Our Sweet Pea is Three!

Where has the time gone?  This past year has zoomed by at a pace that is uncomfortable to me.  Our beautiful Margo Faye has blossomed into an amazing little three year old girl.  No longer my baby, but always my baby, I am wishing for time to slow down.

This year Margo's birthday fell in the midst of a major home disaster that was so traumatic for me I will spare you the details.  Nonetheless, we made her actual birthday special and I think she loved it despite it being a somewhat disappointing day for me.  Margo woke up cranky to balloons, a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse wall mural and a few presents from mommy and daddy.  She tried to really love it, but it overwhelmed her and she was not feeling well.  I realized after I picked her up from school that the fluid on her ear had most certainly turned into an infection.  A good dose of Advil and an antibiotic we had on hand helped a lot.  She came home to a special surprise in her room, which was a baby changing station from grandpaw and maw maw that included a baby mobile and a washing machine (recently saying it was her favorite toy).  Pretend play with her babies is one of her most favorite things, so she was beyond excited!

Early morning gifts!

Our delight!

Beautiful in every way!

Changing her baby

Figaro!!!

When daddy got home she got her BIG surprise which was a little trampoline for toddlers in the back yard.  I cannot remember the last time I saw her so excited!  She jumps everyday and it has been the best medicine for falling asleep at a much faster pace than usual.  As you will see on her birthday questionnaire, this was her one wish and she had been asking for a trampoline ever since her first trip to a trampoline park.  I am so happy we could make it happen for her and I have been so impressed with the quality of the little trampoline we got her.

Margo's birthday questionnaire is not surprising to me at all, except maybe that elephants make her laugh.  That came out of left field, but tickles me.  It gives a little glimpse into who our girl is and I plan to do this every year.

What is your name? Margo
How old are you? Three

What is your favorite thing to do? Go to the park with Daddy

What do you want to be when you grow up? a flower girl

What is your favorite food? M&M's

Who do you like to spend time with? GiGi and Papa

What do you do really well? Take care of my babies

What makes you laugh? elephants

What is the best time of the day? time with mommy
What are you afraid of? alligators
Who is your best friend? lucas
What do you like to do with your family? make banana bread
What do you love to learn about? abc's
Where do you like to go? the grocery store with mommy
What is your favorite book? carl's birthday
If you had one wish, what would it be? for a trampoline

My precious Margo, she is just about all girl, without too much prissiness, and is of course amazing to us. At three years old, her incredible imagination exceeds her age. Her teacher recently described her as liking to tell stories--that's our girl. She loves to mimic just about any experience in her life and embellish, from playing restaurant, school, cleaning house and the endless care of her animals and babies such as doctoring their boo boos, packing their lunch box and soothing them goodbye at school drop off to changing endless poopy diapers and giving baths. She entertains me all day long and is so fun to observe.

As recently described by her teacher.

Reading at school to her friends

She LOVES music and can just about memorize any song or jingle after hearing it once.  She uses her musical skills to put on multiple daily performances and has quite the dance moves too.  She enjoys putting together puzzles, but lacks any kind of attention span for games.  Books are still one of her favorite things and thanks to her amazing favorite new show, Word World, she has taken a serious interest in letters and words.  She knows every capital letter by sight and is enthusiastic to learn their sounds and spell.  She can count out items now rather than just knowing her numbers and once you explain to her what something is she never forgets. 

Dancing Queen

Sweetest Girl in the Whole Wide World

My Margee!!

Margo eats really well, preferring veggies over fruit, but has a penchant for a cheeseburger and French fries.  She is on 100% almond milk which solved some major digestive problems this year, but still enjoys cheese and other dairy.  She loves treats in the form of candy and cookies, but does not like cake or ice cream.  She requires an average amount of sleep, 10-11 hours a night and a 1.5-2 hour nap each day.  It usually takes her over an hour to fall asleep and she obediently plays in her bed, but once she is asleep she is out until morning.  Early rising has somewhat improved and she is required to stay in her bed until 7:00 am when her owl tells her it is okay to wake.

