I'm Back!!!

To all my blog readers, I apologize for slacking big time on my blogging. My picture software stopped working on my computer but it is up and running now!! I have lots of pics today!

Maggie is EVERYWHERE!!! She crawls at the speed of lightening I think. She walks from one piece of furniture to the other, or takes a few steps here and there and then drops to crawl. Walking/Running is coming very soon in my household and I am scared to death!!

She is just so fun though. Some things she enjoys doing right now.

1- Pulling all the toilet paper off of the toilet paper rolls and then trying to eat it.

2- Open up the kitchen cabinets and pull out all pots and pans.

3- B Line it to the refrigerator when I open it and pull out whatever she can as fast as she can.

4- Stick her hand in the toilet if we forget to put the lid down.

5- Rearrange my kitchen chairs every 10 minutes. She likes to slide them clear across the kitchen floor.

6- Tear up all magazines and books left in her reach.

7- Pulling my kitchen towels off of the stove and using them to clean the floors.

8- Pulling Sadie's tail and annoying her in whatever way possible.

She is becoming so independent and is such a big girl now. HOWEVER, she is still a little baby. She likes her paci, her bottles, to be rocked to sleep, she likes to be held, and she likes cuddles and kisses and I am SOOOOO glad she isn't too big for all that stuff yet!! I can't believe I am already planning her 1st birthday party!!

When all else fails...

whoops...

we like cheap fun at my house...you would think this is the most exciting roller coaster she has ever been on! its just daddy and the pampers box though!!

her favorite hiding spot...under the dining table

my hair brush is just so yummy

Say "Cheese" Maggie!

Look at all my hair!

SO HAPPY!!!

We planned our first family beach trip for Labor Day Week! We are staying 7 nights and I am so excited I don't know what to do with myself!! Stay tuned for lots and lots of good bikini pics coming!!

Many Parts!

We went to Oxford this past weekend to visit Brian's sister and her family! The girls (Maggie's cousins) are getting so big! Claire is 8 and Ella is 2, and Maggie loved every minute of getting to play with them!

It was a super fun weekend, but long drive up there and back. When we got home Brian told me that Maggie was tired and he was going to put on her Baby Einstein so he could get her to sleep. This is what I found 2 min later!!

On another note...Mags has become quite the dancer. You have to wait until about 15 seconds into the video. She starts to feel the rhythm, then decides to get low.

My friend Dana Howard brought this casserole over to us shortly after Maggie was born. I immediately got the recipe it was so good!! I made it again tonight and decided it was too good not to share!

Round Steak and Rice Casserole

1 can cream of celery soup

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can golden mushroom soup

2 Tb. Margarine

1 cup raw rice

2 lbs. round steak

Heat soups and margarine until heated through and margarine is melted. Mix half of soup mixture with rice and place on bottom of a greased 9*13 dish. Place serving size pieces of the round steak on top of the mixture. Salt and Pepper Steaks. Pour remaining soup on top of steaks. Cover and bake at 325 for 1 1/2- 2 hours. Enjoy!!

BIG Milestone!!

Maggie took her first step today!!! She has been balancing well on her on lately, so we figured this was coming soon! Today she decided to take a step, then another, then another! She took 3 steps today before falling down. She was very excited and very proud of herself...can't you tell?!!

She is outgrowing all of her clothes so quickly! I just bought her all 18 month clothes and now they are getting tight! We especially like her pink daisy dukes bc they show off her rolls in those thighs!!

In my family, we call these apple cheekies...

Nada

Nada. Nothing. That's what we've been doing. And it's been fabulous!!! Maggie is at the most fun age! She is talking and babbling up a storm and is starting to try and repeat what we do or say. She is saying mama, dada, baba(bottle), hey and bye. She is eating some real food now, but I am having trouble deciding on easy things to fix that she can eat. Any suggestions on foods you first started your children on would be greatly appreciated!!

I just LOVE to watch Maggie play. She is learning so much and I love to watch her figure things out for herself. She gets so excited. She is moving up to the big girl room at school (the 1 yr old room). I am so nervous about it! This means no cribs, no bouncy seats, and no swings! She will take 1 nap a day on her nap mat, and I feel sorry for the person who tries to get her to sleep on it! I have a feeling she will be trying to crawl all over the place. She will enjoy the bigger room though. They go outside more and do fun projects that she didn't get to do in the infant room.

Some pics from the weekend...

Spent Saturday playing outside!

Learning how to play golf...

Loves drinking out of Dad's big cup. The girl LOVES cold water!

happy baby before bedtime!

9 Months Already!!

So Maggie was 9 months on Friday!! Where does the time go? Somebody slow it down PLEASE.....

She weighs 20.1 lbs. (60th percentile)

She is 30 inches tall. (50th percentile)

She was given the go ahead for read food!!

Busted trying to get my magazines!!

Studying for the GMAT. She's already thinking about grad school. She's a studious girl, that Maggie!!

Helping Dada put together her new walker!!

Look at her go! She is all over the house now!

Helping Mama with the dishes!

She wasn't very crazy about her first taste of bananas!!

Sleepy Monkey

I have to say...morning time is my absolute favorite!! I go running in her room like I haven't seen her in 2 weeks when she wakes up. I put her in her bumbo every morning while I fix her bottle, and I always take a picture. I love her big rested eyes and messed up hair, and she's just so darn cute in the morning. These are pics from this week...

Maggie has her 9 month check up next week. I swear I feel like she was just born yesterday. I know you all feel the same. I seriously cannot believe how fast they grow.

Some Maggie Facts:

She wears a size 12 or 18 month clothes!

She has her 2 bottom teeth in and her fangs!! Good thing vampires are in style!

She pulls up on everything and stands by herself without holding on. Walking is just around the corner!!

Some things Maggie loves to do!

Tear up magazines and newspapers

play with Sadie's balls

chew on an empty bottled water

watch Baby Einstein over and over while sitting in a pile of toys

rock!! (thank goodness bc this is something I still love to do too)

she just opened my kitchen cabinets for the first time today...time to baby proof!!

Let Freedom Ring

We are in to EVERYTHING these days!!!

I made it through my first work meeting without Maggie!! For the record...Brian passed with flying with colors. I will feel confident leaving Maggie with him anytime!!! He did great!! I think they really bonded!

Maggie was a good little helper when I was packing for NYC. She liked to take everything out of the suitcase as I was putting it in.

HELP!!! Get me out of my cage!!!

We had a great weekend! I got home late Thursday night but did not have to work on Friday. I spent a much needed day relaxing just loving on Maggie!! Saturday we had my family over to cookout.

Church on Sunday!!

Sunday night we went to the Stars and Stripes event downtown for the 4th! It was a great turnout with an awesome blues band and we had a great time!!

And today we went to Uncle Eric and Aunt Lisa's house to eat hamburgers and homemade ice cream! Maggie enjoyed her first taste of ice cream!!