nightmare

1.11.13
Markin had - what I assume was - her first nightmare last night. I know she dreams because I've heard her giggling in her sleep several times. However, this time she was crying and didn't stop for several minutes, despite cuddles. I hate to think she's experienced anything in 2 1/2 years that could upset her so much. The only thing I can think of is that we watched Tangled last night. She didn't seem to pay much attention after the first 10 minutes but maybe she was paying attention. I also thought this was one of Fisney's tamer films. However, I guess we'll stay away from Disney movies for now and stick to PBS.

two and a half already!

12/26/12
Markin is two and a half years old now - she's so grown up! She talks non-stop and loves performing by singing and dancing to real and made-up songs. She tells stories and remembers EVERYTHING - I just love this age!

Favorite sayings: "ok" (means yes), "not today" (as in begging me to let her wear her Christmas dress to go see Santa, then telling me "not today" when I ask her if she's ready to go see Santa at the mall), and "I love it!" (said in reference to anything related to Christmas, painting, dress-up, princesses, Curious George, and Dora).

Merry Christmas!

Markin was up at 6:00 this morning to see what Santa brought her. She was really excited to open presents today. She got a funny food plate, a princess dress up trunk and shoes, princess little people, a cinderella baby doll, a truck with magnetic blocks, and a camera.

We came home from grandpa and grandma's house tonight and - surprise! - Santa came to our house, too! He left a new kitchen, lots of food, dishes/pans, and the Fridge Phonics set here.

What a wonderful day - I'm so blessed to have Markin, my little miracle baby.

More Teeth - #9!

Tooth #9 broke through - way in the back on the upper left. Markin keeps sticking her finger back there and playing with it :)

Missing my baby

. . . but she's having a great time! I had my staff Christmas party last night, so Markin spent the night at Grandma and Grandpa's house. Sounds like they all had a great time! I'm glad, but it was strange being here last night without her and I'm ready for her to come home :)

Sounds like she had a really long, late nap yesterday afternoon, so she played and played last night. Grandpa gives really good chair rides, which Markin loves :) She likes playing with magnets on their fridge, running all around the house, and collecting things to carry around with her. Another favorite activity was cuddling with Grandma :) Just to make me feel better, she did wake up once during the night and miss me, but sounds like she's been having too much fun to miss me the rest of the time.

Tooth #8

Tooth #8 made it's appearance today, on the top left of Markin's mouth. So glad it didn't torture her like the other one did :)

6 & 7

Tooth #6 (bottom left) and #7 (bottom right) broke through today, which surprised me - I was sure the other top tooth would break through soon. I know they weren't there yesterday because I've been checking her mouth at least once a day (yes, bad mom - I usually only brush her teeth once a day) thinking that pesky top tooth will join the other one that tortured us forever, but starting to think it'll play the same game of going up and down :(

Markin has been trying to tell me all day - she's been sticking her tongue out, giving me big grins, sticking my fingers in her mouth, and chewing on everything she finds. Finally noticed this afternoon (well, I did notice she was cranky last night and this morning but didn't know why :)

#5!

After MONTHS of torturing Markin (yes, over 6 weeks of moving up and down in her gums), tooth #5 has FINALLY broken through on her top right :) It was on the verge of breaking through 2 weeks ago (and also a month ago), but kept moving up instead of down right when I thought it would break through - I talked to my dentist and she said that was common, but 2 months of this was pure torture on my little girl!

walking

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween from my little zebra. We went to a few friends' houses for "trick-or-treating" today - Markin even did her newest trick for them, which is walking 5+ steps! She was really excited about the candy and wouldn't let go of it, so I'm sure some of it's melted. Oh, well - I'm sure it'll still taste good!

#4

Tooth #4 just broke through :) At this rate, she'll have a mouth full of teeth in no time!

Tooth #3!

Can't see it yet, but I can feel tooth #3 coming through on top :) Yea!