Our girl is full of energy and spunk!  She is like the Energizer Bunny, our "GoGo Girl".  I call her borderline strong willed.  She tries to test us constantly and is not easily impacted by any form of discipline.  However, she has such a pleasant and happy disposition most of the time that I would consider her delightfully challenging.  We have time out WARS, which is an understatement and I have taught her the unfortunate art of screaming... at the TOP OF HER LUNGS!  Like mother, like daughter.  Margo is hopefully reaping the rewards of some of my positive traits, but without a doubt has already learned some of my negative ones as well.  Once she finally gets it through her head and gains an understanding of her boundaries, she backs down and realizes that we are in charge.  I also think she thought discipline was a bit of a game for a while and has recently seemed more impacted by going to time out and has asked me to please not be loud when I raise my voice too much.

Most importantly, Margo has the most beautiful little spirit.  She is incredibly loving and often lists out all the people she loves ending it with, "I love everybody" and holding her arms out in the air.  When I asked if she had a favorite friend at school she claimed to love all her friends.  Margo seems to be an innate caretaker and I already feel like her calling in life may very well be a mommy.  She is nurturing to everyone including her baby brother.  She is purely joyful, often exclaiming, "I am so happy"!  And she is happy, almost all of the time, she wakes happy and ready to conquer the world and she goes to sleep telling me what a great day it was and thanking God for her blessings.  I love her innocence and the way she delights in everything.  Just this morning, she marveled at the mushrooms growing in our yard as if she had discovered a rare jewel.  She is affectionate and grateful and thanks me "so much" for the simplest of things.

Happy Happy!

Joy Joy!

At her three year appointment she measured in the 25% for both weight and height.  I am so happy she is petite.  She is just starting to fit into a 3T and if you can't tell, she loves to dress-up in her clothes but hates to do her hair.  Her curls are just beautiful and getting more pronounced everyday.  Those dark brown eyes speak to me in ways I could have never imagined before becoming a mommy.  She is the definition of pure beauty, inside and out, this amazing child of mine. 

At her Three Year Appointment

My Margo, Margs, Margee, Marginator, my spunky monkey, my daily dose of delight, the sunshine to my cloudy days, the gift that keeps on giving in the most extraordinary ways... I love you plain and simple, more than words could ever say.  God gave us the most incredible blessing in you!  I thank the good Lord for you everyday.  You make my world a better place and make me a better person and I am so proud to be your mama!  There are just not enough words, my angel girl, to say how much you mean to me! 

Months Six & Seven were like Heaven

Truly... my sweet boy has officially stolen my heart and I loved every minute of the past two months with him!  He is happy and fun and we have established a beautiful bond during these first six months of his life!

It is soooo fun having a boy and experiencing their differences from girls.  David is so much more physical!  He loves to wrestle with and growl at his toys, he loves to bang on things and swat at things.  He smells like a boy, but in an oh' so wonderful way, and he is so emotional, has a temper, etc... He is also sweet as candy and his little smile melts me in a way that words just cannot describe!

David is working on the usual milestones.  He started sitting on his own a week shy of his eight month birthday, he is starting to rock on his knees and can hold up his own weight in a standing position against something. I think he is going to be an early walker for sure, he has always loved being upright!

Like his sister, David is very verbal and tries to mimic many of my sounds.  He says, "mmmm" when I feed him and he is starting to try and say "mama".  He recently copied me sticking out my tongue to make a tootie noise and has not stopped sticking out his tongue since.  He is fussing less and tries to verbally let us know when he wants or needs something instead of just crying.  He loves to laugh, especially at his sister!

David already loves balls and likes to get a reaction out of his toys.  He seems to enjoy all of the things that Margo wasn't crazy about... He likes things that light up and make noise, his play gym and he loves the activity cube with round beads on the wire.  He doesn't love his books as much as Margo, but is beginning to show more interest and if it is soft and can fit in his mouth, he is in heaven!  A baby spoon is one of his favorite things and I always let him munch on his after meal time!

