Happy Birthday, Maggie!

(The password is TheBurchBook)

We love you!

Three Years With Maggie

At age three, Maggie...

Weighs thirty-two pounds and is thirty-six inches tall.

No longer introduces herself as Sleeping Beauty. She says she's turned back into Maggie.

Can color really well and draws the cutest little smiley faces you've ever seen. She loves to paint and do play dough, although I'm sad to say neither happen very often with an active baby sister around.

Completes twenty-four piece puzzles on her own, often doing the same one over and over. She can do more challenging puzzles with help and now has the attention span for easy games like Candy Land.

Pretend plays with her dolls and her big sister all day long. They are very into setting up stores, carnivals, and hair salons at the moment. She loves to regale us with detailed stories about her dolls at dinner and in the car.

Must be wearing a dress or a skirt at all times. Her favorite color is pink. She prefers headbands to hair bows and has requested to keep her hair short, even though Claire is growing hers out. She does not like to wear socks or tights, stripping them off as soon as we get home.

Reads books to herself constantly, narrating her version of the story aloud. She insists on sitting in your lap when you're reading to her, otherwise she's "uncomfortable." We've been reading chapter books while the big girls lay in bed each night for the last few months. Maggie follows the story surprisingly well.

Currently really loves Clifford and The Hive, aka "the bumblebee show," both found on Netflix. We've turned our Friday pizza night into Friday pizza and movie night. It's been fun to introduce them to new movies beyond Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella and Winnie the Pooh, which were on rotation at our house for a very long time. Maggie white-knuckled her way through Finding Nemo but didn't find Peter Pan scary at all.

Doesn't have the biggest sweet tooth. She loves strawberry ice cream but isn't a big fan of doughnuts or cinnamon rolls. Her favorite foods are watermelon, frozen blueberries, scrambled eggs, cheese sticks, pizza, and chicken nuggets with Chick-fil-A sauce.

Naps a couple times a week. Usually once on the weekend and once on the way home from preschool pick-up. She still lets me transfer her into her bed to snooze some more. We took the side off her crib this summer to make it a toddler bed and she had absolutely zero issues with the transition. Sleeping in the same bed as Claire on vacation was a little bit trickier. She's a very warm sleeper, preferring to skip the blanket and just use a sheet.

Still sleeps with a pacifier. We have a trip planned soon and are waiting to take it away until we get back, but it's days are numbered. She seems to prefer her Corelle doll, "Baby Joyce," and her Sleeping Beauty doll to the soft dolly she's slept with since she was a baby. Although she's adopted and is now very fond of the stuffed dog my great aunt gave to Betsy.

Is pretty much potty trained. She's not perfect and definitely still has a few kinks to work on, but accidents only happen every couple weeks at this point. She wears pull-ups overnight and usually changes into underwear when we're going out for the day because it's just easier that way.

Eagerly anticipates being a preschooler herself. She's got the goodbye song memorized and is already thinking about what to bring in for show-and-tell. But she's not sad that she doesn't get to stay with Claire. I think she still prefers hanging out with me and Betsy. Her favorite part of the week is when Claire's at catechesis, Betsy is napping, and she gets some one-on-one time with me. She loves having her own special activity, music class, and is eagerly awaiting their dance and gymnastics class starting up again this week.

Plays so well with her baby sister. She's so great at getting down on her level. We can always count on her to entertain Betsy with peek-a-boo or another silly game that only the two of them understand.

Can throw a tantrum and whine like a pro, or at least like everyone other three-year-old I know. We like to say that when Claire is upset she gets very sad and when Maggie is upset she gets very angry. She's still not that well-behaved during Mass. Every once in a while she'll just decide to start crying uncontrollably. We're pretty sure it's simply because she's bored. Every time we say that if she does that again she's going into the nursery, but we keep backtracking and giving her one more chance to shape up.



The vast majority of the time she is absolutely adorable and the sweetest sister for Claire and Betsy. We often wonder what we would do without her in the middle of our three girls!

Thirty Months With Maggie

At thirty months old, Maggie...

