Goodbye high chair!

It's funny that I got those two recent videos when I did, because this past week, Maisie said ENOUGH! to the high chair. We'd try to put her in it, but she wasn't having it - she'd kick and scream and basically let us know, in no uncertain terms, that she was not one little bit interested in taking her meals in the high chair.

So this weekend, we got her a booster, with which she is very pleased. She can now sit at the table like the big girl that she is. She was so happy, she even shared her dinner with me.

She loves to feed us little bites of whatever she's eating. It looks like she's saying "Open wide!" It's very cute.

We had lots of fun this weekend, but unfortunately didn't bring the camera! We visited Dylan and Auntie Laura, we visited Brian and his puppies and got to meet Maddy & Ronica (so cute!!), we went to IKEA, and we had brunch at Gramma J's. It was a very busy weekend. Very fun... but very busy too. Maisie hit the hay really early tonight, and I think Aaron and I are going to do the same!

Monkey!

I made Maisie a monkey!

Front view:


I made one with a bright pink sweater for Maisie's cousin-to-be when we were in Iowa, and had to made one for Maisie too. Grandma Jo supplied the yarn. Thanks Jo!

Isn't it cute? I think there might be more monkeys in the works, just as soon as I get some more brown yarn. They work up pretty quickly, and are fun to make. But I have used up all my brown yarn!

The only thing I might change is that I feel like the sweater is kind of short. I keep wanting to tug it down, and that's not really possible. Perhaps this monkey needs some pants.

Side view:


Anyway, overall I really think it turned out well, and am happy with the monkey. Generally I am really enjoying this newfound craftiness. And don't worry - I promise, the next post will have pictures of Maisie, who last weekend learned how to say "hi." I just had to show off my monkey.

We do a lot of laundry

Maisie has discovered the joys of feeding herself.

This video is from breakfast the other day. It's called "yogurt is not a finger food." She's relatively new to using the spoon, which is why I keep remarking on what a good job she's doing with it. She really does, though, don't you think?

This next video is dinner the same day. She's been eating peas and other finger foods by herself for a while now. This, however, is the first time she's tried to drink the peas.

Winter's last gasp

Sorry, Maisie, it's not quite time for planting yet...

Although Spring has truly Sprung most places, here in the twin cities we still have snow on the ground thanks to a huge snowstorm on Monday. Already by Wednesday there's not much left - the high temps have been in the forties yesterday and today, so most of the roads and sidewalks are pretty clear. (And that's without even shoveling!)

But there's still some snow on the ground, especially in shady places like our yard.

The neat thing about this weather is that we can go play outside and run around in the snow without having to get too bundled up, because it's 42 degrees out!

But hopefully, this snowstorm really was this winter's swan song, and spring is on its way. It's been a long winter, and we can't wait to play outside some more. Maisie loves being outside - whenever we ask if she wants to go out, she runs for the door and says OUTS! OUTS!

We are really looking forward to this summer, and all the exploring we'll get to do now that Maisie is mobile and so interested in everything.

Virtual baby shower

Happy virtual baby shower, Rob & Liza! We are so excited for you and can't wait to meet your little girl. I am really looking forward to playing with her!


We are glad you like the hat and the blankie! As you can see, the hat fits me now, so it should fit your little girl in the fall or winter - I hear her daddy has a pretty big head! We think orange is a pretty color, especially on redheads.

My mommy and I put a lot of love into the hat and blankie. That's right - I helped my mommy make them. I really thought they needed some sort of bright yellow accents. Mommy disagreed, which was upsetting, but then she used the yellow yarn to make me a little ducky. So that's all right, then.

Love, Maisie

A nice evening out

Auntie Laura just sent me this picture from Easter, of Dylan showing Maisie something that he received in his Easter basket.

As you can see, he explains things very seriously to Maisie. I can't quite tell what they're talking about, but she seems to be taking it seriously too!

Last night we went out to eat at Punch, a St. Paul Neopolitan-style pizza restaurant that is a favorite of ours. Turns out, Maisie also likes it!

