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Vacations

I am starting to feel like we are always packing or unpacking…and every time we do there is more and more stuff to take with us. I thought it would get easier to pack for Maeve with practice (our stuff is obviously nothing more than an afterthought – it’s a wonder we remember to bring socks!) but it still seems to get harder. I tried using a packing list for at least the basics, but even those change depending on the trip… For example, when we go to Grandmas like last weekend, she already has lots of fun toys and meal-time items. Now we are packing for the Bahamas and our visit to see Gigi and Aunt Nancy, and we need to think through needing Maeve’s booster seat, what toys to bring, etc. All of these trips are wonderful opportunities to see our families though and for Maeve to spend time with the important people in our lives, so that is ultimately what I have decided to focus on!

During our trip to MI this weekend we celebrated our birthdays (Maeve’s favorite thing to do!) and had a really neat visit to the Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park with Grandma, Auntie Beth & Uncle Matt (see photos in the gallery – courtesy of their camera!). It had a live butterfly exhibit in the tropical plant environment and we look forward to going back to explore more of the outdoor gardens in the summer!

This week is a busy one as we get ready for our trip (beach, here we come!), and we also have fun playdates at the Nature Museum, Pump-it-Up, and a cafe for lunch with friends after music class. Maeve and I had a wonderful time babysitting for Lucy yesterday, who we cannot believe is already 3 months old! She is so smiley and is really tracking Maeve now, seeming to enjoy watching Maeve run and jump. Maeve was great with her, teaching her some colors and bringing her toys and books too!

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Maeve’s half-birthday – 30 months today

We are not officially celebrating Maeve turning 2 1/2 today, but I feel like celebrating! The sun is shining, Maeve just ate a whole bowl of chicken soup with minimal bribing, and she completely rocked her check-up with Jennifer today. She cried just a bit when we got there and she realized that she had to strip down today (versus previous visits where we were just doing ear checks). After we got out a few of the doctor kit items we brought, our favorite pal Pig, and some shamrock stickers (thanks Aunt Katie and Aunt Megan!) she sat patiently while I asked all our questions. She lasted the rest of the exam with NO CRYING (a first, for sure) and even asked Jennifer to walk out with her to get her sticker just like last time! Of course, it helped all of us that she wasn’t due for any vaccinations today…

Measurements:

Weight: 26 lbs. 11 oz. (25th percentile) – 3 whole pounds and up from the 5th and 10th!
Length: 35″ (50th percentile)
Head: 19 3/4″ (90th percentile)

We had a fun morning jumping around at Pump-it-Up before her appointment today and Maeve braved the slides by herself. She is saying the greatest things now that demonstrate that she knows things – of course these aren’t things we’ve taught her but she seems to have figured out on her own… examples include knowing when she is in the shade or the sun (and asking for something to block the light for “shade” in the bathroom); she also responded with “like a boat” when I said she was floating in the bathtub. We are constantly astounded and of course beaming with pride!

Congratulations go out to our friends Paula and Mark who welcomed their baby boy, Ryan James, on St. Patrick’s Day this week! Maeve is excited to meet him and said “He’s very cute” when she saw his picture… We are off to Grandma’s this weekend after playgroup and art class tomorrow. Hope this Spring weather decides to stick around!

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Warm weather fun…

Maeve exhibited some new skills at the park on Tuesday. She initiated and played a game of catch with another little girl about her age. She loves to play catch with us at home and recently has asked a friend during a playdate/group to play ball, but I hadn’t seen her start playing with a child she doesn’t know. They took turns well and even tried to introduce themselves with some help from their mommies – I think it was a good first experience as progress toward learning how to share and make friends without constant reminders about good behavior.

Maeve also tried to step from one stool to the other on the jungle gym – there are four low to the ground, but they are separate and require quite a bit of balance and coordination to get from one to the next. Her legs need to be just a bit longer for one of them, but she made it across the other three without holding hands and she was so proud of herself when she reached the platform at the end! I was super impressed with her skill and daring…

At Little Gym, Maeve got to jump on the air track (like a big trampoline) and try a new kind of somersault while we worked on upper body and shoulder strength. It was such a warm sunny day, that we met Aunt Megan and Lucy at the aforementioned park – and as a bonus got to visit with Uncle Pat and Lucy’s Grandma Sophie too! 

We had a really fun playdate with our friends Mia and Amy at Garfield Park Conservatory yesterday (pictures are up in the gallery) and we are enjoying the warmer evenings to chalk on the sidewalk with our neighbor Aoife! Later this week we will go for Maeve’s check-up, so I will post her new measurements after that visit.

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Daddy’s birthday

Today we are celebrating! We are taking Daddy out to dinner at a yummy local BBQ spot and have a surprise dessert waiting at home that Maeve helped me make and decorate. We are looking forward to more celebrations this weekend, with St. Patty’s Day festivities at Chief O’Neill’s and our annual Irish cousin get-together at Aunt Megan’s. Mommy and Daddy are even going to have a date night for Daddy’s birthday when Zlatka babysits on Saturday night! 

We have been attending Maeve’s classes and she has been making strides in both her Little Gym and painting classes. She is swinging well from the bar and walking on the balance beam by herself. She enjoys jumping off the end of the high one too! Maeve asks for painting class all week and we are so relieved that we can continue this class in the Spring. We use glue, paint with brushes and stamps, clay and all kinds of other materials (oil pastels even last week!) – it’s so neat to expose Maeve to all these different tools and to just let her create. 

Tomorrow we will attend playgroup where Maeve is looking forward to seeing her friends and Max’s big dog Minnie (it’s taller than all the kids!). And next week she will go for her 2 1/2 year check-up with Jennifer…we are hoping that playing with her new doctor’s kit has helped her feel better prepared and less scared. That and we’ve seen Jennifer quite a lot lately with the ear infections so she’s becoming more comfortable with her. Maeve even held her hand to go and get a sticker at the end of our last visit!

There are lots of new adorable photos to check out in the gallery…