Bwah-hahahahaha! Scary Ladybug!

Three months ago we were in Costco and stumbled randomly upon halloween costumes. Your dad and I weren't sure which McDonald farm character you'd prefer so we let you choose between the ragged foster's chicken costume and the cute little lady bug. You decisively chose ladybug. You snatched the costume from my grip and kept hugging it and kissing it while we roamed the isles finishing our grocery shopping. When we got home you immediately began practicing flitting around like a little lady bug. Well done, little bug! Well done!

Week Forty-Three

Dear Maren,

As of October 7, you're embarking on your tenth month of adventure. You're crawling all over the house. First you scooted around, then you learned to get up on your knees to rock back and forth, and now you cruise around the house with ease.

You also love to climb. You scale the back of the couch without any help and you love to pull yourself into a standing position using drawer knobs for hand grips. You're always lunging for the knob that's just out of reach. You lean against the cabinet, get up on your tip-toes and reach for that one shiny knob that's just over your head. You do this at the counter where we make your milk which makes me think that's your motivation. Must. Get. Milk.

You've become much more communicative in the last week. When I come get you out of bed in the morning you pause to give me a hug before trying to wriggle out of my arms. When we go to Miriam's house and knock on the door you watch for it to open and then make a sound that sounds remarkably like "hi". We were playing with your stuffed frog today. I would kiss you, then I would pick-up the frog and kiss him. When I gave the frog back to you, you held him up to my face for more kisses.

You're learning something new everyday. I can't wait to see what you discover tomorrow!

Love,
Mama

For My Grandma's and Grandpa's

Nine Months

Dear Maren,

Last week you turned nine months old and you're constantly in motion. In July you were moving awkwardly across the floor using your whole body for traction. Like a worm. Now you've mastered the crawl. You can get from point a to point b in a flash. You can easily navigate a room while holding on to furniture or walls for support. Your favorite destinations are your toy basket in the living room, the computer in the office (where daddy let's you use the keyboard), and the kitchen where you gum the door knobs and pull towels off the oven.

Four weeks ago you cut your first teeth: two bottom teeth and two top teeth. Now you're working on your incisors. The first sign of the impending incisors was two nights ago when you decided you simply were not going to go to bed. It was six pm, your usual bedtime, and you just couldn't relax. You were soooo tired. Your eyes were half closed. Your head was bobbing up and down on my shoulder, but you just couldn't get comfortable. It took us 90 minutes of countless songs and constant bouncing until you finally sacked out. It's not like you to be fussy so we knew something was up. I searched the internet the next morning, felt your gums, and wah-la. Instant diagnosis. Teething.

You are so infatuated with Oliver right now. Whenever he's in your line of sight you chase after him in hopes of grasping a chunk of his golden fur. But he anticipates your approach and evades your attack. Last night he decided to turn the tables. I brought you into our bedroom at 4:00am because you were restless. You're usually asleep within two minutes of me setting you down. I knew I was in trouble the minute you caught sight of Oliver on our bed. You pulled yourself up into a standing position at the foot of the bed, eye to eye with Oliver, and started screaming with glee. And Oliver just sat there. Staring. Taunting you. At 4:00am. I remained laying motionless in bed for the next 20 minutes, praying that you would go back to sleep, that Oliver would lose interest in the tease. Your dad managed to sleep through the first ten minutes and then he rolled over to my side of the bed, took a look at you and Oliver, and started laughing. That's when I took you back to your room. And you fell asleep without another peep.

Being a mama is probably the hardest and most rewarding job I've ever had. I can't wait to see what's around the corner.

I love you, Maren.

Love,
Mama

Wearing Daddy's Glasses

Me: She looks like a Mitchell.

Brent: A what?

Me: You know. A Mitchell. Like Jen's dad. She looks like Mike.

Brent: Oh. Yeah. I see that.

Me: It's the Mitchell side. Maybe it's the finger.

Month Eight

Dear Maren,

This week you turn eight months old and you've just mastered your own unique version of the crawl. You can scoot yourself around the house at will. We've discovered the best motivation to get you to demonstrate this new skill is to place one of Oliver's toys within sight. It becomes like a military operation. You sight the target, lock it in your radar and attack. All of your colorful fluffy toys pale in comparison to the fantastic-ness of Oliver's toys. Just yesterday I sat you in the middle of the room surrounded by your favorite toys so I could run to the bathroom. When I came back 10 seconds later you were across the room devouring Oliver's racquetball. Gross!