Prefers to be addressed as Sleeping Beauty and refers to herself by that name in the third person. She'll often ask me for something by saying, "Sleeping Beauty's Mommy?" She loves to sing and her favorite song is "Once Upon a Dream" from Sleeping Beauty.

Knows all her colors! For the longest time she could only identify pink, but in the last month she seems to have gotten them all. Maybe because she's spent so much time coloring with Claire.

Is afraid to go down slides after getting hurt coming down one at an indoor playground this winter. When she does slide, its backwards on her tummy. She's very good at climbing though and mostly refuses to ride in a baby swing.

Pretend plays with Claire all day long. They're usually taking care of their babies or going on some sort of trip. Now that Maggie's older, she's not always content to just go along with Claire's ideas, which definitely leads to some tension. A frequent argument is whether its morning time or night time at the castle.

Can string beads, complete basic wooden puzzles, and build a mean block tower. She loves to draw, paint, and do play dough. It's so cute to watch her try to write letters like Claire! She can keep up with some games, like Zingo and Candyland, although of course she often loses attention before the games ends.

Loves wearing dresses, tutus, and anything pink. She usually requests wearing her flower dress or her heart dress. If she's wearing pants and a shirt, a tutu is always needed to complete the outfit. She's frequently wearing a crown or fairy wings around the house.

Reads books to herself constantly, but still doesn't have a very long attention span for stories. I'm trying to extend it by reading them stories while they eat lunch whenever I can. She's currently a big fan of Angelina Ballerina and Fancy Nancy books.

Watches one or two episodes of a show after naptime. Daniel Tiger is the perennial favorite. Movies are a once a week treat, unless I'm nine months pregnant. She loves Winnie the Pooh and, unsurprisingly, Sleeping Beauty.

Rarely eats much for dinner. She's not very picky about fruits and vegetables, but meat is a different story. Because she mostly just picks at her dinner, she always wakes up very hungry for breakfast! She usually has toast and scrambled eggs, though not with Cajun seasoning like the rest of us. She always begs for a cheese stick with her lunch. Also unlike the rest of us, she is more discerning when it comes to sweets. For some reason she doesn't like donuts. She just licks the chocolate icing off her half after church each Sunday.

Naps maybe every other day. We almost always wake her up around 3:00 so that she'll be ready for bed the same time as Claire. She learned how to climb out of her pack-n-play in the guest room last fall, but she's never tried to climb out of her crib. When she doesn't nap, she just sits in her crib happily singing and chatting with her dolls for upwards of an hour.

Loves her pacifier with an undying devotion, though we've limited her access to just sleeping time. Now she seems to prefer her Corelle baby doll to the soft dolly she's had since she was under a year old.

Doesn't really show any interest in using the potty like her big sister, but knows that she'll start wearing underwear when it's summertime. We're also planning to take the side off her crib before our vacation in August.

Really enjoys her one-on-one time with me while Claire is at preschool activities. I thought she would be sad that she didn't get to stay at catechesis or the big kids' music class because she tries so hard to keep up with Claire. She's perfectly happy to drop Claire off and go the grocery store or library with me instead.

Is a total daddy's girl at the moment. Right after Claire moved out of the stage of wanting Daddy to do everything for her, Maggie moved into it. It's surprising how much a toddler can hurt your feelings. At least I always have someone that likes me!

Dotes on her baby sister. She doesn't like to hold Betsy like Claire often requests, but she's always giving her hugs and kisses. She likes to lay down next to Betsy on the floor and read her books. So far she hasn't done anything negative to her, besides trying to feed her a pretend baby bottle.

Throws pretty epic tantrums and has a black belt in whining. The tantrums were especially frequent right after Betsy arrived, which also coincided with the arrival of her two-year-old molars. We hear lots of "Go away!" and "I do it myself!" around here.



This is how I want to remember Maggie at two and a half. Yesterday evening, she was running from the playroom to the nursery, as she does countless times each day. Always runs, never walks. We were sitting in the living room as she ran past, Adam called out, "Hey, cutie patootie!" Maggie answered, "I'm not a cutie tootie. I'm Sleeping Beauty!"

Twenty-Four Months With Maggie

At twenty-four months, Maggie...

Weighs twenty-eight pounds and is thirty-four inches tall. 