Birthday Party

Markin had her first birthday party at day care today - so much fun! Amber came in to do music with her class - they got to listen to music and do motions to the songs, pop bubbles, wave scarves, and play instruments to music, along with dancing, of course! Markin was the only child who "sang" (can't say they were the right words, but some of the tunes were close :) but everyone participated and had lots of fun!

Happy Father's Day

Here's a picture of the sperm donor when he was a child. Markin got his beautiful bright blue eyes :)

Soooo big!

Markin is moving up to the toddler room this week! She's growing up so fast! I'm sure she's ready for it, but I'm not sure I am (I admit I got a little teary-eyes, but didn't cry like I did when I dropped her off for her first day of day care in August). There are lots of fun, new things in the toddler room - such as a fish tank and getting to go outside everyday, with a splash day on Fridays! I know she'll love it :)

What's for breakfast?

Waffles! Markin loved eating - and playing with - waffles for breakfast :)

Who's her daddy?

So, I think I'm pretty prepared for the question I'll get from Markin someday - "Who's my daddy?" It's one I thought about how I'd answer long before she was conceived! One question I found out I'm not prepared for is "Who is her daddy?" When an adult asks, I willingly tell them I used a sperm donor (and how long I had to wait to get her!) - but how do I answer that when another child or a young adult asks? I don't know how open that family is to talking about it! Even with my niece, I avoided the question because I wasn't 100% sure what she really was asking. She worded it funny - something about "Is there a daddy at your house?" and I answered no, but didn't go into details -- and should have because I know my sister would be okay with it. However, she accepted my answer and I'm sure the opportunity to talk about it again will come up! A very nice young man with a disability approached me the other day and asked where Markin's dad was. I just told him that she doesn't have a dad, but he looked really confused and tried asking again but I just repeated that she doesn't have one. But, how much info should I give out to youngsters? Also -- my students' parents know I'm a single mom by choice but I don't go into details with my students and, thankfully, they haven't asked - yet! yet! ............................................................................................................................... ......................................................... And, guess what? Markin and I are already talking about the donor! She loves to say "dada" and I reply, "no dada, I'm mama" which just gets her laughing and she says "dada" again and it ends up like a game. She has said "mama" and "mommy" a few times, but "dada" is her favorite thing to say. ............................................................................................................................... .............................................. My sister is so sweet! She asked me if she could take Markin shopping for Mother's Day! She wants to make it an annual tradition. Just having Markin is enough of a Mother's Day gift! I asked her if she'd do it for my birthday instead since I bet her day care (and later school) will do something for Mother's Day and Christmas, but it was so sweet of her to think of that!

9 months old!

9 months already? Where is the time going? Seems like it was only yesterday that I was snuggling a newborn and now she's practically a big girl!

Markin weighs 18 pounds 15 ounces and is 27 inches long (or so they say -- I only measured her at 26 1/2 :). She's at the 50% for weight and 35% for length/height. Of course, her head circumference is at the 80%!

Likes: Reading (and eating) books. Her favorite toys are the ones that she got for Christmas and make noise, of course! However, she also loves to just sit on my lap and play with my water bottle or have me sing to her - she'll do that all morning long :)

Dislikes: Bath in the big tub - she still prefers her little baby tub (and getting into "trouble" while bathing by grabbing at the faucet and anything I'm stupid enough to leave within her reach!) We're going to keep trying the ducky Auntie gave her to see if she'll eventually like baths again.

New accomplishments - she's getting better and better at asking me for what she wants. She has "signs" for favorite songs and games, along with the start of "more." No crawling yet, she she rolls to get what she wants - but then gets mad when she gets stuck in a corner! Markin is successfully eating puffs and rice rusks without choking!

Say cheese!

As in Mac and Cheese baby food!

