New Maggie Media Now Available!

So ... we got a Flip camcorder and It. Is. Awesome.

Seriously.

This is a test post just to see if I can upload the file as is, or if I have to learn how to do other stuff with it before it'll show up here :)

Testing ... 1, 2, 3 ...

A Grace-Filled Day

As promised, here are some pictures from Maggie's baptism this past Sunday. It was a beautiful liturgy (really, all baptisms are) and a lovely day spent with our families and friends. Fr. John came out before Mass to greet the congregation and spoke briefly about Maggie's baptism, and welcomed her family, friends and fans. It was so cute and totally cracked me up - and was probably not far off the mark! Our babe has many, many people who have been praying for her ever since we found out we were pregnant. It was a main reason I wanted to have her baptism during the Mass, so that the whole church could participate. We got hugs and congratulations from so many people that day after Maggie was baptized, congratulating us and telling us how they have been praying for us and "Baby Peanut" for months. It was awesome and humbling. How great is our God that a tiny baby could bring together so much prayer and faith, and work miracles through them.

Thank you, Jesus, for the blessing of our baby and our faith community ... not just OLMC but also our families and supportive friends from other parishes who have walked this journey with us.

We love you all and pray for you always.

An Uncommon Occurrence

So, an interesting and almost unbelievable thing happened at the McDonald's today.

You may want to sit down.

The Drive-Thru Window Person was totally nice.

AND spoke English.

AND was a teenager!!

I mean, it should have been like hitting the trifecta of disinterested-worker-ness, but it was so the opposite. I almost didn't know how to react! I'm so used to having food shoved through my car window and nothing being said while trying to remember to ask for ketchup 'cause why in the world would they offer it, that I was thrown totally off-guard by this kid today. He was completely pleasant and even smiled, offered ketchup (and sauces which I didn't even need because no nuggets in my order!), and had manners he actually used.

Did hell freeze over? Are pigs flyin' in the skies in your area?

I'll tell ya, I just wanted to hug this boy and thank him for being Mr. Polite, but the shock of it all paralyzed my tongue and, really, I think I just nodded at him.

(Probably with my mouth hanging open.)

(Which is such a good look for me, I'm sure.)

It's a bit sad that something like a McD's employee being courteous is noteworthy in my day.

Counting down the hours until it's time to pick up my Magpie ...

(You didn't think I'd go a whole post without mentioning my child, did you?!)

Helping Out Around The House

To be so small, Maggie sure likes to be in the thick of things! And we've found the perfect solution - the high chair!!

Inevitably, whenever there's something we really want to get done ... like, oh, fixing dinner so we don't starve to death ...


... or doing laundry so we aren't frowned upon at work for showing up in boxers and tube socks ...


... Maggie feels the need to be a part of it. Normally, one of us would hold her and the other would continue along solo with whatever project we were in the middle of at the time. And then it hit us - her high chair reclines!!

Brilliant!!


Now, Maggie chills out in her super-cool high chair while Mommy and Daddy actually get things done around the house so as not to draw the ire of our kitties. (Though really, we receive disdain from them on a daily basis, so we're used to it by now.)


Apparently, though, all of that work just tuckers out our little girl :)

The 2 Margarets

What a wonderful time Maggie had with her Nina Mary this past weekend! And Mommy, too, of course! It was so great hanging out and talkingtalkingtalking ... plus, ya know, the mani/pedi was FAB-U-LOUS :)

Maggie's baptism went well this weekend, and I'll post pictures as soon as I have all of them on my computer (I left my camera at home that morning and am gathering pictures from other sources ... can you believe I left my camera at home?!!)

Until then, here is Maggie waiting to go to the airport to pick up Mary ...

... and Maggie and her godmother, Nina Mary.

Just in case you're wondering, "Nina" is the Spanish familiar form of godmother, and my godkids here call me "Nina Jennie". I'm definitely Southern enough that Mary had to be called something - Aunt or Miss or whatever - so I borrowed my friend's suggestion for me and applied it to Mary and voila! we have Nina Mary :)

Getting To Know You, Bloggy-Style

I stumbled across a new blog today. It's by another mommy (Lynette) who has angel-babies of her own ... there are so many of us, aren't there? It's homegrown fun from another mother who finds her way through dark times by leaning on her Lord.

Anyway, I'm doing her "Getting to Know You" event, so head on over and check out her blog at ...