She quite enjoyed the focaccia bread we got as an appetizer, and seemed to enjoy the margherita pizza we got as well. Although, with fresh basil, buffalo mozzarella, and crushed roma tomatoes, who wouldn't like it? She washed it all down with some apple juice, and when she got bored we watched the cooks making the pizza and cooking them in the big brick oven.

It was a lot of fun!

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter, and happy spring!

We went over to Gramma J's for brunch today, where Maisie got an Easter basket! It was full of yummy treats and fun little toys.

When we got home, Maisie had fun sharing the yellow paper "grass" from her basket with the kitties. She started out trying to tickle their noses with it, but ended up just putting it on the chair they were sitting on.

As you can see, she thought this game was hilarious!

Gramma J made Maisie the cute little dress she's wearing, by the way!

It hasn't been much of a spring so far - we got at least four inches of snow over the last few days. I've been spending my time indoors, when not chasing after Maisie, by learning to crochet.

I managed to make some things that are gifts, and those pics will get posted when the receipients receive them, so as not to give away the surprise! I also made some little Easter eggs and a ducky for Dylan. Unfortunately I forgot to take pictures of them today... but I did just finish up a little bunny. Isn't it cute?

I am especially proud of the tail, which was my own idea, not even on the pattern! Look at me being creative!

It was remarkably easy to do. I am really enjoying this new crafty hobby. I can't wait to get better at it, and make lots of little toys for all the little ones I know!

I want to ride a tricycle

Aaron has caught the "fever virus", so Maisie and I went over to Auntie Laura and Dylan's house tonight for dinner by ourselves while he napped.

Maisie likes most of Dylan's toys, but tonight she was especially captivated by Dylan's tricycle. Her legs aren't quite long enough yet to reach the pedals, so we all took turns pushing her around the house. Dylan showed us his new bicycle, which Maisie also wanted to try. But she is far too small for that!

We had a good time, as always - yummy food and fun toys! Thanks Auntie Laura and Dylan for having us over tonight!

All better!

Well, Spirit Week came to an early end when Maisie was sent home on Thursday with a high fever. So you can pretend that this picture is from either Thursday (mix & match day) OR Friday (pajama day), since my shoes totally do not go with those jammies.

(It is actually from today. Maisie really enjoys putting on my shoes and trying to walk in them. She hasn't been able to walk in them yet, though. My feet are just too big!)

So, Maisie had a very high fever on Thursday that we got under control with some ibuprofin. Oddly, she had no other symptoms... so when we got her in to the pediatrician on Friday, she was diagnosed with a mysterious "fever virus."

I left work early on Thursday, Aaron stayed home on Friday. We gave her lots of fluids, naps, cuddles, motrin, and TLC, and that combination seems to have done the trick.

She was fever-free by Saturday, and back to her happy, energetic self today. We even went for a walk around the block!

We are so glad our Maisie is healthy again!

Wacky Hair Wednesday

We had grand plans for what to do with Maisie's hair today. We considered a faux-hawk, Kool-aid dye, and even tons of little braids, Coolio-style. But when it came down to it, we overslept a little and were kind of rushed and just did not have time to get any of those things done.

So, we ended up with the topside ponytail. Not truly wacky or outrageous, but it still looks pretty silly, and that's good enough for a Wednesday.

Hat Day

Today is Hat Day at daycare! Maisie wore her cute Hershey's Kiss hat that her Grandma Jo made for her.

You can't quite see it in this picture, but the ribbon on top has Maisie's name embroidered on it. Maisie even kept it on once we got to daycare (she normally rips her hat off the minute we get inside), so I think she must see how cute it is, too!

Yesterday, Special Toy Day, was not nearly so successful. Apparently the kids were all fine with bringing their special toys in, but sharing them with the other children was another story. Oh well, said our daycare provider... they all learned something!

ATTACK!!

Dear blog,

I have a frightening anecdota to repota: I was attacked. I was walking home from free-style-rap-poetry club practice (I'm team coordinator, a very important and busy position) when this mugger jumped out at me. I was, like, terrified. The attacker demanded my wallet, and my Blue Bankie. Which is, like, totally not what it sounds like. It's a, um, diamond.

