Our Little Jellybean in Month Fifteen

Margo is growing in so many ways… taller and skinnier, verbally, musically, physically… it is amazing how much they change and how quickly! She continues to be our utter delight and brings so much sunshine to our days! Margo’s vocabulary includes: dog, wa wa for water, dad, ball, bubble, mmmm or num num for yummy, and I am pretty sure she is saying other things but it is unclear. We have heard milk, mama occasionally, light and so much more gibberish. She loves to make sounds and learned “ho ho ho” at Christmas and continues to mimic more and more animal sounds including: cow, cat, owl, sheep, elephant, bee, she growls for lions, tigers and bears, sniffs her nose for a bunny and tries to whistle for a bird. When she drinks, she says “ahhhh” afterwards.

Margo is also able to identify most of the animals for which she makes sounds and she LOVES Sesame Street characters even though she does not watch the show. She has been fascinated with Cookie Monster since she was born. We have Sesame Street books and if I ask her where a certain character is she will point out Elmo, Cookie, Oscar, Ernie and Bert. We are working on the Count, Grover, Rosita and Betty Lou—all of which we have small stuffed characters. One of our new favorite activities is identifying objects on chunky puzzles and she is really working on and trying to put the pieces back in place. She is starting to kick a ball and thanks to The Little Gym, she can almost jump off of the ground. She has also learned to do a forward somersault with my assistance. She will put her head on the ground in position and I help her roll forward. The Little Gym has been amazing for her development and unfortunately we will no longer be able to attend due to our new daycare and work schedules. I am going to see if Gymboree offers any classes that might work better.

Margo knows to go to the fridge or pantry when she wants a drink or snack and can be quite demanding at times, ha ha! She can also be a little stinker, although she is still pretty darn well behaved. We struggled a bit with the Christmas tree ornaments this year and have a continued battle with the blinds. Telling Margo “no” does not work very well, but we don’t know what else to do. I have tapped the back of her hand, but think she is too young for spankings yet. No matter what we do to discipline her, she usually laughs in hysterics and thinks it is a funny game. So… we continue to say no firmly, remove her from the thing she should not be doing and have started to hand her one of her toys for more distraction. Sometimes we have to do this ten or more times in a row, all the while she is laughing her little self crazy! I used to think it was funny, but it is starting to get on my nerves. The book, “1, 2, 3… Magic” is on my reading list for 2012.

One thing that has amazed me about Margo is her love of music, singing and dancing. Our girl has definitely got rhythm and she is excited by any kind of music we put on, whether it is children’s music, 80’s or her favorite, classical. Her musical toys are her favorites and she dances and dances away. She has also started to sing which is so so sweet. I usually have no idea what it is, but she is carrying a tune of some sort well and this past month started trying to sing “Oh Christmas Tree”. She would point to the tree, sing, “ohhhh” and kind of carry on the tune. Then, for Christmas she got this awesome refrigerator alphabet game and it was probably her favorite gift. On the day after Christmas, she was already clearly singing the tune to the ABC’s, which my sister pointed out and really took me by surprise. We are definitely going to have to foster her love of music and I want to make sure she takes piano lessons whether she ends up liking it or not. Cary and I are both mathematically challenged and music is supposed to help develop math skills, among other things.

This past month we also made a decision that I am so happy about. After waiting for an hour and a half at Margo’s 15 month appointment, I walked out. It was the second appointment of the day, no one communicated with us and based on other past experiences, I had it! We selected a new pediatrician who is the only physician practicing in his office with the help of a nurse practitioner and I am so thrilled. The are appropriately called, VIP Pediatrics because they treat all of their patients like VIPs. Their office is happy, clean and their staff is caring, attentive and wonderful. I just wish I had made the switch sooner. Margo’s 15 month stats are:

