Round Two

Maggie is 4 months away from being 2; I can not believe how quickly time has passed. Every day my baby looks more and more like a little girl and less like a baby. Which is both exciting and sad. Exciting because I really have come to love watching her grow and experiencing her "learning" journey with her. And the more obvious sad because she is growing up so fast. I feel like it was just yesterday that she was my 9 lb 8 oz bundle of joy complete with wiring, tubes and an entire NICU staff to care for her; and now she is not only breathing on her own she is my little chatterbox "running","jumping", and even feeding herself. She is well on her way to being ready to be a big sister or at least will be eventually. Which brings me to the reason this entry is called round two. We have been talking about having another baby since this past October, actually a little before that. Anyway...this past October we went and had a consult with a fertility clinic here in Connecticut to get an idea of the process this time around. The visit helped us figure out how we were going to time trying. As you know if you follow this blog that we have been very busy since October so our plan was to hold off until we were back here in Connecticut. So here we are in Connecticut settled in enough to have had some time to get things rolling with the fertility clinic. So this time around will be played a little differently, first off our insurance doesn't cover fertility assistance or treatment, but it does cover diagnostics. So that being said this time around it is making a deeper impact on us financially but isn't really altering our plan of action. Because I had a c-section our Dr. wanted to do some "diagnostic" tests (covered by insurance) blood work, ultrasound, HSG and SHG. HSG which is also called a tube flush is where they squirt an iodine solution into your uterus and up your fallopian tubes to see if there are any blockages like scar tissue. SHG is also referred to as lining check is where they squirt saline solution into your uterus and then do an ultrasound to look at the lining of your uterus they check it for scar tissue or any polyps. So this past week I got to be poked and prodded something I didn't really miss from our first endeavor. Luckily the procedures involved very little pain opposite of what many have said and they didn't take too long. I am also happy to report everything came back great! We have a consult scheduled with our doctor on the 11th of June to draw out our game plan. Before the consult I have to get all the paperwork done to have our sperm shipped to the fertility clinic and then it should just be similar to our 1st endeavor where we wait until the right time and I get poked and prodded and hopefully the beginning of July should be around when we try for the 1st time!

Someone Sleeps through the night!

May has brought us a new pleasure... we call it sleeping through the night! Now there are still nights she wakes up but those nights seem to be fewer and fewer. We even had a 4 day streak of sleeping all night!

Casino Time!

Seana had a Diversity Conference she had to attend at the Foxwood Resort which it turns out is a Casino in Connecticut... Maggie and I had opted to go with and made the most of our time at the Casino pool side! Aside from the cigarette smoke and limited entertainment for a 19 month old we had a great time plus got to be part of a ridiculously over priced meal.. I doubt I will ever calorie splurge like that again... I got to try foie gras for the first and last time. I also indulged in truffled macoroni and cheese, the most expensive mashed potatoes ever and a bone in $60.00 ribeye... as well as some tasty yet pricey red wine and creme brulee all thanks to her company! Although it was very tasty all of which didn't sit on my stomach well sadly and I threw it all up at 3 am. It has been a week now and the thought of red meat brings on an involuntary gag... I guess now is a good time to give up red meat if I am going to... yuck. If you personally know me you should know that does not sound like me! At any rate, we did have a good time but I am thankful that her next conference is a more family friendly local... ORLANDO!!!

"wait" "bow" and "open"

Over the past few weeks Maggie has been building up her vocabulary as well as her understanding of the world.

One of the many things I love about being home with Maggie is watching her learn.  You can almost see the synapses in her brain fire as she puts things together.  Of course like us all as she is learning some things she puts together aren't quite right.  I also see how I myself use words as she uses them by my example.

Bow:

Maggie knows that bows go in your hair and she knows what bows look like.  She will grab a bow and put it up to her head and say "bow" of course she then lets it go and it falls to the ground since she hasn't mastered or even really noticed the clip that holds the bow in place.  So I had to laugh when she linked bows that go in your hair to jewelry...  more specifically my nose ring.  I was holding her in my arms and she points at my nose and says "nose" I respond by saying "yes that is Mommy's nose" she then points at my nose ring and says "bow" I couldn't help but chuckle. I told her "No baby that is a nose ring" to which she said "bow".  I think this is oh so very cute and I want to just cave and say "yes that is mommy's bow", but I know she needs to know what things are really called.  I have been working with her on this and a couple of days ago it happened she pointed at my nose ring and said "nose rey".  I of course said "yes baby that is my nose ring" and smiled at her while she touched it with her fingertip and repeated "nose rey" oddly my heart was a little sad because "bow" was so adorable and this correction is one more sign of how quickly she is growing up.