Talks in long sentences and never really gets frustrated trying to communicate. She can say things like, "Betsy is going to come out of Mommy's tummy and grow up so fast."

Can sing! She knows all the words to "Rock-a-bye Baby", "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" and the "I Love You" song from Barney way back in the day. She has knows the chorus to several Daniel Tiger songs - her favorite is "I like you just the way you are."

Doesn't know her colors. She can really only identify her favorite color, pink. However, she can identify all her body parts, sing the ABCs, and count to ten. 

Finally behaves better at Mass and doesn't really need to be taken out. She loves to bless herself with holy water and shakes hands with everyone during the sign of peace. She often asks to say grace again so she can practice making the sign of the cross properly. During bedtime prayers, she usually pays better attention than her big sister and usually says she's thankful for her birthday party.

Is really, really good at climbing at the playground and is completely comfortable in the water. She always goes down slides backwards on her tummy and she gets frustrated when she can't keep up with Claire, like how she can't reach the pedals on the tricycle. 

Likes to draw, paint, and do play dough. Her attention span is growing for art projects. She really wishes she could do Claire's puzzles or make bead necklaces like her. She can keep up with some matching activities though, like Zingo, Spot It, or dominoes. 

Can build a mean block tower, but is usually engrossed in some sort of imaginative play. She likes to take care of her dolls, make them pretend meals, and give them check-ups with the doctor kit. Mostly, she's pretending to go on some sort of trip - maybe on an airplane or train or camping or to a hotel. 

Loves dress-up clothes. She is often requesting to dress up like a princess and then perform a ballet show for us. She's very excited to see the Nutcracker this Christmas and for the day when she's finally old enough for dance lessons. If you ask her to do some ballet for you, she will do some adorable squats or leg lifts. 

Has lost interest in using the potty like Claire. If you ask her, she'll tell you that she's perfectly happy to wear a diaper, which is totally fine with us. We don't plan to potty train her until next summer. Changing her diaper or her clothes often results in some tears, but maybe slightly less often now. 

Throws a pretty typical two-year old tantrum, complete with falling on the floor in frustration. She'll say things like, "I do it myself!" or "Go away, Mommy" all the time. She particularly hates it if you don't allow her to climb into her car seat on her own. 

Doesn't have a super long attention span for stories. She's still mostly reading board books, except for the short list of picture books I know will occupy both children. Her favorite board book is "Each Peach Pear Plum" and her favorite picture book is "When Sophie Gets Angry." She has each almost entirely memorized.

Watches one or two episodes of television after nap time. It's usually Daniel Tiger or Franklin, but lately Maggie's been on a Curious George kick. She loves Peppa Pig as well. They get to watch a movie occasionally - the rotation is Winnie the Pooh, Cinderella, Frozen, and Tangled. She knows the names of all the Disney Princesses though!

Hasn't had the biggest appetite lately. She is still willing to try most fruits and vegetables, while more cautious with meat. She doesn't have a huge sweet tooth, never really touching her doughnut after Sunday Mass, but she loves chocolate ice cream and gummy candy.  She doesn't like spicy food as much as the rest of the family, insisting on just salt instead of Cajun seasoning on her eggs.

Very, very rarely skips afternoon nap, though it's starting to happen every once in a while and she can make it without one if we're out all day. She probably only averages about ten hours of sleep at night since she's sharing a room with Claire. She's still very easy to transfer from her car seat to her crib if she falls asleep on the way home from an outing. Now she insists on sleeping with a pillow, something Claire didn't do until age three.

Loves her pacifier something fierce. We're doing our best to limit it to sleeping time. Of course, there are no rules while we're traveling. She's started imitating Claire's thumb sucking unfortunately - at first she just put her fist in front of her mouth expecting something comforting to happen

Thankfully doesn't get carsick like her big sister, so we were able to keep her rear-facing up until the age two recommendation. 

 

Soaks up the one-on-one time while Claire is at her little classes. She is so excited to go to the library and run errands just with me. But she's always thrilled to be reunited with Claire again, going in for a big hug as soon as she sees her. 

