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!!

Philadelphia

Well, we made it home from Philadelphia! We had an absolutely fabulous time with our families and friends in the City of Brotherly Love.

We arrived on Tuesday after an uneventful day of traveling. On the second leg of our trip we got an entire row to ourselves and Maggie was quite the big girl on the airplane. After meeting Erin at the airport and a delicious dinner, Maggie slept PERFECTLY all night long and we thought we had it made for the rest of the trip. On Wednesday we met up with my friend Jenn from City Year who I had not seen since 2003. It was so great to catch up and to catch lunch at the always exciting Reading Terminal Market, one of our favorites.

The LOVE statue always looks smaller than I remember it but we couldn't walk by without a family photo. We walked around the city and drove out to Fishtown to pick up the turkey from Erin's co-op farm. We also picked Bridget up at 30th Street Station when she arrived on the bus from New York. We ate Thanksgiving with the Crowes and then headed over to Aunt Kate's to see Mom, Claire and the Judge side of the family. On Friday spent the day with the Judge side again and saw my Dad and Caeli as well.

Grandma looked especially well and really enjoyed seeing Maggie again. It was also great to see Aunt Kate and her family after 2 years! Maddy was especially smitten with Maggie and they were super cute together. Saturday I went to IKEA with Nancy, Reg and Erin while Rob and the baby stayed back at the apartment and had a nap (Maggie did not sleep well after the first night and we were all tired!!). I forgot how much I love IKEA and got the cutest bedding ever for Maggie. After our shopping trip we walked to Erins office and had the most delicious hot chocolate at Capogiro before having dinner with Robs family.
Rob and Maggie were so sweet while waiting for gelato. She did so well with all of the moving around during the day that I couldn't be too frustrated with her lack of sleep at night. While in Philly we were lucky enough to stay at the great apartment of Erin's friends Marissa and Andre. It was so nice to have the extra room for the baby to play and she loved all of their furniture. She would make daily laps around the coffee table and learned how to pull up on her car seat and our legs. Here she is enjoying her new found mobility

Up, Up, Up and Away!

5k Turkey Trot

She fell asleep during snack time!

Helping with the dishes

Thanksgiving is practically upon us. Can you believe it? We have alot to be thankful for this year most notably the arrival of our beautiful baby girl. We have been so blessed during our time in Missouri and are thankful for all of the wonderful friends we have made during the past two and a half years. We leave for our trip this week and are so excited to visit everyone in Philly and introduce Maggie to the City of Brotherly Love (one of our favorites!!). In the past week she has gotten even quicker at getting up and down and is just starting to creep along the furniture. She gives us "kisses" and reaches up to be hugged...so cute! Rob and I ran our first 5k together with some friends on Saturday and we had a great time. Even though it was way cold when we started we really enjoyed the sunshine and Maggie had a blast in the stroller as Rob pushed her. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

"She's Advanced"

Brrrr! Fall has finally departed Missouri for the year. At least it seemed like it yesterday!! Maggie is nto quite sure about this cold weather but looks really cute in her little pink snowsuit. What's new with her this week? She has learned how to smile for the camera which is awesome for me (way more cute shots and less frustration!!). She is pulling up to standing like crazy and LOVES her little activity table we picked up at the second hand store this weekend. She can stand and play forever. She still is not really interested in baby food anymore and prefers whatever Rob and I are eating. On Friday she even enjoyed some of the yummy chicken curry Rob made for dinner. Her other favorites are homemade mac and cheese, chili, and grilled cheese sandwiches. She surprises us all the time with her culinary tastes. Like Aunt Erin would say "she's advanced".

Playing with my new toy

Laughing with Mommy

Piggy Tails!!

Trouble

Having fun with Daddy and Lucy

One Week

Is all it took to go from just scooting around to pulling up on everything! Last night she decided it was a good idea to stand up in her crib and when she got stuck she would just start screaming. The bedtime routine that usually takes about 15 minutes took over an hour last night. Just when we have something figured out things change again. Whew!! It is so amazing to see her change so quickly but I must admit that I miss my tiny girl. She looks more like a kid and less like a baby everyday. We are ever closer to our big move and I am anxious to see how it will go with baby in tow! First though we have to make it through our impending trip to Philadelphia. I have no idea how I will pack everything we need in 2 small suitcases! More on that later...

8 Months Old

Is it really possible that Maggie is already 8 months old? It seems like just yesterday she was our tiny girl with a mop of dark hair. Now she is 3/4 of her way to a year, turning into a blondie and learning something new everyday! Just this week she started kneeling/pushing up on her toys and loves to play peek-a-boo with me and Rob.

Tag! Are you next?

Beth tagged me! Rob had to help me think of these 7 things...