David is sweet as pie and his smile lights up a room and lights up my life.  I am so happy to have a beautiful little boy to turn my world upside down!

Milestones Galore for the Girl I Adore

When I go back and look at pictures and videos of Margo in the past six months, I cannot believe my eyes... she has changed so drastically and is truly growing up from a baby into a little girl.  For the first time, I feel a bit of an aching to have my baby back and with that comes a flood of sentimental tears as I learn to become a mama in this next phase of my darling's precious little life. 

Me and my girl!

Her hair has grown so long, it is time to finally get a haircut.  She has finally learned to play independently, something I have been wishing for for a long time... be careful what you wish for as they say.  She gets so immersed in her amazing imaginary play that she doesn't want to help mommy or walk to the mailbox with daddy... when in the world did this happen?

Little things have changed.  She is sitting in booster chairs at restaurants and uses adult sized forks and spoons at home.  She can turn on the water and knows which is hot and cold.  She can brush her teeth quite well on her own.  She has discovered she is big enough to get out of her bed and act like a crazy little monkey maniac at bedtime--fortunately we nipped that in the bud with a week of stickers and a weekend campout in her new tent.  There are so many things she can do "all by myself" now with a little problem solving and ingenuity.  She takes her stool to turn on a light or get something she wants off of a higher shelf or converts the sofa into a car to transport her animals to their imaginary school.

I could probably go on and on and could save so much for her three year post which is just around the corner, but she has had some BIG milestones too...  Margo is officially potty trained!!  I had my grand plan in place to have the diaper fairy come visit as soon as Margo's summer school program was over.  She had something different in mind.  A new friend (yet another milestone for my socially inhibited girl) had left quite an impression on her at school since she was the only one in the class that wore big girl panties and this got the wheels turning.

So one day Margo just decided she wanted to use the potty.  Thank goodness I am anal to a fault and already had the items for her treasure chest purchased, I just had to put it all together.  I composed a letter from the diaper fairy with a great incentive plan to get treasures from a box, set out a box of pull-ups for the nighttime and washed a brand new set of Minnie Mouse panties.  She was so eager that a few M&Ms probably would have done the trick, but after our first failed attempt I was over-prepared.  The Diaper Fairy swept in during the night, took away all her diapers and away we went.  Save for one day of bad accidents and some fears over pooping on the potty, she did fantastic and she was 100% trained, except at night, within about one week.  She has the occasionally bit of wet panties as she catches herself immersed in play, but she finishes on the potty and can control herself from having a major accident.  We have no trouble at school or in public, thank goodness, and she is able to nap in her panties.  She doesn't even use a potty seat or a stool.  I am truly proud of her and I only wish I had listened to the advice I was given to wait until she was good and ready.  One of many 1st time mommy lessons...

Yaay for using the potty!

The Diaper Fairy's Letter

The contents of her treasure chest from the Diaper Fairy.

The other even bigger milestone, in my opinion, is Margo saying goodbye to her beloved "sha sha" (her pacifier).  In the past month we have battled a rash around her mouth and nose that I think was made worse by the pacifier.  I wanted her to be ready to give it up and also wanted to hang on to her last little bit of baby ways, but it just wouldn't stay clear despite RX creams of all sorts and two trips to the pediatrician.  We have talked A LOT about her being a big girl and not needing the pacifier and in the past week I pushed it a little more because of the rash and told her Dr. Duble was probably going to make us get rid of it.  Margo's ability to reason is incredible and the more we talked about it the more she was ready, but I know she was sad too.