So anyway, I guess I panicked. I just lashed out with all my fear and terror and stuff, and latched onto my attacker with my teeth.

I...I...guess I killed him.

Luckily, my attacker was made out of spaghetti. Otherwise, there might have been some awkward questions.

Needless to say, I'm safe now, but watch yourselves out there, bloggers.

You never know who or what might be made out of spaghetti.

Peace out,

MJWD aka Baby Thunda

Hard at work

Maisie takes her work - er, play - very seriously. Yesterday she spent a long time building towers with her blocks, then taking them apart, and rebuilding.

She was working really hard at it! And when she got the tower built, she was very pleased with herself.

We sure seem to have a lot of pictures of Maisie in her jammies up on this blog! I'll try to get some pictures up of her actually dressed in normal clothes. This coming week is Spirit Week at her daycare, so each day has a different theme. It should make for some interesting pictures, especially Wednesday's Wacky Hair Day.

I think their Spirit Week is the cutest thing ever and I am really looking forward to it. If anyone has any ideas, though, what to do for Mix & Match Day (Thursday), let me know! I am stumped...

16 months!

Maisie is 16 months old! As you can see, she's a very happy girl, especially when she is playing with her dolls.

She is really in to dolls these days, and always seems to be carrying one or another around by its hair. In this picture she is holding the dolly that her Auntie Clare gave her for Christmas, and another that she got from her Grandma Jalonen is on the couch next to her!

Maisie comes out with a new word just about every day. This weekend she said a few words for the first time: doll (natch!), toast, Gramma, Dylan... and NO! That last one has reappeared more than once since then. I guess it's a preview of things to come as we head towards age two.

Happy March!

Rabbit, rabbit!

Believe it or not, we did not go to the children's museum today!! (we went yesterday.) Instead, we spent the day in a variety of midwestern almost-spring activities.

This morning, we sat around in our jammies and read books on the couch. As you can see, those of us who are teething wear bibs with our jammies, though we do not wear them to bed.

Speaking of teething - I discovered today that Maisie has her first molar, in the back on the lower right! I guess that explains the copious drool and the fussy nights. I am surprised, though - she still only has two teeth in front on the bottom. You'd think she'd get eyeteeth before molars.

Anyway...

Then we got dressed and went to the Mall of America, where we played with the Duplos at Legoland, watched the rides at the Nickelodeon Universe f/k/a The Park At MOA f/k/a Camp Snoopy, and ran up and down the aisles at DSW where Aaron bought new shoes.

That was exhausting, so when we got home, Maisie took a good long nap.

When she woke up, it was relatively nice out (above freezing! spring is on the way!) so we bundled up and went for a walk.

It didn't end up being a very long walk thanks to some freezing rain that started to fall shortly after we set out. But we felt good about actually getting outside today for more than walking to or from the car!

Well child

Random pic of Maisie and Dylan playing together from earlier this month:

It doesn't actually go with this post. It's just cute.

Maisie had her 15-month checkup today (almost a month late). She's short (25th percentile) and slim (20th percentile), but her height and weight are proportionate so no worries. What I found tremendously funny is that her head circumference is in the 45th percentile. Not exceptionally big, there, but a much higher percentile than her height and weight! That's my big head baby.

Actually, the doctor said, really the weight is the only measurement that's very accurate... they tend to be too squirmy to get an accurate height or head measurement. She is right on target developmentally, which was nice to hear!

Maisie was pretty upset at the end of the visit (two shots plus a finger poke) but she did really well for all that. The lab techs gave her stickers, which were very distracting. And then she fell asleep in the car.

Another winter day...

another afternoon at the Children's Museum.

Aaron had to work this afternoon, so it was just me and Maisie today. We ran through the habitats in the Habitot area (pond, forest, caves, and here the rolling hills of the prairie) for quite a while. It's one of my more favorite parts of the Museum. It's just for little kids, ages 6 months to 4 years, so everything is really small. The stairs are little and carpeted, the slides aren't steep, and there aren't any big kids getting excited and trampling the crawlers. There's also a nice little chill-out area with child-sized chairs and beanbags, and a shelf full of board books.

