Footie Pajamas!!!

The boys have been asking for footie pajamas for a year, and we got them a set for Christmas. They match their little sister. All we need now is a mommy and daddy set.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

All three kids and the dog in front of the tree before we opened gifts up.

Maryam with one of her new "touch and feel" books.

Maryam and her shape-sorter bus.
Aidan and Wayne with their new Wii games.

And a Merry Christmas it was, for our household.

For Maryam, it meant waking up at 5 AM and greeting her brothers. We have a tradition here that the big kids sleep downstairs in their tee pee and sleeping bags, staying up as late as they wanted (with a warning that any crankiness the next day will be dealt with by a nap). So everyone except me were up. I managed to pull myself out of bed at 8.

I told the kids that they could get at their stockings when they first woke up, and eat however much candy in it they wanted to. It kept them quiet! Jim got upset that I gave Maryam a Hershey's Kiss in her stocking because she squeezed it in her hand and got chocolate everywhere. I just wanted to give my baby a kiss!

Maryam is very happy with her new toys and books. The boys are ecstatic with their new Wii. And I'm happy because they're happy and busy. For now.

A tasty combination

Spaghetti, cottage cheese, pear, and bread. Yummy!

Playing - in the snow and with Maryam's crazy brothers

We had some snow recently, and some friends have lent us the cutest bunny snow suit. Despite looking quite cute, Maryam isn't fond of being wrapped from head to toe. Seconds after this picture was taken, she became distressed and had to be taken back inside. She won't walk in the snow, either. So she sits and whines and is brought back inside. She does look cute, though, doesn't she?

Later in the day, Maryam's brothers were playing with her. Note Maryam's open mouth, as she attempts to bite her brother. A closer picture:And here as she sits on Aidan. Big brothers are so much fun!

Grandma and Grandpa, I miss you!

A letter from Maryam, as reported to her mommy:

Dear Grandma and Grandpa,

I miss you! I'm walking and talking and doing all sorts of cool things. I wish you could be here to see me. I know you would give me all the things I want that mommy doesn't, and so I would never cry again. I promise! She tried to keep me from eating her apple since she said I already had mine.

So, please,

pretty please, come here soon! Mommy and daddy say you're going to move here. I hope they're right. Oh, and mommy says that your bathroom doesn't really NEED to be redone. Just like Grandpa thinks. So you can sell your house fast and come play with me.

Love and kisses,

your granddaughter Maryam

p.s. I won't ever put your things in the garbage can like I do with mommy and daddy's things!

Visit at the Aquarium

It's been far too long since I've blogged - in part because of a broken computer, then a busted camera, then just laziness, I suppose.

Maryam is up and walking - running, usually! She says a number of words, but her first one was "this". She'll point and demand "this".

She signs quite a bit, including "more", "all done", and "nurse". She has said "yes", "nurse", "no", and a few others.

She waves hi and bye, and still smiles at everyone. She's such a social little thing.

Jim's Toys

Pretty cool, huh? They're all handcrafted, with non-toxic paint and finishes. He's going to be selling them. The sea monster moves in waves, and the other pull toys waddle.

I got so sick of trying to find quality wooden toys that were made locally, and Jim has these great images in his head. He's so talented. I had no idea I married a toy maker!

I just can't stop taking pictures of this kid!

She's just so darn cute! Today in the bathtub she was trying to 'catch' the running water. We've had to get rid of most of her bath toys (painted things made in China), so she makes do with wooden spoons and cups. Tonight she kept throwing the wet wash cloth at me.

In the last picture, she was smiling at daddy.

She must be getting teeth

Either she's getting teeth, or she just likes to chew on Mommy's chin. I was trying to get her sleep in the glider, and she bit my chin. She laughed, which made me laugh, which made her bite and laugh even more. And she has 7 teeth, at last count. In other news, Maryam likes to eat. Surprised? I'm not.

Yesterday the neighbor was telling us how much Maryam looks like Jim. Today people at Panera and the grocery store were saying how much she looked like me. In the above picture, I think my genes win out.

It's been a hard day

Maryam woke up at 5 AM this morning. After her morning nap, she became crabby VERY fast. If she has temper tantrums like this before the age of 1, I don't want to see them at 2! I don't even know what was wrong. She arched her back when I tried to hold her, so I laid her down on the floor. She quieted down fairly quickly when I picked her up again.

Now introducing... Ducky!

Ducky is a puppet that quacks three tunes when you open and close his mouth. Maryam loves Ducky, as you can see.

Here she is kissing him. Actually, biting him, but who cares.

And below, she can be seen hitting him with a wire whisk. Hmm. Maybe there's a bit less love here than I originally thought.

She may not talk yet...

but she can sure blow raspberries!
There have been no reliable, consistent words yet. But Maryam can spend hours (ok, not hours, but a long time) spitting loudly. Jim can take all the credit, or blame, for this one. He was blowing raspberries to her when she was a newborn.
Maryam also loves to put things in her mouth. Luckily the blocks shown here aren't small enough to be a choking hazard.

Maryam and Davy

Maryam has a little baby friend named Davy. He's the son of our friends Xan and Joe. Davy's 8 months old, but almost the size of Maryam. It's good for Maryam to have someone who can push her back, and grab toys from her like she does to them. Davy's a sturdy little guy, unlike Greta. Greta is so petite that I get a tad bit worried when Maryam shoves her.

Seeing other kids around her age allows me to see how she compares to other kids, which isn't always the best thing. Maryam is pretty clingy, and sometimes quite whiny. But she's cuddly, which I love. She may not play on her own for long periods of time, but she'll sit on my lap and snuggle.

We're getting excited for Maryam's grandma and grandpa and aunt Mari to come visit. They haven't seen her since she was a tiny little thing.

She loves her pasta!

For the past few days, Maryam wasn't eating a lot. I know, hard to imagine. She was nursing a ton, though, and I guess that's what her body needed. Tonight she made up for it, eating lots of the chicken and cheese ravioli and grapes that Jim and I had for dinner. I had just given her a bath about an hour before, which doesn't make any sense at all, had I thought about it.

Another picture she'll hate me for

I just had to post this. Poor Maryam has such a big bottom, and when paired with cloth diapers, pants often don't fit her as well as they should. For the record, those are 24 month pants.

Trip to Circle S Farm

On Monday, Maryam, Jim and I joined some friends in our parenting group to go to Circle S Farm. There were goats, pumpkins, a hayride, and some beautiful flowers. We had gorgeous weather, as you can see. I'm hoping this becomes an annual tradition. Jim took the day off of work. He is such a help. I can't imagine having a baby without him. As I type this, he's up putting Maryam to sleep. I love you, Jimmy!