The doctor assures us it wasn't the ingestion of dog germs that caused your first fever last week. Nor was it exposure to germs in the community pool. Your dad and I were trying to identify the source of your illness so we could NEVER DO THAT AGAIN! Apparently, the fever, the vomiting and the heat rash were due to a bout of bad luck. One of those things that's out of our control. Go figure. I thought we controlled everything.

Last week the three of us went to a meeting with the DJ that's going to rock our wedding reception. I was in the middle of describing how I thought the father/daughter dance would play out when out of the blue Brent grabbed my hand to shove my finger in your mouth. I was sitting there talking to the DJ, thinking your dad had lost his mind. Then you started gnawing my finger and I realized it was no longer the soft baby gumming. I felt a hard jagged edge protruding from your gum. Your first tooth! Or, as your Aunt Mary would say, you have your first toother!

We're still pureeing all of your food but the menu has expanded from just rice cereal, avocado, and sweet potato to include green beans, peas, and lentils. You love the green veggies but the lentils don't yet have your vote.

Breakfast is such a time of discovery. Who knew? Not only discovering new foods, but new body parts. I buckled you in to your high chair for breakfast last week and noticed you discovered your fingers. You've been aware of your hand for some time, but just recently you recognized that you have multiple digits capable of operating in a coordinated fashion. You hold your arms out to the side so your hands are at eye level and rotate your wrists in a circular motion. The speed of rotation indicates your level of enthusiasm.

Maren, you're crawling, you're swimming, you're teething, you're getting sick, you're experiencing so many new things. It reminds me of one of our favorite books. We're Going on a Bear Hunt. Whether the journey is good, bad, happy, or sad...remember:

"We're goin' on a bear hunt.
We're gonna catch a big one.
What a beautiful day!
We're not scared."

And then something unexpected happens:

"We can't go over it.
We can't go under it.
We've got to go through it!"

We'll get through it all together. I'm loving the ride.

Love,
Mama

Happy Sunday

On the Move

Maren's figuring out how to get around. One day I turned around and she was up on her knees rocking back and forth. She's not quite coordinated enough for the crawl but she has multiple variations that propel her in the direction she wants to go. Sometimes she'll balance herself on her hands and toes with her butt straight up in the air. Girls got some moves.

Every Time I Hold Her I Smile

I asked,
"What's the best thing about fatherhood?"

You said,
"Every time I hold her I smile."

Happy first father's day.

Crazy Fun

The last week and a half has been one big crazy fun blur. The best part was spending time with Grandma and Grandpa Gill. They visited for a full week and Maren loves, loves, loves them both. From the moment they walked in the door she was all smiles. Enamored with Grandma's voice, following her every move. And obsessed with Grandpa's hat and glasses. I can tell Maren is going to have a special relationship with her Grandparents. As it should be.

This weekend was my first glimpse of how it feels to watch your baby grow up and have more interest in the external world and other people than she does with her parents. But what a gift that she's confident enough to explore the world and approach it with a sense of adventure. One of the reasons I've always wanted kids is to enjoy watching them grow and discover their own adventures. I can't wait to find out her favorite color. Her favorite animal. Her favorite season. Does she love peas or does she hate them? Does she love spicy food or avoid it? Who is this little person going to be? Does she love art or science or both? Is she an introvert or an extrovert?

There are so many fun times ahead!

The last week was a whirlwind of activity. And with it came several firsts.

1. Sweet potatoes (loved em).
2. Bottle of water (Eh, where's my milk? Shortly followed by Hey! I have a sippy cup and it leaks. Yes!).
3. Sitting up by yourself (no longer happy in any other position).
4. Scooting backwards (and in circles).
5. Trip to dog beach (being outdoors always calms you).
6. Spending all day with Grandma and Grandpa Gill (now two of your favorite people).

Avacado!