We have now gone four days and three nights without her sha sha which she only used at nap and bedtime.  Tonight was the first night she cried for it, I told her to be brave and that they were gone now and we couldn't get them back.  Bless her little heart, I cannot write this without crying... she relinquished her tears and I gave her extra lovies and rocked her an extra long time and indeed, she was quite brave.  She always is.  Margo is a good girl, she has an incredible little nurturing heart and her little spirit shines so bright in everything she does.  She is resilient and handles change and stress very well even though she can also be sensitive at times.  She has had her moments, but I think she acts out much less than what is average for a child her age. 

With her sha sha's in her tent.  She always had to have two.

One of her last night's with sha sha and I never take pictures like this.

I see Christ in every ounce of her being and it has touched me deeply to know how very very much she loved her pacifier, yet she was so courageous in giving it up.  She would have sucked it all day had I let her and it was her favorite thing about getting in bed.  Our home is pacifier free now since David does not take one and something so simple and silly as a pacifier is going to be sorely missed.  It has been such a fixture in our home and Margo's life and it means my baby is growing up. 

I have suffered a broken heart a million times over since becoming a mommy... the illnesses and boo boos, the losing my temper when I shouldn't have moments, the fears and anxieties and so much more, but this one has me really pining to have my baby back.  I wish I could take her her sha sha and let her enjoy its comfort one last time, but I too have to be courageous and show her that I am proud and strong.  Being a mama is the greatest gift on earth and it does not come without pain, but oh' how the joy outweighs the pain.  Seeing the satisfaction on my sweet girl's face over her recent accomplishments makes it all so incredibly worthwhile and my heart bursts with pride for my girl that I so so adore!

Catching Lots of Rays During these Dog Days!

This summer has been, well... a bit lonesome and boring, but also filled with fun.  We have been pretty much stuck at home all summer because Cary's new job is rigorous during the hot summer months and it is still too hard to do much with David.  But... thanks to Pinterest, the baby pool, water hose and Margo's incredible imagination, we have made tons of wonderful memories together.

Kicking in the pool!

Fortunately, Margo got to attend a seven week summer school program at her new school which was WONDERFUL!!  They took a limo ride, had two water days with pools, slides and sprinklers, a rodeo day with a petting zoo and an awesome carnival with face painting, balloon animals and more!  Despite her usual separation anxiety, I think she really enjoyed it!

Otherwise, we did a lot of creative play at home.  I scoured Pinterest for super easy and cheap projects.  We painted the concrete with water, made fruit loop necklaces, made a card board rocket ship, made paper plate paddles with balloons and a home made bird feeder, among many things.  My little artist did tons of paint with water, chalk drawings on the sidewalk, filled up her coloring books and went crazy with stickers which were a big favorite these past few months.  We also made animals with this awesome Alex craft kit.  I will be buying MANY more of these.  So inexpensive and fun!

Her Snazzy Sheep!

She LOVED her rocketship!

Described as her 1st picture of a person... See the face?

Bird feeders!

Margo has such a wonderful imagination.  I love to observe her at play and we have been working really hard at getting her to happily play on her own, a requirement now that I am cleaning my own house, cooking many more meals at home and taking care of David.  She has created so many amazing and fun scenarios with her dolls and stuffed animals... the typical tea party and picnic, creating an ocean scene with a beach towel and all of her ocean animals, making the coffee table into a choo choo train and most recently taking all of her animals to the baseball game or teaching them at school.  She is very nurturing and loves to take care of all her animals and babies, kissing and loving on them in the sweetest, gentlest way.

My Stylish Swinger!

In deep popsicle concentration!

After fun in a big down pour!

Chasing a Bunny!

We had lots of wonderful visitors this summer.  First, my sister and niece, Caroline, came.  It was such a special treat and to say Margo loved having Caroline here is an understatement!  They played together really well and had a blast at the trampoline park.  I treasured my time with my sister and also had our extended family over for Memorial Day weekend, which was so wonderful catching up.  My mom has come twice and Margo and David loved every second with her.  We just hung at the house and enjoyed one another's company.  A real special treat was seeing my sweet cousin, Ali, and her beautiful brood for a quick visit.  I rarely get to see her, but adore our special relationship, so it did my soul some good to spend some time with one of the most gracious people I know! Both of my sisters and their beautiful families spent a day with us in July.  We took David out to dinner and drank wine on our wonderful back patio. 