A 1st for Josie

Josie reached a fabulous milestone recently - her 1st birthday! April 30th was a definite day of celebration for her family.

Praise God!

So, a few updates about how she's doing:

* Weight is 21 pounds, 8 ounces - Josie is being fed through a feeding tube in her belly called a Button. Her mommy feeds her every 1-2 hours.

* Less than 10% kidney function - it looks like they most likely will not be doing dialysis and will wait instead for a transplant. I'm not sure exactly what all the criteria is that she has to meet before she'll go on the transplant list or why not dialysis at this time - if/when I find out, I'll pass that info along as well.

So, dear friends, please continue to keep sweet Josie in your prayers.

Lord, you love this child as You love all children. Bring healing to Josie, who is not well. Stay by her side and comfort her through this trying time. Keep her parents ever mindful of Your loving presence. Bless Josie with Your powerful healing, and comfort her family. Thank You for hearing our prayer!

St. Gerard, who, like the Savior, loved children so tenderly and by your prayers freed many from disease and even death, listen to us who are pleading for this sick child. We thank God for the great gift of Josie and ask him to restore this child to health if such be his holy will. This favor, we beg of you through your love for all children and mothers. Amen.

A Sweet Safari

So, just a few pics to show y'all what Miss Maggie's nursery looks like. It's totally cute, if I do say so, and I'd be remiss if I didn't give a big round of applause and super amounts of gratitude to The Grandmothers. Thanks to Grandma Webb, the room got prepped and painted (wall, trim and doors), and because of Nana Donatelli, curtains, bed ruffles, and canopies got made, and furniture was bought or stained ... all while I spent time with my newborn girl. Thanks so much, you 2! We really appreciate it all - walking into her room just makes me smile :)

Happiness Is A Baby's Smile

So ... Maggie had a first and I just had to share!

Almost ...


... there it is!


A real, non-toot-induced smile! And what a beautiful smile it is! She totally melts our hearts, and I could just squeeze her!

But I won't.

Promise :)

There was sweet cooing that went along with that smile, but you can't hear a picture, so y'all will just have to wait until we have more technology to record every single second of our daughter's life :)

Hope y'all enjoy that smile as much as we do!

Randomness From A Weary Brain

***Update: I was reminded by my AL sister from another mother that Gulf Coast hurricanes are waaay more fun than Arizona monsoons. Just thought I'd share :)***

Original Post:

Not to beat a dead horse here, but MAN, am I tired.

Of course, it's always worse the morning after Hubby has band practice (like today), because he's out late that night and I am up later than usual since, well, why oh why would Maggie want to go to sleep after her 9pm snack when there is so much stuff to look at.

We have GOT to get this child's days and nights switched around before Mommy falls asleep driving to work.

(Just kidding.)

(Kinda.)

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In other news, laundry is piling up from sheer lack of interest and the bed linens haven't been changed since I brought Maggie home.

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One of my BFF's is coming in town on Saturday and I am soooo excited!

I say "one of" because, well, there's Mary and there's Ashli, and ya just can't choose which amazing chick is better than the other, so I have 2. Plus, ya know, my "sister" Misti, who is Ashli's irl sis but mine by adoption ;)

Basically, I've known them almost forever and they're all family.

I've digressed waaay too much ...

Back to my original thought ... Mary is coming for a visit this weekend. Yippy!

A friend of Hubby's is getting married Saturday and his band is playing the reception, so Mary and I will have the whole of Saturday together for some super-girltime-bonding fun. Mani/pedi, here we come!!

Actually, it's a visit with purpose, as Maggie is being baptized this Sunday and Mary is her godmother (Uncle Danny is her godfather and is not excited about it at all ... wink, wink). I am so excited about this, I can't even tell ya. Or maybe I can. We'll see. Anyway, I was passed out in recovery when Fr. John came to the hospital to baptize Samantha last year, so I wasn't able to be any part of that, so this one is extra-special for me. Fr. John will be baptizing Maggie (he was the celebrant at Samantha's funeral, as well), so it feels nice and family-like, as if this whole journey of ours has come full circle and we're finally where we'd always hoped to be. And since hardly a week or 2 has gone by that I don't meet or hear from someone at church that I don't know who prayed for us when Samantha died and has been praying for our Peanut pregnancy, it's like the whole body of Christ at OLMC is in on the happiness, and I love that.

