were over a decade ago!).

After getting home from Lowe's, my friend Heather came over to hang out. Mari was sweet and cute (as usual) and Heather brought us some really neat things. We now have bowls that suction to the highchair (and I mean suction) so, one day soon, we can start feeding ourselves. We have a great new play blanket that has a waterproof back that will be wonderful for trips to the park. And Heather also brought me another set of sippy cups. I'm using Gerber transition bottles and sippy cups. They are triangular shaped for easy holding (Mari is a pro at holding her own bottle) and then you can add handles that adjust to three different angles, and sippy tops that you can exchange for the nipples. All the parts are interchangable so you can transtion to a sippy cup. So here is my blonde moment of the week--I had tried the sippy top a couple weeks ago but it was a disaster. Mari ended up choking on the juice and it poured all over her, so I figured that she just wasn't ready. When I opened the new package and started dismantling the sippy tops to wash, I realized that I had never put the valves back in the other set after washing...no wonder Mari was soaked! So I popped a valave back in, handed her the pear juice and away she went...guzzled out of the sippy top without a second thought. SO SAD!! She's growing up!

We spent the rest of the day having a good time. At bathtime, Mari finally figured out how to splash around and play. This led to a meltdown when I tried to take her out of the tub. Oh well. (BTW...the funny looking thing on the tub is supposed to hold inflatable rings like a stacking toy but they were cheap and wouldn't inflate, so I threw them away. It makes a good handle for Mari to hold on to. Just wanted to clarify what it was; it kind of looks questionable!)

Today, Mom came over and we ran a few errands and then Lesa brought Madi over this afternoon for a playdate. Chad joined us later and Madi was watching her Daddy very closely as he planted kisses on Mari. So cute! We made it through the day with only one fussy patch...after dinner Mari got mad because the food was gone (this used to be an issue but we have since worked through it, until tonight!). This probably had to do with the new food we added--banana yogurt. SUPER YUMMY! We made it through bathtime without pitching a fit when time to get out. She also went to sleep before the first song was done on the lullaby CD and I was able to get out of the rocking chair, turn on the light, change her diaper, cut her nails, and put her to bed without her waking up...that's tired!

Hopefully tomorrow will go as well! Whew, that ended up being a long post! If you are still reading, enjoy some pix!

My new sneakers! I stand up so much better with them on.

The doggie loves me...he just won't let me pet him yet.

Mickey cat wanted my Cheerios something bad!

Sammy cat likes to lay down beside me and I pet him...Mommy says not to pull chunks of his hair out but he doesn't mind.

Here is my first taste of meat...I think I might be a vegetarian. I gagged until I threw up. Mommy tried to get me to eat chicken and beef but they were both yucky. Mommy videoed me but was nice enough not to put it on the blog. She says that we will try again in a couple weeks...ugh!



If you have stuck with me to the end...here is a video treat. Mari loves to be "woofed" at but seems quite worried at meowing. On the other hand, Mari can perfectly mimic Mickey's meow...I actually spun around to tell the cat to be quiet the other day and it was Mari. She sounds just like him!