We went in for Maren's six month check-up and got the ok to start solid foods. Yippee! What an adventure this will be. We were advised to introduce a new food in the morning, but couldn't wait to see what her reaction would be. Starting with the veggies, baby. What do you think?

Month Six

Dear Maren,

You turn six months old today. Your dad and I have been talking for days about how we can't believe it's been six months already. It seems like just yesterday we were still anticipating your arrival. We were reminiscing over the weekend about how right our family feels yet we're still in such awe that we are a family. And it's been six months already. What? Somebody stop the time machine.

This month you've spent most of your waking hours shoving things into your mouth. If it's within your grasp it's in your mouth. It all started with your thumb and has since expanded to include dolly's braids, cold teething rings, books (of any kind, but mama's are your favorite), the iphone, other people's clothes, and any face that's within grasp. That's right. If we're close enough you'll grab our cheeks and pull us in for a wet slobbery kiss. And since you've learned how to grasp hair you've perfected this maneuver.

Oliver still isn't sure what to think about you. He's still in denial that he's not the center of attention any more. But sometimes when we're not looking he'll sneak over to check you out. For a moment we think this might be it. This might be the moment Oliver shows his love for Maren. But it always ends in some display of disinterest. Like, oh yeah. Her. Right. Get this blob off my corner. But that's just Oliver being melodramatic. Everyday when you get home from daycare he comes over and sniffs you. He licks your toes to welcome you home. I think he loves to be annoyed with you.


Another skill you love to demonstrate is rolling over. But you can only roll from your back to your stomach. And then you get pissed off because you can't get anywhere. You end up in the Superman position grunting, groaning, flailing your arms, and wailing for someone to hurry up and help you out. Eventually something will capture your attention and you'll forget you were upset. The best remedy is always a book. You're fascinated with books - looking at bright images, grabbing at pages, and listening to the sounds of the words. It's by far your favorite activity to lay on a blanket with one of us while we hold a book overhead reading to you. There's a silence and certain reverence that comes over you.

But don't be fooled. The reverence is just momentary. Farting is much more fun. Yes. Laugh and fart. Burp and fart. Cough and fart. You get the idea. It seems like every time something comes out your mouth, the other end has the final word. Your dad and I have been laughing over this for months. You, on the other hand, are completely oblivious. Don't worry. It's on my list of "things to capture on video for future bribery." Cherish the moment.

So let's talk about your hair, Spike. You take after your Mama in that department. First, there's a lot of it. Second, it stands straight up from your scalp. That's exactly how my hair was at your age. You still have several longer wispy strands from when you were born that are mixed in among the spiky hair. It makes me want to give you a comb-over. Just think of the memories.

Maren, you are so happy. Such a content, happy baby. You make each day worth getting up for...and at 5:30am that says a lot. I find myself waking up at 4am and every 30 minutes after until I can finally go get you out of bed. I know I have to approach you quietly, speaking in soft tones until you realize I'm in the room, and then you light up. Like I'm the best thing to happen in your day. I know as a baby there are a lot of best things that happen in your day, there's so much to discover. But as mama you are the best thing in my day. I can't wait to pick you up out of bed at 5:30am so we can wake up daddy and Oliver together. Sometimes we lay in bed together talking, sleeping, laughing until 8am. Family time is our favorite time.

Love you, Missy.

Love,
Mama

Memorial Day BBQ

Another fun afternoon spent on the patio playing games and enjoying the sunshine. Had a great time with John, Jason, Meegan, Josh, and Mary. Will definitely return to Tip Top Meats in Carlsbad for some ore of their hot German sausage. Delicious!

Maren shared some giggles with Aunt Mary.

Baby Bear, Baby Bear, What Do You See?

Absentee Sandman

It's well past Maren's bed time. She's exhausted and refusing to go to sleep. This is how she keeps herself awake.

Mother's Day Weekend

Last weekend was Mother's Day, my first, and I was lucky to have my mom here to celebrate together. Three generations of girls represented: Mehelich, Mack, and Gill.