Weight: 26%
Height: 45%
Head: 23%

Her pediatrician also looked at her stats based on the WHO growth charts and she is more like 50% in weight and height using that measure. Since we have been using the other formula since she was born, I will stick to that. Our girl’s Michelin Man arms are gone and she is getting longer and leaner because she is so active, a force to be reckoned with she is on the move so much! Margo is so active that at 15 months, it was definitely time to move to one nap and it has worked beautifully! She wakes around 6 am, has an early lunch between 11:15 and 11:30 and goes down between 12:00 and 12:30. She was not the best napper before, but now she consistently naps between 2 to 3 hours and is now able to stay up until about 7:30 pm. It works better for all of us across the board. Margo is more well rested, I have a great block of time to accomplish things and we can actually go out to dinner without being so worried about an early bedtime. The only thing I miss is my ability to go out to lunch, but the pros definitely outweigh that one little caveat.
After spending an hour and a half with the pediatrician, Margo is doing great and we got lots of excellent advice. Things we will be working on is stacking blocks, throwing the ball and talking more. I have been a little concerned that Margo does not say “mama”. The pediatrician thinks it is because I am always there to meet her every need so she essentially does not need to ask for me. I have to practice a little tough love and start trying to get her to say it before I just give in to her every want or need. I am also supposed to start getting her to say the things she wants rather than immediately give her what she points to. I will say the name of the object, encourage her to say it and if she tries (whether it is understandable or not), I can then give it to her. I am hoping that since she will be starting daycare two days a week, that some of these things will be remedied and they will know what to teach her and she will learn from her peers.

I could go on and on, so much has happened with Margo in recent months regarding her growth and development. This is a long post and I am probably boring my readers. Pray for us as we transition Margo to daycare in January, work on some major constipation problems and try to transition her to regular whole milk instead of lactose free—I am sure a new post is soon to follow. In the meantime, I am thoroughly loving this age that our girl is in. She is a hoot with a funny and sweet personality and she adds so much to my life!

Applause for a Visit with Santa Claus

My amazing friends, Deidra and Melissa, planned yet another awesome visit with Santa Claus for the kids this year! Last year, we started the tradition of hiring Santa “Jim” to visit the kids at Deidra’s awesome house, perfect for a crowd, and I hope the tradition sticks because it is such a great experience for all of our kids and their families.

The Mannion house was decorated to the nines, as always, and Margo had a great time! She just milled around the house looking at all of the neat things and played with Alexis’s toys, but she was really uninterested the other kids. She also was not a fan of Santa at all, but at least there were no tears and we did manage to get some great photos! She wanted to put the Christmas tree decorations in her mouth and was fascinated by the lights and sparkles! Last year, Margo slept, spit up all over her outfit and didn’t even really notice Santa… funny what a difference a year makes!

The group each brought dips, sides, desserts and other goodies to complete a fajita dinner that was delicious! I managed to get a cup of Brian’s homemade turkey and sausage gumbo which was the bomb and Julie’s cake balls were delicious! They had crafts for the kids, but me being the anal mother I am, left so Margo could have a decent bedtime. Deidra gave out the most incredible favors—a jar of ingredients to make cookies for Santa, with easy instructions. They were so cute and I cannot wait to try one of Santa’s cookies on Christmas Eve!

Christmas is all about establishing traditions and this has become one of my favorites! It provides a great opportunity for us to all get together, which is few and far between now that we are all parents, and it is a great experience for the kids. To have one-on-one time with Santa, hear a story told by him and get up close and personal makes it extra special! If Deidra is brave enough to host another crazy Santa Jim party with 16+ families next year, we will be thrilled to attend! A special thanks to Melissa and Deidra for making it all happen and going to such a great extent to make it all so spectacular!

Margo was such a Peach at the Beach!

I had so much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. For invaluable time and memories with my family, for amazing vacation home rentals in Seaside, Florida courtesy of my generous sisters, for the beautiful weather, for Margo travelling like a true dream and so much more!

Thanksgiving at the beach has been a slowly evolving tradition in my family. We all love the beach and I must say that the white sandy beaches of the emerald coast are hard to match. Cary and I last spent Thanksgiving in Carillion Beach in 2007, so it had been four years and we were so thrilled to be able to go this year! Seaside was the neat little destination this year with amazing homes, a precious town center complete with great food, homemade gelato, art galleries and neat shops. All were within one short block of our house, along with the private beach, just steps away, and it made for a most magical time!

I was so nervous about Margo traveling because she has not been the most adaptable baby, but I also have not given her many opportunities to adapt. Our flight to Florida was a few hours delayed and she waited so patiently at the airport. She conked out the minute the plane took off and there was not one tear! I think mommy and daddy were more exhausted and hungry than she was. This was only her 3rd or 4th time to sleep in the pack-n-play and the first day she cried, but went right down for naps and bedtime the rest of the trip—a dream I tell you! She played beautifully with her cousins and was a bit attached to mommy, but was perfectly comfortable on her own the last few days. She tried new foods, ate well, laughed, smiled and hugged everyone. I am so impressed with my sweet girl and I must say, I think she benefited enormously from this adventure!

