Meg and Isaac

Meg's friend, Isaac, comes to play at our house every Tuesday. His parents, Shannon and Caleb, are our dear friends from church - they also live out in the country up here with us...only about five minutes away, which makes play dates even more fun and exciting! Isaac was born three weeks before Meg, so Shannon and I love discussing developmental milestones and different baby phases as our babies are usually always in the same ballpark of activity.

Our conversations go something like this: "What's Meg doing right now? How much is she sleeping during the day? Well, she used to be sleeping for two hours but now she's doing this thing where she's waking up after forty-five minutes - I don't know what's up with that. Really? Isaac, too!" or this: "Shannon, he's drooling everywhere and puts everything in his mouth! Ugh! Yep, Meg's doing the SAME thing...I've had to change her outfit like five times today because it's soaked!" or this: "Meg's rolling over like Isaac now - we've had to set up a pillow-cade so she won't roll into the furniture!"

While Shannon and I are talking, the babies have their own "conversations..." Behold, the magical language of baby love and self vs. other discovery:





Note: the monkey that Meg's absconded is Isaac's special "lovey" monkey. The minute I put them on the blanket together, Meg maneuvered herself so that SHE was holding and loving on Isaac's monkey. I actually witnessed Meg pull the monkey out of Isaac's grip! Isaac, in his laid-back, easy going manner, was happy to share...I wonder - is this take charge attitude a girl thing or what? :)

Twenty Weeks

Thursday, January 28, 2010...our girl turned five months old. She's been twenty weeks in the world, now - I spent all day remembering twenty weeks in the womb...I was chin deep in studies, on the cusp of needing maternity clothes full-time, alone-at-home more than not, and mesmerized by the promise of that life growing deep within. I had only felt her move a handful of times before that twenty week mark, and each time felt like the tumbling down of a roller coaster or starry, goldfish bubbles trapped in my throat. I turned twenty weeks over Easter, a time of resurrection celebration, a time to remind me of New Life - of hope for this new life. I didn't know her at all, and yet, I knew everything about her - a halfway point, those twenty weeks in the womb. A feeling of: get ready, change is a'comin'.

Twenty weeks in the world...she's had her first smile, cold, play date, hospital stay, time in the church nursery. She's eaten off of a spoon, bounced in a jumparoo, carved a pumpkin, met my dear roommies and traveled to Virginia, to my homeplace, flown in a plane. She's celebrated Thanksgiving with cousins, Christmas with one great-grandmother, an aunt, and uncle. She's had her first shots, grown her first tooth, touched her toes, laughed at Douglass dog, and rolled over. Today, is her first snowfall. There have been no other twenty weeks in our lives like the ones we've just spent with our Meggie girl.

At five months old, Meggie...

crinkles her nose when she smiles, which is usually at a funny noise.
is into pulling hair - mostly mine and Douglass'.
still loves "Five Green and Speckled Frogs."
holds both of her feet in the air when she's on her changing table.
screeches like a hoot owl when shes (a) tired (b) bored (c) not the center of attention
bounces given every opportunity - this girl is in perpetual motion.
gets stuck on her tummy when she rolls over.
needs something in her mouth to chew/suck on AT ALL TIMES.
enjoys music and different textures.
attracts the comments: "Look at those chubby cheeks! And those eyes! Wow, those big, BLUE eyes!

In celebration, Kyle and I collaborated on a video of a "day" in her life for the Meggie fans of the world. Enjoy!

Go Colts!

As promised...



After lecturing Meggie on the importance of ONLY cheering for ACC and SEC teams - with the exception of Navy and Furman - I made a tiny concession for the Colts :) ... Meggie Girl and Daddy, with a Douglass dog, cuddled up...[sigh]

Jumping Bean

Meggie Jumps for Joy!

Morning

Meg's serious side

Today, I woke up (as Kyle would say) at a "gentlemanly time" of 7:30 am. I frantically rolled over to check the baby monitor, thinking that Meg was surely awake and fussing. The picture clicked into focus and there she was, our big girl, eyes wide open, hands in mouth, and blissful. MARVELOUS! Instead of rushing around trying to get things going for breakfast while crying intensifies in the background, I was able to hop out of bed, brush my teeth, put on slippers, saunter into her bedroom, and be greeted by that smile of smiles - that slow-spreading, nose-crinkling, eyes a' dancing, two-tiny-teeth, part-of-my-heart-in-this-world smile. Way to go, little lady!

Did I say "two-tiny-teeth?" That's right! About a month ago, we noticed that Meggie's drooling was out-of-control, drenching bibs and blouses in seconds. Her naps, once solid and predictable, became sporatic and sparse, and the first two fingers on each hand were permanently stationed in her mouth. The result...Tuesday, January 5, 2010...two precious, bottom teeth popped through, perching in Meggie's gums like miniature, jagged icebergs.

We also had Meggie's 4 month appointment this week. According to her doctor, she's 16 lbs. 14 oz. and 26.3/4 inches. Meg is still in above the 100th percentile for both her height and weight...her head at 16.3/4 inches is in the 75th percentile for babies her age. We received the "go-ahead" to begin solid foods, and after multiple indications that she's ready such as trying to stick her hands in our cups, grabbing food on the way to our mouths, studying us while we eat, and stable head control, Meg reached another developmental milestone on Saturday, January 3, 2010 with her first taste of rice cereal.

(this picture captures Meggie girl's CLEAR signs of readiness: open mouth when confronted with big people food, arms out ready for grabbing, and eyes intent on the goal...in the second after this pic was taken, Meggie made a dive for the OSU cup and almost douced all four of us with its contents!)

Now, rice cereal is her second favorite part of the day (after bathtime). She exhibits her excitement by kicking her feet, squealing, and launching herself forward to bite/lap/slurp cereal off of her spoon. We have "Mama's turn" and "Meggie's turn" because Meg, at the tender age of 4 months and one week, loves to feed herself! Behold, the wonders of first solid food:

On the Move

This morning, after our wake-up feeding, Meggie and I snuggled down to read new stories from Christmas. One of my greatest joys in life is reading books...I love the adventures, the sense of escaping everyday life without ever really leaving, and the language, oh, glorious, beautiful words! Because I love reading so much, I couldn't wait to share books with Meggie-girl. Kyle and I have been reading to her since her time in the womb, as documented in previous posts. And, the Meggie-girl has been agreeable to this activity until she discovered a significant part about her herself...legs and the ability to move! Back to this morning...after a few short pages, Meggie started arching her back and screaming (such screaming isn't a cry, it's more of an "I-don't-like-this-anymore-you-better-change-or-I'm-preparing-for-a-meltdown" screech which Kyle and I are going to have to figure out a way to mold and tame as she gets older).

"Okay, okay, let's do something else...we don't have to read right now." (inward *humph*) "What would you like to do?" I queried.

Meg pushed herself up on my lap and BOUNCED.

"Alright, alright, I get the picture...into the jumparoo you go!"

Meggie girl: *Big Smile! Big Jump! Big Laugh!*

Reading is on the couch for now [sigh]...she's discovered the art of jumping, of moving, of shouting her joy. And, it's an action she can control. Watch out big ol' world, this girl's on the move!