Thinks she's the same age as Claire and tries to keep up with Claire's friends rather than their younger siblings. She's convinced that she turned four on her birthday, not two. 

Fawns over the newborn babies in our life and can't wait to be a big sister herself. 

Maggie likes to tell me that Claire's my big girl, Betsy's my baby girl, and she's my little girl. I love that. 

Happy Birthday, Maggie!

We love you!

Twenty-One Months With Maggie

At twenty-one months, Maggie...

Talks way, way more than Claire did at her age. She must know over a hundred words. She talks in full sentences, saying things like "Help me put this on!" and "I hurt myself!"

Blows on things that are hot and shivers when we talk about being cold. She can fake cough and sneeze and thinks pretending to sleep, complete with snoring, is hilarious. She can blow her nose and is very good about smiling and hamming it up for the camera, while her big sister usually has no interest in posing. 

Makes the sign of the cross by waving her hand up and down frantically. We used to read prayer board books when Claire was this age, but now we pray in front of the family altar before bed. If only one parent is reading stories, she will run to find the other when it's time to pray and obediently kneel. She loves to get holy water from the font before and after Mass and shake hands with everyone during the sign of the peace. She definitely has worse Mass behavior than Claire did at this age and still has to be taken out occasionally because she won't stop screaming. 

Has been greatly improving her gross motor skills since the weather's warmed up and we've started visiting the playground frequently. She's finally figured out how to go down slides without flying off at the bottom. She tries so hard to climb everything Claire does! She's nowhere near as obsessed with the swings as Claire was at her age though.

Has gotten a lot more comfortable with water from a few months ago. Dipping her toes in the ocean during our San Francisco trip scared her a little bit - she insisted every body of water was too cold afterwards! Unsurprisingly, she was perfectly happy to just watch at Claire's swimming lessons. After going more frequently, she's now really comfortable with the lake and the pool, although she doesn't enjoy them as much as her big sister. 

Likes to draw, paint, and do play dough, although of course her attention span is nowhere near that of Claire's. She's finally stopped tasting art supplies, but she definitely can't be trusted with them unsupervised. She egged Claire into coloring all over the door to the garage last month! Her favorite color is pink, mostly because that's what Claire has decreed and Maggie is happy to go along with it. 

Does more imaginative play. She likes to pretend to change her baby's diaper and give her a bottle. She's gotten a lot more into the play kitchen and making pretend meals. She's always talking on pretend phones, shouting "Hello?! Bye bye!" She loves dress up clothes, thanks to her big sister's encouragement, and her favorite stuffed animal is a little dog she loves to "take for walks." She can do the shape sorter and build a mean block tower, but she hasn't had much exposure to puzzles yet. 

Always has to be in the bathroom when Claire is using the potty. She happily takes over the jobs of handing Claire toilet paper and flushing. She's also obsessed with sitting on the potty herself and exclaiming, "I peed! I did it!" all while fully clothed in a diaper. We have no intentions of actually potty training her anytime soon though - next summer should be perfect. 

Doesn't hold her breath and pass out like Claire, but she can throw a pretty impressive tantrum. Changing her clothes and buckling her into the car seat are almost guaranteed to result in a screaming fit. Washing her hair in the bath or refusing to let her sit on the counter while you get ready in the morning can usually cause a meltdown too. 

Is developing a longer attention span for stories. We're still reading board books at nap time, but before bed we read the girls stories together, so we look for shorter picture books that will hold Maggie's attention like Owl Babies and Chicka Chicka Boom Boom. She frequently reads stories aloud to herself, which is just the cutest thing ever. It's usually The Wheels on the Bus or a Frozen board book, which is read as "Queen Elsa...Queen Elsa...Queen Elsa...The End."

Loves most vegetables, particularly broccoli, but isn't a huge fan of meat. She usually has toast, yogurt, or granola for breakfast. She mostly has cheese, ham, and crackers for lunch. She always eats the smallest amount at dinner, often just the veggies, fruit, and bread. She's not great about using cutlery. She'll hold a spoon or fork in one hand while finger feeding herself with the other. She still loves chocolate in all forms, particularly chocolate ice cream, but most other desserts don't really interest her. 

