OCMD- June 2011 *The Final Chapter*

So what was the rest of our mini-vacay like? Well, Monday it was little yucky outside so we decided to chill inside in the morning and then we headed to the boardwalk in the afternoon, hoping that there wouldn't be a huge crowd. We lucked out!

Maggie "in the hood" distracted by all the little kids running around the amusements

It was a little cooler so I dressed Mags in some cooler (not really matching) clothes and we decided to try the carousel again. The first time Mags went on the carousel in Brigantine, she spent the majority of the time whipping her head around trying to focus on things and then at the very end she started to have fun. This time she went on with Daddy and he reported that she tried focusing for a little bit, but then just stopped and enjoyed herself.


Unfortunately Mommy was left with the task of trying to get some action shots on the ride and well, watching the carousel go around and around made her a little dizzy, so she was not very successful. After the carousel, we walked around the boardwalk, and got a beachy frame for Mag's scope picture.

Vacation is a great time to kick back and catch up on some reading (LOL... I just love this, she was sitting and got tired of that, so she laid down to read her book!)

Later in the afternoon, the sun finally decided to make an appearance, so went and played on the beach.

Tuesday was a much better beach day, so we made the most of it. We spent some time hanging out on the beach and then we went up to the pool for a little while. Mags had a great time in the pool again and even made some friends, who asked me to let her go so she could swim to them. Unfortunately, I explained, Mags isn't exactly swimming yet. LOL


After dinner, we headed out to our favorite ice cream shop for a little treat. Mags enjoyed her stroller strap.

No, I couldn't, I'm watching my figure!!!!

Oh ok I'll have some, it is vacation!

Wednesday we headed to my mom's house, because Brian was seeing a U2 concert that night in Baltimore. Mags and I hung out with Grammy and Poppy.


Thursday afternoon we headed home and spent the rest of the weekend relaxing and constantly asking, "Wait, what day is it???" Fun times!

All in all, like I said before, it was a great time! I heart OCMD and I can't for future vacations and more fun adventures!

Hope that this finds you well and that you are having a tremendously wonderful Thursday!!!

Wordless Wednesday- Really "Great" Grandparents

OCMD- June 2011

I've never taken a mini-vacation before. Normally we go for either a week or a weekend. So this was a new experience and it was awesome. It was great because we got to have some vacation time away from home, but then we also had some homebody time at the end of the week. It really did mess with my sense of days though. Each day I had to be reminded which day it really was because I was so mixed up. Totally worth it!

So we left early Saturday morning and we totally lucked out and didn't hit a stitch of traffic. Mags was a great little traveler until the very end of the trip. It seems like she may have been dealing with some constipation issues and we could tell that she was really feeling it. I hate to see her so uncomfortable and upset! We finally got to Ocean City and Mags seemed to be feeling a little better. We went straight to the condo and my family was there to greet us. Mags was still a little teary when we arrived, but the minute she saw her Grammy she perked right up and all the bad stuff was forgotten.

We went up and had lunch and decided to forgo a nap for Mags and just head out to the beach.

I was a little apprehensive because of our last beach trip, but Mags was a pro now and wasn't upset at all. She loved sitting on the blanket and playing with the beach toys.


A little later we got her pictures taken by the Scopes guy (For those unfamiliar: Telescope pictures are tiny pictures in little telescope key chains. They are really cool and really expensive, but since it was Mags 1st time in Ocean City we decided what the heck. Thank you Grammy!!!!). She was such a little model and the guy was really impressed with how well she acted. After that she was a little sandy, so we arduously filled up a little pool that my mom had and sat her in that. Again I wasn't sure how she would react because the water was pretty cold, but she LOVED it. She played with her toys and splashed about.

Grammy attempting a Mohawk with Mag's long, luscious locks...

Grammy and Mags being silly

AWWWWW!!!!

After that we decided to take her up to the big pool. It was her first time in a full size and she really enjoyed herself. The pool is heated, so that helped and she loved kicking her legs and spinning around.


After a little time in the pool we decided to put Mags down for a nap, and she feel right to sleep. After her nap we decided to go out to dinner. I dressed Mags up in one of her pretty dresses and she sat waiting for us to get ready, playing with her dolly.

Mags loves dolly

When it was time to leave I attempted to take the doll away because we were walking to the restaurant on a very busy street and I was afraid she might toss the doll into the street. Well I say that I attempted to take the doll away, because little Mags had quite the death grip on her doll. I did eventually rest the doll away from her and it made her really upset. She has never gotten upset when we take a toy away, so I was really surprised.

