Playing catch up

I have been meaning to post these family pictures that we had taken on Maryn's baptism for 2 months now!!! Jennifer Tilley Photography did an amazing job! Thanks Jen!! It's so fun to look back at these pictures and see how much Maryn has changed in only 2 months. She's losing more and more hair every day and it keeps getting lighter and lighter. It's so fun anticipating what our little girl is going to look like!

My parents, brother's Phil and Shawn and Phil's girlfriend Laramie
Mom and dad with Maryn


Phil and Shawn

Mac's parents, brother's Nick and Tim

Some daddy love

The whole gang, including grandma and poppop Johnson and his aunt Sarah (Mac's mom's parents and sister)

Poppop Austin Johnson and grandma Mary Johnson (Maryn's namesake)

We just returned from a week long vacation on Fire Island, off Long Island, NY. Mac grew up going to Point 'O Woods every summer, a community on Fire Island without cars....only bikes!! The family home belongs to poppop and grandma Johnson and we are just so lucky to be able to have such an amazing place to enjoy with family. You take a ferry from Long Island across the Great South Bay over to Fire Island, pack up your luggage (or in our case....luggage, pack n play, bumbo seat, 85 lb Golden Retriever, stroller, dog food, 13 lb bundle of baby girl etc!) in a wagon and walk to your house! It's amazing! You ride a bike to the little grocery, to the candy store, to the beach which is on the Atlantic side of the island, to the tennis courts and to the calmer water on the bay. No air conditioning, showers are outside under the house, the front porch is 20 feet from the Great South Bay, beach cruisers and our legs are our only means of transportation! We fell asleep every night listening to the water on the bay! One word....relaxing!!

And yes...we drove!!! Holy smokes! 16 hours to NYC from our house....a dog and a 4 month old baby...just use your imagination! We stopped in D.C. overnight both ways and visited with Mac's friend Mike and his wife Amy on our way there and then stayed with his Aunt Sarah and Uncle Kevin on our way home! Thank you for the warm hospitality!!! Bode was a champ and pretty much slept the entire trip and Maryn actually did great as well! She enjoys her carseat so we are pretty lucky. She was held for the entire week so the moment we got home today....tummy time!!! She actually sat up on her own for about 20 seconds too!! I'll have to sort through pics and post soon!

Life...through rose-colored glasses

If only we could all live our lives through the eyes of a child. Maryn has really helped me to put my life into perspective and realize the difference between my 'needs' and my 'accessories'. Now granted, 'accessories' like these rose colored glasses may not be an actual 'need' but they sure do make our days hanging out together that much more enjoyable :) (Thank you Hamiltons!) Mare lives her life in search of few things...a good hot meal, a warm cozy bed (or chest), clean panties, and LOVE!! Truly, that's all we really need. I am currently in a 'saving spree'! I'm going to try really hard to cut coupons and to buy generic cereal and meat that's on sale at the grocery for example. I also need to muster up some self control and bite my credit card when all I want to do is slap that puppy down on the counter at my favorite boutiques! I 'need' to buy a killer new pair of jeans that will flatter my *new* figure and then I found a pair of amazing leather boots that I'm currently picturing myself in, strutting down the brick sidewalks on King Street this fall pushing Maryn. Saving spree, Rebecca, saving spree!

Just to reiterate...another Maryn 'need' :)

Happy Shopping y'all! sniff sniff

Maryn is 4 months old!

Little Miss Maryn was 4 months old on Saturday! I've been working a lot lately so this post comes 2 days late! Give a momma a break:)

In only 4 months time...our little girl has just bloomed! I can tell people how much fun she is and what a sweet babe she has become but my words can't truly express my love for her. She is AMAZING!!

~She still loves her hands but now they are her personal tool for combating teething. I just bought some more teethers online so we'll be waiting for the UPS guy to deliver those on Wednesday

~She loves to scream! When she's laying on her jungle mat...she sounds like a monkey..yelling and screaming...making vowel and consonant sounds!

~Blows raspberries when you talk to her

~Typically sleeps about 9 hours at night

~Takes her bottle for daddy like a champ now!

~Rolls over 'when she wants to!'

~Talks and babbles to her dolls

~Goes down for her naps like an angel. The two of us use to have 'throw downs' when it was naptime...she would scream bloody murder!

Just look at her face...she's quite irresistible in my book

Thank you Jess for the polka dot dress...obviously, it's adorable! Jess and Jeff gave this dress to Maryn at the hospital right after she was born...it looked so big that day!

