12 Months and Counting

Twelve months ago, our sweet Mallorie came into our family. Baby snuggles have turned into quiet moments twice daily during bottles, the soft body is becoming firm with muscle tone, toothless smiles have been replaced by a smile filled with teeth (molars are almost in!), and her strong personality has continued to blossom. She has a huge amount of stranger danger but is happy to smile at friends unknown from a safe distance, I laugh watching her stuff her face with as many puffs as she can cram into her chubby hands, and her smile is contagious. A shrill "hiiiii!!" greets me after each nap or babysitting engagement. Darwin is tormented by her daily and Cleo remains in high places when possible to avoid having her whiskers grabbed. Morgan loves to hold her, bring her toys, and hold her hands while she learned to walk. On the other hand, Morgan does not love sharing her "favorite" toy of the day, having Mallorie try and play where she plays, and frequently covers her ears in the car, stating, "Mom, she's too loud!"

For several weeks, MJ (as we like to call her), has been cruising along the furniture, walking while holding to Morgan's hands, and taking a step or two before hitting her knees and crawling furiously toward her goal. That changed dramatically last Monday when, for whatever reason, she decided that walking would be the new mode of transportation. It's as if a switch was flipped and she went from mostly crawling to mostly walking in like 4 days. I LOVE to watch her diaper-shaped bottom waddle around the house, arms outstretched for balance, babbling softly to herself.

I think this is my favorite stage of development.

Local family plus my out-of-town dad (who decided two weeks prior to the big day that he wanted to be a part of the activities) came to our house for the celebration. We lucked out with the weather - it started raining after dessert - so the 20 of us we were able to eat outside on tables furnished by Nancy and Steve. Chadwick put on the chef hat and made steak rolls for the main dish, hot dogs for the little people, along with the usual, delicious sides. The décor theme? Ladybugs! With Chadwick's help, I was able to design and decorate a ladybug and flower cake. It turned out well, though wasn't quite as fancy as the "Tangled" castle cake a friend made her daughter..... =)

Unlike Morgan, Mallorie attached her chocolate cupcake with relish. She wasn't sure what to do initially, but once she figured out this was something to eat, it was all over. I have a great slideshow of the whole studying, eating, and smearing of chocolate. Nancy and I dunked her in the tub after to get her clean...she was not impressed. After a cuddle and time with a baseball bat and piñata, her good spirits were restored.




On your mark, get set, GO!

The final result

Meltdown in the tub

 

 



Nana watching the chaos

Presents were opened in parts - here is Morgan playing in the bag from Round 1 of opening.

 

Time has flown, yet not, this first year. It's certainly been a time of change for me! I love these sweet girls and the things they teach me each day.

Oh, Those Girls

Now that Mallorie is crawling at lightening speed, walking along the furniture and holding hands, the only quiet moments I have with her are first thing in the morning and last thing at night while she's drinking her bottle of milk. (Someone graduated from formula to whole milk, and is going through over a gallon a week by herself!) Several weeks ago, she was feeling sleepy after her diaper change and bottle so I gathered her into my arms and got a good snuggle. The little dear fell asleep! Such a sweet moment that happens too infrequently these days.

Our youngest daughter is also obsessed with the yellow bus. We bought it for Morgan's first Christmas to ride around the house - it sings short, obnoxious songs by Abby and Elmo from Sesame Street and talks about the letters "A" and "E." Mallorie has stolen rights over this toy and loves to push it around the house, walker style, running over anything in her path. Her favorite game? Chase the dog. Poor Darwin spends most of Mallorie's waking hours on my heels or avoiding being enthusiastically run over. After a bath one night, I let her loose on the house to find Chadwick eating dinner, still in her birthday suit. She found the bus and was walking around the living room...I was laughing so hard at the sight of her cute naked bottom and legs speeding around that I couldn't hold the camera still well enough to get a good shot. Here's the gist, and I'm giggling right now at the memory!

And Cleo is still....Cleo. Sleeping on the only four pieces of paper on the whole queen size bed, staying out all night, is at her friendliest twice a day at mealtimes....and aloof. I love this cat!

Morgan loves all things girly, enjoys dressing up as a princess, though she's also been a frog, baby dinosaur, and dog these last few weeks. Sometimes she won't answer to "Morgan," so I have to stay on my toes to figure out who, or what, I am dealing with.  My favorite story? A mock conversation we had in the car. M: "Hi, Mom. I need someone to watch my childs tomorrow." Me: "Sure! I can do that! What time?" She replies somewhere around 10:30. "What are you doing tomorrow?" I ask. "Oh, just a blood draw," was her answer. When asked how many draws, I was told five. Since the "childs" were going to be with me for several hours, I asked if it would be ok to feed them lunch. Affirmative. What can they have? "Oh, some mac and cheese, applesauce, and yogurt will be fine," she says. And we say our goodbyes. Hysterical! And scary because these types of conversations are what she overhears as she is playing....they are always listening. =) I've heard her play out several of these conversations. Dad goes to work, Mom does blood draws. (Our blood bank is doing well, just for those who are curious.)

