Maggie's Weekly Video

Maggie Meets Santa

It was a very snowy morning and really cold, but we made the trek to the mall to meet Santa. We chose that snowy Saturday morning becuase the young "elf" that worked there told us that the "good" Santa would be there then. So, we naturally wanted Maggie's first meeting with Santa to be with a "good" Santa. As Matt said after the photos were snapped "if that was the good Santa, I'd hate to see the bad Santa!" Maggie wasn't sure what to make of the big man, but she eventually cracked a small smile.

Christmas in Chicago

Maggie had an eventful first Christmas in Chicago. Highlights of her visit included playtime with cousin Brady, a trip to Dad and Godfather Jimmy's (and their cronies) favorite hangout in high school - Tommy's, seeing much of her extended Chicago family for the first time, meeting Mandy and Vicky, playtime with Grandma and Grandpa Miloch and much much more.

She seemed to catch on to the "opening presents" part of Christmas pretty well. Christmas Eve mass was packed so we listened to mass in the foyer. Maggie slept through half of mass, but then woke up and caught the Christmas spirit.

Maggie at 6 months

Maggie's 6 months stats:

17 pounds and 6 ounces
27 inches long
44 cm for her head

As you may recall, Maggie started life with what we have called the Lance Armstrong cycling helmet head but what medical professionals call "Breach head". Her head is now rounder than 85% of kids her age. She is taller than 90% of kids her age and she weighs 75% more than kids her age. Dr. Laughlin gave specific instructions for Maggie to now be encouraged to use a sippy cup for a little water and her formula but no juices yet. She can now start trying bread, mashed bananas, mashed veggies, and some little bits of cereal.

It was a good visit. Stay tuned for more updates.

Par Avion

Maggie has received tons of mail, but yesterday, she received her first air mail. Aunt Kelle and Uncle Matt sent her a postcard from London. We showed it to Maggie and read it to her. Then, we let her hold it, and she had a ball examining it.

Maggie and Angus

Maggie has become way more animated than ever in the last week. She babbles and grunts to get attention. She mainly focuses her attention getting efforts at Angus, and when he does not comply and grant her the attention she so desperately craves, she cries. She literally has cried with tears and all. She has become quite fond of Angus. She watches him when he walks around the room; she grunts at him when he leaves the room; she smiles at him; she laughs at him; she will sometimes stick her tongue out at him; and most of all, she enjoys reaching out to pet him or to hold his tail. It's too funny.

A Thanksgiving to Remember

Hello all. We had one rule this Thanksgiving, and that was to not get out of our loungewear all day. We managed to succeed. I have never made such a scaled down Thanksgiving meal and I had never spent the entire Thanksgiving Day in my pajamas but it was fantastic. We did miss our families, but we enjoyed a little down time with Maggie. Maggie began the day wearing her "My Little Turkey" onesie and bib from Aunt Kelle and Uncle Matt. Early in the evening, we changed her into her lounge wear.

Matt and I dined on Greenberg smoked turkey from Tyler, Texas, green bean casserole (at Matt's request), cornbread dressing, and mashed potatoes and gravy. I also made Matt a pumpkin pie. Maggie enjoyed her first real table food in mashed potatoes. I made some special for her that I just boiled in unsalted water and then mashed up in very small pieces. She didn't really like them. She gave us a face like "aren't these supposed to have butter, sour cream, cheese or at the very least gravy on them?" Once she recovered from the mashed potato experience, she scarfed down squash, green beans, and pears.

After Matt gave her the first taste of potatoes.


After her second taste of mashed potatoes.

It was a fantastic Thanksgiving, and one we won't ever forget.

Taggies

When Nana came to visit for my birthday last weekend, we took a trip to Babies R Us to shop for Maggie a Christmas dress. I was also keeping an eye out for a "taggie" ball for Maggie for Christmas. I am sure this comes as a shock to no one, but instead of giving it to her for Christmas, Nana and I decided that Maggie could have it that day. And, Nana purchased it for Maggie. The "taggie" ball is a big hit with Maggie. It has little tags that she can tug and pull all over it and it makes a cute little noise. She's tosses it and will reach for it, she shakes it, and she kicks it with her feet. It's a big hit.