...and then she tumbled over...but did it gracefully



"I would rather just stand, mom, thank you very much"

Every girl needs a pair of white patent leather mary janes

On Saturday night, Maryn decided to show daddy who's boss!! I was working and called at 10pm to see how she had done that evening. As we were talking, I could hear her start to cry on the monitor! She woke up at 10pm, 1:30 am, and 6 am for Mac! Poor daddy! When I walked in the door at 7:45 am...Maryn was alseep in her swing and Mac was passed out on the couch with his pillow and blanket...complete with bags under his eyes! We're blaming her teething on this behavior but every once in awhile she'll wake up like this but I'm always the one to go in and feed her so it was a reality check for Mac daddy!
No worries...last night I gave her some tylenol, a warm bath, lots of snuggle time and she slept 9.5 hours!

Tricks of the trade

Our savior has arrived...well, maybe not our Savior but she may as well have been sent from God. Her name is Sophie the giraffe! My friend Lindsay told me about this 'must have' and she was right! Maryn couldn't get enough of Sophie in her mouth. I swear she is teething and this silly rubber giraffe is pure bliss in her world. Lindsay and I share advice back and forth (her Lila is a month older than Maryn)...she traded me the Sophie tip for my cold mist humidifier tip. Maryn use to wake up every morning with a stuffy nose and I would have to use saline drops and a bulb syringe. I finally bought a cold mist humidifier (make sure it's cold NOT warm) to run at night...no more boogies! An added bonus to the humidifier is that it has a motor that creates a white noise that aids in her sleeping 10.5 hours at night! woot woot

"get in my belly!"

I worked last night so Mac had bath and bed duty here at home. I too had bath and bed duty but for two little babes that weren't my own. So, tonight...mommy was back to her 'real job'! I had finished nursing Maryn and I just couldn't stop sniffing the rolls in her neck. What is it about the smell of a babies neck that makes her mother melt into a complete and vulnerable pile of mush?

One last smooch before leaving for work


Thank you great aunt Sarah and uncle Kevin for the cozy little booties..oh my goodness they are so cute!


She carries her doll around by its' pigtails

Poppop babysitting

You're right...it's about choices!

Kendra, you're totally right!! No wonder you've got your master's degree from Harvard! Life IS about choices. Before Maryn, I could never keep track of Mac's schedule. He would play basketball at 6 am a couple times a week before work, he played on 3 separate teams...softball, soccer and basketball. I never knew what time his alarm would go off. I worked crazy hours and different days each week. We sort of updated eachother on a day by day basis...he'd let me know he had a game the day before or day of and I'd tell him my work schedule as I was showering and actually heading into work that night. I would go to the gym when I wanted, shop when I wanted and SLEEP when I wanted. Our little Miss Maryn has given the word 'choice', a new meaning. You're right....I don't choose to feed her in the middle of the night or change a poopie diaper when I've nestled myself comfortly on the sofa. I don't choose to rock her when she starts crying and my dinner is getting cold on the table...she chooses these things. BUT, I DO choose to wake up each and every day in a positive mood. When Maryn wakes up at 3 am and won't sooth herself back to sleep, I sit and nurse her *half awake* and remind myself that these days won't last for long. I look at her tiny little fingers, her little nose, her little toes, and then she softly puts her hand on my chest and suddenly all of the exhaustion in my body disappears and I become grateful for that quiet moment in her big white chair. I want to soak up every moment with her because we can't turn back time...she only gets bigger and wiser from here on out.

These are the days.

I think this girl is starting to teeth! Crazy! She's drooling and gnawing on her hands constantly. These little critters do this up to a couple months prior to cutting teeth. So, I'm guessing she'll have some pearly whites in the next couple of months.

She makes me laugh out loud!

Daddy was watching a very important soccer game on t.v.

Poor Bode kept bringing his tennis ball over to play but daddy was fixed on the tube!

Maryn has really turned into such a content little girl. I use to have to time my showers for when she was napping, but nowadays she just hangs out in her pack n play and talks to herself!

...and gnaws on her fingers :)

"Thanks auntie Marita for the adorable dress! Same plum color as your bridesmaids dresses...the dress that mommy didn't get the chance to wear because she gave birth to pretty 'ole me 3 days earlier....I roll like that"

I wanted to welcome my gradeschool friend Meghan's little girl into the world!

