Week 19 - Stellaversary!!

This weekend was all about Stella.  Each year we celebrate the anniversary of when we adopted Stella and we call it Stellaversary!  It was quite the stellabration!  Stellaversary is always celebrated with one of Stella's favorite things - a trip to the beach!  This also happened to be Maude's first real trip to the beach.  You may remember our attempt at the beach a few weeks ago - we spent all of 15 minutes there, fighting the wind and cold before heading back to the car.  Stellaversary was a success for all parties involved.  In fact, it was one of our lengthiest beach trips ever!  The weather was perfect - cool and breezy without being cold and not so hot that Stella poops out on us after a short time running up and down the beach.

Maude seemed to love the fresh sea air and enjoyed watching Stella run into the waves as they came crashing into the shore.  There were lots of families with kids there, too.  I had visions of watching Maude someday building sand castles while Stella runs into them and obliterates all the hard work.  I can't wait to see these two grow up together.  This weekend was also the first time I've really seen Maude and Stella interact.  Stella has done her fair share of checking Maude out, but Maude has always been a little oblivious to Stella.  And the few times we've brought Maude really close to a lounging Stella, Stella has quickly moved to get as far away from the baby as possible.  This weekend, the two of them seemed to become genuinely interested in each other.  I even put a treat in Maude's hand and Stella gently took it from her.  So sweet!

This coming week brings my first two night trip away from Maude.  Prior to coming back from maternity leave, I knew the planned business trips I had over the summer and felt somewhat mentally prepared to go on them.  A week prior to coming back to work, I learned about one I hadn't planned on, but was able to arrange bringing Mike and Maude with me.  I then had another unexpected trip come up - my first without Maude.  Now this week I have a planned trip with another unplanned the very next day which means I'm flying from one city to the next and will be gone from Maude for well over 48 hours.  Overnight was one thing - I got to see Maude (very very) early in the morning before I left and then again the next late afternoon when I got home.  This trip means I'm going an entire day without seeing her.  I'm just not ready for it. I have an annual work event in mid-August where I'll be away from her for two nights and I had hoped that would be my first time away from her for so long.  This week's events came up so suddenly and much, much earlier than I had hoped for.  I know she and Mike will be fine - I'm more worried about me. =)

The pictures below are from our beach trip and some we took today with Maude in her tutu.  I bought that tutu well before I knew we were having a girl.  I just knew we were going to have a girl and couldn't resist buying this sweet, pink, fluffy, girly tutu! These are the first real photos we have of her wearing it.  I love them so much!!

Mom and the girls at the beach.

Daddy and Maude.

TUTU!!

I love her laugh.  Stella is loving having her new friend at her level.

Week 18 - Minnesota!

Maude spent her entire 18th week of life in Minnesota.  Maude and I flew there last Sunday and got back today.  Mike joined us on Thursday night and flew back with us today.  It was a very busy and long Father's Day but we were all thankful to just be together!

Maude did about the same on the flights for this trip as she did to and from Seattle.  She is a very active and independent gal and being held for an entire flight in a little airplane seat isn't really her thing.  During the flight to Minnesota, she and I hung out in the back galley.  That distraction got us through the flight and we got lots of comments as we landed that Maude was angel during the flight.  The flight home today was about the same.

We had a wonderful week in Minnesota.  Maude met lots of my friends that she hadn't been able to meet yet.  She also got to meet her future boyfriend, Henry Schaefgen.  Henry is four months older than Maude.  This seems like an eternity now but in a few years, 4 months is nothing.  She loved watching him crawl around and walk behind his walker.  It was fun watching her interact with an older baby and be in awe of his advanced skills!

Maude also got to meet her Grandpa Larry this weekend! She had a wonderful day spending time with her Nama (my mom) and Grandpa.  And I think it was a pretty special Father's Day weekend for my dad.  =)

In other news, Maude officially rolled over for the first time this week!  A month or more ago, she was rolling  (more like falling) from her front to her back.  She hasn't been able to do that again for at least a month which confirms my belief that it was more of a fall over than a roll over.  Most babies first roll from their front to their back because it's easier than the back to front roll.  Today Maude started rolling from her back to her front pretty consistently.  She still hasn't rolled from front to back since her inadvertent rollovers weeks ago.  Again, this little gal is definitely my daughter - she does thing her own way and on her own timing and not when she's expected to.  She also saved it as a wonderful Father's Day gift for Mike!

