Almost Three

Yikes.  Cannot believe the little Love Bug is almost 3 years old.

Visiting Shoe Train and the Ronald at the mall on his second birthday:


And same shoe store trip yesterday, 6 days shy of his third birthday:

7 months old

Marg-a-larg is 7 months old today!  Because of summer vacation schedules, she won't have what is technically her six month appointment until next week.  So we don't have stats but I can tell you she's a healthy little girl.  Looks like she might be on the smaller end height wise.  But what she lacks in tallness, she makes up for in cute.

Just the two bottom teeth so far but you can feel the top two through her gums.  Expecting them to poke through any day.  She's up on her hands and knees and can move if she's really determined to get something.  Daycare tells us she's crawling frequently but around here she seems content to sit and let us bring things to her.

Margaret has a very sweet disposition.  The biggest difference we notice between the two kids is sleep.  Not at home, both kids have always been great in their own cribs.  In fact, I'd probably say Margaret has historically been a better sleeper than her big brother.  (She required exactly zero nights of sleep training.)  But away from home?  That's a different story.  Nate is like his dad, he can sleep anywhere, anytime.  But Margaret seems to know when a crib isn't her own.  It makes traveling with the kids a little more difficult because we have to prepare for a baby who won't sleep through the night and all the crankiness that comes with that.  We don't let it stop us though.  Later this month we're heading to Florida to celebrate Grandma Shirley's 90th.  Then in August and September we have a few trips planned to see family and have some fun.  Lots to write about in the coming months!

A Half-Year in the Life of Margaret Elizabeth

The site I used to make Nate's fast slideshows (Pummelvision) is no more, so I can't do the same for Margaret.  But here's a gallery view of the last six months.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ajdavis/sets/72157632423695455/

January 1st


July 1st

Storytime

Reading (6/30/13) from Maura Davis on Vimeo.

Answer to the question: Aaron was taking the recycling out.

Looking Back

This weekend we went shopping for furniture for Nate. He's been in his hand-me-down fire engine toddler bed for a year now and it's getting harder for Aaron and I to climb in for bedtime stories. I'll admit to some tears as we shopped at the same store where three years ago we were buying Nate's crib and nursery furniture.

But that's not what this post is about. I realized that I never shared these beautiful pictures as an entire set. We are really lucky to have a couple of good friends who have started their own businesses as professional photographers. Our friend Lindsay was looking to practice her newborn photo skills so she gave us a wonderful gift of a photo shoot with Margo back on January 1st.

Margaret - Newborn Professional Pics, a set on Flickr.

Aunt Ashley!

Trying to explain to Nate that Cullen and Ashley's wedding meant Ashley is now his aunt was reflective of how we all feel about Ashley - she's been part of our family long before this past Saturday.  But the party was fun!

Conor, Cullen, Ashley and Chelsea

Nate was the ring bearer and the bride and groom were wonderful in being clear that they had no expectation of any specific performance when it came time to walk down the aisle.  As a result, I wasn't worried about it and we didn't have to put pressure on Nate.  So of course, he walked perfectly.  I stood at the end of the aisle, pointed to Uncle Cullen standing on the alter and gave him a little push.  I fully expected him to take a couple steps, stop, and turn around to look at me.  But once he saw his uncle, he walked at a perfect pace down the long aisle.  With a pew or two left to go, he took off in a run to his uncle's arms.  It was perfect.

That paint brush went down the aisle with him.

Margaret was the honorary flower girl.  Which means she got to put on a pretty dress and have everyone tell her she's adorable.  She was also perfect in fulfilling her duties.



We're so appreciative of Cullen and Ashley's inclusiveness!

DJ Nate

Our time in the car with Nate has become a series of song demands.  He's pretty good at remembering what CDs are in Mommy's car and what's available in the Toyota.

A typical line up in my car looks something like this:

The Sandwich Song (Cheeseburger in Paradise)

The Coconut Song (Coconut by Harry Nilsson)

The Shaka Song (Hooked on a Feeling)

The Burrito Song (Margaritaville)
Silly Marley (anything by Ziggy Marley)

The demands (and my attempt to translate) go something like this:


And a sing along goes like this: