Mid-week Memories 04/28/10

Today Mallory got her first hair cut and I must say that she behaved better then I expected she would. However, I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that there was a TV directly in front of her and the TV mezmorizes this kid (just like her mommy when I was young). She got to sit in the red fire truck, play with toys, and watch TV while they cut her hair. It doesn't look a lot different, just evened up and I am happy to say the Mullet is now gone. Phew...

After the hair cut, we did some birthday/mothers day shopping and then just hung out at home. Uncle Dan stopped by and played outside with us as well. I am pretty sure Mallory has "Dan" down. She picked up her play phone the other day and said "Hi Dan."

Among other things, we played, danced, ran, and laughed today. The success of the hair cut set the tone for a very good day. She was good in all the stores we stopped in and even went down for her nap without a fuss. I better enjoy it now, because with this one, tomorrow could be a different story! She is definetly "testing" us and pushing her limits to see what she can get away with now. Tantrums are plentiful and I am starting to realize what parenting really is. I still love it, but the good days are SO good. I am so glad that my day home with her was one of those good days.

We have a very busy weekend ahead of us so there will be more posts to come. Birthday's galore! Happy Birthday Uncle Mike! Happy Birthday Grandpa! Happy Birthday Lizzy! Pictures to come...

Dinner A La Sarah

Last Sunday we were invited to dinner at Sarah's house which in itself was exciting because Sarah is in culinary school and is an AMAZING cook. Mallory was very excited to be there and explore all the new things and play with the doggies. She particularly loved climbing the stairs and spending time in mommy's old room :)

It was also a fun visit for Marc as he was able to play with Kevin's new Ipad which Mallory enjoyed as well. I have to admit, it was a pretty nifty device.

Dinner was delicious, and we are on board for more dinners.... so yummy!

Mid-Week Memories 04/21/2010

As promised, I took pictures and documented today as my second installment of "Mid-Week Memories." This week, Mallory was getting over a virus and was not doing very well as of Monday and Tuesday. Thankfully, come Wednesday, she was back to normal. She had a very high fever on Sunday and Monday, recovered Tuesday, and was back to normal today.

Because she was ill, I had to take off work Monday and Tuesday and was very excited to see her back to normal today as we were getting a bit stir crazy being in the house. So, this morning we ventured out. In efforts to not "push" her too much, we didn't do anything too extravagant.

We started our morning by heading off to the library to get some new books. Mallory didn't quite understand the concept of "inside voice" so we weren't there too incredibly long. After a quick trip to the grocery, we headed over to great grandma's house for a quick visit and lunch. The highlight of this visit was of course, playing the organ. By the time we got home, she was tuckered out and ready for her nap. She napped most of the afternoon away and when she woke up we played outside before dinner. Playing outside of course, consisted of playing in the dirt.

The reoccuring "latest thing" that she is doing is that she is very much into hugging. You think "awe, how cute" until you find out that she wants nothing to do with hugging people, just her stuffed animals that make noise. She repeatedly hugged her rocking giraffe while patting it's back today whenever he made his giggling noise. Then she moved on to the stuffed beagle dog that plays the drums and sings to the Beatles tune, "I feel fine." Every time he started dancing and singing, there she was to hug him and pat him on the back. I believe he even got a kiss! Never thought I would be jealous of a stuffed dog.

Although it wasn't too exciting of a day, I am just so happy she is back to feeling better. She is eating well, sleeping well, and her normal energetic silly self. Being this is the first time Mallory has had a fever this high, it was a little scary for us, and we are so happy she recovered well.

Chicago 2010

Last weekend we made our annual trip to Chicago with Mallory. This trip, however, was monumentally different then the first trip. Last year, Mallory was only 4 months old (almost 5) when we went, so things were very much different. The car ride, for instance, was a lot more stressful this time then last. Last time she slept off and on the whole way there. This time, she was a little more ancy. She wasn't crying but more talking nonsense the entire way there. She did sleep, but it wasn't for very long and when she woke up she wanted to get out of the car and play. Still, it was not a bad car ride. I think a lot of it was that Uncle Dan was in the back seat to entertain when Mommy and Daddy weren't paying attention.

