Rockin' around the Christmas tree...

have a happy holiday!

This Christmas season has been more magical than ever having Maryn in our lives. She brighten's each and every one of my mornings at approximately 7:15 a.m. and continues to amaze me with every passing hour. I used to babysit a lot when I was younger and there were times when the day seemed to go on forever and I used to wonder if it would feel like that when I had my own children. There aren't enough hours in the day!! She is learning so much so quickly that it amazes me she can ever fall asleep with her brain racing like that. I get so excited for her when she figures out how to do something new. She is really starting to pull herself up on the furniture and when she does she turns to us with this HUGE smile and starts dancing in excitement. It's so cool!

We had to remove the coffee table and replace it with an ottoman I had in our bedroom to avoid stiches to her forehead. And yes, I know...I shouldn't let her play with cords.

Standing!

This is the Hallmark Snoopy that plays music, her great grandma Loeper got it for her when we visited. She loves this thing and dances so hard to it sometimes that she falls over!

She put on a concert with Snoopy....that white ball is a rattle...she kept the beat while Snoopy played the piano

She shakes it by her ear to hear the jingle while I sing 'shake shake shake...shake shake shake...shake your bootie'!

I was so that kid who would find my Christmas gifts hidden in my parents closet or the basement...I would unwrap them to see what I was getting and then rewrap them. Sorry mom and dad..the truth comes out! Sooooooo, I couldn't stand it any longer...I had to give Maryn a sneak peek of one of her gifts!! It plays music...of course!

We styled her hair just like daddy's! She's got daddy's eyes, daddy's hair, daddy's ears, daddy's nose, daddy's lips and daddy's blood type....a true Junior M.A.C.!

And daddy's little smirk

I got a taste of what having two small children would be like the other morning. I babysat sweet Ashton while my friend Laura rushed around town to get her errands done for the holidays! You need good time management skills for this!

"Mom!!! Look what Santa brought me....my very own baby doll!"

And some how or other...Maryn's bow ended up on Bode :) He puts up with our crap.

Maryn is 8 months old!

Can you tell that the hustle and bustle of the holidays is upon us? We have been missing in action but busy none the less...baby showers, birthday parties, baking cookies, shopping, wrapping, addressing Christmas cards, shopping, trying new foods, cutting down our Christmas tree, hanging our stockings, putting up the lights, shopping and the list goes on!! (jk on the chopping down of the tree...went to our local Whole Foods and threw that pre-wrapped sucker on the top of the Yukon and we were good to go...$49.99 for an 8 ft tree...best price in town and the farm where it came from plants two new trees for every tree they cut down)

And as life seemed to be flying by, I realized that sweet baby Maryn turned 8 months old today...to the big white chair we went. She's been teething lately (still no pearly whites) and can be quite the grumpy grump grumpster! What! MY Maryn, grumpy! Yes, and that's one of the nice words I have been calling her:) So...pictures today were a bit of a challenge but she can't help but smile at her crazy mom that lives behind the lens of a Nikon D80.

She is soooo close to crawling but she is definitely a cautious soul. She still loves to stand and walk and looks for our hands to hold onto. She actually stood on her own for 8 seconds today...this child might skip crawling altogether. A tiny old lady in the grocery store stopped me today and asked how old Maryn was...when she noticed that Maryn's smile was all gums she turned to me and said "that child has no teeth!" (as if Maryn was totally disfigured), to which I replied, "um...she's a baby". Then she proceeded to touch her! Doesn't she know it's flu season?

Look what's back!!!!

BOWS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Her blonde fuzz is actually coming in pretty thick.

Despite the throbbing in her gums...she squeezed a smile out for me

And then she remembered the pain! And tried to JUMP out of the chair!

These photo shoots are getting harder...8 month olds like to MOVE!

(no babies were harmed in the shooting of these photos...momma's got a quick hand!)

And they like to GRAB everything!!

Maryn's first ornament on the tree, from great grandma Loeper.

This disaster is part of the reason I haven't been blogging...

Not sure if you can tell from this out of focus shot, but she's starting to lose her baby fat cheeks!

I had to work Thanksgiving so I made turkey dinner on that Saturday and Maryn joined us in her pj's.

Maryn has been busy...learning to read...

...attending baby showers...

Bobby and Bri are having a baby boy in January!!

crazy auntie Heidi!