The Prodigal Dog Returns

The other night, we thought we had lost our canine child, Angus. It was the worst night ever. We scoured the neighborhood until 3 am. It was so cold and we were walking between houses with flashlights, knowing that any minute, we'd be shot or arrested. We came home at 3, slept until 6, and I went back out at 6:30. About 9:15, Canine Companions called to say that a neighbor of ours had put Angus up for the night. He was walking his dogs and Angus played with them and followed them home. He fed him and let him sleep with his dogs that night. He said Angus looked familar to him so he took him (with his dogs) to daycare on Friday morning. We were never so happy to see Angus. This experience was so dreadful that we have decided to find a way to put a GPS lo-jack system on Maggie. (Just kidding). Ironically, Angus was able to - even on his adventure - be no stranger to comfort, while we nearly froze trying to find him. What a nice thing our neighbor did. And, yet another reason to be grateful this year!

The Kindness of Strangers

Since Maggie was born, I can't help but notice how different people are to those out and about with a little baby. And by different, I mean quite nice. Chilvalry certainly isn't dead, and "do as you'd have done unto you" is alive and well. So many times I have had my hands full of something and with Maggie, and someone will go out of their way to open a door for me, pick something up for me, or help me reach something. It's been so wonderfully nice. It's almost as if most women remember being in this same situation at one point in their lives and want to help, and it's as if most men feel gentlemanly, and decide to help. Somethng like this must happen at least five times per week. A few times, men have actually got up from a seat to help me or have put something down to help me. The other day, I had Maggie in her stroller and I had a few bags in my hand. A guy got up from his chair and opened the door for me. There was another door to go through and he followed me and opened that door too. I couldn't believe it. Then he says "Ma'am, do you need help getting everything to your car?" and I politely said no and thanked him for your help. Maybe I am noticing these things more now that I am practicing engaging in "Five Random Acts of Kindness" each day - or as I refer to them "Five Random Acts of Senseless Kindness." It was sort of a mid-year resolution of mine. And, yes, I can be and am often kind to others :-). A year ago, one of my friends with two kids said to me that one of the main differences of life with children is that it forces you to become more social. This has certainly held true as well. It doesn't matter where we are or what we are doing, people talk to Maggie first, and then strike up conversations with me or Matt - things like "how old is she?", "I am expecting a grandbaby in a month" (the timeframes always vary), "I remember when mine was that age," and the dreaded "is it a boy or a girl?" My favorite was last weekend at Kohl's in Greenwood, Indiana when a couple with two older kids walked by and the husband said to his wife "That is by far the cutest baby I have ever seen. I mean that is truly a cute baby" I am not kidding - those were his exact words. I couldn't believe it. A perfect stranger with an unbiased opinion. Back to the kindness thing - last week, when I picked my mom up at the airport, a serviceman was also waiting near her. I have the utmost respect for service men and women, as we have several very good friends who are in the service. This man, looking tired and maybe a little sad, watched me pull to the curb to pick up my mom. Mom, in her excitement to see Maggie, immediately set her suitcase down and opened the back door. I came around the back of my car to get her suitcase and load it up. He walks over and says "I'll put that in your car for you, ma'am." I thought, here is this guy - looking completely worn out - and he wants to help me. I politely replied "I appreciate your offer, but I will do it because you have done so much for me already. Thanks for everything you do." I really wanted to launch into a conversation with him and tell him about our two really good friends in Iraq and our other friends who work so hard and sacrifice so much for the greater good, but it seemed like he understood that I was trying to say thanks. I hope he had a good visit to Indy because he certainly deserves it.

I am rambling but here's my point - this Thanksgiving, as well as the rest of this year, we have felt especially grateful for the kindness of others. And, you're probably thinking, jeez Kim - it would have been kind of you to get to your point much quicker. Anyway, Happy Thanksgiving, and all our love!

Livin' Large in the High Chair

Since Maggie has been sitting up so well, we decided to have her use her high chair. And, she loves it. It has little gadgets for her to play with and she loves those too. The high chair is fantastic - it reclines, it folds up and down, and it it has removable and washable trays. So, she can play in it, sleep in it, and be fed in it. Very cool and fun!

Trick or Treat

For Maggie's first Halloween, she was a pumpkin. After we dressed her in this costume, we felt like we probably should have lookef for a more "pumpkin" like costume. Or, we could have been more creative than just a pumpkin. Hopefully, she'll forgive us. We had originally looked for a little cowgirl costume, but we couldn't find one in her size. Maybe next year. It was a great Halloween. Maggie saw her little friend Nathan, and our neighbors and friends fed us some awesome chili and an amazing chocolate cake. We ran out of candy early - and I guess it was too early - because one trick or treater rang our doorbell four times and then proceeded to kick our door. I was a little concerned that our house might get egged, but fortunately, we were spared. Here are photos of our little pumpkin!

