Your Three Words

18 Months Old

Nope, no typos there....it's official, today the Magsterino is a year and a half old. Six months away from two.

So here is the obligatory annual comparison....



I remember the picture for the 6 month photo shoot was a little difficult because Maggie was still working on sitting up on her own and I was having a hard time getting her to smile. Little did I know the difference a year would make, and I'm not talking about better...LOL. Getting an 18 month old to sit still for anything is. a. struggle. And that is being nice.
I tried to get the picture in the rocking chair, where the 6 month pic was taken...super meltdown. So I pulled out her new big girl chair and thought that would entice her....and that worked for about a minute. It was difficult. But I got a couple of pics, so that's all that matters. We may try again when Daddy gets home, that's how we got the beautiful 6 month pic.....

So what have been up to this month?

Everyday you seem to be growing up by leaps and bounds. You love to eat and you are always up to try new things. Veggies are a little bit of a tough spot, but we get by ok. You love: grilled cheese, pb&j, goldfish, french fries, never met a fruit you didn't like, carrots, eggs, and so much more. You had your first taste of chicken fingers last week and you really enjoyed them. You do this silly thing when you are eating, that is hard to describe. It seems like when you really enjoy something you put your thumb, forefinger and middle finger in your mouth and suck/smack on them. It is kind of like the Italian finger kiss, when they are saying something is good. We have no idea where you got that from.

You are totally an expert walker and you even do a little run/trot, that is adorable. You impressed us all last weekend by heading up the stairs without any problems. You have attempted a few new things at Gymboree, like walking on the balance beam, climbing the stairs, and jumping off the platform. You also love your music class, as well.

You still love your books and you love to sit on Mommy's lap and read the same one, over and over and over and over again. You let us know that you want to sit on our lap, by backing yourself up and waiting for us to pick you up. Sometimes you like to read to yourself as well. Right now your favorite books are; "Princess Baby", "Wynken, Blyken and Nod", some small Disney board books (you really like "Peter Pan" and "Jungle Book"), "Pajama Time" and lots more. You love playing with your kitchen and you links and blocks. You still love "Baby Signing Time" and you are beginning to become quite enamored with a certain furry, red monster, to the point that we have to spell his name so as not to incite a mini riot! You also love coloring and playing with your flashcards. You love to sit at your table and act like a such a big girl!

Chatty Cathy should be another nickname in your rotation. You are so talkative and lately some of it is starting to actually make sense. Your list of words is becoming pretty substantial. You are quite the mimic as well, guess we have to start watching what we're saying. You are so curious and have even started asking,"What's that?" about almost everything. You have also discovered the word "NO" and it is your favorite response to EVERYTHING. Right now it makes us giggle, but I'm sure it won't for long...

I'm sure there are some things that I am forgetting, but that is a lot for now! We didn't get to go to your Drs appt today because they cancelled, but we are rescheduled for next week, and I am interested to see your stats. I think that your weight may have stabilized a little and I think you may have grown too, because your pants are starting to fit a lot better.

I love you so much my little lady, and I really mean it when I say that I thank my lucky stars everyday that I get to be your Mommy!!!

Linking up today with Your Three Words and Friday Favorite Things.

Wordless Wednesday

Mingle Monday

What a weekend! So much fun and relaxation, a welcome getaway!

Friday night we headed out ASAP to beat the impending snow and the trip down was easy peasy! Mags went down for bed, the minute we got there and we hung out till we all went to bed.

Saturday the snow had just about completely melted by the time we got up, but it rained the majority of the day. It was grey and overcast, a pretty all round yucky day. Fortunately, we had nothing planned, so we literally just sat around all day.

We played with Mags when she wasn't napping, and then when she was down, we did NOTHING. It was stellar! Brian and his sister, got his Mom hooked on Angry Birds, which was interesting to see. We all played each other on our Iphones on Words with Friends, and Brian's dad sat around intermittently falling asleep or taking the dog out, because he doesn't have an Iphone...poor guy...LOL.

In the evening we headed out to dinner and Mags had her first taste of chicken fingers (she also had french fries, but she has had those before). Needless to say, she was a fan.

After dinner we came home and played with Mags for a bit, before she went to bed. She did a good job of tiring herself out, running back and forth in the living room, "cooking" food and then feeding Nana and Aunt Janice. She was hilarious. Also hilarious/amazing....after almost 4 months of walking and the few trips that we have taken to the shore house, with it's always interesting staircase, Mags decided to give them a go. And just like sitting, crawling and walking, she just crawled up the stairs like she had done it a million time, no hesitation, no stumbling. The funniest was, after her first couple of jaunts up the stairs with Daddy, we realized that we had to somehow gate the stairs off, so she didn't attempt it on her own, so we put come ottomans in front of the stairs and she was good.