Maude is headed back to day care tomorrow.  I know the teachers are excited to have her back and I can't wait to show them her new skills!  I loved spending the last week with Maude and it will be hard to be away from her during the day again.  I am, however, looking forward to normal and consistent days.  Our life has felt a little crazy and chaotic lately and a normal week will feel good.

Maude hanging on the deck in Minnesota at our friend Camy's house.

Maude and Henry trying to sneak in some hand holding!

Maude and Kinnick. They were both laying on the floor and Kinnick kept inching closer to Maude.  Maude loved checking out Kinnick's long hair.  So much different than Stella!

I just love this photo of Maude.  She looks like such a big girl in her little shorts.

Here are a few photos from the week!

Week 17 - Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

What a big week for Ms. Maude!  She took her first flight (as well as many other new forms of transportation) and turned 4 months old!  What a big week for such a little girl!  Oh, and she got shots, too.  And she's taking her second plane trip tomorrow.  Seriously big week.

I had a meeting with a client on Monday in Seattle so we were able to have Mike come with and therefore we could also bring Maude.  I was not ready to be away from her yet so I was so happy we could make it work.  We flew to Seattle on Saturday and came back on Monday.  For such a short trip, we packed a lot!  It was crazy how much baggage we had and how long it took us to pack everything!  We looked like the circus rolling into town when we walked into the airport with all of our gear.

I've had several friends fly with their babies and everyone said that their babies slept on the plane so I was expecting Maude to eat a little as we took off and then drift off and nap the entire time.  We apparently have one of the few babies who is not at all interested in sleeping on a plane.  She was way too curious about it all and wanted to see everything that was going on around her!  We spent most of the flight passing her back and forth and entertaining a very antsy little girl.  She was good, but it took a decent amount of work on our part to keep her happy during the flight.  Two hours spent sitting in the same seat was just a bit too much for her!

Beyond her first flight, Seattle included many new forms of transportation for Maude.  As soon as we landed, we took a tram to the main terminal of the airport to go and get our luggage.  After that, we loaded up in a taxi which was also a first for Maude.  On Sunday we met up with our friends Jason and Tonya and took a ferry ride!  Then Monday was our flight back home.  I think that was quite a few new things for our 4 month old.  She loved it all and we survived our first flight with her!

So after going out of our way to avoid me being away from Maude for my Seattle trip, I found out that I had to fly to Minnesota on my own for a meeting just a day after we got back from Seattle.  I was out on the 6:30 AM flight on Wednesday morning and got home the next afternoon.  I think it was much harder on me to be away from her.  She and Mike did great and I don't think she missed a beat.  I think Mike was exhausted by the time I got home on Thursday, but Maude was no worse for the wear.

In Mike and Maude's 36 hour adventure, she put him to the test just a bit.  The morning I left, Mike got up at 5:30 AM to make sure he was all ready for the day before she got up (which is typically between 6 and 6:30).  6:15 rolled around and Mike was completely ready, just waiting for Maude to wake up.  He waited, and waited, and waited...  until 7:30!  Then on Thursday morning, she woke up at 5:45 AM and as Mike went into her room to get her, he was panicked when he saw something all over her crib.  Our little gal had a big blowout and her poo was all over her crib.  Ahh, poor Mike!  That particular issue has never happened to me so he was the lucky one to experience that for the first time.

Maude had her 4 month doctor's appointment yesterday.  She's 23 inches long and 13lbs 4.5 oz.  Her height is still in the 25th percentile, but her weight is a bit above now (I think it's all in her thighs!!) and her head is back up into the 50th percentile.  She took her shots better than in past appointments and was a smiley little gal again within a few minutes of getting them.