We also discovered a new space today on the 3rd floor, where there is a big comfy couch, a bunch of books, and a place to play with magnetic poetry!

Maisie isn't writing poetry yet (that I am aware of, anyway), but she really enjoyed playing with the words.

Let me know if you all get tired of Children's Museum pics and I'll try to find something else to share with you... it might be hard, though. It's still February, and there just aren't that many other places where Maisie can run around quite as freely as she does there. That membership was money well spent!

Baby loves disco

Yes she does!

Maisie and I, along with Dylan and Auntie Laura, hit Baby Loves Disco this afternoon. It was so fun! Even Dylan, who was initially skeptical ("I do not want to dance. I do not want to look at people dancing. I only want to have snacks.") had a great time - there were plenty of temporary tattoos and stickers, both of which he loves. They play real, not kids, music, and everyone dances and has fun. Some of Maisie's faves included the bubble machines, the balloons that were everywhere, and the song "Bad Mamma Jamma" which is what she is rocking out to in this picture.

The club had all these different areas, so when we weren't dancing we could go to the chill-out room and read books, play with trains and blocks up in the VIP lounge, or color in the many coloring books set out in a third area.

They also had lots of free kid-friendly snacks and towers of juice boxes out. Maisie had three juice boxes!

It was much fun, but also completely exhausting. Maisie went to bed almost an hour early tonight, and I think I'll be following suit shortly.

Children's Museum - with a friend

Last Sunday we went to the Children's Museum with my college friend Wally and his son Jack. He and Maisie had a great time playing together, and Jack sweetly let Maisie eat a bunch of his crackers at snacktime.

I tried to get a picture of them playing together, but they had both figured out how to go up the slide. Nobody wanted to stand still for a picture!

We love balloons

Maisie and I went grocery shopping at Trader Joe's today. At checkout, the cashier was making friends with Maisie, and asked me if she would like a balloon - they are tied to the cash registers, and Maisie was pointing at them and saying "Dat! DAT!!"

We were like, are beans green?? Maisie would LOVE a balloon!!

The cashier tied it to Maisie's wrist, and there it stayed all day. We took it off at one point and tied it to a toy, because it was getting a little tight and because Maisie needed a bath. But the kitties chewed through the string, so now it's floating free in the house.

(We didn't see it happen, but we suspect Cool Hand Luke was the culprit... he seemed awfully interested in the balloon.)

Anyway, I know this isn't the greatest picture but I hope it gives you some sense of just how much joy Maisie got out of this balloon. It was really sweet - and honestly, it's one of the reasons we're Trader Joe's shoppers.

A simple balloon may not seem like a big deal, but to me, it's the difference between a happy smiley toddler and one who's screaming and angry. And to me, that is worth driving out to St. Louis Park!

It's just a scratch

Maisie got a scratch just under her eye.

Poor baby! It reminds me (a lot) of the big cut she got last summer when someone at daycare threw a Tonka truck. There is a lesson to be learned from this: fingernails can be sharp.

Um, even mine. :(

(In my defense, I was grabbing her to keep her from taking a header down some stairs, but still... I feel so Bad Mama!)

Sunday with friends

Sorry about the long time between posts! A whole work week without new Maisie pics... thanks for hanging in there with us.

Today we went to a baby shower for our friends Nicole and Martin, who are expecting a little girl in a little more than a month. It was hosted by our friends Rebecca and Jason, and their daughter Sophia, who graciously (as gracious as a two-year-old can be) shared her toys with Maisie and the other young guests.


One of the great favorites from Sophia's toy box was this unplugged old keyboard. As soon as it was pulled out, all the kids started banging away at it. You could just tell that everyone was told not to play with them at home! They loved it.

Also - do you love Maisie's "question authority" onesie? It's one of my favorite of her articles of clothing.

After the shower, Maisie and I went to visit our newest friend: Trixie!

