Easter

Easter in March doesn't really feel like Easter, but despite the cold weather, we still were able to have a nice day with the family.  The annual Easter egg hunt took place, and it was Joey and Heather vs. Paige and Connor.  Paige and Connor won by one egg, so it was a close contest this year.  Connor had a great time playing with everyone that I barely got any pictures of him.  I have one that I took before we left for the day, and he looks a bit scared in the picture.  I'll take what I can get, I guess.

We had a delicious dinner, and Maeve made it known that she was not about to be left out.  She had corn, broccoli, and cauliflower just like everyone else.  She was a chow hound!  I can't complain, I'm happy she's a good eater.  It's just shocking to see such a peanut wolf down the amount of food that she does.

We hope everyone else had a great Easter, too!

Double Digits

Faster than we could blink an eye, Miss Maeve turned 10 Months old on March 7th.  The past ten months have gone by in a blur.  My little baby girl has now turned into a very spirited, fast-moving little girl.  She doesn't realize she's only ten months as she's crawling around the house like a beast.  She loves to follow her people everywhere, which is starting to get on big brother's nerves a little bit.  I'm hearing "MOM, Maeve's bothering me" more and more.  The poor girl just wants to do what her brother is doing, and usually that means messing up whatever he's playing at the time.  I want to say to him "get used to it, kid, it's only the beginning", but that's not so motherly, so we're working on focusing Maeve on a different toy so she'll leave Connor alone.  He is still an amazing big brother, with so much love for his little sister.  We love them both to pieces!

What's that Mom?  This is supposed to be childproof form?  

The Calm After the Storm

As I stated in an earlier post, Snowstorm "Nemo" dumped a ridiculous amount of snow in Massachusetts.  After being snow-free in 2012, this storm reminded us that we still live in New England, and that Mother Nature is no joke.  We hunkered down for two days as the storm stalled over us, avoiding school, daycare, and work because of it.  Once Daddy had shoveled us out, we took the kiddos outside to play.  Maeve had never been in her sled before, and I was pretty happy that I remembered to take the sleds out of the shed before the storm hit. Otherwise, we'd be walking in knee-deep snow to get to them.  Both kids had loads of fun as we sprinted up and down the street with them in tow.  We even used the snowbanks as a sledding hill.   It was nice to be able to enjoy the snow before it melted from the street.  The amount of snow made it impossible to play in the backyard.  It was over my knees, and about up to Connor's chest - that's a LOT of snow!

The snow is taller than Connor!

Nine Months and Nemo

Little Miss Independent turned 9 Months on February 7th - just as a huge snowstorm was moving into our region.  It's a new thing, apparently, to name snowstorms, and this storm was called "Nemo".  It began the night of the 7th and continued for two days, dumping two feet of snow at our house.  Our little girl, however, came down with the stomach bug just a few hours after I took her 9 month pictures.  She couldn't keep anything down, so Mom called the doctor's office.  They want to see any baby who has vomited more than 4 times in a certain amount of time, and Maeve had exceeded that, so off we went; just as the heaviest of the snow was rolling in.  Once we were there, the doctor thought she might be dehydrated, so she sent us to the hospital, just to be safe.  We spent about four hours at the hospital, which is good for ER standards.  They gave her some Zofran to stop vomiting, which worked wonders.  After a little nap, she was ready to drink some milk. The doctor had originally said she didn't want Maeve drinking milk, only Pedialyte, but ... well... if you've ever met Maeve, you know that she's very stubborn and pretty relentless when it comes to something she wants.  She made it very well known that she wanted milk and not Pedialyte, so the doctor finally gave in.  Maeve kept the milk down, so the doctor discharged us - just as the "no driving" order set in for the state of Massachusetts.  So off we went - two little lawbreakers - moving at a snails pace in horrible conditions.  Thankfully we made it home safely, and settled in for two days of snow.  

At nine months, Maeve:

• Crawls like she's a speed demon
• Feels the need to hold a toy in one hand while crawling
• Furniture surfs like a pro
• Feeds herself. 
• Eats everything that's put in front of her
• Hates bedtime and puts up quite a battle to avoid it
• Slept through the night for only a  few days in a row (until she got sick, when she decided she didn't want to do that anymore)
• Still wakes up several times per night to be comforted 
• Loves her brother and thinks he's pretty funny
• Loves her Dad and laughs when she sees him
• Is a bit of a Momma's girl
• Thinks her brother's toys are her own
• Loves music and dancing

We love our little peanut more than words can say.  These past 9 months have just flown by, and before we know it she'll be a year old!  Happy 9 months, Maevey Baby!

Don't mind the orange plastic mallet that Maeve had in her hand.  It's the only thing that kept her still!

Still all smiles, even in the hospital.

A little nap on a hospital bed.

Resting at home.

The snowman flag almost covered after the storm.

In a FRENZY!

Our friends Tara and Matt invited their friends and kids to join them at an indoor bouncy house called Frenzy.  It was a perfect activity for a wintry day.  Connor was a blur the entire time there, running from one bouncy house to another.  I could barely get any pictures of him.  He did take a time out from all of his bouncing to play his first game of air hockey, which he loved.  I think he'll have a great time in Maine this summer - the "new" beach house we're renting has an air hockey table in the basement!

Miss Maeve was not one to be cooped up in a stroller all day.  She was itching to get out and see what everyone else was doing.  I did let her go on one of the bouncies when there were no other kids on it, and she LOVED it.  She crawled all around this thing like a pro, and it didn't look very easy to navigate.  She definitely thinks she's older than she is, and proves it quite often.  She wanted to do everything the big kids did.

We had a great time, and it sufficiently tired out the kiddos.  Always the sign of a good afternoon!

Trouble at 8 Months Old

I'm in trouble with this one.  

She's 8 months old, but thinks she's 2. 

She's already furniture surfing and trying to climb out of her pack and play.  

Someone needs to remind her that she's still a baby, not a toddler.  

She has a brother she idolizes who walks and runs and has fun toys.  

So it's only natural she'd try and do exactly what he does.  

But I still want her to be a baby for just a little while longer.

She tries to get her brother's matchbox cars:

She watches Friends like Mommy:

She enlists her brother hold her sign because she can't be near it without eating it:

She tries to look all innocent:

She dances to Michael Jackson:

She pulls herself up:

She furniture surfs:

She idolizes her big brother:

She tries to climb out of her Pack n' Play:

                                      

But we love her tons.  

She laughs and smiles everyday.  

We love watching her learn and grow. Even if it is happening at warp speed.  

Miss Maeve, Happy 8 months.  We love you more than chocolate (which is a whole, whole lot).  

A Very Estee Christmas & New Year's Eve

We celebrated the Estee Christmas with a nice and relaxing brunch a few days after Christmas.  Both kids were spoiled rotten by their very generous grandparents and auntie!  I didn't get very many pictures because I was trying to keep Maeve in one spot because she kept trying to eat the wrapping paper.  So these are the only two I have:

I did, however, get a picture of the two of them on New Year's Eve.  I think I took about 20 pictures, but someone was ALWAYS moving, so only few were decent enough to show.  They're still blurry, but they're funny.