Mr. Tooth

Mojo definitely has a tooth. We're a bit concerned that it has arms, eyes, a mouth and dresses in Western Wear.

A day at the state fair

Note to self

Ever since my trip to Italy, near the turn of the century (it's OK to use that phrase, right?) I've been hooked on a double shot of espresso in the morning. Call it substance abuse if you may, but it's a routine and I'm a person who needs routines - not to mention the jolt. This particular routine starts with my trying to sneak down to the kitchen without making enough noise to wake Maureen; Kristin is usually stirring a bit, getting ready for her shower. I need a little peace and quiet in the morning, ten minutes is good - twenty is heaven. Back to the coffee. Espresso comes in a cylinder can and is ground up to a powdery substance, much like baby formula comes in a powdery form in a cylinder can. I put two scoops of espresso into the little filter cup for my Krups machine. Two scoops of baby formula powder makes 4 ounces of formula. You see where I'm going here. I guess I was extra groggy this morning and the synapses were not firing properly. The formula did not quite make it to the machine, but maybe there's something to this mistake. Pre-creaming your coffee? Anywho, have a good Friday and an excellent weekend.

Oh, I forgot to mention the big news from yesterday. Maureen actually said Mama. Clear as day and we have it on video to prove it. This is much more important than my coffee story. I told you already that the synapses are not firing. Ciao!

One mystery solved

Again this morning after I made the last blog entry and while Maureen was sitting in her highchair for breakfast, she broke out in "na-na-na-na-na". Originally we thought she was trying to say "mama" but it was definitely "na...". We thought it could mean grandma, but weren't sure. Finally, this morning, she was saying it and pointing in a direction of the kitchen. I went to the approximate point and picked up a banana. Bingo. She kicked her legs and gave me a look like she was thinking, "finally you big jerk", and she happily ate her banana bits.
Case closed.

Screaming

Maureen is getting good at letting out drum-piercing screams for no apparent reason, at a moment's notice. At least I can't figure out what she wants. Last night I was with her and she started saying "na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na" and then put her open hand across her collar bone, as if she was acting like a southern lady with the vapors, and let out a scream that set every dog in the neighborhood to howling. It's as if she is mimicking something.
She also threw her first tantrum on Monday evening, after her bath. She wanted to chew on the baby lotion, while we wanted to dry her off, apply the same lotion on her, and get her dressed. She let out the most pitiful cry, kicked her sausage legs and beat her little fists against the changing table. The hardest part was suppressing the laughter and treating it with stern love. WE got our way in the end because she got dry, lotioned up and dressed for bed. She soon got over her rage as well and returned to being the sweet little girl that we enjoy so much.

Video of the week #2: Shake shake shake

One of our good friends Patrick made a nice, wood-crafted rattle for Maureen, complete with her initials stamped. She really loves playing with it.

Random photos over the last couple of weeks.

Video of the week: laughing in the face of danger

Who needs precaution. I laugh at your attempt to keep me safe!

Please keep reading.

It's been kind of busy here lately. Just a quick recap of recent events:
Maureen seems to be getting a little more cranky these days. We attribute it to potential teeth cutting in, but her sleep patterns have been varied, and her schedules have changed in the last week. School has started, so Aunt Kathy and GMK are not available for watching Maureen during the day. Kristin is doing some shifting of her schedule to accommodate, and we are using Maureen's teacher a bit more for day care. Mo loves Miss U, and vice versa.
It was nice to visit with Aunt Chrissy during her week-long stay - we met up with her and GPJ at the St. Joe's picnic on Saturday. GPJ won Maureen an ELMO basketball, and I won a big pan of brownies at the cake booth - 100 was the winning number.
Friday night was date night so Maureen spent a few hours with Cousin Claire, Uncle John and Aunt Mickie. She was in heaven with all the toys at her fingertips. From what I hear, Maureen wanted to play with anything Claire was playing with at the time. She hasn't had a lot of playtime with children close to her age since the end of the Parents Day Out year, so it was nice to see her with her cousin. PDO starts in less than one month and we should back into a normal routine once again.

Update 8/9/07

We believe Maureen is done with baby food and prefers to feed herself. She goes through spurts of what she wants to eat, but for the most part she likes bananas, pretzels, bread, chicken and turkey (oh, yeah, and CHEESE). We need to start pushing veggies a little more now, but she seems to be a pretty good little eater. She is taking huge goose steps when she is being walked while holding on to some one's hands. Yesterday morning we had a picture of a bear and she was making growling noises imitating what the bear says. She spent the day at GMK and GMP's house yesterday and you could tell she had a fun and active time. They have the perfect family room for someone Mo's age, a plush carpet and plenty of room to roam with few trouble spots. The steps will be an issue in a few months. We are really thinking about her one year birthday coming up. Hard to believe in some respects.

She is starting to stir in her bed now - I have to go get her ready for the day. More to come.

Photos from "Great News" Entry

Photo 1: Erin & Jeff

Photo 2: Mojo looking for an escape route

Photo 3: Chrissy juggling children

Photo 4: Mojo, Claire & Bear

Photo 5: Cousin Claire

Great News!

Great news, Mojo’s favorite aunt (besides Aunt Kathy and Aunt Chrissy - ooops, and Carrie, Kristi & Mickey - thanks babe) got a big ol’ diamond ring from her now-fiancé Jeff. It happened Saturday morning. We were able to see the newly engaged couple a few hours later as my family participated in a special fund-raiser walk in memory of Jeff’s sister, Ethel, and for the rehabilitation lounge at a local hospital in her name. The walk also supports projects such as a pediatric rehab lectureship series and a summer pediatric day camp program. The event was very nice – they had T-shirts designed for all participants, a bike ride and a walk for all levels, chances sold for a bevy of prizes, a yummy bar-b-que lunch, and Radio Disney on hand to entertain the kids. The only slight down-side was the scorching weather, but that was not a big deal at all.
Erin and Jeff seem very happy. We had a cookout last night that was originally planned to welcome Maureen’s Aunt Chrissy – she is in town for a week on vacation – but it turned into an engagement party. I don’t think Chrissy minded sharing the spotlight. Maureen was very excited to see Cousin Claire. Right now I think the age gap is still a bit too big for them to focus their efforts on playing together, but it is not too far off in the future (Claire is almost exactly one year older than Mo.)
This week is quite busy, though we hope Aunt Chrissy will be able to babysit one evening so she can catch up with Mo, and so we can have a night out on the town. I guess I better get that nailed down. I will add some photos of the weekend later tonight.