Happy mother's day!

This is my second mother's day with Maisie! We had a really nice day. But first I have to tell you about yesterday, because there's a great picture from yesterday that I want to share.

We went over to Bethany's (and baby Trixie's) house yesterday to visit and to look through some books and DVDs that Bethany was getting rid of. On the way back, we stopped by the co-op to pick up some groceries. While we were there we got a big chocolate chip cookie that the three of us shared.

You wouldn't think that someone could get covered in chocolate from a chocolate chip cookie, but Maisie managed! When Aaron took this picture, she had finished her portion and was asking for (verbally and signing) "more." It looks like you've actually had enough, Maisie!

Today was lovely, as I said. Maisie and I went to the zoo with my mom, and we had a really nice time.

Maisie especially enjoyed the birds and the fish at the zoo. Then when we got home, we spent some time outside, popping dandelions out of the yard and kicking a ball around and generally having fun.

All in all, I can't imagine a better mother's day!

Happy mother's day to all the mamas out there!

Bath time!

If you remember, Maisie's bath time used to be not so much fun when she was really little. It kind of stressed her out, and she cried a lot.

Fortunately, things have changed!

Maisie really enjoys bath time now, which is fortunate given her fondness of playing in the mud! She loves her little duckies, and is a champion splasher. The only thing she doesn't enjoy is getting water on her face when we rinse out her hair.

Well, she also doesn't care for getting out of the tub - there are usually some tears then, too.

18 months

Can you believe Maisie is 18 months old already? Our baby isn't a baby any longer! She can kick a ball, talk in three-word phrases, dress and undress herself... and even walk in her mommy's shoes.

The milestones are passing so quickly now! She is becoming a sweet, affectionate kid, although a very strong-willed one. She won't hesitate to let you know if she's unhappy!

This weekend we did lots of fun things, aside from walking around in my shoes and chasing the cat around.

Maisie discovered that she can actually see through one of the hats that Grandma Jo made her, and hijinks ensued. She pulled it down over her face and ran around, chasing me and Aaron and the cats and laughing like a loon. It was so funny!

On Sunday, we went to check out the May Day celebration at Powderhorn Park. Maisie napped right through the parade, but we took a look at the floats parked in the park.

Her favorite was the Hare Krishna float, because of the balloons. But right as I was going to take her picture, she got distracted by the butterfly person walking by in the background.

Today was also my and Aaron's 8-year date-a-versary. Or, as Aaron said, it's our eight-a-versary! We hired a babysitter and went out to dinner. It was a lovely evening.

So, I'll leave you with a good picture of Maisie, since the above are all somewhat covered up of her! This is Maisie reading one of her favorite books, "Brown Bear Brown Bear," to Spiderman. This was on Saturday, shortly after the chasing-in-hat incident.

Maybe she was trying to make it up to him.

Other people's kids

Maisie is going through a real independent phase lately. She wants to do everything herself - or as she says, "MY! MY DO IT!" This includes putting on her clothes, opening the fridge, opening doors... you get the picture. So yesterday evening I took a little break from the constant struggle for independence, and hung out with a little girl who was happy to let me do everything for her.

That's right, it's little miss Beatrix! We spent a few hours together yesterday so that her parents could get out together on a well-deserved date night. She is such a sweetie!

Also: big fat welcome to our new friend Howie, who was born on Tuesday!! We can't wait to meet you, little guy.

Spring has faked us out.

Well, a week ago it was 70 degrees out, and we were wearing sunscreen and playing at the Falls. Monday was similarly lovely, and Maisie got to play outside after work.

She investigated our gardening materials, including taking a soil sample - that is, she ate some dirt. Reason Number One why we don't use chemical weedkiller or fertilizer in our yard!

However, the weather quickly changed, and a cold front came through - we even had snow on the ground! It was a big change from last weekend. By today, the high was back into the mid-forties and the sun was out. It was a relatively lovely day, so we decided to go check out the Minnesota Zoo.

The zoo was a good choice: it wasn't too crowded, as it was kind of cool out, but we dressed appropriately and were very comfortable walking around. Here, Maisie and Aaron are checking out the prairie dog exhibit. There was a woman in a group right behind us who was complaining loudly about how awful prairie dogs are: "You take your horse out into the pasture, and then he steps into a prairie dog hole and breaks his leg! They're terrible!" That's as may be, crazy lady, but they're still pretty cute.

Tonight Maisie entertained herself by creating a fort under the dining room table.

She had a grand old time under there. She'd roll her toy car over to Aaron, who'd roll it back. When we'd try to get her out, she'd move the chairs to block us, and laugh and laugh. It was really cute. Note the strap on the chair closest to the camera: that's Maisie's booster seat, because (as I think I mentioned before) she is a big girl who no longer tolerates high chairs. 'Cause those are for babies, you know.

Thanks for your patience, readers! I'll try to be more diligent about posting this week. I know everyone likes to get their Maisie updates in a timely fashion!

Spring has really sprung

Happy spring, everyone! I know that the season officially started about a month ago. But here in the Twin Cities, the last of the snow has finally melted and the daffodils are starting to poke their shoots through the soil. So, it's finally really spring.

This weekend we spent a lot of time playing outside!

Maisie's dealing with a little bit of a cold, but it was too nice out to stay inside all weekend. Plus, Maisie really loves playing outside. Yesterday we played hide-and-seek around a box elder tree in our backyard.

Today we did all kinds of outdoor activities. I think the most interesting was when we went to Minnehaha Falls and walked all around. We saw the waterfall from the top of the falls, which Maisie thought was really interesting. Then we went down, right to the riverside. Maisie really wanted to walk right into the water, but we wouldn't let her - it was cold, and moving really fast!

Maybe later this summer when it's a little slower, we can go wading there.

But we made up for the totally unreasonable parenting choice by having some raspberry chocolate chip ice cream when we got back up to the top of the falls.

By the way, check out Maisie's cute hat! Her grandma Jo made it for her, out of yarn made out of corn. Isn't that interesting? Maisie really loves the hat - when we saw "Time to go outside!" she'll run to her room to get her hat before we head out the door.

Camera fun

I was trying to take a picture of Maisie playing tonight, but for the first time, she was really interested in the camera. I said, "Sit down, Maisie! Smile for the camera!" She obediently sat, then immediately jumped right up to look at the screen. So we took a self-portrait: Maisie and her mama.

She liked looking at the screen at the pictures we took. It reminded me of how when my mom takes a picture of Dylan with her film camera, he'll immediately demand to see the picture. "It's not that kind of camera," she has to explain. Barring a serious interest in photography, I wonder if Maisie will ever have a camera with actual film?

I think it's funny that digital cameras are what Maisie will immediately think of for "camera," much in the same way that it's funny that she may never see a corded, rotary phone. I wonder what kind of camera she'll use to take pictures of her kids? My phone with camera and email still kind of seems like something out of a James Bond movie to me!

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!).