Dollhouse

Now with less time outside, and a break from preschool, Maggie has been spending lots and lots of time making her own fun indoors. Most recently she's spent hours playing with her dollhouse. She's added her holiday figurines from the advent calendar Grandma Crist sent her to expand the play of this little imaginative world!

We whipped up some trees for a forest around the family's home. I pulled out the green paint, but she explained that her forest was actually going to be purple, pink and orange...

The angel from her calendar is now a "woodland fairy."

I wonder where that idea came from??

And now for the characters...

"Daddy, watching Vandal football."

"Uncle Brad and Aunt Sara"

"Mommy, Daddy, Sage, and Me"

"Grandma Crist is sleeping in the kitchen"

"So are Papa and Issac"

(okay, okay...I staged this one...but seriously, with the little books her and Zac made for the dollhouse, and a potty! I couldn't resist:)

Storytelling

Once upon a time, there was a little boy named Broney. He went to me and he said “Could you leave me at your home with you guys? I said “Yes!” So that’s my boy. Then that little boy went back to his home, when he was done at my home. So he’s not here anymore. So when he goes poopy or pee-pee at my house, he left some bad poop. The boy went to his park that year, it’s his school, but he calls it a park. Then he said to his mother, then his father, “I want to go to my school!” They said, “It’s not a school day!”

Once upon a time there was a little girl named Enzy. She dreamed her name was something else, Inkalamb. A scary monster came and ate her all up, then she got hit by a car.

Once upon a day, yesterday, let me tell you about it…there was a little flower. Enzy was in there. She smelled a bee. Then she lined up the flowers in a line. The End.

Once upon a time there was a little girl named Enzy. Her name was something else that day. The End.

Am I the only mother who wonders what the heck is going on in my child's head?!?!

Directions on Caring for Baby Maggie

I stumbled upon these directions that ZAC, yes, I typed that correctly, ZAC typed up for Sara and Brad the very first time we left Maggie, I believe she was just about a year old. Reading over it made me laugh. It also made me miss my baby girl...ENJOY

Hopefully since you are reading this, you remembered to pick up Maggie and bring her home. She is sorry if she cried on the ride home from school.

Diaper changes

• Maggie has a very bad diaper rash so be very gentle when wiping in and around her butt
• If the diaper was only wet, use the pat method and less wiping
• If the diaper was poopy, use one or two thin washcloths (in diaper basket) with warm water to wipe her clean
• Apply prescription cream to butt (use lots)
• Check diaper frequently
• Maggie will forgive you no matter how sad she looks when you change her

Here is a rough outline of her typical Friday night: Assuming she napped well at school, she can play for about 15 minutes while you prepare her dinner. Tonight we suggest that she have the following:

• 1 Rice Patty (thawed in the fridge): microwave for approximately 20-30 seconds and cut into bite size pieces. We typically will give her about a quarter of the patty at a time.
• ½ cup heated potatoes (small metal tin in the fridge): microwave on a plate for approximately 20-30 seconds. Make sure the potatoes are cooled before serving.
• Cup of water (with ice and straw)
• Purley O’s or Puffs as needed if she is still hungry and asking for more
• 1-2 cookies, 3 at the most but if she asks for a third, don’t be surprised if it ends up in Boston’s mouth instead of hers.

Once Maggie is “all done”, wipe her hands and face and release her to play in the living room with her toys while you prepare her bath (your choice, baby tub in the sink or the bathtub but we highly recommend tub in the sink).

Bathtime

• Her tub is on the top shelf of her closet, towel is on her towel hook next to her closet, washcloths are in the hallway top-right drawer, soap and cup are on the top-right shelf above the kitchen sink.
• Water should be luke-warm (mid 90’s)
• Wash her entire body with her soap (go easy on her butt)
• If she is having fun, we typically let her play for a while in the tub. Sometimes we wash her very quickly because she is not having fun and wants out.
• Apply fresh rash cream on the butt and a clean diaper.
• Pajama time!

Bedtime

• Depending on her temperament, she may want to play for 10-30 minutes before going to bed. Base her bedtime on her attitude.
• If she is starting to get fussy, it may be time for a story in her room.
• If she is full-blown fussy, she can have her bottle and go directly to bed
• She will need a 6 ounce bottle just before you lay her down to go to sleep
• Clean pacifiers are in the flannel basket on the bookshelf in her room. She will need them if she isn’t going to sleep and keeps throwing them out of her crib.

Call/text Zac’s phone if you need anything.

The Gallery

As Maggie and I went through all her artwork she showed me the pieces that she wanted to keep in her gallery, and the ones she didn't want. I suggested we cut the unwanted ones up to make a collage!

Magnolia's chosen pieces covering an entire wall in the basement...beautiful!

Wordless Wednesday

Tradition

Today was a fantastic day. Last night we picked up that special tree, and if that wasn't exciting enough, we spent all morning exploring all our ornaments and picking that perfect spot for them on the tree. Maggie's perfect spot was of course right at the bottom, all clustered together...a new tradition, that little cluster of her favorite ornaments at the bottom of the tree.

As we hung every single apple ornament on the tree I didn't hear Maggie complain once. I remember Hailey, Sara and I finding it so incredibly cumbersome placing every, single, apple on my grandmother's tree. But really, I adore those apples now, and I appreciate that Zac, Maggie, and hopefully River too will appreciate the joy it brings me to add every, single, apple to our tree each year.

We also took a few twigs from our tree to add to a new nature table, changing with the season. This was a big transition for Miss Moo considering that collecting all the beautiful leaves of fall had become one of her favorite activities.

Then, if that wasn't enough excitement, Maggie and I got all fancied up to go see the Nutcracker ballet in Pullman at Beasely Coliseum. I wasn't quite sure how it would go, but she talks enough about ballerinas, I figured why not let her watch a ballet, especially one in which I have so many fond memories of seeing as a child.

When I mentioned to Gramma Amoo that I was thinking of taking Maggie she insisted that she purchase the tickets for us as a gift. No one is a bigger fan of the Nutcracker than my grandmother...she wanted to share this with Magnolia too, and since getting out to see it herself wouldn't be so easy, she wanted to make sure that we enjoyed it. And we did! I almost had to hold back tears as I watched my little girl watch that stage in awe, she couldn't even hold back her applause, and her big beautiful smile!

I can't wait to watch it all over again next year.

We Wish You...

As we approach our winter holiday season we are slowly bringing out the cheer...

It all started with what is quite possibly the most exciting advent calendar from Grandma Crist---an entire holiday scene, Santa included! Maggie rushed down December 1st (didn't even bother to brush her hair obviously) to open that first little box with the #1 on it! It continues to excite her each day, and I appreciate the motivation to get dressed and downstairs ASAP!

The stockings are hung with hopes to be filled (obviously we need one for Roo), the sun is hung in hopes of bringing some light on the darker days....getting excited!!

And next...bringing in the evergreen!