Home Alone

I am home alone tonight...not really, Maggie's sleeping upstairs but for the first time in a long time I am able to have complete control of the remote and I'm watching What Not to Wear with a Fine Living Network chaser. No, scratch that, I am not flipping back and forth between channels, I'm actually sitting through the commercials! GASP...

But I have the monitor on next to me and find myself missing whole segments of Stacey and Clinton's wise advice just to listen to the sweet hum of Maggie sleeping. Our heat has been on the fritz for a few days so Maggie has been sleeping at Aunt Jen's and I didn't realize how quiet our house was without her until then. Even when she's upstairs sleeping she breathes life into this house.

Maggie turned 19 months yesterday and she celebrated by officially calling an end to her morning naps. We have still been putting her down for a morning nap the past 2 weekends but lately she has just been sitting in her crib singing songs at the top of her lungs. The monitor is like XM radio now. Her catchy tune "baaa baaa baaa" really cannot be missed.

So now we have more of Maggie on the weekends and she is truly cracking me up. I was pretending to read a magazine today but was really watching her read a book out loud. It was a book of baby animals and as she flipped each page she very seriously made the correct animal noise for each one "R-O-A-R (lion)...BBBPPPPP (elephant)...AH AH AH (monkey)". It was amazing to me to watch her do this un-prompted. But my favorite book that she "reads" to me is the Good Night Bear book. She flips through each page saying "that's a bear, that's a bear, that's a bear, that's a bear..." in a perfect Italian accent. Her new most used phrase is "that's a [insert noun here]" and, as already mentioned, it is always in an Italian accent.

I think I might have gotten what I wished for years ago when Erik and I watched the movie "Life is Beautiful". We fell in love with the little Italian boy (Giosua) and swore we wanted to teach our child Italian just so he or she would sound that cute. Maggie really does sound that cute and the likenesses in our recent family picture are uncanny:

Toddler in the Hood

I was away for work a few days last week and can't believe how much Maggie grew up in such a short time. She literally repeats everything we say which, as you can imagine if you have ever read Erik's blog, is not always a good thing. We are officially on the shoot, darn, fudge, God bless it bandwagon. Our ipod playlists are set to Maggie-friendly vs. non-Maggie-friendly.

And we spell. You can't just say "should we give her mac-n-cheese for dinner?" without her immediately running to her high chair crying "UPPA...SIT DOWN". Someday Erik will learn this. Yesterday I asked Erik what we should make her for dinner and he responds "we could do nuggets, peanut butter and jelly, mac-n-cheese, hot dog, whatever". Now in Maggie's little head, there is immediately a buffet of all of the above-mentioned items waiting for her at the kitchen table at this very moment. This is information overload and inevitably ends up in meltdown for the entire dinner preparation time. Thanks Erik.

It's hard to switch from being parents of a baby to parents of a toddler when it seems like it changes overnight. All of a sudden she gets everything and who knows what she will teach the other kids at daycare. We are not big regulators as parents. We let Maggie watch some TV before bed (Blue's Clue, Noddy, Sesame Street - it's not like she's watching Entourage - it's on too late), she may have an unhealthy snack here and there, and we might forget to censor ourselves around her sometimes but hopefully we are teaching her the right values despite all of that.

It's more important to me that she learns the unspoken things from us...how we treat people (I'm proud to say Thank You is her favorite phrase), how we live for our family, how to always have fun and not take anything too seriously.

I guess it all remains to be seen...look us up in 18 years!

Little Miss Diva

I had to stop and just look at Maggie today on our way out the door. There she was standing in front of me in her khaki colored "trench coat", gold bracelet (that she stole off my wrist), keys and Blackberry ready to go to "school". But as if that wasn't enough, she kept crying "more? more? more?"...OH...I forgot...you need your binky. The little businesswoman still needs her binky.

It has been an amazing month with Maggie talking more and more everyday. Sometimes I forget we are not having real conversations. She talks in full gibberish sentences and looks at you for a response, it feels as if you are really communicating. And she is starting to put 2 and 3 real words together to make (fragmented) sentences. Yesterday morning as Erik was leaving for work she yelled "DaDa" and he yelled "Bye Moo" all the way until she heard him walk out the door. Then she said quietly "Bye Bye Da Da" and went on to eat her pancake.

I realized just how much she gets it today when she was going through the bowl in our entryway where we keep our keys and miscellaneous junk. She picked up the AC/DC CD that Erik made for Uncle Bruce and walked around the house with that for a while. But when I said "can you put the CD back and bring my Blackberry and keys to me", I turned around and there she was in her khaki colored "trench coat", gold bracelet, keys and Blackberry. And the CD was back in the bowl.

And when I read a library book to her last week just one time, the next time we read it, she made all of the same gestures and comments that I did the first time I read the book. So as I read it to her (for the 500th time) last night it went a little like this:

It was bedtime and 5 little monkeys said good night to their mama
Maggie: MAMA!