Margo did, however, HATE the sand… I mean HATE it! My girl is not a crier, but boy she cried on that sand. She did not want one single toe in it, which was disappointing but also not surprising. She was mesmerized by the water and I think will be a much happier baby on the beach next time. I might add, she did have a few meltdowns when she was over tired and she could not handle our special dinner out on the last night, but all-in-all she did awesome and I am happily surprised at it!

Our week consisted of lots of wonderful food and our Thanksgiving dinner was to die for! Alan made his famous beef tenderloin that is better than any high end steak house, we had smoked turkey, tons of delicious homemade sides and yummy desserts. Wine was aplenty and Thanksgiving day felt wonderful and safe and comfortable… it felt like family… at its best! We played Balderdash—a definite new favorite of mine, watched The Grinch in the town center, shopped, saw a Christmas parade with Santa and my favorite…lots of chatting with my beautiful family! The days were beautiful sunny and warm enough for a swimsuit. Margo loved walking the trail between our two beach houses and found many treasures along the way—flowers, sticks, rocks and seashells. Her favorite thing was all of the ceiling fans going around on the porches—pure fascination! On the last night of our trip, we also went on a fiercely competitive crab hunt. We divided into three teams in the freezing wind with GIANT waves (there was a rough waters advisory) and had a blast. I was terrified of the crab and refused to do anything other than carry the flashlight, they were huge, Cary got pinched but was a trooper, Morgan (my niece) was a pro at trapping them and Shannon (my sister) was brave enough to pick them up in the net. The stars were the best I have seen in years and I must say I am pretty sure our team won fair and square. Seeing my niece, Caroline’s, excitement over the whole thing was priceless. I splashed wine all over myself, ruined a jacket, stained my face—all too funny!

Margo also got to meet her cousin, Lucas, for the first time. They were born only a month apart and I have been so anxious to get them together. Funny thing is, they could really care less about each other. They played on their own and shared a babble from time-to-time, but for the most part it was as if they didn’t really know the other was there. Nonetheless, I loved seeing them together and on the last day they finally connected. I missed seeing it, but am sure as the years go by they will become wonderful buddies and I am so glad Margo has a cousin near her age since my sisters are so much older, as are their kids.

There is nothing greater on this earth next to God than family and I must say, I have an incredible family! Each member of our clan brings something special and unique to the mix. This week I tried to sit back and soak in the family experience when I could because moments like these are too few and far between. There is also an empty space in our family that I really yearned for Thanksgiving week. Last time we were in Florida, my brother-in-law, Randy, was there. His birthday was on Tuesday before Thanksgiving and his lack of presence was definitely felt. He had a true vigor and zest for life, yet while his physical person is no longer here, I see his beautiful spirit in each of his amazing children. Losing someone you love so much makes you want to hold on a little tighter, remember to stop and smell the roses, appreciate and love everyone even in all their flaws and quirks. Family makes the world go round, not work, not possessions, not money or other vices because family is love in the purest and truest form. Our little Margo added a whole new dimension to our family at Thanksgiving this year and I am most thankful for her and the many new adventures we have to look forward to in the future!

There is no bigger prize than getting Margo baptized!

Our sweet little angel was baptized on November 12th and it was a beautiful ceremony. We had waited so long to baptize her because I was afraid to expose her to germs when she was tiny and we really wanted Cary’s uncle, who is a priest, to baptize her. In what was an otherwise perfect day, the only thing missing was Uncle Doug. The stars just couldn’t seem to align to have him be a part of the ceremony, so we reluctantly went ahead without him.

Margo looked so sweet in her white, smocked dress. I had so much fun dressing her up! Sitting still was very difficult for her, but she managed to get through the whole ceremony without any tears. She loved the water and was extremely calm when it was poured over her head, thank goodness!


My dearest sister, Laura, and beloved brother-in-law, Alan, are Margo’s God parents and I could not think of anyone better. They have been so helpful since Margo was born and brought us meals, gave advice and have worked hard at being a part of Margo’s life despite their busy little brood. Margo loves their kids, her cousins, and I know they will help foster her spiritual growth throughout life.

After the baptism, my sister hosted a yummy brunch at her house and served this amazing breakfast dish! We celebrated Margo’s special day with good food, bloody mary’s, mimosas and our amazing family—the most important part! This was the first time I was able to sit and visit without really watching Margo because her cousins kept her so well entertained. It was so sweet to see them play with her—she is smitten with all of them!
I cannot think of anything more important than making sure that Margo is raised in a spiritual home where God is the center of everything. I know that if Margo goes through life loving the Lord and knowing God, she can accomplish and conquer anything. Now that we have her baptism done, our next goal is to get to church regularly again in the new year. I know that my soul most certainly needs some extra nourishment these days! Who’s doesn’t after all?