Only got carsick once so far, on some particularly windy roads in San Francisco. We were all feeling queasy on that car ride! I think it's safe to say she's escaped the car sickness gene Claire unfortunately inherited. 

Sleeps more like ten hours a night since she's started sharing a room with Claire. They keep each other up later or wake each other up earlier. As long as we're home, she always naps for at least two hours in the afternoon. She still falls asleep in the car on the way back from outings quite frequently, but easily transfers into her pack-n-play. She doesn't use sleep sacks anymore, preferring her quilt instead. She always has her special doll and a pacifier. We're doing our best to keep the pacifier just for sleep, but it's very easy to backslide and give in when she's in a whiny mood. 

Wakes up from her afternoon nap requesting milk, cookies (Fig Newtons) and a show. The girls' favorites are Daniel Tiger, Franklin, Madeline, and Peppa Pig. They're both obsessed with Frozen (Claire pretending to be Elsa and Maggie pretending to be Anna) so that's a good once-a-month treat for when I need a 90-minute block of time to finish chores.

Sings "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star", the ABCs, "Doe a Deer" and "Angels We Have Heard on High" quite frequently. Both girls know almost all the words to Regina Caeli, which we sing after they're tucked into bed every night.

Is way more outgoing and pretty much over her stranger anxiety. She just follows Claire right into the childcare room at the gym and doesn't look back. She hasn't cried the last two times we've hired a babysitter. She's started to get the concept of friends and will talk about everybody she knows at playgroup. She often says goodbye to all nearby strangers as we leave a store or restaurant. She follows Claire's lead giving their music teacher a hug or shaking hands with our priest. 

Just adores her big sister. She is always repeating what Claire says and trying to do whatever she's doing. I love seeing them hold hands, sit as close as humanly possible on the couch, and giggle together in their room. Of course, she also loves having all the attention to herself every once in a while!

Oh, how we love this happy little girl.

Eighteen Months With Maggie

At eighteen months, Maggie...

Weighs twenty-five pounds and is thirty-two inches tall. 

Stopped nursing at fifteen months. We just dropped a feeding every few days and then Adam started putting her to sleep at night. It was a pretty seamless transition for all of us. 

Talks way, way more than Claire did at her age. She must know at least fifty words. She's started using some two-word phrases, like "and me!" and "get it!" 

Can identify all her body parts and make pretty much any animal noise you could request. 

Follows simple commands pretty well, like throwing diapers away and getting sent to retrieve Claire's doll from another room. 

Has been giving hugs, prompted and unprompted, for a while, but just started giving and blow kisses all the time. 

Climbs up and down stairs very well, but otherwise her gross motor skills aren't quite at Claire's level for this age. Probably because she hasn't had very much time outside or at the playground yet! 

Makes the sign of the cross by frantically waving her hand up and down. She chimes in with a loud "Amen!" at the end of prayers. Her Mass behavior is still not great, although she's finally started to make through the whole service contained in the pew. Sometimes, at least. She particularly loves to shake hands during the sign of peace. 

Pretends very well. She loves to dress up, mother her dolls, cook in her play kitchen, and take her stuffed dog for a walk. She's developed a fondness for Anna from Frozen entirely due to her big sister's encouragement. 

Is a pro at the stacking rings and building block towers, but when we find her quietly occupying herself, she's most likely looking through a stack of books. She's still working on puzzles and the shape sorter.

 Dabbles with crayons, markers, and paint, but still can't help giving herself a taste every once in a while. Of course, she has a very short attention span for these activities, but tries her best to keep up with Claire. 

Has developed a longer attention span for story time, however. She is starting to move away from board books and request longer stories like "Away We Go", "Tea Rex" and "Who is Driving?"

Wakes up from afternoon nap requesting milk, a cookie (she's content with Fig Newtons) and a show. She'll happily sit next to Claire on the couch for an episode of Daniel Tiger, Franklin, Madeline, or Peppa Pig while I start making dinner. 

Tries really hard to sing along with her lullabies before bed and our hymns before meals. She's actually quite good at singing along with the Frozen soundtrack in the car, probably because it's all she's heard for the last six months! 