Tomorrow, Maude and I leave for Minnesota.  This is her second flight, but our first alone together.  I'm a little nervous for how it will go without Mike there to help with entertainment.  I'm hoping she'll turn into a less curious little one and decide sleeping is pretty nice during a plane ride!

Enjoy the pictures below, all taken in Seattle.

Prior to getting on the flight.  As you can see, Maude was pretty thrilled.

About to get on the airplane!!

Maude's first swimsuit.  We tried the hotel pool but it was a little too cold for everyone.

Mike had his best cup of coffee ever from this place and we took a picture with the barista!  (Note:  this was not a Starbuck's!)

Pike's Place Market!

Jason and Tonya with a windblown Maude on her first ferry ride.

Somebody discovered her feet!  And she thinks they're quite tasty!

4 months old!

Mowhawk.

16 Weeks!

This short post and limited pictures will reflect the fact that I went back to work this week.  I was thinking this having a baby thing was a pretty easy gig until this week hit. Woah, has life changed!  I now get up earlier than I ever thought I would and I don't stop until my head hits the pillow at night.  I'm hoping that it's just extra crazy this week since it's the first week back, but I also can't figure out what could get more streamlined or cut out of the day to make it less hectic.  As busy, crazy, and overwhelming as it is, I certainly wouldn't change a thing - except for maybe being independently wealthy and not having to work!

The days of leaving Maude at day care have gotten slightly easier.  She seems to enjoy her time there and is young enough that she doesn't care when I leave her and is only happy when I return.  We get great reports every day and the teachers always comment about how pleasant she is.  YAY!  I am so thankful we have a baby that they look forward to seeing every day.

We had high hopes of including pictures of Maude's first trip to the beach in this update.  We got up early Sunday morning and headed to Malibu, baby and dog in tow.  We knew it was going to be windy, but the forecast indicated that the wind wouldn't pick up until noon or after.  Wrongo.  We parked the car on the PCH in Malibu, got out and felt like we were going to be knocked over by the force of the wind gusts.  We still bundled up and walked down to the beach, but after about 10 minutes, Maude had enough.  Stella was in pure heaven, but the cold wind took it out of the rest of us.  Maude was melting down and Mike and I were feeling like idiots for even attempting it all.  So we hiked it back up to the car.  The minute I got Maude into the safety of the car, she was all smiles again.  We'll definitely try the beach again this summer, but will aim for a warmer and much less windy day.

I mentioned Maude's potential aversion to peppers and onions last week (I like to call it "Peppergate").  I cut them out of my diet and it was clear they had been the culprit.  I then made the mistake of eating them again on Monday, along with some beans.  Big mistake.  So, I'm officially very much off the onions and pepper for the foreseeable future.  I love them both oh so much, but it's worth it to have a happy and gas free baby.

Maude seems to have found her voice this week.  She loves to babble, yell (ok, it's more of a scream) just to hear herself.  There are times when she's slightly fussy and crying a bit, but it sounds like she's incredibly ticked off because she's also screaming at the same time.  We're taking our first flight with her on Saturday so I'm hoping she doesn't love the airplane acoustics and feel the need to give them a good sound check!


I have my first business trip on Monday - a meeting in Seattle.  I was distraught over the thought of going overnight without Maude, so Mike took Monday off and we're making a weekend trip out of it.  Unfortunately, another trip came up that I need to go on just a day after we get back and it's not possible to take Ms. Maude, so I'll be headed out on a very early flight Wednesday morning and will be back Thursday afternoon.  Mike, Maude and Stella will fend for themselves all alone for the first time.  I don't quite know how they'll do it, but I know they will and will be the better for it.  And I'll do my best to try and actually believe that while I'm gone. 

Just two pictures this week.  I hope to have lots more next week after our trip to Seattle!

I don't think this photo clearly shows what Maude is doing, but over the past week or so, she's been really into sucking on her lips.  It's pretty cute and makes us smile. 

Again, another photo that doesn't fully capture what's going on.  This is the one and only picture we took at the beach.  The surf was high and as violent as the wind.