Auntie Laura & David

Caroline & David

Uncle Gary Graciously Fed David

Pure Excitement!

Margo and her favorite buddy, Caroline!

The Weavers, my in-laws, also came for 4th of July and we had a truly wonderful time.  We BBQ'd ribs, pork and had an array of other yummy dishes, drank too many margaritas on the patio, laughed with the kiddos and attempted to watch the fireworks on the golf course.  It was a grand idea, but a bit of a failure.  We live on a hill and I was hoping to see something closer and more spectacular, but it was mainly from a distance.  Nonetheless, Margo loved staying up late and going for our little adventure in the dark with flashlights!

She is one little firework!

Tea Party!!

They don't come any cuter!

Hand in Hand with GiGi

Fireworks on the Green

My sweet little patriot!

Lovies!

Classic!

Speaking of fireworks, we took Margo to the minor league baseball game in Round Rock and specifically scheduled it for a Friday night, so we could make up for the failed fireworks on the 4th.  We went with her cousin, Lucas, and their parents, my niece and nephew, Trey and Kayla.  One of my favorite things about living here has been forging a relationship with them.  They just bought a house six miles away and I cannot wait!  Margo and Lucas are only a month apart in age and have already had numerous fun play dates.  With them right down the road, I imagine they will be forming a special cousin bond.  My sister's kids are much older than ours, so I am so happy to have a cousin close in age to Margo and David.  Both her and Lucas had fun sharing popcorn, shaking their booties to the baseball game tunes and both loved the spectacular fireworks show!

Loving our fun at the baseball game!

Watching with Daddy!

Fireworks are awesome!

Margo had a week long visit with her GiGi and PaPa, and although we missed her terribly, I got so many things accomplished!  My time with David was most special and I enjoyed bonding with him in the peace and quiet with my undivided attention.  Margo did fantastic with them because they are wonderful grandparents and boy do they spoil her rotten.  She loved going out to eat, to the mall and to the park.  She played GiGi's piano, had lots of treats and got the undivided attention she has been craving recently.

That is our only set-back this summer.  Margo did not start developing jealousy issues until David was almost six months old, but goodness, she has been challenging since.  While she is still as sweet as can be, she literally has begged and pleaded for me to hold her and put down David.  She has thrown her first, big on the floor fits ever, has had heightened separation anxiety and has just been a little pill.  She screams at the top of her lungs when she doesn't get her way, whines incessantly at times and is very needy.  I feel sad that our little girl is growing up, exhibiting her independence and also suffering a little bit, longing to be a baby again yet is stuck somewhere in between big girl and baby.  I have a heart that is quite big enough for both her and David, but I do not have four hands or two brains to handle it all at once as much as I wish I often could.  I love my life with two babies and I know that once Margo starts reaping the real rewards of having a sibling, she will see just how special her brother is.  I think deep down inside she already knows, but cannot wrap her head around the true loss of her mommy as she knew her.  She is mourning in a way, as I have as well at times, and my heart aches for her. 

She LOVED pushing her brother!

...and feeding him for about 5 seconds!

Chillin' on a rainy day!

On an exciting note, Margo is potty trained--yahoo!  I am oh' so proud of her!  That is for another post, but she took her own initiative and is doing great!  I have updated you on David's progress in other posts, our sweet boy, who I just adore!  This post is long, but I wanted to update our family this summer.  I could go on and on, there is just too much to capture it all.  Cary and I celebrated our 12th wedding anniversary, have been on some much needed dates and have thoroughly enjoyed our breezy back patio and the wonderful walking trails of the neighborhood.  Life is good, we are good, summer was fun and we are ready for all that awaits us in the fall!