Wait:

When I am changing a diaper sometimes Maggie's squirm worm comes out and I tell her "Wait, Mommy is almost done, hold still.... Wait".  I had no idea that Maggie was taking in the meaning of wait in a way I hadn't expected.  As you may have read Maggie had an ear infection and cold recently and we were given antibiotics and children's mucinex to give her.  I of course was not real thrilled about administering all of these meds.  My experience with children's tylenol has been hot and cold; sometimes she will grab it and suck it down but more often then not she fights it and we have to force feed it to her.  The first go round was not too bad, but the second she knew what was coming and as I went to pick her up with syringe in hand she looked at me and turned to run away with a plea "WAIT...WAIT" and then crying as I scoop her up and sit her on my lap, she turns her head left and right to avoid the syringe "Wait!!"  To which I say in exasperation, "I'm sorry but this can't wait!" and force it down.  After the task of getting her to take the stuff I had to laugh because she had a new word in her vocabulary and she uses it almost right... "Wait" to Maggie is her way of saying No I don't want you to do that... not so much a request to delay an act.  Since this she has started to use it anytime something is happening she doesn't like; this includes when people leave she doesn't want to leave.  Like Seana going to work, when she heads out the door, Maggie cries and says "wait".... Or the last time we skyped with my parents and we hung up and the screen went black.  Maggie cried and said "wait".... which are a proper use of the word but not how she is wanting it if that makes sense, she wants them to stay and not do the action of leaving.... she doesn't want them to wait as in hold up from leaving if that makes sense.  I want to try to capture her saying this on video but haven't succeeded because she puts so much emotion into it.

Open:

Maggie has really picked up on the word open, maybe because she loves to open drawers and cabinets... but she has decided that you can open everything and until a few days ago the process of opening is also closing.. so you "opay" when you open a drawer and you "opay" when you close a drawer.  This was easier to correct than the nose ring, she now has it right most of the time... so when you "opay" you open and when you "kose" you close something.   What I think is super cute is that the action of opening to Maggie can be applied to almost everything and come to think of it a lot of things can in fact be opened, but somethings that you want "opay" just can't be opened... Like pulling a chair away from the table to climb up onto it, that chair can't be "opened" it can be "pulled out"... Or when you want to play with your toes and you are wearing your footsy pjs or shoes and socks... You can't "open" them you can "take them off"... Or if you are sitting in your high chair and you want to "open" the lap belt... You can't "open" it you must "unlatch" it... You can't "open" toys out of a box, you can "pull them out of the box.  You can however open a snack bag, open a juice box, open a door, open a toy box, open a bag, open a wallet, open a zipper as well as a hundred other things just not everything.

Other misused words:

Ceiling Fans & Lights  are Stars

Tomato or anything red and round are Apples

Walking is both Walking & Climbing


I think I will add to this list as I think of them, There are moments when I try to take note of some of the things she says so I can add it to this post before I post it, and then I sit down and my mind goes blank... So I am just going to post this already!

The Silverman's Farm

This week we didn't have our preschool playgroup as it was spring break for the local schools... so we all still wanted to do something enriching for our little tots and Natasha had mentioned a local petting zoo!  So we decided to give it a go!

Silverman's is quite the farm!  

Here are some pics..

Maggie learns the importance of feeding from your palm when her little fingers got nibbled.

 Checking out the chickens!

 Attempting to feed the chickens...

 Oooh buffalos!

 Maggie such a cutie!

 Maggie trying to give the lamb a kiss!

 Having fun in the play area!

A little trailer for your viewing pleasure! The farm has a good variety of animals, plus some fun "farm" themed play areas and even a maze! All of our tots enjoyed everything it had to offer including the gravel on the path! After we went through the petting zoo we crossed the street to the Market, where I bought one of their homemade pies... I must say it was tasty but Seana and I agree both our Moms make a better pie... It must be the love they throw in at the end! They also have some local honeys available so I got a couple to try. It was a great day!

