Life Update!

Wow it's been way too long since I have actually wrote a post on here. A lot has happened this past year and we are so looking forward to what's in store for us in the future.

Miss Maggie is 13.5 months old now and is growing like a weed! She is so smart and makes us laugh every single day. She walks all over the place and is starting to say a few words. She is about 20lbs and 30" tall. She is very social and we love her dearly. We honestly don't know how we got so lucky!

I am still working part-time (~16 hours a week) and have been so fortunate of the schedule I have. I enjoy the days at home with Maggie and the weekends when Marcus, Maggie, and I can spend quality time together as a family. Thankfully, football season is over for Marcus so he gets home at a more decent time in the evenings.

I have finally decided to make a lifestyle change and lose some weight! I am down 25lbs so far and I hope to lose much more in the next several months. I am eating healthy with the help of Body by Vi shakes along with walking, running, and weight lifting. The winter months are going to be even more of a challenge, but I have confidence that I will keep losing weight. My short term goal is to lose 60lbs total by the time my sister gets married in July of next year...only 35lbs to go!

Because of the wedding coming up we have decided to postpone trying for baby #2 until the summer or possibly even later! When Maggie was born we had the intention to start tying again when she turned 1, but now that that time is here I don't think we would have been ready even if there were no wedding. So the plan is to start talking about TTC #2 in July of next year. If we are both ready then we will go for it, but if not we will hold off. Admittedly, there are times when I feel ready to start trying right now and I wish we didn't have to wait, but most of the time I am perfectly fine with our plan.

Marcus and I are doing great. We celebrated 3 years of marriage this past September. Our marriage has changed since bring Maggie home. Mostly for the better, but not everything. We still have a lot to work and improve on, like all married couples.

That's pretty much it for now! Life has been busy!

12 Months Old

11 Months Old

10 Months Old

9 Months Old

8 Months Old

7 Months Old

6 Months Old

5 Months Old

This month has had it's highs and lows. We love watching her grow and learn new things. She has been laughing more and more!

This month she has decided to no longer sleep through the night like she had been doing in the past. We have been experimenting with earlier bedtimes, a more consistent bedtime routine, and sleeping in her crib, but so far nothing has really helped. Most nights the only way she will sleep for a significant time is in my arms. I am not totally comfortable with bed-sharing, but for now I have no choice. We need to remember that it could be much worse...we need to stay patient!

She hit an exciting milestone; she rolled over for the first time! From back to belly first and the from belly to back the next day. She only did it once every day or every other day though. Marcus has yet to see her do it!

She also started solids this month! I received a Baby Bullet from my shower and I have really enjoyed making all her food for her! We started out with avocado. She was unsure about it at first, but she really likes it now. She also ate pears, and peas this month.

At the end of the month we had to take her to the pediatrician for a rash. We weren't sure if it was because of her formula, detergent, food allergy, etc., but the doctor said it was likely eczema. We were given new lotion and bath wash.

This month she wore size 3-6 month clothes and size 2 diapers. She eats anywhere from 4-6 ounces and about 1 jar of baby food per day. I had another postpartum appointment with my OB and everything look okay. I also got my first postpartum period at almost 5 months.

We hope to get her on a better sleeping schedule and to get to the cause of her eczema. It's been a tough month, but definitely a happy one!

4 Months Old

Month 4 was a great month for us. She transitioned out of her "witching hours" phase and is fussing less and less. Of course, she still has her moments, but they are becoming few and far between. This months biggest milestone is laughing! She doesn't do it everyday yet, but we love this new developement! It is the cutest sound we have heard!

She is getting so strong! She has good control of her head and neck and can sit up on her own (assisted). Still hasn't rolled over yet. She is soooo close though! She can roll from side to side when she is on her back and tolerates tummy time for awhile. She can spin herself all the way around on her play mat...it is pretty funny to watch. She definitely has her dad's patience!

She was more on a schedule this month in regards to eating, sleeping, and naps. She loves to sleep in her swing during the day. Her day starts out with waking up around 8am, taking 2 long naps during the day (around 2 hours each), having more awake time in the late afternoon/evening, taking a quick nap in the evening, and then bed by around 10pm. We transitioned her from the Rock N' Play to the Pack N' Play this month and it went really well. I know we should probably move her to the crib soon, but I love her in our room!

This month she ate around 5oz every 2-4 hours. She outgrew 0-3 month clothes and size 1 diapers at 14 weeks and is currently in size 3-6 month clothes and size 2 diapers. My baby is getting so big! She is still sleeping through the night...oh what a blessing! 

Her 4 month doctor's appointment isn't until she's 4.5 months old so I will update her weight and height on my next post. She is definitely getting longer though! I am excited to see how much she has grown!

3 Months Old

Maggie is 3 months old! Time is really flying! It's crazy how much she learns each month and how fast she is growing. I am so happy that she is a healthy little girl :)

This month we could tell that her neck muscles have been getting stronger and stronger. She holds her head up all on her own and can sit up (assisted of course) really well. She has been moving her head towards noises and voices for awhile now, but this month she really has seemed distracted by them. Feeding her sometimes becomes a challenged because all she wants to do is move her head all around towards the different noises.

Another neat thing is that she has been starting to grab at objects. It started out as just batting at things with her hands, but by the end of the month she was grabbing and holding onto things. She's actually started to play with toys instead of Marcus and me jiggling them in front of her.

She has really found her voice, too. She now squeals when she gets really excited. It might be the cutest noise I've ever heard.  Her smile is getting bigger and we just love singing to her. We haven't heard a laugh yet, but we know it'll happen soon!

We try to get her on her tummy for at least 10-15 minutes per day. She doesn't seem too interested in rolling over yet, but she's been pulling her legs towards her chest...learning the basics for crawling!

This month she is still in 0-3 month clothing and size 1 diapers. She has still done really well with sleeping through the night. She is starting to go longer in between feedings...anywhere from 2-4 hours of 3-5oz bottles.