Has become a great participant at music class recently. Of course, she's been tagging along to the toddler class since she was born, but it's really fun to see her learn to follow directions properly and come out of her shell all of a sudden. 

Has much more patience for things she doesn't want to do, like having her teeth brushed, hair washed, face wiped, and hand held in parking lots. She still throws near daily tantrums over getting her clothes and diaper changed. 

Is not a very picky eater. She will happily eat vegetables, particularly broccoli, and try new foods. She is not very adept at using cutlery yet, though, and still has the frustrating habit of tossing food on the floor all too often. 

Knows that crying babies go to bed and the mention of it is usually enough to stop a tantrum. Of course, she is a world-class whiner, particularly when she's waiting for a meal to be served or we're trying to get ready for the day.

Does not hold her breath while upset or get car sick like her big sister. So far, at least.

Takes a two to three hour afternoon nap and sleeps between eleven and twelve hours a night. She almost always goes down very easily, even waving and blowing kisses after we lay her down. We've been pretty successful at limiting the pacifier to just the crib.

It's funny how we thought Claire was so grown up at this age. I guess we're not ready to accept that Maggie is becoming a full-fledged toddler just yet!

Fifteen Months With Maggie

At fifteen months, Maggie...

Can walk! She took her first steps at thirteen months, but didn't start walking all the time until fourteen months. 

Talks a lot more than her sister did at this age. She can quack like a duck, moo like a cow, growl like a bear, roar like a lion, hiss like a snake, cluck like a chicken, hoot like an owl, and laugh like a monkey. She says hi, bye, no, ball, book, shoe, poop, daddy, mama, yucky, throw and chocolate.

Waves goodbye, shakes her head vigorously to say no, and uses the "all done" sign.

Touches her toes and lifts up her shirt to reveal her belly when asked to identify body parts.

Has four new teeth, bringing the total to eleven. When she cut her molars recently, she finally decided Tylenol isn't the worst thing in the world and stopped fighting it.

Got her first haircut at thirteen months. We're both glad to no longer wage the daily battle over pigtails.

Can climb on the little kid chairs and onto the ledge in front of the fireplace. We've pretty much convinced her to stop climbing into the dishwasher and she desperately wants to climb onto the couch with Claire. 

Drinks whole milk from a sippy cup and is no longer nursing, as of last week. She's a pretty adventurous eater. Unlike her sister, she actually enjoys most vegetables. Even Brussels sprouts! But the girl lives for chocolate. After all the candy we had during the Christmas season, she has grown to think every meal should end with a piece. 

Can do the stacking rings and make a tower of blocks all by herself. Her favorite thing to do is just hand you stuff. Like pass you all the cutlery out of the dishwasher, one by one. This morning while I was doing my hair, she was slowly handing me all the baby facecloths. 

Loves to dance and tries her hardest to sing along to "Let it Go" with Claire. She really enjoys dressing up, something Claire knew nothing about at her age. In particular, she's a big fan of necklaces and sunglasses. She wants so badly to fit into the fancy dress-up shoes and gets quite frustrated when they won't stay on her little feet. 

Transitioned to just an afternoon nap around eleven months and finally stopped waking up once per night around fourteen months. We're really trying to be firm about limiting the pacifier to just sleep.

Loves to read. She's a big fan of lift-the-flap books but her absolute favorite of the moment is Goodnight Gorilla. She's not as into watching TV as Claire was at her age, but that's probably because we're usually watching Daniel Tiger instead of Curious George.

Has already picked up on so much pretend play from her big sister, like feeding bottles to her beloved dolly.

Keeps falling asleep in the car on the way home from our morning outings. Most of the time I can successfully transfer her into the crib, but when I'm not so lucky, she won't go back down. One of my least favorite parts of this stage.

Knows how to throw a mean tantrum, usually about getting dressed, and sometimes just walks around whining in the exact right pitch to drive us insane. The other least favorite parts of this stage...

Isn't much of a kisser, but will snuggle in for a big hug when asked. It's the sweetest thing and instantly makes up for any nap refusal, tantrums, whining, and general toddler antics.



P.S. Here are the rest of Maggie's monthly reports! 