Margaret Hazel "Maisie"

a gift from God delivered to this earthly world on

August 2 7:36 pm

7 lbs 3 oz

Welcome sweet baby MAISIE!!!

We love you!

Day to day

Thank you to everyone who contacted me but in the last 24 hours, we've had 82 views and definately not that many comments...come on...make my day :)

I've had several requests, from very kind people saying that I've made this whole parenting experience look easy, to kindly explain how I do it. Bless you!

When I told Mac about your sweet words and how I don't have any tricks up my sleeve to share, he looked at me and said "it looks easy because you make it easy"..huh? That's my first trick...a loving and supportive partner. He told me that I'm calm around her and that I don't allow her crying (which is few and far between) to upset me. My second trick...delivering a baby who doesn't suffer from colic. I just can't imagine what sort of state I'd be in right now if Maryn had colic or reflux...there definately wouldn't be any time to blog :) I suppose a lot of it is genetic because my parents said I was a happy baby as well. I also believe that baby's can sense your confidence in yourself as a parent. They know when you are uneasy and tense. I've got a lot of confidence in my ability to be a mommy! This confidence definately stems from my professional experience though.

Kendra...you're the one with the 19 month old (right?) ...you should be sharing your advice...I'm only a novice and learning from my mistakes. I write this blog to share our daughter with family and friends but I'd love to use it as a means of communication between mommies. We can all learn from eachother...it's trial and error, ladies! We take things day to day as they come. She's growing and changing every day so we can't get hung up on a particular set of rules...Maryn runs the show around here!

This beautiful smile does make my job a lot easier too :)

Just look at that hiney! Thank you Whit and Erin for the beautiful handstiched alphabet blanket...it's perfect for tummy time!

Here's another trick on making parenting easy...spend time with friends!! Notice Maryn sitting at the table with us...we drag her everywhere and I really think this has made her such a flexible baby. We were going out to eat when she was 3 days old. She's use to life on the run. I do believe that putting your baby on a schedule is so very important but I also don't want a child who completely falls apart when it's 5 minutes past feeding time either. You have to find a happy medium.

Justin is an awesome chef! Laura's one lucky lady! He made us Apricot Glazed Pan Seared Scallops:

8-10 large sea scallops

1 small jar of apricot jelly

1/4c soy sauce

fresh minced ginger & garlic

salt & pepper

olive oil & butter

glaze: On low-med heat,warm jelly, ginger & garlic in a small sauce pan until mixture is completely liquid. Add soy sauce while stirring. Time glaze to be ready as scallops are finished.

scallops: Pat dry excess liquid from scallops. Add salt & pepper. Heat heavy bottom pan with olive oil & butter over med-high heat. When hot, add scallops. Cook for 2 min. on each side or until moderately firm. Remove pan from heat and cover for additional 2 min. Add glaze to bottom of place and place scallops on top.

Serve with white rice!

Enjoy!

He also grilled up some yummy peppers too!

Hey You...yeah YOU!!!

I'm talking to you!!! When our blog has over 100 hits in 3 days time, I know that my mother in law is not responsible for all 100 viewings! She may be responsible for 30 of those hits but that still leaves 70 other people who view our blog. We LOVE you grandma Susie:) I love updating the site...creating memories for our daughter to look back on. It's a timepiece for her to read... a glimse into her mother's love and feelings at each stage of her life. I have pictures of myself as an infant but they pretty much fit into one box and I don't think we have any video. I want to capture these moments for Maryn. Every day of her life is more amazing than the last...it simply keeps getting better. I knew love before she was born...Mac and I are soulmates and my love for him is immense but my heart seems to grow every day. It doesn't matter how tired I am, she has this crazy control over my every being. She is part of me...the BEST part of me!

I would love to hear from you....a perfect stranger, a fellow co-worker, a close friend, an old neighbor, an old friend, a new friend, a relative, a friend of a friend....I want to meet you all!

Leave a comment, send me an email....introduce yourself!

I'd love to hear from you...... re.cummings@yahoo.com

Trust me, I have a few blogs that I 'stalk' and it seems weird to leave a comment but they love it everytime and I've made so many new acquaintances. Mostly new moms...we share ideas on raising our children and on all the new baby gear out there.

Drop me line!! I DARE you!

She's a happy baby...but not ALL the time :)

Loves to stand!

I DARE YOU!!!

Can't wait to meet ya!