Sittin' Pretty

About a month ago, Dr. Moore said that Maggie had skipped the rolling over phase in favor of learning to sit up early. Of course, we loved the thought of her being ahead of the game so to speak but we didn't completely think she was that far ahead. Apparently, Dr. Moore knew what he was talking about. Two weeks ago, during her Musikgarten class (which she LOVED), she starting balancing as she sat up and would put her hands out to balance. The next afternoon, she and I were playing on the floor and low and behold, she sat up for about 30 seconds and balanced pretty well. She did it again that night in Matt's lap and on the floor. She loves sitting up. I think she has worked to do this so she can get out of tummy time - she HATES tummy time. Now, she can hold the position for a good 2 minutes. She can reach and hold things and can look around without losing her balance. It's quite exciting for us. She eventually gets tired and then will only hold her balance for shorter time periods and fall right over. We place pillows all around her so she can topple over safely. It is no wonder why babies sleep so much because it feels like every day she makes a huge leap forward.

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit

In October, Maggie was baptized at St. Paul Catholic Center. It was an absolutely fabulous day. Father Bob baptized Maggie, and it was a wonderful baptism. We were so lucky to have so many of our family and friends there to celebrate with us. We had a fun lunch at the Federal Room at the Union on campus afterward, then a Texas style bbq that evening, and brunch to see everyone off on Sunday.

Everyone has asked me if I will convert and become Catholic. I have no desire or plans to convert, but Maggie will be raised Catholic and will have Matt to guide her. I am learning all about it though so I can hopefully answer any questions she may have as she grows up. Plus, she has two great Godparents to guide her as well - her Aunt Kelle and Jimmy. We are really lucky they are her Godparents, and we are also really lucky to have such good friends that are active and supportive in Maggie's life.

Maggie and the Great Pumpkins

A few weeks ago, Maggie visited her first pumpkin patch at the Freeman Family Farm. It was cold and rainy, and although we captured some good photos of her, she wasn't her usual smiley self. We took a hayride to get to the pumpkin patch which was quite smal, especially in comparison to the pumpkin patches in Illinois. We had a fun time though, and will go again next Fall.

Milestones and Mayhem

Here’s a summary of our last several weeks. Maggie had her first ear infection just shy of her 4 month birthday. She handled it great. She didn’t even run a fever.

About a week later, we received an email from Maggie’s daycare informing us that a stomach virus had infiltrated the infant room and that several infants were home sick with vomiting and other unpleasant things. This was on a Thursday morning. I had the bright idea to keep her out of daycare for that Thurs. and Fri. in the hopes that she would be spared. Friday afternoon around 3, she began throwing up. It’s very odd seeing a little one do this – especially Maggie. She is always all smiles and very content and even with this illness, she was – most of the time – her normal self. After a few hours, the “other” unpleasantries also began. This made “dirty” diaper changes even more unpleasant. For some odd reason, I thought that I’d have some type of immunity to her illness so I wasn’t too worried about catching it – until Saturday afternoon when I was slammed with the virus. It was awful. I started feeling a little better early am on Monday – right about the time that Matt woke me up saying that he had now contracted it. Matt had by far the worst case of it. It literally wiped us out the entire week. I kept Maggie out of daycare that whole week on the advice of her doctor and the daycare. It spread through the entire infant room, the toddler room, and the 3’s room. It was so widespread that many of the caregivers were out sick. Every caregiver in the infant room except one and every baby in the infant room except one, came down with the virus. I was assured by the daycare director that other “entire” families had been slammed with the virus including his. Somehow, it didn’t make us feel better. Angus was once again spared from the human illness and did his best to help us recuperate by sleeping up against us instead of in his bed. No stranger to comfort is Angus.

Maggie also had her second round of boosters just about two weeks later. She received this round of shots from her friend Jay. Jay works at Dr. Laughlin and Dr. Moore’s office, and he and Maggie have hit it off big time. Jay was devastated to give Maggie her shots, but I assured him that she would forgive him. She was all smiles until he poked her, then she gave him this very perplexed look, took a deep breath, and literally screamed at the top of her little lungs. Poor Jay was having a real hard time with it. He has applied to several medical schools and wants to be a pediatrician so I politely reminded him that the shots would keep her healthy. He still seemed quite upset that Maggie was crying so hard, so I tried to calm her with her pacifier. This worked until we went to schedule her next appointment. She spit her pacifier out, and started screaming again just in case everyone in the waiting room didn’t hear her the first time. She calmed down on the car ride home and slept soundly for most of the afternoon. We’ve been really lucky as she

hasn’t run a fever with her boosters yet.