My cousins LOVE Mac and Cheese, so as a joke Mommy bought me some Mac and Cheese baby food for our visit there this weekend -- WELL . . . I love Mac and Cheese, too! Cousin Kalini couldn't feed me fast enough, so Mommy took over. After I ate half of the jar, Mommy cleaned me up and I got MAD! I cried and cried until Aunt Karisa gave in and let me have the other half of the jar. I can't wait to have more :)

Happy Valentine's Day!

Cherries & Apples

Another favorite fruit - Cherries and Apples! Yum! What a special Valentine treat <3

Mixing it up . . .

. . . with mixed veggies for lunch today. Markin liked them and ate 3/4 of the container (of course, she's currently eating my phone, so not sure her taste buds are properly functioning :)

24 Carrot Gold

Markin tried carrots on Saturday. The orange smile says it all :) She also ate them in her new high chair!

7 months!

7 months! Markin weighs 17 pounds and 1.4 ounces. She is 26 inches long.

Likes: Eating! She especially likes her veggies :) She loves playing (getting these pictures was almost impossible - it took over 70 tries! She discovered that the caterpillar makes noise and just wanted to play with him.) Remotes, phones, the computer, and cameras are also favorite "toys." She also likes playing with her friends at day care.

Dislikes: Having people mess with her hair (and, unfortunately, it's necessary because I'm not ready to cut it yet, so we need to pull it back in a little ponytail on top of her head). Markin also doesn't like it when Mommy leaves the room, making it almost impossible for Mommy to get anything done! (probably time to invest in a ring sling :)

Favorite game: "no no no" -- she loves to shake her head no! She also enjoys dropping things and having Mommy pick them up for her.

New accomplishments: sitting up!

She amazes everyone who sees her with her bright blue eyes, long hair, and happy, contented personality. We went out with friends this week and she was perfectly content being passed around and also amusing herself in her car seat with some toys. I couldn't ask for a more perfect baby. I'm so blessed!

I like to eat, eat, eat . . .

. . . apples (1.24.11) and

bananas (1.21.11)

Well, guess Markin really only likes the apples, not the bananas. She loves applesauce!

Beans, beans . . .

. . . the musical fruit.

The more you eat, the more you toot!

The more you toot, the better you feel.

So let's eat beans at every meal!

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The toots are a little smelly, but the diapers haven't been too bad :)

Squishy Squashy

Time to eat! Can't wait!

Oh, what's this? This doesn't taste like my peas . . .

Okay, I guess I like it! Can I have more?

Peas Porridge Hot

Peas porridge hot

Peas porridge cold

Peas porridge in Markin's tummy

Taste great - I'm sold!

And Mommy is just waiting for that diaper!!!

Tasty . . . I think!

On the advice of Markin's pediatrician, we waited until 6 months to try rice cereal and today is the day! I think it was successful :) It wasn't even too messy, so I know at least a few bites made it in and stayed in.

6 months old!

I can't believe Markin is 6 months old! And it just keeps getting better and better. 6 months is a great age!

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Markin weighs 15 pounds and 11 ounces with a diaper on. She is 25 1/2 inches long.

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Likes: Christmas! She loves the wrapping paper, the presents/new toys, and all of the attention that she got :) She has a lot of new favorite toys - and can figure out how to play with them.

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Dislikes: Falling asleep on her own - someone got a little spoiled during the holidays and thinks she can only fall asleep with mommy feeding her. Hope it's just because we weren't home and were out of our usual bedtime routine and that we can break this habit before she goes back to day care!

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New accomplishments: eating rice cereal and almost sitting up on her own for 2-3 seconds.

Santa came!

Markin must've been a good girl - Santa came! She was really excited and woke up at 6:00 - something she hasn't done in months! Guess she just couldn't wait to see what Santa brought her :)

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Mommy must've been a bad girl - no presents from Santa for her AND he brought noisy toys for Markin! Guess she'll have to try harder to be good in 2011!

Christmas Eve

This is Markin's first Christmas Eve. So much fun! She's not too interested in the tree, but loves the presents (mainly the wrapping paper). She's a little too young to enjoy our tradition of eating nibblies and playing a game (maybe next year), but it was still a very fun night!