Mags DOES NOT like Dolly being taken away

I decided to let her take the doll on our walk and she held on to the doll very tightly the entire way. But the minute we got to the restaurant she beame distracted by the shiny, plastic menus and she literally dropped the doll on the floor.

She was so good during dinner and charmed everyone around her.

Mags, Grammy and Poppy

Mags, Great Grandmommy and Grandaddy

After dinner we went home and put Mags to bed. Unfortunately for whatever reason, we did not have a good night of sleep. Mags was up several times and just couldn't seem to get comfortable. The next morning she had us up early and we were all VERY tired. We went out to breakfast and she was in very good spirits. You could not tell that she had a bad night's sleep the night before and a couple of patrons commented on what a happy baby she was.

Zoning out a little because we didn't sleep last night....

After breakfast we went back to the condo and hung out because it was a yucky, rainy day out. My family decided since the weather wasn't any good that they would head home early. Mags was down for a nap when they left and I swear when she woke up she was curious as to where her adoring public had gone. LOL That night we hung out and spent the night in.

And thus concludes the report on the first part of our amazing mini-vacay. Stay tuned for the next installment!

Hope you're having a terrific Tuesday!

11 Months

Well here we are folks...t-minus 30 days until my little, itty bitty baby turns one. Last month I freaked out a little bit about the craziness of the situation, but this month I think I have somehwhat come to terms with it all. I am just so amazed that the journey that was this first year is coming to the end. I hate to beat a dead horse, but it really feels like just yesterday (or this time last year) I was thinking, "Well we're in the home stretch." and people joked when I went home for the 4th of July holiday last year, "Maybe you'll have a Yankee doodle dandy baby...". Was that really 365 days ago???

Anyways you, my little Magsterino are 11 months old and you are really starting to show us that personality. For the most part your are sunshine and giggles, but over the past couple of weeks you have shown some impatience and anger. You become VERY impatient if your bottle is not given to you when you see it and on our little vacay (promise the posts are coming soon) when we tried to take your dolly away to go out, you held onto the doll with all your might and when it was taken away you get extremely upset!!! (For the record we let you take the doll with you, because I had never seen you so adamant about holding on to a toy, but the minute we reached the restaurant the menu was much more interesting.)

Last week you decided to crawl. You moved with no hesitation, like you had been doing it for ages and you didn't seem to understand what all the fuss was about. You were completely unfazed. You LOVE your books. You are content to sit with them for quite some time, flipping through the pages and reading to yourself. You also love being read to. This makes mommy and daddy VERY happy. You also love to sit an spin, not on the actual toy, just on the ground. Maybe we will have to get you that toy for your bday.

You love the stand, everywhere, but your fave spot is on the couch because you can see out the window. We went in the big pool for the first time last week and you were in heaven. You really enjoyed kicking your little legs and you didn't even seem to mind when you splashed yourself in the face. You really like being around other kids and I can tell that you want to interact. Right now your only interaction seems to be grabbing at them and occasionally poking them in the eyes...we're working on that.

You are still my little cuddle bug and I cannot express how amazing it is to feel your little arms around my neck, as you really give me a squeeze. I feel so loved in your little embrace.

So the year is drawing to a close and birthday plans are being locked in. I can't wait to see what this next month has in store or us!

Outakes:
This is what I get now when I try to just sit Mags down and take her picture...action shots. LOL

Hope you're having a great Monday!

You Three Words

And We're Back!!!!!

So how much did you miss me???

I missed you all sooooo very much. My Google reader just about exploded, and I spent some quality time last night catching up on lots of your fun exploits.

But honestly, in my humble opinion, none of them compare to the amazing time we had these past couple of days. We had A LOT of fun! So much fun, that I am probably going to spread sharing all this amazingness out over a couple of posts.

A) Because I am that nerd that needs a mini-vacation from her mini-vacay...I didn't sleep too well a couple of nights and I. AM. TIRED.....

and B) I took a TON of pics and I don't want you to be visually overwhelmed by all the awesomeness...{partly true, but mainly just see A}

So technically we weren't leaving for our vacay until Saturday, but Mags had other plans. She decided that the party needed to start a little early and she decided to show us her new moves... CRAWLING!!!!!!!!

Sorry if I seem a little overzealous about this, but to be completely honest, I was starting to get a little anxious about Mag's lack of mobility. We go to The Little Gym every Wednesday and there are babies months younger than her that have been crawling for what seems like forever. And at the playdates we go to, Mags was always in the minority of non-crawlers. And I know that all babies develop at their own speed, and you'll wish they are less mobile, once they get started....and all that jazz, but I just want Mags to be healthy and happy and I don't want her stymied by anything....so to say that I am relieved is an understatement (yes, I cried).