When we finally got there, we immediately realized how much Aunt Erin and Uncle Todd's house is not conducive to a 16 month old so Mallory got constant attention. This was not hard though because Auntie Erin is always playing with her when she sees her anyway. Lots of breakables had to be moved and doorways had to be blocked but we did manage to create a safe enviornment after some instances of trial and error.

We spent most of the weekend hanging out with family and relaxing. Uncle Dan cooked our meals (yummy) since Mallory is not the best in a restaurant setting right now. We did go out for a walk to the park and through the zoo complete with swings, slides, monkeys, and seals which was quite entertaining for her.

In the evenings when Mallory was in bed, the adults sat outside by the fire and Todd introduced us to a new and exciting game called Hammerschlagen. Basically, everyone has a nail and you take turns attempting to beat the nail into the tree stump with the hammer. Catch is, you have to start with the hammer on the stump next to the nail, hold the hammer at the end of the handle, and you have one "hit" each turn to hit it into the stump. It is a lot harder then it sounds! It was quite addicting and fun. Dan, of course, was awesome at it and it took him 3 hits to my 20 to get the nail in. We also watched the "Re-Animator." I choose not to go into a lot of detail about this movie...it was one of those horror movies that was so bad it was funny.

The only downfall to our weekend was that Mallory caught a virus and has been home sick the last two days. She is getting better and getting her rest as we speak. Can't wait until our next family trip to Chicago.

Mid-week Memories 04/14/10

Last week I started my new alternate work schedule. I am working 4, 10 hour days with Wednesdays off. The change was more of a struggle then I thought it would be. Working from 7:00 until 5:30 everyday took its toll. I am off to work before Mallory gets out of bed and by the time I get her and get home, we eat, take a bath (if it is bath night) she goes to bed. Monday and Tuesday I was wondering if I would really like this new schedule. Then Wednesday came and I was home all day with my baby. We ran errands, played outside, and spent some quality time together. Suddenly, the four 10 hour days seemed worth it.

Since I haven't been updating the blog as much as I would like, I decided to attempt to document my Wednesday's each week with pictures and activities. I am hoping to do different things with her each week worth documenting :)

Today was full of appointments, but we still had fun. We woke up, ate breakfast and did a little coloring, but we had many errands to run. First, we went to her well visit at the pediatricians office. I am happy to report that Mallory is in great health and right on track developmentally. She is 33 inches long - still off the charts in height, 22 lbs and in the 50th percentile for weight, and her head is 46 cm in circumference and in the 90th percentile. Second, we went to my final Physical Therapy appointment and lastly headed to the grocery. By the time we got home, it was time for lunch. She ate lunch and then we played outside until nap time.

In the evening, we played outside some more while daddy grilled chicken breasts. Mallory loves going into the garage and getting out the football and basketball and then proceeding to chase them around the yard while constantly pointing and yelling "ball!" Our house is also known as the "cut through house" as everyone cuts through the front yard on their bike rides or walks into the next neighborhood (there is even a pathway for them) so Mallory loved saying "hi" and waving to everyone that passed through. After dinner, we concluded our day with a walk around the neighborhood. Although it wasn't incredibly exciting, it was a beautiful day to just spend time with her and play outside.

**Stay tuned for mid May Wednesday memories. Mallory and I have plans to spend every Wednesday with her new Cousin when he arrives!! **

Easter Weekend

Saturday before Easter, playing with Grandma and getting ready to color eggs

Mallory thought that she was coordinated enough to work the bubbles. Little did she know we couldn't even get them to work!

Hi Grandma!

We decided washable markers and the egg was the best way to go this year and our rabbit enjoyed every second of it.

Her had ended up being just as colored as the egg

Look at my accomplishment!!

The finished product

Easter morning we led Mallory to the basket and she enjoyed the treats inside her plastic eggs

She then proceeded to carry the basket around wherever she went, I think that was the best part of Easter

Grandma Sachs stopped by on her way to brunch to wish Mallory a Happy Easter

After playing outside, Mallory became quite thirsty. She decided she wanted to try drinking out of a cup like a big girl...

This was the result

Spring is in the air. This weekend was beautiful and perfect for celebrating the Easter holiday. We had a fabulous weekend shared with family and colored eggs. Here are some snapshots of Mallory's Easter weekend. Although it was not her first Easter, it made it much more interesting since she is walking this time around. Her curiosity is never ending and just watching her pure entertainment.