Twelve Months With Maggie

Birth Weight: 8 pounds, 2 ounces.

Current Weight: 22 pounds, 4 ounces.

Birth Length: 19 inches.

Current Length: 29 inches.

Likes:
Pretending to be a monkey with Claire.
Putting things on her neck, like purses and her rosary.
Emptying objects out of containers and putting them back in.
Sleeping with her favorite doll.
Exploring the house, particularly the bathrooms.
Most vegetables, unlike her big sister.
Reading, especially lift-the-flap books.

Dislikes:
Sitting still to take these pictures.
The frosting on cupcakes.
Sloppy Joes.
Staying in the pew for a whole Mass.
When Claire tries to wrestle with her.

New Tricks:
Growing up too fast!
Cruising around furniture.
Standing on her own for a few seconds at a time.
Saying "hi" and "pop."
Giving kisses and high fives.

P.S. Here are the rest of her monthly reports! And for comparison's sake, Claire at twelve months.

Happy Birthday, Maggie!

We love you!

Eleven Months With Maggie

Likes:
Pickles and strawberries.
Sitting next to Claire in her new car seat.
Wriggling all over the place during Mass.
Throwing her pacifier into the pew in front of us during Mass.
Getting right in Claire's face during her sister's diaper changes.
Trying to do whatever Claire's doing.
Knocking all of the books off the kids' bookshelf.
Snack time at four or five in the morning.

Dislikes:
Holding still during diaper changes.
The nursery at the Y.
Morning naps.
When Claire snatches toys out of her hands or gets mad at her for messing with her stuff.

New Tricks:
Crawling.
Pulling up to standing.
Chewing with her third bottom tooth and three new top teeth.
Drinking out of a real sippy cup.
Mooing when she sees a cow in a puzzle, book, or real life.
Throwing tantrums when she doesn't get her way, complete with back-arching and breath-holding.

P.S. Here are the rest of Maggie's monthly reports! And for comparison's sake, Claire at almost one.

Ten Months With Maggie

Likes:
Ice cream and popsicles.
When you mimic her babbling.
Sitting in the red and yellow car.
Doing flips and headstands (with assistance, of course.)
Playing with Claire's snack cup.
Trying to eat sand and grass.

Dislikes:
Quinoa.
Swim lessons.
Being constipated.
Having her pigtails taken out.

New Tricks:
Getting into a sitting position on her own.
Using her feet to spin around in a circle while sitting.
Pulling up with assistance.
Chewing with her new top tooth.
Being okay with playing in a room by herself for a few minutes.
Flapping her arms frantically when she's excited or wants something.
Sleeping through the night five out of seven nights.

P.S. Here are the rest of her monthly reports! And, for comparison's sake, here is Claire at ten months.

Nine Months With Maggie

Birth Weight: 8 pounds, 2 ounces.

Current Weight: 21 pounds, 12 ounces.

Birth Length: 19 inches.

Current Length: 27 and 1/2 inches.

Likes:
The baby pool.
Playing with Claire in their tent.
Hot dogs from Five Guys.
Chewing on the keys to the mailbox.
Splashing in the bathtub.
Banging her sippy cup, especially when Claire joins in.

Dislikes:
The sprinkler.
When everyone else (briefly) leaves the room.
Throwing up hot dogs from Five Guys.
Being fed purees.
Wearing sunglasses.

New Tricks:
Standing up with assistance.
Drinking from a straw or a soft spout water bottle.
Scooting backward with her feet while sitting up.
Eating three square meals a day.
Responding to her name.
Waving in response to someone saying hello or goodbye.

P.S. Here are the rest of her monthly reports! And for comparison's sake, Claire at nine months.

Eight Months With Maggie

 

Likes:
Finger foods.
Shaking maracas.
Rolling over during diaper changes.
Meeting all of her relatives.
The beach and the pool.

Dislikes:
When Claire tries to sit in her lap.
Having sunscreen applied, especially to her face.
Being worn in the Ergo in the Florida heat.
When something she's not allowed to have is taken away.

 

New Tricks:
Clapping.
Waving.
Bobbing along to music.
Chewing with her two new two bottom teeth.

