Here are a few more pictures from Christmas!

Christmas in Michigan

We had a wonderful Christmas in Michigan and really enjoyed being with our families for the past 10 days. We arrived in Lansing on the night of the 20th to snow, snow and more snow! We could not believe how much had piled up and Rob spent the next few days shoveling multiple times per day. We caught up with old friends and enjoyed Christmas Eve with mass at the Cathedral and gifts with the family at Brendan and Jessica's house. Maggie had so much fun playing with her cousin Caddie all week long.

We spent the second part of our trip in Spring Lake with the Crowe side and had a really relaxing time with Rob's family. We ate delicious meals, spent lots of time in the hot tub and watched all 36 inchs of snow disappear with 50 degree temperatures. Maggie loved spending time with both sets of Grandparents and had a ton of fun opening her gifts. Although she liked the wrapping paper as much as what was inside she did seem to particularly like her baby doll and musical zoo parade from Kelsey. While she yet again showed us that she prefers to sleep in her own bed we were able to get in some late mornings as well as 2 date nights with help from the AWESOME Grandmas.

We have had a lot to be thankful for this year and this Christmas was the most special one yet. We wish all of you a happy and healthy 2009! Happy New Year!!

Bathtub Baby

Our little fishie!!

Happy Birthday!

Last night we celebrated Caroline's second birthday with dinner and cake at Sally and Bill's. We had a great time hanging out with the birthday girl and Miss Rachel of course! Caroline got some great gifts and Maggie had fun with the wrapping paper. It's hard to believe Caroline is already 2! She is such a great little girl and is talking so much now. It has been so great to be a part of their "family" during our time here and to watch Caroline grow. We will really miss them when we move. Happy Birthday Caroline! We love you!

Mmmm Crunchy!

Since Maggie is mobile I have to be very vigilant about what she can get her hands one (because we know it all goes directly to the mouth). Apparently I am not doing well enough. Yesterday Rob and I were in the office mapping out our drive to DC while Maggie played on the floor with random office supplies. All of a sudden Rob (who was on the phone with his Dad) said "I think she has something in her mouth". Sure enough the little scamp was chewing on something. I stuck my finger in her mouth and fished out *a ladybug* EEKK! I don't know what was worse...the wet bug or the disappointed expression on Maggie's face when we took away her snack. She did however make us (Rob in particular) smile BIG time when she said her first words yesterday...Da Da! I can't be too jealous since I think he is pretty great too but we are working intensely on Ma Ma!!

Mommy Help!

To all of my Mommy friends out there...do you have any advice? Maggie has been sleeping pretty well for the past few months. She always goes down awake for naps and bedtime and usually has no problem falling asleep on her own. Since last week however getting her to sleep has become a HUGE problem! She hates being put in her bed and screams! After checking all the usual signs I have determined she is 1. not wet 2. just been fed 3. no teeth pain (she was smiling and happy before nap time). I suspect it has to do with separation anxiety and I don't mind letting her cry a little bit but it is so hard to listen to her for more than 10 minutes! Did this happen to your kids and how did you deal with it? I know this is just a baby stage and won't last forever but I do not want to develop any bad habits while waiting for it to pass. Thanks!!!

Today

Well I took Maggie in for her haircut and Kimberlee knowingly suggested we just leave it alone...quite right! She also suggested I invest in some heavy duty barrettes or clips that Miss Muggins can't pull out. Her doctor's appointment confirmed my suspicion that she is still a peanut. She weighs 17 lbs and is 26 inches. That would be the 10% for weight and 5% for height. Not too surprising with a vertically challenged Mom. Since Rob has been gone Lucy is acting like a lunatic and in the past two days has eaten both a chocolate cupcake and a bag of homemade gingerbread men. Sorry Megan! I guess Lucy liked them as much as I did. I rented some movies to watch tonight and look forward to another early night with Maggie. This screaming at bedtime is taking its toll on both of us!

It's Official!

We are moving to Virginia! Fort Belvoir to be exact, just outside of Washington DC. Rob got orders last week and the wheels are in motion for our move. We are SO excited to be moving back to the East Coast and closer to family and friends. Rob is going to look for houses this weekend and I really hope he can nail something down. It would make the move much less stressful for everyone I think. In other news I tried to trim the back of Maggie's hair to make it more even but it did not work out so well. She has an appointment to see Kimberlee tomorrow. Have you ever known a 9 month old who needed a haircut? OK, maybe if I had not gotten out the scissors...but still it was getting pretty long in sections. I would post a picture but Rob took the camera so we will have pictures of our maybe new house. She has her 9 month check up this morning and I am curious to see how big she is these days. Have a great Thursday and watch out for the slippery ice!

Whirlwind Weekend

Whew! We had a busy but super fun weekend with my Mom and Susan! On Saturday we picked up Mom at the airport and met her cousins Susan (who lives in Wales) and her brother Steve.

We had lunch with UJ's friend Margaret (she's our friend too) downtown at the Schlafly Tap Room and it was really yummy! If you ever go there you MUST have the sticky toffee pudding....soooo good! We made a quick trip to the Art Museum before dropping Susan off and heading back to the Wood. It was so great to catch up with her though I must admit that I hope she brings the whole family next time she visits the States. Rob and Mom made me a delicious birthday dinner last night and Rachel came over to eat with us.

Today I brought Mom back to the airport and we stopped and had lunch with my dear friend and old neighbor Haven and her family. We miss them so much but are glad they are doing well in their BIG house in STL. It was not a good weekend for Army Football but it was a great one for me!

(trying to get Maggie to smile for the Christmas Card photo)

9 Months

Maggie is 9 months old today-Hooray!!