Then Sunday morning, I told her it was time to go upstairs to get dressed and she proceed to go over to the steps and moved the ottomans out of the way, like "Oh yeah, these things weren't actually stopping me...I just let you think that...I like to humor you guys when it comes to these things...aren't I nice??"

So Sunday we had a great breakfast and then came back to put Mags down for a nap, which she fell asleep in the last ten minutes. We left after she had lunch and thankfully did not hit any traffic on the way home.

Sunday night was a little tough, because we are pretty sure that Mags is teething, AGAIN, and she wasn't in the best mood. We tried to Skype with Grammy, but Mags wasn't too keen.

Other than that little blip, we had an amazing weekend!

How was your weekend? Hope you're having a great Monday!

Your Three Words

Friday Favorite Things

Another week come and gone...and what have we been up to? Well here's the rundown with a few pics from the January photo a day, which is turning out to be quite fun!

Monday we had the hubs home for Martin Luther King Day and it was great.

Tuesday we went to our first Gymboree Music class and Maggie tried to escape about 5 times, but it was a lot of fun.

Wednesday we went to a Play and Learn class and Mags actually attempted some things, instead of just running around with wiffle balls in her hands. She played on a springy mat and walked across a balance beam. Proud Mama right here!

Thursday we went to the library story time and afterwards Maggie played on the computer for the first time, actually sat for awhile playing on the computer, got bored and wanted to run around, but then got upset when we went back to the computer and someone else was playing on it...LOL

Got this to tide us over till we get to go, so excited!!!!

Today we are doing laundry and packing for a little getaway to the beach, where it looks like we may be snowed in a little bit...oh well, not like we were planning on sunbathing...

And now a couple of favorite things from this week....

• I can totally relate with the perspective of the first time mom in this article

• LOVED, LOVED, LOVED the new episodes of New Girl and Glee this week...so good!

• One hundred percent loved the outpouring of care and concern for this little girl
  

• Another article that really hit the nail on the head for me on motherhood

• This one is a sad one, but I am happy that little Tripp is finally at rest and has peace

• Just read the awesome short story "The Glass Case", from Kristin Hannah which also included an excerpt of her new book Home Front and now I can't wait to read that...

• Still rocking out to Florence + The Machine's new album Ceremonials, and LOVE this song...
  
• Also really loved that Lindsay from You are the Roots guest posted here this week, check it out here.

Whew that is a lot of things to love. Hope you are having a great Friday and that you have a great weekend!!

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Guest Blogger- Lindsay from You are the Roots

Happy Wednesday!! As a special treat today, Lindsay from You are the Roots is guest posting here, and I am guest posting on her blog. Thanks Lindsay!

Hello everyone! I am so excited and honored to be guest blogging here at A Better And Magnificent Mom. Sarah's blog is one of my favorites and come on, how cute is Maggie?!

To introduce myself, my name is Lindsay and I blog over at You Are The Roots.

I am a 25 year old first time mom living in southeast Florida. My son, Ethan, was born on June 22nd, 2011. As I type this, it's hard for me to believe that he's actually closing in on 7 months.

I have definite issues with time flying all too quickly these days. My husband and I began dating when we were 15 and 16 years old and as we rake in ten years together -- a decade! -- I'm trying to figure out where all that time went! We were married in May of 2009.

In October of 2010, we found out that we were expecting. I had a pregnancy that started off going swimmingly (aside from terrible morning sickness) and soon took a turn for the worse. Between being put on bedrest and being so swollen that I couldn't really walk without assistance, I couldn't wait for the pregnancy to end while still hoping that Ethan stuck it out long enough to be full-term. He was born at 36 weeks, on June 22nd, 2011.

Being a mom is an adventure. As routine as your days eventually do become, you never really know if they'll stay that way. Actually, it's a safe bet that they won't be staying that way. Despite whatever plans I have laid out for our days, there's always that bit of gray area ensuring you don't really know how that day will go. I've always been kind of a control freak, someone who cowers in fear at the mere thought of spontaneity. Being a mom not only keeps me on my toes, but it's an introduction to being impulsive and living in the moment. It's taught me that no matter how diligent my plans are, they're still just blueprints that Ethan and only Ethan can approve or scrap at the end of the day!

There are those days where I make plans for first thing in the morning, knowing that Ethan has never in his 7 months slept past 6:30 a.m. Yet on that day where I have said plans, Ethan is sure to sleep in past 8:00 for the first time ever and throw my entire morning off! Being a mom has taught me to be unapologetic. It's okay if we're fifteen minutes late to a playgroup. No mother expects us to be right on the dot. Anything within a half-hour window is seen as on time when you come with little one in tow. It's also okay if my house is a mess, if laundry stays folded on our coffee table overnight, still begging to be put away. At the end of the day, an extra ten minutes to sing lullaby songs to your half-asleep little one who is curled up in your arms on the couch is more valuable than knowing your clean clothes are hung contently in your closet.

