Dancing queen

My grown up Maeve

At almost 4 1/2 years old, Maeve can sometimes act like she is entering her teenage years. With her sassy attitude, strong opinions on clothes, hair and activities, I think I am getting a taste of what is yet to come. She had her first sleep over with Taylor from across the street a couple of days ago. It was impromptu with the girls thinking it up at about 7 pm on Thursday night. I was hesitant and thought Maeve might get cold feet, but she changed into her PJ's, grabbed her pillow pet and went out the door without even a glance back. My heart stung just a bit and I secretly hoped for a call at about 10 pm but it never came. I guess they had a great time sleeping on the pull out couch downstairs but needed encouragement to go to sleep, which didn't happen until 10:30 pm. Their imaginations were going wild and they were "scared" of some of the noises, said Maeve. They woke up the next morning at 6 am, getting less sleep than I did that night! Tina and Matt were troopers and they are already asking for another sleep over. I guess Jon and my turn are up this time.

Some other things that mark Maeve's 4 year oldness......

identifying the initial sounds in words all the time (one of her favorite games)

beginning to "read" simple word patterns with help.... cat, bat, mat, etc.

dancing and shaking her hips to the music

loving on her baby sister

playing dog and princess and prince with Kaleigh (Kaleigh is the prince and they marry each other)

crazy distressful drama play with her barbies......the princess is always a damel in distress with prince saving her

like Jack and the Neverland Pirates show the best (behind Scoobie Doo which I still try to limit)

riding her bike with training wheels

sneaking into bed at 1 am to snuggle....she wants to be right up on top of you and typically either Jonny or I end up leaving the bed

so afraid of missing out on something, she gets more and more wild as she gets tired but she will still refused naps and be up at the first sound in the morning. Forget getting her back to sleep, she does not want to waste a minute of life sleeping

jumping off the diving board without a life vest and swimming to the side with just a little push to get her going.

My Maevolicious is growing up so fast. But as I always tell her she will always be my Maevey Baby.

Teagan is 6 months!

Wow has she changed into a smiley, happy,engaged and playful baby. She is so curious and has developed octopus arms. We sit her in the bumbo chair on the table for meals and have to make sure everything is way out of reach or watch out! It's amazing what she can grab. She loves her play gym, especially the giraffe which she chews on all the time. She has gorgeous thighs and an adorable smile. Everyone comments on how much she smiles and on her long eyelashes. She is squealing and just starting to babble but no "mama's" or "dada's" yet. She loves her food and we have discovered that she does better with fruits or else she gets really constipated. She has tried so hard to go that she has spit up out her nose, poor girl. She was sleeping through the night great till she figured out how to roll over onto her stomach. She would get stuck and angry so we were back tobeing up 2 times a night. She has done better and I often catch her sleeping on her stomach lately, but she is now in the habit of getting up. Hopefully, that will end soon. She loves the water and splashes about with her arms while she watches her sisters swim. She is not yet sitting independently but is getting pretty close. One of the crazy things she does is scratching. She loves to scratch at paper, my clothes or whatever else is in reach, especially when she is nursing.

Her 6 month doctor's appt went great. She is growing like crazy and only cried for about a second after her second shot.

Height:27 i. (90%ile)

Weight: 19 lbs. 4 oz. (90-95%ile)

Head: 75%ile

(Teagan is almost the same and Maeve and Kaleigh at 6 mos, just a little shorter and heavier....it's those thighs! They really seems to be triplets at this age)

Krazy Kaleigh

Kaleigh is so funny these days. After putting her to bed tonight about an hour later we found her up, playing with the soap in her bed. She insisted that she was hungry and after giving her applesauce, I discovered that she had brought the hand soap to bed and been playing with it and was covered in the soap. She needed a shower to get it all off her. We took one together and as I was washing my feet she asked me "why you do ballet?"

She is different than Maeve in that she is scared from the movies and shows we watch. Lately she is very concerned about the witch from Snow White. Trying to empower her, I asked her what she thought we should do to make sure she wouldn't be scared of the witch and she said we should "blow her away".

She's very into pretend play with strawberry shortcake, Minnie mouse and her babies. She is not interested in potty training at all. It's interesting how she talks about being a baby when we discuss going potty on the potty but being a big girl when we talk about taking a nap (or not in her mind). She loves snuggling and will move my hand so that I tickle her just right! Or she likes to tickle herself.

Kaleigh is starting to ride her tricyle, loves gymnastic (the high balance beam and hanging from the high bar) and swimming. Her swim teacher calls her the fish, she is so into it. She likes being on her back more than her stomach in the pool which is crazy. Maybe she will be a backstroker like her mama!

The month of April, 5 months old, Easter celebrations and daddy's 39th birthday......

April was another great month. We ended the month with a visit to Columbus for Easter and daddy's birthday party. Teagan started eating rice cereal and has had several tastes of "real" food including Parmesan cheese and fruit smoothies. She loves it and dives for the spoon but doesn't really know what to do with the food once it's in her mouth. Maeve was "caught" sneaking all her Easter candy under Gma's bed. I must have found at least 20 wrappers by the time I figured out what she was doing. Kaleigh spent most of the visit in Columbus reorganizing Gpa's library and "reading" his 1920's encylopedias(without pictures). Here is some pictures to summarize.

Kaleigh- 2 1/2 years old

My beautiful Kaka, or Kookie Kaka, My jumping bean are just some of the names I call her. She is so two currently, with frequent tantruming and whining but all the while looking adorable! Here are a few of the things that make her her:

(my number one favorite) "me love you mama"

-

trying so hard to keep up with the big kids (i.e., wanting to watch Scoobie doo b/c Maeve does)

- read me book pease

- laughing out loud at the Dofs (Dwarfs in Snow White)

- being scared at the witch in Snow White

- sharing your taggie blanket with Teagan (b/c Teagan really wants it!)

- "tarry me" and "pit me up"

- "me no want nap" (then crying before settle down to sleep.....EVERY time)

-loving swimming

-especially loving gymnastics (hanging from the high bar, hopping from star to star, crawling like a snake and going on the big balance beam) (It's also your only thing you say when we talk about your high of the day "me go dymntics")

-staying up reading and talking every night -piggy back rides and "sack of potatoes"

Teagan's new nickname- Mini Maeve or Kinda like Kaka

Can you guess who is who? They are all about 5 months old!

-Kaleigh with the octopus

-Maeve with her diaper on her stomach

-Kaleigh with the green shirt and hearts

-Teagan on her stomach with the pokadot bib

-Teagan with the pockadot fleece

-Maeve with the yellow ducky

Tell me what you think!