On Sunday I woke up feeling ambitious and decided to tackle organizing the garage. I know, who cleans the garage on Mother's Day, right? It's a task that's been on my to do list for months and it nags at me every time I get in my car or take out the garbage. It was time to purge. And I knew I could enlist the help of the men around the house and they couldn't say no...it was my day after all. Half way through, standing in a heap of junk, I doubted my sanity but when I was finished the sense of accomplishment was worth it. I love looking at the garage now. If it was any other room in the house that had undergone the purge I would kick back in a chair to take in the view of everything in it's rightful place and savor the feeling. But it's the garage, so I'll settle for the brief moments of gratification and sense of order when I take the garbage out.

Thankfully cleaning the garage wasn't the highlight of the weekend. I can't believe how much fun we packed into 3 days: strolling through La Jolla, an ocean view lunch at George's, Maren's first trip to the beach, setting up new patio furniture, browsing through linens for the wedding, enjoying fresh from the oven homemade pizza (Brent makes the best crust ever!), evenings on the patio playing all of my favorite games (Malarky, Sequence, Apples to Apples), sneaking away to the hot tub with Brent and a bottle of wine, and snuggling up with Maren. What could be better?

Leader of the Pack

When we decided to have a baby we knew there would be changes in our lifestyle. Our focus would shift from the locating the newest pubs around North Park to finding the best daycare in Scripps Ranch; from sleeping in till noon and greeting the day with a mimosa to waking up at 5am and greeting the day with a bottle...of milk. We were ready to face these changes and embrace them. Oliver on the other hand, being a dog, didn't have the capacity to recognize a change was coming. One day he went from being the baby in the family, the center of attention, to being second fiddle to what he probably thinks is an immobile blob, a rag doll. It's been a tough adjustment for him. And I don't think we're through it yet. He still thinks he's human.

If only we could sit down and have a conversation, talk through the changes. He could tell us his frustrations; we could tell him our challenges. We could say we're sorry; he could say I told you so. But our communication is limited. We default to the lowest common denominator and do our best to interpret the meaning. He's quite good at expressing himself. Some common canine expressions around here:

• Poop. All over the upstairs = I warned you.
• Sitting down in the middle of the road and refusing to move = I'm in control here. I'll take you for a walk in a minute.
• Taking all of Maren's toys out of the basket, one by one, and setting them in a heap next to the basket (stopping short of chewing or dismembering the toy in any way) = Who? Me? I'm just helping you organize. Wink, Wink.
• Licking Maren's toes when she get's home from daycare = I guess, she can stay.

All joking aside, I don't blame Oliver. In fact, I think it's a problem with the humans. But we're finding our balance again. Working on giving Oliver the attention he needs. And also finding a trainer to teach us how to better work with him through this adjustment. I'm looking forward to reading this post 5 years from now, 2 years from now. It's going to get so much more interesting...this is only the beginning. Hang in there Oliver...she'll be your BFF before you know it! Then Brent and I will feel left out.

Tummy Time

She's Offically a Wall

Maren has been talking to us for a few weeks now and and everyday her voice changes. She started out low and steady:



And since then I've found the more she talks, the more she has to say and it just wouldn't be right if it wasn't a high pitched squeal! I think Brent's right, she she sounds like a Wall (Virginia's side of the family :)) A sound I will never tire of!

And So It Begins...

Maren rolled over for the first time this morning! I was already at work for the day (boo!) when Brent sent me an IM:

"Maren rolled over from back to stomach this morning while she was playing. i was in the bathroom, she started yelling because she hates being on her stomach!"

That's my girl! I can just imagine. First the surprise of suddenly being on her stomach, followed by the frustration...she hates tummy time! I proceeded to tell everyone who would listen. When I picked her up from daycare Miriam told me she had done it again! I'm trying to capture video, but she only does it when I'm not looking.

Chronicles of Missy Moo

I'm starting this blog for a couple of reasons. First, I want to chronicle Maren's life as we live it so she will have a record to look back on - I want to capture those special moments that are so easily forgotten. To this end, I already have a weekly journal of her first few months but it's not publicly accessible. Which brings me to the second reason I'm starting this blog. I want to connect with family that isn't here to share personally in Maren's day to day life. I think family relationships are so important and this blog is one way to start a connection and keep it real. I want our families to share in the special moments and have stories to share with Maren about "I remember when you...". My hope is that this blog will be a platform for family connections and shared memories. Missy Moo, this is for you and all the great people that love you!