At her four month visit, she weighed 15 lbs and 8 ounces and was 24 ¼ inches long. She was holding her head up so well and taking 30 ounces of her formula so Dr. Laughlin told me to start her on rice cereal. He told me to cap her formula intake at 32 ounces per day and pump her full of cereal and veggies. So, we have. And she has enjoyed rice and oatmeal cereal, green beans, and is now learning to love squash. Each week, she gets to add a new food to her diet. I think next week, we may try carrots or peas. Although she can have fruit, we are holding back on this as we want her to like her veggies first.

Maggie's Big Adventures

Well, I am once again late with an update. I will do better eventually – I promise. I am always behind these days but hope to return to some sense of organization before too long.
It’s been a great 3 ½ months. Maggie turned 14 weeks old today. She is, without question, the light of our lives. And, she’s been a busy little girl. She started daycare mid-August, had her first round of shots, made her first trip to the Lone Star State, hosted grandparents and toured French Lick, hung-out with her babysitter extraordinaire, and visited her Godfather and our close friends in Illinois. Grandpa and Grandma Miloch visited in early August and we toured French Lick and the West Baden Springs hotel – it’s quite nice there. While I wasn’t watching, Matt slipped Maggie a little sliver of chocolate ice cream so if she develops a milk allergy – it’s all on Matt.
Maggie’s first round of shots went really well. Matt was hesitant to go because he didn’t want to see her get poked with a needle. Somehow, that didn’t bother me much so off we went. She was hungry and started crying prior to receiving her first shots which actually made it easier on both me and the nurse. She did great though and once she had her bottle she was quite content and napped the rest of the day. I had to wake her to feed her and she’d go right back to sleep. She didn’t run a fever so I was thankful.
She had a big party in Texas – compliments of some close friends and family at home. She received tons of great gifts and was the belle of the ball. Nana and Grandpa Tom threw Maggie a bbq as well, and it was fantastic. She met most of her friends and family at home and she even met my tennis coaches (and Aunt Kelle’s) from juniors and college. It was really great to see them and for Maggie to meet everyone. We also toured the Baylor campus where Maggie met Judges Joy and Judges Sue (“Lady”). These are the “official” Baylor Bears that live on campus and are named after the wives of two former university Presidents. We had lunch with Dr. Pittman, and we purchased Maggie’s first Baylor Bear t-shirt and a stuffed Baylor Bear. I, of course, am trying to encourage her to attend Baylor already which likely means she’ll decide to become an Aggie, a Longhorn or a Fightin’ Illini J.
We returned from Texas and then visited our close friends and Maggie’s Godfather in Illinois. It was a fantastic trip and we had a wonderful time. We were able to surprise our other friends for their daughter’s 3rd birthday party. It was the longest time I had ever kept a secret.
Matt and I had our first evening out to see the Bourne Ultimatum while Maggie spent time with her babysitter – Hallie. Hallie is a GREAT babysitter – likely because she has three siblings. Maggie always has a fun time with Hallie.
Maggie is doing well in daycare – she’s quite the content little baby and we always get a full report from Miss Leah and Miss Sylvia at daycare. I still hate leaving her every day and miss her during the day. I always resist the temptation to leave my office and run pick her up. Picking her up is the best part of my day. Wednesdays are awful because I teach in the late afternoon and don’t see her almost all day. My students probably love this because it almost certainly assures that I will never keep them over the time limit.
She is really social now – she smiles and coos all the time. She has even taken to smiling at her best pal – Angus. She is starting to reach and grab for things, and she rolled over the other day. She rolled from stomach to back and then back to stomach. We were so excited and I cheered so loud that you would have thought she had just won Wimbledon. She is also trying desperately to sit up on her own. She does a great job but just can’t quite hold the position yet but you can tell she wants too. She doesn’t like being on her back for long anymore because she much prefers sitting up.
Maggie rarely cries unless she is hungry, really tired, or has a bit of gas. She is also an excellent sleeper (knock on wood). I refer to her as “super rock star sleeper.” For the last several weeks, she will begin sleeping between 8:30 and 9:30 pm and will wake up somewhere between 6:30 am and 8 am. Yes, we know – we’re EXTREMELY lucky. I still maintain that she gets her laid back attitude from her father because Lord knows it doesn’t come from me.
The pictures are from the Texas trip with Aunt Kelle and Uncle Matt, my very good friend Lynne, our trip to Illinois, touring French Lick, and of Maggie reaching and rolling for things. We hope all of you are well and having a great start to Fall. We hope to see you all soon and I promise to – at some point – make more regular updates.