A Little Gnome was in our Home‏

I must say, I wasn’t so sure about the gnome… that is until I saw it on her. I think Margo’s Halloween costume was absolutely adorable, fun and different! Cary saw it and pretty much insisted that it was THE costume and we had to get it. Given that we loved living in New Braunfels, we love German beer and Cary loves brauts, it was fitting. We did not go trick-or-treating because Margo does not eat candy and I am pretty strict about her early bedtime. We did, however, traditionally spend Halloween with the Buckners and Margo had a great time with her cousins.

As a special treat, Margo finally got to meet her Great Granny Faye who is also her namesake. She celebrated Halloween with us and we also took a fun trip to the zoo the following day. It was fun to have the three Fayes together… Granny Faye, Erin Faye and Margo Faye. My granny is an incredibly special lady and I am so glad her and Margo got to meet one another!

Margo loves animals and can imitate many of their sounds. Most recently, she growls and thinks it is pretty funny! We watched some youtube videos of lions roaring and she was absolutelty fascinated--so cute! I was so excited to finally take her to the zoo and I think she really enjoyed it. Some of the animals were hard for her to see, but others she was mesmerized with. Her favorite was definitely the wild turkey who came and visited her at the glass. I will say, next time we will go early in the morning because most of the animals were taking their afternoon nap when we were there. Nonetheless, it was a great time and I love getting Margo out for new experiences.

This month Margo has been a daily adventure! Margo is constantly doing or discovering something new and now that she is walking and can reach up on counters, she is into EVERYTHING! She is still mainly saying the consonant “D” and has mastered dada, dog and duck. She also says "God" and points to my cross collection on the wall, courtesy of GiGi, and just started saying “light” and “wa wa” for water—she can even sing the tune to the Beatles song wah wah. She clearly has a lot to say in her constant babbling and “singing”. I just wish I could understand her.

She is all about pointing at things and it is so cute! She is fascinated with fans and lights and trees—things up high I guess. She points at pictures in her books, the food she wants, toys, etc… Sometimes I think she is pointing just for the sake of pointing—I can’t figure out what in the world she wants or sees. Her favorite thing to do is go outside and discover everything. She loves to hold onto leaves and grass and walk with them or dig in the dirt to pick up twigs, clovers and other treasures. I love observing her curiosity and excitement in every new little thing!

Margo only got one new tooth this month, but boy has she been teething. Everything is going into her mouth and I can tell it is bothering her. This month she gave me a big, sweet hug and then chomped down on my shoulder. Those little teeth hurt… bad! I had a dark, puffy bruise to show for it.

She is also gaining more independence and is showing a tiny bit of a confrontation with certain things. She does not like to have toys or anything she is holding taken away. She is also starting to push our hands and faces away when she wants to do something on her own or wants us to get away. There haven’t been any real temper tantrums or melt downs, but she is starting to hold her own. I must say, it makes me sad that she is growing up right in front of our eyes, but it is also so exciting and I truly do delight in everything our sweet Margo does. She is the light of my life and she makes my world go round in the best way possible. It has been another month filled with joy and fun!

On a separate note, we are off to Florida next week for Thanksgiving! I cannot wait for Margo to experience the beach. If you are reading this, you are most likely someone I care about deeply and I want you to know how thankful I am for my amazing and wonderful family and friends. May everyone have a most blessed Thanksgiving!

Frittata After my Heart-a!!

I have this massive manila folder filled with recipes I have torn out. It is so intimidating that I rarely go through it and when I do I ponder the same old ones over and over again.

I am so glad I finally decided to try this one... from Ladies' Home Journal in 2009. Think I need to clean out? It is so low in calories and so delicious, I absolutely had to share!

Asparagus & Zucchini Frittata
1 bunch asparagus, trimmed & cut into 1” pieces
1 small yellow bell pepper, cut into strips
½ small zucchini, halved lengthwise & sliced
1/3 c. chopped onion
¼ c. chopped bottled roasted red bell peppers
1/3 c. reduced-fat shredded mozzarella
8 eggs
½ c. fat-free milk
1 T. fresh dill
¾ t. salt
1 t. pepper
2 T. all-purpose flour
4 T. finely shredded parmesan

Lightly grease a 2 quart rectangular baking dish & set aside. In a large saucepan, bring 1” water to a boil. Add asparagus, yellow bell pepper, zucchini and onion. Cover & simmer until just tender; drain well. Stir in roasted red peppers and spread vegetable mixture into baking dish. Sprinkle with mozzarella. Beat together next six ingredients and pour over vegetables. Bake at 350º for 35 to 40 minutes until slightly puffed. Sprinkle with parmesan and let stand 10 minutes before serving.