You may remember that we went to another baby shower not too long ago. Well, Trixie was born to Bethany and Patrick on Saturday at 8:41 a.m. She is absolutely beautiful, and I am sure that she and Maisie are going to be great friends. She is another blogger - there's a link to her blog on the left.

Maisie the engineer

This weekend my mom and I took Maisie to the Children's Museum again. It was fun, once we got in... when we got there, there was a power outage in downtown St. Paul. I know, you're probably thinking "downtown St. Paul on a weekend? Who would even notice a power outage??" People trying to go to the Children's Museum, that's who.

We waited out the half-hour-long outage and finally got in. This time, as you can see, Maisie spent a lot of time working on the gear wall. All the different-sized gears are on magnets, so you can build long chains of gears and watch them all spin. Pretty exciting stuff!

It's so cool to watch her at the gear wall and the other exhibits. Maisie gets really focused and works really hard at whatever it is she's trying to accomplish - whether it's lining up gears or getting a ping-pong ball into a PVC pipe. I am not sure what she is learning from it, but I really feel like that little brain is getting a workout!

As a plus, Maisie was so exhausted that she crashed really hard on the way home, went to bed at 5:00 pm, and slept through the night! Yay Children's Museum!

Maisie is 15 months old today. In addition to her walking, she had a mini-language explosion recently. She has a bunch of new words, most of which have to do with food: eat, cheese, juice, banana, orange juice, cookie. She can also identify some animals (duckie, kitty, meow, puppy, woof, baa) and "shoes." We can't wait to hear what is on her mind (aside from eating, that is!).

Rock the cradle

Only two comments for our first video, and of Maisie walking at that?? Lurkers, you really should post a comment and tell us how cute Maisie is. Otherwise we won't know that anyone reads Maisie's blog!

This past weekend, my mom and I took Maisie to an annual event called Rock the Cradle, sponsored by our local NPR-affiliate radio station. It is a kids-oriented music event. This picture was taken at the "musical instrument petting zoo." As you can see, Maisie really enjoyed the percussion! There was also a piano and various string and brass instruments. But nothing beats a good drum (hah!)!


After the petting zoo, we headed to the Kids Disco, where we danced to awesome tunes, especially Sly & the Family Stone and other fun '70s funk. The lights were flashing and kids were running around and dancing like crazy. Maisie had a great time, and ran all around the dance floor dancing with all the other little kids there!

It was a really fun time, but it was also really tiring. When we got home, we all crashed!

Proof that she walks

Inspired by Lael's adorable video of Celia crawling... here is proof positive that Maisie walks like a champ.

It's also proof positive that our living room has been entirely taken over by toys, but that's another story...

enjoy! and check out those teeth!

Not such a big girl, yet.

I know Maisie looks like a big girl, no longer a baby, in a lot of these recent pictures... she's walking around, she's had a haircut, and all of that. But she's not such a big girl yet.

She can still sit underneath the end tables, after all.

If you're wondering if she's wearing red Converse high-tops in this picture, the answer is yes. Maisie has super tiny feet, and it's hard to find shoes to fit her. The Chucks come in small enough sizes, plus she actually likes them. We bought her some Stride Rites, which she tears right off. But these shoes, she'll bring to us and ask them to put them on her! They're so cute, how can we refuse?

Children's Museum

Today was another really cold day. It wasn't quite as cold as it's been, however - it got above zero! Single digits, sure, but on the plus side! - so we ventured out to the Minnesota Children's Museum.

I was a little concerned about going there on a day when all the schools were out. It was a complete madhouse, but I feel like that may just be the nature of the Children's Museum, and not due to any huge influx of visitors on a school holiday.

Maisie enjoyed all of it, but one of her very favorite parts was the water table. You put ping-pong balls into these clear tubes through which water flows. The water pops them out; repeat endlessly.

It is supposed to teach children about... currents, maybe? Or the weight of water? I'm not entirely sure. Anyway, Maisie really enjoyed it!

A chilly day

The title of this post is a serious understatement. It was not just chilly today, it was (and is) downright cold. The high was negative 1, and wind chills never got above -10.