...busy practicing 'soooo BIG'....

...and she waves 'bye bye'!..

...celebrating nanny's birthday...

...playing in boxes...

...practicing my pose...

...singing Christmas carols...

...stacking toys...

...standing...

...messing up mommy's hair...

...giving snuggles...

...playing Simon Says...

Simon says...lift your right leg

Simon Says...look at the person/dog who is responsible for leaving their toys in the middle of the room...

...Simon Says...kiss!

Someone's teething.

She literally bent over about 15 times to bite my foot while she was playing!

...mastering the sippy cup...

...browsing the catalogs and writing a wish list to Santa...

...enjoying the cooler weather...

...belly laughing...

...helping daddy with his sit ups...

...warming up for a run...

...celebrating uncle Nick's birthday...

And I'm not convinced that things are going to slow down anytime soon!

Wedding bells are ringing

Mac's cousin Sharon got married in Pittsburgh two weeks ago and Maryn was invited to attend. She took her first plane ride and received the 'super traveler' award. We had such an amazing time visiting with family and sharing our beautiful daughter. We took advantage of the fact that we were more than half way closer to my grandparents, so we rented a car and drove to Rochester, NY after the wedding to visit with my grandparents for a day before flying back home.

Maryn was convinced she would spot our luggage on the carousel first.

Hotel rooms are always a place for goofing off

Breakfast with grandma and poppop.

Saturday afternoon we had some free time....Maryn's first trip to the zoo....the Pittsburgh Zoo with poppop, unlce Nick, grandma, great aunt Sue, and uncle Tim

They were doing some sort of documentary on the elephants (one of my favorites!) and....

...the baby elephant was misbehaving! :)

I laugh when I see images like this....it's like he cloned himself!

We were preparing for cold November weather in Pittsburgh. I went out and bought Maryn a fancy dress coat, hat/gloves and lined boots. We got off the plane and brought our 70 degree weather with us!

CAREFUL!! Don't drop her in the lion's den

Dressed in our best for the wedding

Champagne toast

She watched the first dance

She sat at the table like a little lady and found the M&M favors sitting on our plate.

I blinked my eyes and the M&M's were on the floor and the tulle was veiled across her face.

Munchin' on a cracker during dinner. People were amazed that she sat at the table so quietly and acted more behaved than some of the adult guests.

Attacking the bride and groom

She put her jammies on, ate and returned to the party asleep in her stroller

then she got her second wind and found herself draped in glow sticks!

this girl performs

the girls

lights out!

We headed to Buffalo for the night before spending the day with my grandparents
Grandma already has a tennis ball in Maryn's hand....she'll be vollying on the court with grandma in no time

We ran into Katie, an old family friend of the Cummings

and went out to eat with Mac's highschool friend Justin and his fiance` Julianne

Maryn christened grandma and poppop's new kitchen sink

great grandma Loeper

great grandpa Loeper is too funny!

out to lunch

We went to the local mall for lunch and a little shopping and they had a two story carousel. Maryn enjoyed her first merry go round ride but mommy got a little queasy. I love all rollercoasters and as a child growing up in Cleveland, I lived for the summer when my parents would take us to Cedar Point, but those spinning tea cups would get me everytime!

Maryn's second cousins Kloee and Mason

You would never know that only 20 minutes before this picture, this sweet little innocent baby girl had made such a mess in her pants and up her back that we had to stick her in the shower stall :)

When nap time is unaffected, we consider the trip a success!

Maryn is 7 months old!

We are having so much fun in our house!! Maryn is 7 months old and she is just a blast to be around. She giggles and laughs, gives out hugs and kisses, loves to dance to ANY and ALL music...even church music, she's a great traveler, great sleeper, great eater, great pooper :)! What more could a mother ask for? Maryn recently took her first plane ride to attend Mac's cousins wedding in Pittsburgh and she received multiple compliments on what a good baby she was...actually, she was told that she was the best baby on a plane they've ever seen...that made us smile. She is such a joy to be around every moment. We really did get lucky with this one!

She has mastered her mode of transportation...she rolls from one side of the room to the other and spins around, she's not crawling yet but I have a feeling she's going to bypass the actual crawl and go straight for walking. She loves to stand up holding onto the couch that I think we'll be removing the coffee table this week to avoid future head injuries. No teeth yet and for a nursing mum...that's just fantastic!