1. I don't like my food to touch on the plate.

2. Sometimes I like to coordinate my outfits with my daughter's.

3. My name (Erin Alma) means Peaceful Soul.

4. I did not like Paris but loved pretty much everywhere else we traveled in Europe.

5. I hate putting away clean laundry.

6. I took dance lessons for 15 years.

7. I have a freckle in my eye!!

I tag KD, Ricky, Megan, Danielle, Kelly, Jess, and Stefanie!

Happy Halloween!

We survived Maggie's first ever Halloween! We had a really fun day watching Caroline and I have a new appreciation for all of the Mommy's with two kids under the age of 2! Sally met us after work for dinner and we took the girls trick-or-treating up and down the street. Maggie didn't go for the candy but Caroline thought it was the coolest thing ever! It was so great to have our Army "family" with us, especially since the Pantanos are in Pennsylvania now. Watching the MSU game now and hoping we can pull out another W!

Little Miss Trouble

Ahhh! Mommy caught me!
Socks are for Suckers

I might just be the cutest thing you have ever seen

Now that Maggie is mobile we have had a most difficult time keeping up with her and keeping her out of trouble! Her favorite new place to play is Lucy's water bowl and she also really likes to climb into the entertainment center from Woodview. I have moved things around but she still finds a way to get to them! As I type she is playing with Lucy's kennel and opening and closing the door. She definately keeps us on our toes but it is so fun to see her try new things!

Costumes and Curry

Wrapping up another great weekend...Rob got home late Friday night after taking the Professional Engineer Exam (an 8 hour test!) in Columbia. He has been studying for it for the past 2 months and we are so glad it is over! Saturday we spent the day watching Michigan State beat U of M which was excellent! Its been too long since we could say that. During the game I tried to make some candy spiders with nuts, caramel and chocolate but they did not turn out that well at all. They looked yummy but did not want to come off the tray! We put on costumes and spent the evening at the Dornstaders celebrating Drew's birthday. Maggie wore her skunk costume and won a prize for being the cutest baby there (she was the only baby there). Rob and I went as hippie hikers who happened to stumble upon a skunk. Today was an absolutely beautiful day outside and we took the jogger to the Engineer Trail for a walk. We finally found a store that sells our favorite curry and Rob made an excellent chicken Tikka Masala for dinner-Indian might be one of my favorite foods ever!! Looking forward to Halloween this week but we will miss the Pantanos as we always spend this holiday with them. A special Happy Birthday to Claire who will be 20 on Thursday!

Pumpkin Patch

Today Maggie and I and Rachel and Caroline went to the pumpkin patch in Dixon with the Parents as Teachers group. It was a little chilly but turned out to be a beautiful fall day! We had a good time but I had a little lesson on "expectations". I know not every pumpkin patch is a Halloween dream but it was a VERY far cry from Uncle Johns Cider Mill (you Lansing people know what I am talking about!). We had to pay $2 to even look at the pumpkins! The hayride was fun but where was the apple cider and warm homemade doughnuts? Just another case of "don't expect much in Missouri". It was like the Apple Festival all over again!! Maggie did get a chance to try out her new silver booties though. An old lady in Cracker Barrel even told me she liked my babies "bling" shoes. Really!!?? Holla!

Hayride with Caroline and Maggie (note the sweet silver shoes)

How did these girls get so big???

lil pumpkin!!

Amanda (our PAT friend) with Maggie and Rachel with Caroline

Help! Mommy question!

If any of you new or more experienced Moms are reading this and have any suggestions I am at a loss! So far Maggie has been a really good eater and will pretty much devour anything we give her. Recently though she has been really funny about her food. After few bites she will put her chin in the air, make a face and scream. She will eat turkey chili and yogurt but is not happy with cereal and fruit for breakfast and gets mad after about 3 bites of veggies or fruit for lunch/dinner. If I give her something she can feed herself she does a bit better but the girl cannot live on cheerios alone! So....1. Any suggestions for finger foods she can feed herself at 8 months? 2. Any way to get her the daily amount of iron when she refuses to eat her cereal? Just when I think I have something figured out...

Farewell Ritters

Well, it's that time again. Another great family is moving away! On Friday we got together to say goodbye to Ben, Laura Leigh and baby Reed. We really loved having them down the street and will miss them as they move to Ft Stewart. It was so fun to watch Laura Leigh progress with her pregnancy and to be here when Reed was born. We wish them good luck in Georgia and can't wait to visit them (and Erin and Jack) in Savannah! We were able to take a picture of some of the Delafield ladies. We miss you Beth!!! In other news we have two new baby girls on the street. Congratulations Megan and Chris and Jana and Eli!