And Five Little Monkeys jumped on the bed
One fell off and bumped her head
Maggie: OH NO!

Mama called the doctor
Maggie: Hello DaDa (Doctor)

And the Doctor Said...
Maggie shakes her finger and says NO NO

NO MORE MONKEYS JUMPING ON THE BED!

So now if I say no to her I get the finger shake. It's pretty cute...as long as she's not mocking me. Which I think she might be...but it's still cute.

Worst Week Ever.

OK...so in the whole scheme of things it was not the worst week ever. But it certainly wasn't the best.

Erik was away this week so it was just the girls. I had visions of doing fun girl stuff together, letting her sleep in my bed, playing, etc. etc. etc. But...when you work 8-5 the harsh reality is, you barely have enough time to do what needs to be done, let alone braid each others hair (like I can braid hair - ok, maybe a regular braid, but don't even bother asking for a french braid. That is Aunt Jen's department).

So the week went more like this:

Wake up early Monday because we have to take Erik to drop off his truck, then Maggie at daycare, then Erik at work so I get to work 20 minutes late. Have incredibly busy day at work and leave at 5:01 to get Maggie. She's not used to being at daycare that late so of course I am stressed about it all day. I show up at 5:15 and she could care less that she's been there an hour longer than usual. I watch her through the window before going in just to see how she plays. She picked up a baby doll and so sweetly laid her on the table as if she was going to change her diaper, hugged her and rocked her. I walked in and she throws the baby on the floor and yells "bye bye ba-by" and runs to me. Sweet...domestic abuse at its finest.

Tuesday - this is going to be a good day. I have a work dinner with a good group, Aunt Jen is babysitting. Yes, I have 3 short nights with Maggie alone and I get a babysitter. What can I say? Dinner went well, Maggie and Aunt Jen had a great night together, she's sleeping when I get home so I go to bed early. Everything goes well until midnight when chaos ensues. The cough is back and with a vengeance. She is coughing so violently she throws up. So since I was not around for dinner, she made sure that I could see (and wear) what she had. Oh, I see Aunt Jen gave you fish sticks tonight. Great.

Of course this all happens right after I read an article in Parents magazine about how a toddler rarely throws up only once. So of course I am waiting for the other shoe to drop...all...night...long. And very little sleep was had. To top it off, Maggie (who NEVER wakes up before 7 when Erik is home) wakes up at 6 AM the next morning, the time when I usually get in the shower. So now I get to entertain while I get ready...did I mention I had very little sleep? This is going to be a great day.

Oh and it was. I won't go into boring work stuff because this is not about me (who are we kidding?) but suffice it to say Wednesday was my busiest work day ever. Get through that, pick up Maggie at 5:15 to find her wearing a fireman's coat strutting around the classroom like it's no big deal. This has to be the best part of the day, to catch her in a moment when she doesn't know I'm watching.

Rather than going into more poor me, I will just summarize the point of this post. I admire single working moms so much it's not funny. How they do it and still have any ounce of sanity left is beyond me, but they deserve medals and trophies and cakes and cookies and everything that is good in the world because I stepped into those shoes for 3 short days and think I might have to hibernate for a week just to catch up.

Now excuse me while I go pray to the sleep gods...we really need a full night tonight...please?

Baby Blues

My name is Maggie...

Some of you call me Moo...

But I am here to tell you

I have the Ba-a-a-by Blues...

Maggie has added a new instrument to her repertoire. After mastering the xylophone, maraca and bongo she has moved onto wind instruments...the harmonica. The old blues harp. She's pretty good too. I thought she was a regular Matthew McCounaghey on the bongos, now she's like John Popper to the harmonica...and don't even get me started on her dancing.

We keep it in the car now and it's funny when all of a sudden she'll belt out a few notes, then put it carefully next to her just in case the mood strikes her again. Every other toy in the car she throws in utter disregard when she is done with it, but not the harmonica. It is always within arms reach. It's especially adorable when, in the middle of a rif, she'll say "ALRIGHT!" and then continue to play.

Alright is the word du jour. At first I couldn't figure out where she learned it until I paid attention to the words I say to her. Alright has got to be the most overused word in my vocabulary and I had no idea. Now even if I tried to stop I'm not sure I could.

We're also trying to (ahem...brainwash)...teach her to say "OBAMA" and she hasn't quite mastered it yet, but I'm almost happier with her version - "Oh-mama". And if we ask her to say Obama Mama she says Oh-mamamama.

So Maggie, why don't you break it down for us a little...

That's right, I got the Ba-a-a-by Blues....

ALRIGHT! Go Oh-mama!

Sick-O

This post was not supposed to be about this. It was supposed to be a touchy-feely love fest to Erik/DaDa whose celebrates his 37th birthday tomorrow. When you were a kid and heard someone was 37, weren't they old? They didn't have 1 1/2 year olds did they? Someone at work who had their 2nd child when they were 35 (she is now 13) reminded me that we will start to feel really old when we go to back to school night for Maggie as she gets older. We will be the most likely be the oldest parents there. Thanks... How did I get here anyway?