We laugh all day long

This is her belly laugh

and we always have an audience

The greatest thing about this age: she can actually learn and retain information. My mom taught her "Soooo Big"! All you have to do is ask her 'how big are you, Maryn?" and she lifts her arms up to the sky! We freaked out the first time she did it! That moment when your child can actually demonstrate to you that they understand what you're saying is like a wake up call. At that very moment...you think she's a genius, a gifted child...and then you realize you better watch what you say and do around these little sponges...if she stands in front of her father with her hands on her hips with her foot tapping then I'm in serious trouble and my gig is up.

She typically shows of her skillz with a little smirk on her face and it melts me every time.

I know too soon that we'll be counting years instead of months and it will be just as hard on me as it was when we started counting months instead of weeks, but for now, I will enjoy these moments as if they were seconds.

I am exactly where I had dreamed I'd be 15 years ago. Laying on my comfy clean sofa in my beautiful safe home with my healthy happy child next to my furry friend sipping on a glass of wine all the while smiling at my handsome loving husband. It is for these things that I am grateful for in this season of thanks and these things that leave me in constant wonderment about the Man upstairs. Ahh yes....can I get an Amen?!

Visiting with grandparents and growing big!

Maryn finally had her 6 month pediatrician visit, complete with vaccinations. We're still a little behind by a couple weeks (Maryn will be 7 months on Sunday). She did great with the shots and is growing well.

Maryn Amelia 6 3/4 months

16 lbs 11 oz 50th percentile

25 1/2 in. 25th percentile

head circumference 41 1/2 cm. 25th percentile

When grandma Cummings was visiting, nanny and poppop Loeper came to visit for a day...shopping and home cooked chili! Maryn was snuggled triple time by both grandma's and poppop.

We stopped at the Gymboree outlet...they have a tv with little chairs to occupy the children while their mothers go nuts shopping. I found my mom sitting with Maryn listening to music...Maryn was rocking side to side dancing to the music! It was hilarious! Now...anytime she hears music...she starts rocking side to side, we call it 'dancing'....or when she's sitting in her highchair and she gets excited to eat...dancing!
My mom made chili and we had Mac's brothers over for dinner. Maryn loves sitting up to the table and joining in the conversation.

Maryn loves her grandparents and can't wait to see poppop Cummings REAL soon!!!!! He hasn't seen Maryn since she was 4 months old...and we all know how much she has changed since then!

Underdoggie..

...you know, when someone pushes you on a swing and they dangerously run underneath you! Well, we took Maryn to the park for her first swing ride a couple weeks ago and she was all smiles...Bode performed the underdoggie this time!

On our way to the park...we stopped at Sonic for a drink and they gave him a small cup of ice cream! One happy pup I tell you!

There's a new waterfront park in our town, underneath the new bridge, complete with a fishing pier, playground and green space for doggies to run.
"mommy & daddy...what took you so long to put me in this thing?"

She was giggling and just looked so proud of herself!

We've been to our neighborhood park to swing EVERY day this past week...it's a good water break in the middle of my run.

There was this spinning seat...that I couldn't control at all while holding Maryn!!! We kept going around and around and I had to scream at Mac to stop us before either Maryn or myself lost our lunch in front of the other kiddies. I love any and all rollercoasters but the spinning tea cups are NOT my favorite :)

Chillin' in the slide

Her shirt says "I'm a hug waiting to happen"! So true....

her new thing is to give out hugs!!! She squeezes your neck so hard she temporarily cuts off circulation to your brain...I don't mind though...outward signs of affection from my children are always welcome~

Teach them how to button...

I must admit...having a daughter is like the adult version of playing dress up with your dolls. After her morning nap, we stand in front of her closet or stare into her drawers...looking for the perfect outfit that will meet our needs for the day. Lazy days require lazy soft cotton clothes, afternoons at the park require warm layered looks and an afternoon shopping requires the perfect pair of shoes :) You need to offer your child choices so that they gain a sense of independance. Most mornings...I find Maryn like this...standing at her dresser...debating denim vs. cotton nylon stretch???

Dig deep girl, dig deep!

On this particular morning...she kept complaining about a cool breeze in her room...

...she had a lesson on buttoning.

and then we practiced crawling...

...she's almost there!