The Beardsley Zoo

One of the great aspects of being back in Connecticut is my zoo membership hasn't expired and I still have a free pass up my sleeve!  So we decided to spend part of our Saturday going to the zoo as a family!  The parking lot made it seem like everyone had the same idea!  As we were trying to find a place to park I spotted a spot, and also spotted another car coming the other direction who had a better angle and beat me to the blinker!  

Let me just preface that we know about 4 people/families outside of Seana's work so the chances of running into someone we know are scarce.... but wouldn't you know it the family I gave up the parking spot for we KNEW!!  It was Miles with his Mom & Dad!

So once we were ready to head in the zoo we opted to go say hi and we unanimously decided that we should go through the zoo together!

Here are some pics...

Maggie in wolf house

Maggie looking out and "touching" a wolf (great camera angle work by Muti!)

Maggie being cute (Miles' Dad in the background)

Miles & his Mommy and Maggie & her Muti checking out the Otter!

Sir Otter!

Miles & Maggie tolerating this photo shot!

Miles & Maggie checking out the alligator (well Maggie is really just checking out the ground)

Maggie sporting a super cute twist hair do (yes I am proud)

Maggie Measuring up!

Maggie Measuring up last summer for comparison!

On the move!

Maggie & Muti having fun at the Zoo!

It was a great trip to the zoo and the fact that it serendipitously became a group outing made it twice as fun! We can't wait to hang out with them again!

Easter, Egg Hunt, Ear Infection E! E! E!

Easter has now come and gone, but we actually did plan a little egg hunt for Maggie, complete with her own new Easter Kitty!  I have to thank Dora the Explorer in preparing Maggie for the egg hunt, we actually bought a Dora DVD for our trek to CT and one of the episodes is an egg hunt.  This completely prepared Maggie for a what an egg hunt entails, mostly it taught her that when you open eggs there is a treat inside!

Warning Side Story about to unfurl!  A week or so before Easter I was going to make Maggie a scrambled egg, so I pulled out an egg and placed it on the counter.  Cue Maggie wandering into the kitchen pointing at the counter "Egg, Egg, Egg" "OPEN!!!"  I then preceded to pick Maggie up and explain to Maggie that this is a real egg that there is no "treat" inside just her breakfast that has to be cooked, which turned into me attempting and somewhat succeeding in cracking the egg one handed into the pan and cooking one handed while she watched on my hip.

Back on TOPIC!  We went out an got the little plastic eggs to put treats in and picked out some Hershey's chocolates, and a big Easter Egg with a toy inside.  We then took Maggie to Build-A-Bear where she in her own fashion picked out her Easter Friend.  This ended up being an orange kitty.  She held on to him while we explored the mall after and then when we got home we put him back in his Build-A-Bear box and set him aside for her Easter Gift. (1st thing we won't be able to pull off next year)

On Easter, in a very unGodly fashion chose breakfast at Cracker Barrel over attending Church (Which by the way was a great time to go, the place was empty!) We then came home and relaxed and I loaded up the eggs with their treats then took them out and put them in the yard for hunting. (2nd and 3rd thing we won't be able to do next year)  To spell out that would be:  2.  Wake up and do anything before the egg hunt  3. Do the prep work for the egg hunt at my leisure)

Maggie did great with her egg hunt and we put together a short trailer and a longer video of her Easter Egg hunt:

All in all a great Easter for Maggie's first experience.  In the future we want to incorporate more Jesus and maybe a planned meal!

Now, Maggie has been fighting a cold since the beginning of April, so last Monday I took her in to the Dr since her cough was sounding more wet and not clearing up after almost 2 weeks!!  We also noticed her playing with her ears, so we went in and after a long wait we got to see the Dr.  He did confirm she had an ear infection in her right ear and that she is at high risk for bronchitis since the "flem" seems to headed toward moving into her chest.  So we were told to give her Children's Mucinex for 4-5 days and amoxicillan for 10 days.  Well today is the 10th day, she still has a cough when she wakes up but is fine the rest of the day, she is still playing with her ears... so I am not sure if she is completely out of the woods.  Her follow up appointment is on this Monday so we will see how we look.  I am still worried!

This blog has been brought to you by the letter E!