For the most part the whole event was a little anticlimactic. We went into to pick Mags up from her afternoon nap and Brian took her pacifier like normal and placed it back in the crib, at the opposite end from Magster, and like she had been doing it her whole life, she got up on her knees and crawled over to get the pacifier. It really took us by surprise. I was afraid that it might be a fluke so we put Mags on the floor and encouraged her to crawl to me and again, she did it like it was the most natural thing ever.

Now she is a crawling pro. She can go from sitting to crawling and then back to sitting from a crawling position. Right now, she's not the type that needs to crawl all the time, and for the most part we can still put her down for awhile with her toys before she feels the need to explore elsewhere. But look out of there is something in her view that she wants, because she makes it her mission to get it!

And just in case you're a doubting Thomas...the proof is in the video...(this was from Friday night, so she was still a little wobbly, and she has since improved her technique..cause well she's a genius....duh {oh and also super sorry for my fugly cowboy boots pj pants, wasn't expecting to be on film.....})



So that's all for now, but trust me there is SO much more from and I can't wait to share.

On that note, I hope that you are having a wonderful Friday and that you have an even more magnificent weekend!

Join the hop!!!

You Three Words

MUCH NEEDED BREAK

So we are out of here folks, for a highly overdue, highly anticipated, much needed break. Nothing too crazy, just a little getaway to recharge the batteries. The hubs has one week off between school and camp, and we are taking advantage!

I am also going to be taking a little bloggy vacay as well. I know I don't kill myself posting everyday or anything, but it will be nice to unplug this week and focus on the fam.

So I hope that you have a great weekend and an even better week.

See you on the flipside!!!

Wordless Wednesday- Baby Love

Birthday Planning and Horsin' Around

So yes, it is another Monday and this Monday is 44 days until Mag's birthday, my last Monday of regular evening tutoring and 5 days until we go to the beach. And how do I feel about these occurrences??? Joyful, excited, anxious and sentimental...happy and anxious...and just plain elated and excited.

We are still in the planning mode for Maggie's birthday(s) but the dates are set. We will have her PA birthday on the 23rd at the in-laws' house. That will be a simple bbq with family and friends. The next party is in MD and it will be on the 30th, at the country club my dad and step mom belong to and it will be cupcake themed. And last but definitely not least, she will have a MD birthday party on the 31st, that will be at my mom's and for that, we are thinking about a princess theme.

As for the fashion, my little diva/princess has three different special birthday outfits. There is a candy pink pettiskirt (that my MIL is making) with a cupcake necklace tee. There is a cupcake shirt and polka dot pants. And there is also a gorgeous pink dress that used to be mine, that my mother saved.

And finally for the decorations we are planning on a special birthday hat, some cupcake toppers, a welcome sign and my best friend has offered to make her a fabric, pennant banner.

Plans are officially underway people, this is really happening....ACCCCCKKKKK!

Ok enough about that, let's talk about the weekend....

This past weekend was nice and relaxing, just what we needed. Especially me...I am fighting some sinus thing, that per the uge (for you my love) has infected my ear and is giving me serious vertigo. This happens to me ALL the time and it seriously stinks. So I am all about the nasal spray and decongestants, because I hate being sick (obvi) and I want to get better before the weekend. I have things to do, sinus pressure, that do NOT involve feeling like crap because of you!

So Saturday we vegged hardcore. We watched "Kick Ass", which I think was unfortunately mis-marketed to young adults because it was not appropriate for that age group AT ALL.

Sidenote: It's really interesting for me to see how my perspective has seriously changed since I became a parent. I don't consider myself a stick in the mud, but I have become hypersensitive to the marketing of inappropriate material to children/teenagers. I am slowly but surely getting through the Hunger Games trilogy and it really upsets me that these ultra-violent books are targeted to the teen demographic. I think before Maggie this wouldn't have upset me as much as it does now...

Anyway, Sunday we headed over to the in-laws to celebrate Father's Day, since we will be at the beach this upcoming weekend. There was a "horse" involved (hence the title) and Mags (of course) had a stupendous time.

Loving some PopPop time!

Hanging out with Aunt Janice

Ah Mom, I'm not too sure about this....

Eh ok, this is kind of fun....

HAHAHAHA...geez Nana you tell the funniest jokes!!!

So how was your weekend?

Hope you are having a marvelous Monday!!!!