So as you might have guessed, we did not spend much time outside today! Aside from one trip to Target, we spent the day inside - much of it in the kitchen.

Aaron and I both cooked (me: chili in the crock-pot, him: garlic mashed potatoes, roasted butternut squash) while Maisie helpfully unpacked the cupboard where we keep the pots, pans, and tupperware.

The clothes in that picture got messed up, so after bath we changed her clothes. So this next picture really is from today, too, but in a different outfit. (This one also ended up getting changed; she's teething now, and the drool runs like a faucet.)

It's so funny! She likes to play peek-a-boo with her plastic plates. She pushes her face right up against the plate, and we can see her little tongue sticking out as she licks it. We laugh and laugh, and so does she!

Notice how well she's standing in this picture? She's really walking now! She walks everywhere, only returning to crawling when she is especially tired or frustrated.

Driving lessons

Last picture from last weekend, I promise! This was Maisie's first time on one of those coin-operated cars that you see at the big-box stores.

She took her firetruck-driving responsibility very seriously, as you can see. You wouldn't want to crash Sesame Street's firetruck!

Although with Ernie riding shotgun, I think she was fine. He is a good copilot.

Pet store

This weekend, in addition to the shower, we went to the pet store to buy some food and litter for the cats.

Maisie really likes the pet store. She loves dogs, and there's always a bunch of friendly, leashed dogs she can say hi to. Although this time, she met a pug, which really confused her - the dogs she sees most often are greyhounds, and I think she had a hard time fitting both pugs and greys into the category of "puppy"!

She also enjoyed looking at the birds (in this pic) and the "pocket pets" (mice, rats, gerbils, hamsters, etc.). I really hope she does not want one of those "pocket pets" when she gets older... I do not care for rodents in my house! Plus, I don't think they'd last long with our cats.

But, it's always fun to look!

Trixie's shower

Yesterday we went to a baby shower, hosted by our friends Erica and Joe and in honor of our friends Bethany and Patrick, who are expecting a little girl, to be named Beatrix (Trixie!).

Maisie was a little shy when we got there, because there were a lot of people (and kids!) there already. It was a little chaotic! Even though we knew most of the people there, it took her a little while to relax and get comfortable.

A little time... and a little food helped, too. She ate some delicious yogurt with berries in it, and sampled various yummy baked goods. That also helped her get comfortable with the group, because how can you be shy when there are cupcakes?

We are very happy for Bethany and Patrick, and can't wait to meet Trixie! That little girl is so advanced, she isn't even born yet and she already has a blog... you can check out the link to the left.

Dylan and Maisie

This is a poor-quality cell phone pic, but I had to share because it is SO cute. My sister emailed it to me today.

Last month, our daycare providers took the last of their vacation days just prior to Christmas. Laura had one of those days off, so she and Dylan took care of Maisie while Aaron and I went to work. Their day started with Dylan feeding Maisie yogurt for breakfast, while they cuddled under blankets.

What could be cuter? Really, it's hard to imagine. :)

Bris

This Saturday, January 5, we attended the bris of our friends' son. It was a beautiful ceremony, and there was lots of good food to enjoy afterwards.

For her part, Maisie was not too interested in the ceremony. She did enjoy checking out the baby's carseat. She also ate her weight in lox, which really impressed all the aunties and grandmas there. They said "Maybe she doesn't know she's not Jewish!"

Maisie is now fourteen months old, and a full-on toddler! She is walking around all the time - she prefers to hold someone's hand, but can do it by herself too. She also loves to climb up onto the couch or chairs, where she will sit and "read" or "talk on the phone" (that is, jabber away with my calculator on her shoulder). Wonder where she learned those tricks from!

Happy new year!

Happy new year everyone! Maisie did not want to miss a minute of January 1, and got up at 5:00 a.m. Ugh! Fortunately Aaron and I were not out late for New Year's Eve. Then later, we went to Best Buy. Aaron had a gift card to spend, and Maisie wanted to try out the Mario baseball game for the Nintendo.

She had fun with it, even though she struck out.

We're not buying her a Nintendo, though. :)