Goofing off with my phone camera

Poor quality pic, but here is my sweet girl to the T.

 Sickness hit our house last week, and I caught Morgan passed out during a rare naptime.

Fun at the Western Idaho Fair with our neighbors. Shown here with Max and Deagan, eagerly waiting for their turn at the car ride. They had a ball! Rides, a monkey show, petting zoo, and funnel cakes. Even better, the weather was perfect!

One final photo of the little miss.....

Look who's big enough to climb into the dishwasher?



And this was Morgan about the same age...must be genetic. Ha!

A Whole New Head

After just two months of wearing her helmet for 23 hours a day, our Mallorie "graduated!" I am glad that we made the decision to place a helmet, despite the numerous headbutts to my face, sore collar bones, and inconvenience during a clothes change. I am grateful for her sweet temperament and tolerance of the apparatus during those months; she was a trooper! She made it out of the helmet just as the temperatures in Boise were soaring to the 104s. Whew!

July 2013

Her final head scan revealed an overall symmetry of 0.93...the goal is to get these little guys in the 0.9- range. She started the whole ordeal at 0.89; many babies are more in the 0.82 range when they begin their time in a cranial molding helmet. One study I read stated that since the 1992-93 decision by the pediatrician specialists to place babies on their backs to sleep (combined with the increasing busy-ness of parents and increased time in bouncy chairs and carseats) as many as 45% of babies have a noticeable head-shape abnormality. Wow!

This is the image that is created during the laser head scan - which, by the way, Mallorie did NOT tolerate well. The minute we placed her on her back in the scanner, the tears started to flow and the wailing commenced. We got the final scan by showing her a video on my phone of Morgan singing...luckily the scan only requires two seconds of absolute stillness. Turns out that can be hard to achieve in an unhappy infant!

The red line is from her first scan in April...the blue line where she ended in June. The orthotic technician was impressed with the speed with which her head changed. Most babies are in the helmet for 3-6 months or longer. The people at Sawtooth Orthotics were great!

From my point of view, the only downfall to not wearing the helmet in a busy little person learning to negotiate her environment is the lack of head protection when head meets underside of chair or table.

Where, Oh Where?

Where has the time gone??

I have a good idea - lost in the daily grind of keeping up with a three-year-old, caring for a blossoming and now-mobile nine-month-old, laundry, new church calling in the Primary Presidency (seriously, two hour meetings each week plus lesson prep), cleaning, reading books, pushing swings, running, cooking, sleeping, and did I mention cleaning? Oh, plus the occasional half day as a veterinarian and blood draws for our canine blood bank. =)

Since the last posting, here are some of the highlights and I'll add photos at the end for those of you who just want the visual re-cap since March:

• Re-started training for my half marathon. Turns out I can't build miles very quickly without getting either sick or injured....bonus that Mallorie is finally sleeping through the night!
• Mallorie and I met my mom in Phoenix for a few days while I attended a veterinary conference. Tons of fun for Mom and Mallorie and I got the chance to play student again and catch up with an old high school classmate. Wished we could have stayed longer!
• Easter fun! Morgan loved the egg hunt with her cousins, Mallorie did not enjoy her bite of mashed potato. For the dinner, we brought the biggest bowl of mashed potatoes I've ever beheld! And no, we did not consume them all.
• New adventure - Mallorie's cone shaped head (gift from the birthing process) was not resolving as quickly as we had hoped with conservative therapy. Thus the decision to place her in a cranial molding helmet. After the first two days, she doesn't mind at all! I, however, missing snuggling her little head and don't enjoy getting my collar bone grated every time she wants to bury into my shoulder. In a few weeks, they will check progress and see how much longer she needs to wear it. I should do a separate posting on things learned from this experience.
• Morgan started a tumbling class and loves it! Forward rolls, jumps on multiple tramps, balance beam walks, and bars. It's been neat to watch her confidence increase in her abilities to do things as well as be comfortable in a new environment with difference people.
• An awesome visit from my Mom and Mark! Hiking, book reading, playing, eating, and laughing. To end the visit, our huge willow tree in the back yard blew over and with the help of Mark and Steve, we got the yard cleared and tree off the house. Blessing - only one shingle was mildly displaced on the roof and now our yard appears to much bigger! Plus we have a space for the trampoline that my friend offered us. =)
• Finally, a Memorial weekend of moving 13,000 pounds of rock from the driveway to landscape the dirt under the remaining trees in the back. Chadwick designed, ordered, and hauled the rock to create a beautiful space! We also have a firepit for s'mores!! The weekend ended with a family bbq at our place. Love my in-laws!