 

P.S. Here are the rest of Maggie's monthly reports! And just for comparison's sake, Claire at eight months.

Seven Months With Maggie

Likes:

  Carrots and applesauce.
Stacking cups.
Giggling with Claire.
Swinging at the park.
Any paper she can get her hands on.
Reading, especially "Moo, Baa, La, La, La" and "Are You a Cow?"

Dislikes:
Peas and zucchini.
Diaper rash.
Any sort of oral medicine or vitamin.
Being woken up by Claire in the middle of the night.

New Tricks:
Shouting.
Sleeping on her stomach.
Getting distracted while nursing. 
Sitting up in the bathtub and the shopping cart. 

P.S. Here are the rest of Maggie's monthly reports! And for comparison's sake, Claire at seven months.

Six Months With Maggie

 Birth Weight: 8 pounds, 2 ounces.

Current Weight: 18 pounds, 7 ounces.

Birth Length: 19 inches.

Current Length: 26 and 1/4 inches.

Likes:
Sweet potato.
The exersaucer, in small doses.
Sitting in her highchair at the dinner table.
The song, "I love you a bushel and a peck."
Having raspberries blown on her tummy.

Playing peekaboo.

Dislikes:
Avocado.
The exersaucer, in large doses.
The song, "She'll be coming 'round the mountain."
Being held by anyone besides mom and dad.
Wearing her hair in pigtails.
Nursing without the pillow.

New Tricks:
Sitting up.
Rolling over front to back.
Sticking her tongue out all the time.
Getting the pacifier back in her mouth.

P.S. Here are the rest of Maggie's monthly reports! And for comparison's sake, Claire at six months.

Five Months With Maggie

Likes:
Squealing.
Buzzing her lips.
Tasting banana. 
Sophie the Giraffe.  
Touching your face, hair, or glasses.

Dislikes:
Tasting green beans and carrots. 
Being left in the activity gym for too long.
Sitting through Claire's story books.
No longer being swaddled.

New Tricks:
Rolling over back to front.
Napping in her crib.
Going down really easily at night.
Getting her toes in her mouth.
 

P.S. Here's the rest of Maggie's monthly reports! And for comparison's sake, Claire at five months.

Four Months With Maggie

Birth Weight: 8 pounds, 2 ounces.

Current Weight: 15 pounds, 7 ounces.

Birth Length: 19 inches.

Current Length: 24 and 1/2 inches.

Likes:
Facing forward in the Baby Bjorn.
Nat King Cole's L-O-V-E.
Being wide awake at midnight.
Hanging out with Claire in her crib.

Dislikes:

Taking naps.
Sitting in the bouncy seat.
Getting dressed after a bath.
Not being able to see what's going on.

New Tricks:
Grabbing her toys.
Vocalizing more.
Sucking her thumb.
Rolling halfway over, from back to front.

P.S. Here are the rest of Maggie's monthly reports and, for comparison's sake, Claire at four months.

Three Months With Maggie

Likes:
Smiling all the time.
Chewing on her hands.
Dad's singing voice.
Checking out what Claire's up to.

The soft blocks Mom made her for Christmas.

Dislikes:
Whenever the car stops moving.
Settling down to sleep.

New Tricks:
Laughing.
Grabbing the toys on her bouncy seat and activity gym.
Getting her head up really far during tummy time.
Sleeping an eight-hour stretch at night.

P.S. For comparison's sake, here is Maggie at one and two months. And here's Claire at three months!

Two Months With Maggie

Birth Weight: 8 pounds, 2 ounces.

Current Weight: 11 pounds, 12 ounces.

Birth Length: 19 inches.

Current Length: 22 and 1/2 inches.

Likes:

Taking baths.

Having her diaper changed.

The bouncy seat and the baby carrier.

Kicking and stretching.

Dislikes:

Getting out of the bath.

Sleeping during the day.

The swing, car seat, and stroller.

Being stepped/rolled/sat on by her big sister.

New Tricks:

Smiling.

Cooing.

Tracking people and objects.

Turning towards familiar voices.

Sleeping a six-hour stretch at night.



P.S. For comparison's sake, here is Maggie at one month and Claire at two months.