I have to say, the outpouring of prayer and love from our faith community has been so overwhelming during the past couple of years. It's been an amazing journey and we have never been alone, having the comfort not only of our Lord and our families, but of His people as well. It's been awesome, and humbling, and grace-filled, and even with the heartache, it's been uplifting.

It's so great that this baptism is being celebrated during the Mass (as opposed to before or after), so that the whole congregation can be a part of it.

Hopefully Maggie won't make a stinky toot during the Mass, but it's entirely likely and will totally make me laugh.

We'll be sure to document everything for posterity, have no fear :)

And after the baptism there's the party ... of course :) Lots of friends and family and food ... and a pool because we are in Arizona, after all!

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Speaking of Arizona, I just found out that the really nice weather we're having right now comes with consequences. Once monsoon season hits, temps and humidity are supposed to be very high, and the storms are going to be much stronger than they have been the past few years. Oh, joy. 'Cause there's nothing more fun than an Arizona monsoon!

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Okay, I think I'm done for now. Thanks for taggin' along, y'all :)

Maggie and the McKinneys

Maggie got to meet Chad and Mechel this past Saturday, as well as their girls, Kaylen and Keira. They were all in town from Albuquerque for the weekend, playing at a new water park/resort/hotel, so we got to spend some time with them all, which was fun.

And, of course, Maggie got some lovin' from them ...


Hopefully, we'll get to head their way in the near future. Mommy and Maggie have never been to Albuquerque :)

Baby's Bruise-y Boo-Boos Bandaged By Bugs Bunny

(Can you tell the Berenstein Bears B Book was a childhood favorite?)

Maggie got 2 shots in each thigh earlier today that left her legs bruised and sore ... poor baby :(

2 Month Check-up. And Hi-Ho, Hi-Ho, It's Back To Work I Go

Well, our little girl is getting bigger by the minute!

Hubby took Maggie to the doctor this morning for her 2 month visit. She now weighs 8 pounds, 5 ounces!! Wow! She measured at 20 inches long ... Hubby said it's possible that Maggie is actually 21 inches, but as she was non-cooperative (remember our fetal non-stress tests while in utero, and the biophysical profiles??), they "officially" marked her at 20 :)

We also had quite a few things to ask the doc, such as:

* Can we switch formulas to one for gassy/fussy babies? Yes.

*Is the yellow eye goo a clogged tear duct, and if so, do we continue warm cloths and massage to help release the blockage? Yes.

* Is it okay that she hasn't pooped since Saturday afternoon? Yes, but if she goes 3 days without one, we have to call the doc.

* Does she really have to get 4 shots today? Yes.

The last one was a big reason I selfishly did not want to attend this month's check-up. Hubby said Maggie cried so much she tuckered herself out. Poor little baby :( You know it's good for them but it doesn't make it easier to see them hurting. It broke my heart last month with the one shot ... 4 shots would have caused me to cry off all my makeup and look too scary to go to work!

Hmm. Maybe I didn't think that through thoroughly ...

Ah, work.

Yep, I'm back at it. Started this past Thursday, which wasn't so bad because on Thursday and Friday, Little Miss Maggie came with me to work. It was so nice having her with me all day.

Too bad it can't be like that every day.

Today was the first time I've had to be away from her all day, and it pretty much sucks. There were tears this morning, I won't deny it. And I'm basically working working working to keep my mind off of the fact that she's not with me, and to help hurry up the day so I can go pick her up and love on her :)

'Cause really ... who doesn't want to love on this sweet little face? :)

Binky Happiness

That binky is so big next to Maggie's sweet little face! She LOVES the one from the hospital (pictured above) but her flailing tends to fling that sucker right out of her mouth! And then, ya know, Mommy or Daddy must fix it, only for the process to start all over ;)

What Maggie Does Best

Ya know, besides pooing and such ...

Waking up is so hard to do ...


Squirming around and waiting for breakfast ...


Morning nap time ...


Sweet little angel face ... while sleeping ...


Sleeping on Mommy, a favorite place ...


Strike a pose ... while sleeping, again ...


Foot temperature gauge out ... while sleeping, of course.


Our little Peanut ... sweetly sleeping ...


We'd have more awake pictures but I doubt Hubby even thinks about it at 2am, when Maggie's eyes are wide open! Until there are more daytime eyeballs open, you'll just have to make due with the sleeping pics ;)