Where's Markin?

Oh, no! G'ma lost the baby :)

Hair!

Too much hair!

When does the shedding stop? It started around the time Markin turned 3 months old and hasn't stopped or slowed down. Everytime I wash it, it falls out by the handful (5+ hand fulls) and I clog the drain. Then more comes out when I brush it! I have plenty of hair, so I'm not worried about being bald (like a friend of mine was after her last kiddo - it never did grow back in that spot), I'm just tired of having hair everywhere. Poor little Markin seems to be covered in it and actually got it wrapped around her fingers and it cut off the circulation. Now, whenever she cries, that's one of the first things I check.


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And Markin's hair - can't believe how long it is. It makes her look a lot older than she is. This picture is just for Jen78 :) Yes, this is not a trick - Markin's hair goes a few inches down her back. It's actually long enough that I could braid it if I wanted to - but who has the time? I barely have time to get it out of her eyes in the morning. Might be time for baby's first haircut soon :)

5 months

Time is just flying by! Markin is already 5 months old. She's full of smiles, loves playing, and is a little chatter box! Despite the pictures above, she's a very happy little girl and full of smiles (I took these around bedtime, as you can tell by the thumb sucking :)

She's 15 pounds and 1 ounce (with a diaper), and 23 and 3/4 inches long.

Likes: Markin's favorite toys lately are still anything that hangs down, such as the floor gym, toys that are attached to her car seat handle, or ones that hang down from bars on the exersaucer. She also loves her crinkly kitty still. She's also getting into story time and likes to "help" me turn the pages of the books. She's really into exploring things with her hands and is working on hand-eye and hand-foot coordination. Favorite game is still "pat-a-cake" with her feet, of course.

Dislikes: being "gassy" (she cried for a half hour tonight because of that - then we got some big burps and all was better)

New accomplishments: Markin can sit up in a bumbo seat now! Also, she's starting to put her arms up for me to pick her up when she sees me. Wow - just when I thought it can't get any better, it does :)

Baby's first Black Friday

Well, Markin and I scored some good deals, even if we didn't get started until 10:00. She was an excellent little shopper - full of smiles and flirted with everyone who stopped to tell her hello. She even put off her next meal by over an hour and let me get one more store in! As a reward, she picked out a new toy - her first baby doll. Everytime she saw it, she'd start smiling and laughing and I couldn't convince her the doll I liked was a better choice, so of course we got the one she likes.

Giving Thanks

Happy Thanksgiving! I have so much to be thankful for this year -mainly one healthy, happy baby girl :) Being a mother to such a wonderful little girl is the best thing in the world and I'm so thankful that things worked out the way they did so that she's part of my life. Just love her so much!

We had a very nice, low-key day. Our family is in Florida, so we hung out with friends who are practically family. Markin slept in until 8:30, then we went shopping (had to get the newspaper so we could see all of the deals we're going to miss out on for Black Friday since I have no desire to risk having something happen to Markin over saving a few dollars - we'll get any "left over" deals that happen later in the day). After her next meal, we went to our friends' house and had dinner - and they had lots of vegetarian options for me to choose from (more than my family provides for me!) Now we're home and just hanging out, trying to get warm - I am NOT ready for this cold weather and am very jealous of the warm temps our family is having in Florida.

Baptism

Markin was baptised today. I decided to get her baptized in my grandparents' church on my grandpa's birthday :) (I lost my grandparents 2 years ago - very unexpectedly. I was really close to them, which is why Markin is named after them.) She's wearing a dress that my mom made for her, with mother-of-pearl buttons from a dress my grandma wore when she was little. My sister tatted the pink lace and flowers to add to it. Rachael gave her the adorable bonnet made from a handkerchief for her to use on her wedding day (will post the poem later). I bought her a nice cross necklace to wear now and on other special occasions, such as her confirmation. What a special day, surrounded by friends and family.