There are, of course, funny anecdotes from daily life that I can't find time to document. Morgan is becoming quite stubborn, loves to show off her jumping/coloring/singing skills, and is so beautiful! She helps me to be a better mom. Mallorie is inch-worming her way all over the house and is rocking her older sister's world as she reaches into her toy baskets, chews coloring books, and steals stuffed animals. A very content little person, she is starting to pull up on the furniture. That girl has a set of lungs which she uses to express opinions and sing.

Chadwick started a new job with Intermountain Pet Hospital at the beginning of March and after the usual period of transition, has settled in and is loving his job. He has a fantastic team of people who help him complete his work and a clinic that is very well-run. We moved our blood bank there in April and has proved to be a good move for our little business.

 

And of course, Darwin continues to keep us entertained. No comment from Cleo. =)

On My Bucket List

The year Chadwick and I got married, I started to train for a half marathon. I even made it up to running 10 consecutive miles (and was slightly concerned that at the end of that adventure my toes felt numb), which was by far the longest I've ever run at one time. We got married, which messed up my training schedule, it got back on track, then we got the announcement that a good friend from vet school was getting married and having his wedding receiption on the morning of my race. The reception was in Lava Hot Springs at his parent's ranch....and my race plans happily went out the window.

The goal of running a half marathon is still on my bucket list, and 2013 is the year.

Step 1: Decide to run 13.1 miles and cross the finish line. No time limits, on my hands and knees counts as finishing.
Step 2: Purchase a jogger stroller so my girlies can join me on this adventure.

For Christmas, my parents helped with this second step and we took her out for a spin. The stroller travels smoothly, but it's depressing how out of shape I feel while pushing the thing. Bonus for the longer runs, Chadwick can help push! He is planning on running a half in September.

Step 3: Find a race - looks like the Rush Creek Stampede at the end of October in Cambridge, ID

Now to start the real training.....wish me luck.

Happy Happy Birthday, Morgan Dear!

...happy days will come to you all year.

I can't believe that our precious little girl is THREE! The time has gone by so quickly. She amazes me daily with her smile and enthusiasm. She makes up songs to sing, loves to show off her new "moves," adores her baby sister, and has been teaching me about the kind of person and mother I would like to be when I grow up.

After a morning spent playing at a friend's house, we had a girls lunch out at Wendy's - she adores chicken nuggets - then got the chance to play at Uncle James's house. The day wasn't supposed to be so jam-packed, but that's what happens when life gets involved. Dinner was here at the house, chicken and rice casserole, and then off to the Grandparents Hunt house for cake and ice cream.

Yes, I made a Hello Kitty cake and with the help of a friend got it frosted. It turned out to be a delightful cake! Betty Crocker outdid herself on the cake mix; for some reason it was amazing.

Presents included a Cinderella accessory kit complete with tiara, shoes, earrings, necklace and handbag; a Polly Pocket doll, a green John Deere tractor and trailer, Thomas the Train set, and some much-needed clothing.

The morning after her birthday, she woke up and asked, "Mom? Am I still three?"

Valentine's Fun

Valentine's week was a busy one for us! Morgan helped me make sugar cookie dough Sunday afternoon and we made the cookies Monday for FHE - there was a ridiculous amount of flour utilized by our little helper, and when it was getting late I offered to finish rolling and cutting cookies another day. Chadwick looked at me like I was slightly crazy and replied that he'd rather not have to clean up the mess again. Good point. The cookies were amazing!

Wish I could say the same for the frosting...it didn't occur to me that cream cheese frosting would taste, well, like cream cheese. My friend Mandie asked, "Is there any other way to eat sugar cookies than with cream cheese frosting?" I sure hope so, because I don't like cream cheese! Now I'm on a quest to find a frosting recipe I like.....

Tuesday Morgan was invited to a party where there were TEN 3- and 4-year-olds at the house - they did a craft, ate a snack (heart shaped Jello), played, and exchanged Valentine's. A total success and I was exhausted watching all the energy. Kudos to Lisa for being willing to host such a party in her household!

Wednesday afternoon found us at Mandie's house for a princess tea party - all the little girls dressed up in their princess dresses, ate fancy snacks, and drank juice from plastic champagne glasses. Morgan played really well with the other girls that afternoon, for which I was grateful. She hasn't yet mastered the art of playing "with" other people; she's better at playing "around" them. The moms had a chance to chat and get out of the house so it was a win-win!

Traditionally, Chadwick and I haven't done much for each other for V-Day, and this year was no exception. A nice dinner with a candle on the table, cookies for dessert, and I made a cute card for Morgan. I'm getting ideas on things to do for the girlies for this love holdiay. Gotta love friends and Pinterest for that!! And yes, I was able to make a heart shape in Morgan's hair. Super proud of myself for that one. =)






With that out of the way, Morgan started talking more frequently about her upcoming birthday. We started practicing the number three.....