I interrupt this touchy-feely post for a real life moment:

We got our first sick call from daycare today...your daughter just threw up...a LOT...you need to come get her.

10 minutes later I show up at Maggie's classroom with just the teacher and her in the room, slumped listlessly in a beanbag chair (Maggie that is). The teacher said she knew something was wrong when Maggie didn't eat much that day. "Maggie always eats all of her food!" (That's my girl!).

30 minutes and 2 more "episodes" later we are home and assume the sick position:

This is exactly what I remember when I stayed home sick from school. Laying on the couch with the TV on, my favorite blanket keeping me warm...and that look on my face. Doesn't that just say it all?

Immediately I jump into mom mode - BRAT diet...slice the bananas, toast the bread...wet washcloth, trashcan next to the couch (like Maggie knows to turn her head and throw up into the trashcan) and towels in case of emergency. I feel like I'm playing house and that I should have high heels on 5 sizes too big with pearls hanging down to my ankles. I'm just playing Mom right? Is someone really relying on me to make it all better? Does someone really call me Mom?

I'm reminded of that when Maggie gets some life back and starts talking again. All she said all evening was Mom-my? Mom-my? Mom-my? It seems to be her catch phrase these days...her new thing is to say it until I respond and then she says DaDa? As if to say Mommy? Where's Daddy? And I swear she says it in a British accent. Mummy? Wherefore art Daddy?

Another new thing, which I love, is she holds up her sippy cup to your glass and says "cheers", then "aaahhhh" after she takes a sip. I can't imagine how she learned to do something so dramatic...

Anyway, let's get back to the real deal. It is Erik's birthday tomorrow and no one deserves a parade, fiesta, soiree, all out party more than he does. The highlight of my day is sitting in Maggie's playroom and watching the two of them chase each other around the house. I think it's the highlight of her day too and I hope it is his.

So, Erik, you give me a million presents everyday and I hope I come close to returning the favor. Happy Birthday Da Da...you truly deserve a #1 Dad mug!!

Movin' On Up

Maggie has recently moved into the bigger kid classroom - better known as Beginning Steps II - having only been in Beginning Steps I for a short time. It's always a proud moment when you show up to pick up your child at daycare and the Director gives you the smile and then says "we think Maggie's ready to move into the next class". That must mean she's a genius right? She was only in Beginning Steps I for like a month - Alexander was definitely in there longer than that. Each time she moves up I have a little anxiety because I have always been happy with her teachers and am afraid that I won't in the next room. I've always been pleasantly surprised and this time is no different.

The only complaint I have had so far with the daycare center is that I had no idea how she is doing on a day to day basis. I didn't know if she was playing with the other kids or hanging out by herself. If she was having fun or counting the minutes until we picked her up (because she can tell time at 16 months - remember? GENIUS). So, me being the passive aggressive complainer that I am, I wrote a (very nice) comment on the daycare center's website to "suggest" that they give us progress reports on how the kids are doing. Well, apparently that comment went to corporate who called our center's director and the whole thing blew way out of proportion. That day when I picked up Maggie, there was a comment on her daily sheet about how she did that day and I noticed every kid's sheet had a similar comment. The director talked to me and I did my best to let her know I was not complaining, just "suggesting". I guess it turned out to be a good thing, but I don't want to be "that mom". Please don't take my passive-aggressiveness out on my daughter!

The teachers in this new class actually tell us what they did that day when we pick her up and the stories are usually pretty entertaining. For the first week the updates ranged from:

-We forgot Maggie was here - we were all getting ready to go outside and she was just in a corner reading a book all by herself...

to

- She's interacting so well with the other kids...she doesn't really talk to us, but she talks to them

to, more recently...

She's doing great - playing, interacting, having fun

But today's story pretty much took the cake:

- We were doing animal sounds today and everyone was participating, except Maggie. After we finished, it was silent and she gives us a huge raspberry "PPPBBBHHH"

I guess she was bored with the lesson plan today. But at least she has some personality right? You have to admit, she's not a follower, right? Do you think my kid is weird? Oh, did I say that out loud?

Every day they fill out a daily sheet on each kid which lists what they ate, when they slept, how many diaper changes they had. We go over this with Maggie in the evening although it is usually the same old thing:

Breakfast: Pancakes - Ate ALL
Lunch: Hamburger patty and vegetables - Ate SOME
Snack: Sugar Cookie - Ate ALL

My little sweet tooth...I guess there is something she gets from me. If they come out with an all carb diet, Maggie and I will be runway models someday.

And we find ourselves praising her for bowel movements - "good job Maggie, you had 2 BM's today! you are a great pooper!"

When did my life take this turn? Oh yeah, when I decided I was tired of it being all about me. Although, I did get an iPod touch and Wii Fit this past weekend so maybe it is still a little about me.