Personally, I'm learning to like these little adventures and the way transitions happen without warning. One day Ethan went to sleep with a gummy smile and the next day he woke up with two bottom teeth; one day he went to sleep wobbly and relying on his hands for support to sit and the next day he was able to sit unassisted. Being a mom has been a lesson in never expecting certain things out of life, of going with the flow and learning to take in the laughter of each fleeting moment. No matter how many sleepless nights we go through as we transition Ethan from crib to bassinet, there will always be a day I wake up and try to figure out how my little boy is already almost 7 months old.

Feel free to come join Ethan and I over at You Are The Roots for more of the little adventures that everyday life gives us. Thank you so much to Sarah and her readers for having me guest post over here today! It's been an honor! We've loved blogging with you today!

Thanks again Lindsay! Hope everyone is having a great day!

Weekend Rewind

This weekend was a beaut! And for the record, it's technically not completely over, since the hubs has off today. But the actual weekend was awesome.

Friday we had dinner when the hubs got home, played for awhile with the silly one, bath time and then I watched "One Day". I never finished the book, and the movie was ....eh.

Saturday, we relaxed for the better part of the day.

I read this book about 10 times this morning....

Then I spent a luxurious amount of time primping and preening for date night with the hubs. We dropped Mags off at the in-laws, and we headed out to Olive Garden and "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo".

In the car selfie

The food was awesome and the movie gets two thumbs up in my book, but it is definitely not for the faint of heart. It isn't a horror movie per se, but it has some pretty graphic scenes that could make some people really uncomfortable, to say the least.

Sunday (my funday), we all pretty much got to sleep in, because Mags slept in till 9am, since we got home so late the night before. Since it was literally freezing outside, we hunkered down and just enjoyed some quality time.

Sunday morning coffee and catching up on blogs during nap time

This morning we all slept in again, because Mags had a hard time settling down last night and then got up at 5am for some reason. I'm wondering if we have some more teeth coming in and if they are to blame for a couple of nights of interrupted sleep. Otherwise, you can never tell with Mags when she is teething and I know we are lucky!

The blurriness of the perpetual motion toddler

My plans for the rest of the day include a little shopping, getting some frames for our gallery wall that has been over a year in the making, and the ever dreadful grocery shopping.

Hope you're having a great Monday!

Wordless Wednesday- Wind in my Hair

To Remember

Just a couple of things about my little almost 18 month old, to jot down, so I don't ever forget them....

• How you yell "Bye- Bye" (no more die-die) with this silly almost Southern accent and make a big deal of waving and running around (totally slayed at the most recent play date)
• Today, after I blew on your, still a little too hot, grilled cheese, you felt the need to blow on it as well
• You have unfortunately caught on to our "feed her the veggies first" idea and it's not working so well anymore
• The way you are becoming so fiercely independent, but when you run around you look back to make sure that I am following you
• Your crazy hair, that seems to be growing more and more overnight, and how the top hair is just no long enough to lay flat, and if I lose sight of you for a minute, I can see those little fly away hairs bouncing over the top of the sofa
• Watching you with your Daddy (and now I'm getting choked up), you two really love hanging out with each other. Whether it's rough housing in the family room or you, sitting so proud on the sofa, next to your Daddy, laughing whenever he does at silly tv shows
• You are becoming such the little mimic and you love to try to repeat what we say, and you have really mastered Mommy's, "Oh My!"

I'm sure there are a ton more that I am forgetting, but I just had to put these down, because they make my heart swell and almost burst on a hourly basis. As I constantly say, you are a wonder my dear!

Your Three Words

Before I explain, let's back up to end of last week. On Friday, the in-laws brought up Maggie's new table and chairs and took us out to dinner. Maggie looked so cute, I had to take some pictures...which she of course stood quietly in one place for...

This would be the ever popular, "I have better things to do, Mom, than sit around and get my picture taken" side step...


The frequently seen, "What the heck is this woman doing?" pose...


And my absolute fave, "Oh my goodness lady, can't you see I'm cooking here???"

Luckily I am armed with the knowledge that my daughter refuses to be left out of the joke, so a couple of fake laughs and finally....

"I know, so funny...right???"

Then Saturday was New Year's Eve and we took a page from last year, and laid low. When Mags got up from her nap, I thought it would be fun to dress her up a little and have a NYE photo shoot.

For dinner, so she would fit in her highchair, I took her out of the huge tutu and this is what happened after dinner.....

Quite the party animal!!!! I have no idea where she gets it....seriously.....

Then New Year's Day we headed over to Brian's Uncle and Aunt for some yummy pork and sauerkraut.

We had such a great time! Hope that you are having a terrific Friday! Have a great weekend!!!