It says it makes eight servings, but we had this for dinner with a salad and it makes more like six servings in the Weaver household! Nonetheless, for eight servings, it is 84 calories and oh' so yummy! Margo loved it too!

Our Poor Little Chickie has been Sickie‏

This past month has involved a lot of sickness for Margo. She has been well most of her 1st year and now that I am exposing her to the germs of The Little Gym, she is sick one week after another it seems. She is currently suffering from a cold that has lasted over week so far. Her little nose is raw and I feel sorry for her. The two weeks prior she had a bad sore throat and high fevers that resulted in a lot of traumatic testing by the doctor. I am wondering if putting her through all of that was really necessary. I guess I better get used to it since she will be going to daycare two days a week starting in January. In the mean time, please pray that our sweet girl can get a break from all of this illness.

This past month has been a ton of fun too! Whoa, it is amazing how many new things she has started doing. It seems like I get a new surprise every day! One day Margo was in her highchair doing something funny with her arms. I could not figure it out until we were in the bath later and I realized that she was rolling her arms as part of patty cake. When I started singing it she started doing it over and over—it was so cute! She loves to clap, wave, jump and dance all the time. Our girl is full of energy and her little arms and body are constantly on the move! Pushing her various walkers and toys are still her favorite thing to do.

Just after her 1st birthday she took her 1st steps… about four steps to me. We were so excited and she kept trying, but got sick a few days later and kind of regressed. She was tired and just didn’t feel like putting the effort or bravery into walking. About three weeks later she started walking again. This time we caught it on tape and she seems to get stronger and more confident each day. I imagine that in a another week we will have a full-time walker on our hands… watch out world! When she first started walking I decided to go shoe shopping which has turned out to be a challenge. Margo does not like shoes… at all! She cried in the shoes store and then had a few fits when I tried to put them on her at home. I keep showing her everyone’s shoes and put them on briefly, without tears, with the hopes she will get comfortable with it. She loves to be outside, so she’s got to start accepting those shoes if she wants to be mobile.



We also had a hard time introducing milk which surprised me because Margo loves all things food and will eat just about anything! What I have concluded is that Margo’s terrible sore throat may have been the primary culprit. When she was sick, I could barely get her to drink 8 oz. of formula a day and she would eat virtually nothing. She has definitely thinned out a bit, but still has beautiful chunky arms and legs. Getting back on track, Margo would not drink her milk, even barely mixed with formula. I gave up and went back to formula until she was well. We started slow by mixing 4 oz. formula with 2 oz. milk. We are now down to only milk--yaay--and she is drinking better than she has in months. I am so relieved that it turned out to be easier than originally expected! She is also taking two servings of milk from a sippy cup and I am still doing a morning and bedtime bottle. She likes her cup, so I don’t think it will be a problem, but I must say I am sad to stop the bedtime bottle. I feel like this is my bonding time with Margo where we sit quietly together and sing and pray. I have treasured this time so very much and find that letting go of my little baby is so hard and painful! Nonetheless, my plan is to have her completely off of bottles in time for our Thanksgiving trip to the beach.

Since my last post, Margo has gotten over the fear of washing her hair and has gotten much more steady in the big girl bath. She actually LOVES her bath again and even wants to lay back and put her head in the water. She also likes to put her face in the water and drink the water and taste the bubbles—yuck! I just let her do it with the hope that she will outgrow it soon. Margo also has six teeth now, four upper and two lower. We started brushing her teeth which she thinks is a hoot!

Our favorite day of the week is Wednesday when we get to go to The Little Gym. To say that Margo loves it is an understatement! She laughs almost the entire time! She has also proved to be very strong! On her first day she hung the longest from the bar and even did a mini pull-up! Her teacher was very impressed. She loves the freedom of moving around such a large space and likes to watch the other kids. I am so glad I got the nerve to take her, with my sister’s urging, because she has such little interaction with other kids and I can see how good it has been for her!

As always, this past month has been fun and wonderful despite Margo being sick so much! Life takes on a whole new meaning as a parent and I truly look forward to each and every day with our girl!