Dreamseekers and Company

9lbs. 10oz.

Just like Anna was at 6 weeks!

Happy six weeks Maggie!

Which kid is Anna and which is Maggie?

I really ought to leave the best picture for last… but I want to make sure you see this adorable picture of Maggie in her “mushroom hat.”

She has such a cute serious little face:

A little size perspective… here she is with big sis, who is Mommy’s big helper:

She sleeps best in somebody’s arms. Here she is sacked out with Papa. I thought her little foot sticking out was so cute! Development note – she started bringing her hands to her mouth a few days ago (at about five weeks). Hopefully she will find her thumb soon? I’m not sure… she likes her pacifier too much maybe. She has also started trading grunts for little baby girl voice noises instead. I love it!

Anna said she was “filing.” She kept rubbing the sticks against each other. For an hour, she played with them! Oh, to have the imagination of a two year old! She is the funniest little thing when she gets started! Lately, she frequently says that she’s going to do this that “after soon.” Like, “I’m going to go to the zoo after soon.”

Tonight I finally broke out the “boot camp” exercise dvd for post-partum! After a five minute workout, a 10 minute exercise session and another five minute cool-down I have wobbly legs. And I did the easy one. Anna was a crack-up though, doing lots of the exercises with me and breathing with exaggeration like the instructor so I know when I’m supposed to exhale. Here we are doing some stretches:

And reach! (See Maggie sleeping in the bouncy chair back there?)

Last year for Christmas, I gave Brian the Christmas present of me getting into shape. I vowed to exercise five days a week for at least 30 minutes a day. I kept it up, only missing one or two days for over a month. And then I got pregnant. Exercise plan went flop, along with my energy. Tonight I recommitted myself to getting in shape for Brian, for our kids and for myself. It’s a little more conservative, but it will still be hard to remain committed. I have committed to at least three days a week of a 20+ minute exercise session on the dvd. I can substitute with a long walk. I made up a chart and put it on the wall so I can be reminded of how many days I have left that week to work out. I am pleased with how I look after having a baby… but I don’t want to stay in my maternity jeans forever, I want to lose some of that baby weight and get some muscles back after several months of low activity. And I’m tired of being a wimp when people go on a walk. Seriously, I am weak. Time to fix that, one wimpy (and sweaty) work-out session at a time!

Too bad I woke up awhile ago! 😀

We had Maggie’s “baby shower” dinner yesterday! So many people were able to come! Maggie’s Great-Grandpa and Gran came, Grammy and Poppy and Jennifer, my parents hosted, her Great-Grandma D. and Great-Uncle Kevin came, and all the Johnston side of the family too! (That’s eight more people including the kids!) Got some great pictures, although not everybody got in them. During the party, we had the family videos playing from when Anna was born through now… transferring to DVD. Turned out to be kinda fun to have on too.

Here is Great-Grandma D. holding her sixth great-grandchild! (Did I count right?)

They were so cute! I want to be as cute as my Grandma when I am a great-grandma. Thank you Nancy and Melissa and family for the Baby Gap gift card that bought Maggie’s dress in this picture!

Anna had a bit of a rough spot in the middle of the day because she missed her nap. After lots of love and cuddles, she finally melted down and we put her down for a nap. After mommy layed down with her, she fell asleep for a few minutes which rescued the rest of the afternoon. Pretty cute huh:

Here’s Anna and Maggie’s cousin Jackson (6 months) and second cousin Adelie (9 months):

It’s too bad this picture turned out blurry – the picture-taking was extreme:

Here is the next generation! (Even Ginger got in the picture) You have four girls in a family (well, we are missing Lynsay and her family!) and then they get married…. and then the kids begin to come along…. the couch is no longer big enough!

One more:

Aunt Jennifer holding Maggie the first time! (I really ought to call her Master Jennifer instead… or Queen Jennifer, Master of English Literature as her mom prefers)

“Aunt” Sande brought some dress-up for Anna! Here she is admiring the sparkly jacket in the mirror… and the hat the Great-Grandma D. made that was too big for Maggie. 🙂

Maggie is one month old already tomorrow! Here she is in her bumGenius cloth diapers (wonderful!) and a video or two of her smiling.

Here are some things I didn’t expect:

– Anna to flush her underwear down the toilet on accident. When I asked her why she didn’t take her undies out of the toilet (after she came to tell me that they were in the potty), she burst into tears and asked for help. Eventually I asked her if she flushed the toilet… yep. Those ones are gone sweetie!

– The baby bug to be back so soon. It took a long time after Anna… but all the status updates from my first trimester friends have me craving to be pregnant. Is this a phase? I want to adopt? I do NOT like being in labor. Why am I wanting so much to be preggo again??? Melissa, did our conversation about birth control ruin me?

– Maggie to be asleep right now – I was planning on checking my email really fast before feeding her.

– To be able to soothe Maggie 85% of the time when she’s upset.

– To be in bed from 6:30pm until 5:30 this morning besides feedings… that was incredible.