Easter in the 'Burgh!

Rockin' out!

Don't I look fabulous darling!?!?

Margaret loves Auntie Jenn...I think I'm gonnna have to watch out for when these two are together!

Easter Dress #2!

A very serious conversation...

Cute!

Flashbacks to Christmas!

Diligently reading her Easter cards from Nonnie and Pop Pop

..."Mom, what do you want me to do?"...

Easter Dress #1...amazingly cute!

We were lucky enough to take Margaret to NY for Easter. Thank goodness everything worked out really well and we had a great time. I think Nannie and Pop Pop were a bit worn out on Tuesday though....

Crazy Mama

So sometimes I get these things in my head and I just HAVE to do them. Take Wednesday for example. It was 85 degrees here and I really wanted to pull out the baby pool I bought for Margaret. So, here it is 85 outside, she just went down for a nap, and I pull out the pool to get it ready for when she wakes up. I realize I don't have the right pump to blow it up so I start to manually do it. Okay, there are four chambers I need to blow up. After the second chamber, I realize this is getting ridiculous as my lips and cheeks are getting tingly... I have about six loads of laundry to fold, appointments to make, dishes to be done, etc etc etc and I am blowing this thing up like a jackass. Well, it got done and then I realized I didn't have any swimmy diapers. Son of a &^$#@! Then I have to get a bucket and fill it up two times....as this point I'm realizing it was just not really worth it. But, I just HAD to. But, I will say that Margaret LOVED it. She was in there for a half hour hanging out! Thanks Auntie Kris for the bathing suit!

Some Recent Shots

I think she's starting to understand the camera-and loving it!

Happy girl...as usual!

I love the serious concentration...

Something tells me I am going to have to get used to this look she is giving me...

I feel like I keep saying it but it feels like she is such a little girl already...but at 8 months shouldn't she still be a baby?? Already she is squirmy to get out of my arms (NOOOOO!!!) and wants to be doing things on her own. She is quite the scooter on the floor-let's just say she is doing something we like to call an army crawl. It's pretty hysterical. She is also cruising across the couch, cabinets, really anything she can stand up against. She is constantly pulling herself up onto chairs, toys, her crib, etc. We feel that we've gained a little independence but if we turn around for a second she's across the living room, so I think our "independence" is gone already! She's got such a great personality...pretty happy kiddo who loves to be surprised...Or turned upside down or anything that provides her with little thrill....like "Trot, Trot To Boston". This week she has "mastered" waving hello or goodbye and a little bit of clapping! She still is a little peanut. She is only 14.6 lbs (that means she JUST doubled her birth weight) and she is in the 3rd percentile. For her height, she's actually in the 7th percentile....gotta love those genes. For those that don't care about percentiles...sorry! Enjoy her silly faces.

Big Stuff 'Round Here!

Big doings at the Fleenor household...So, my last post was about funny things Margaret is doing...well this one is about all the big things she is doing-suddenly!

On Sat (3/5) Kevin called to tell me that Margaret pulled herself up in her crib! Of course, when I came home work that's the first thing I had her do. Sure enough...like she has always known how to do it, pulled herself right up with sh*t eatin' grin on her face..standing up in the crib! Yes, we moved the mattress down that night! That same night we put her on her belly expecting her normal fussing. Oh no, not this time. She was lifting up her belly and SOOOO close to actually crawling. She is so close to crawling and walking. How does this happen so suddenly??

One more story. Last night, as the sun was going down, I decided to take her out on the deck for a few minutes. As soon as I opened the slider she became ridiculously excited like she couldn't wait to get outside. This morning, we were "walking" around and she headed right to the slider and sat down in front of it. Knowing she likes to stand ALL THE TIME, I stood her back up. Nope! She sat down and just looked out the slider, hands against the window, and screeching with excitement for about ten minutes all by herself!

Where the Pets Go...

I had to get something at Petco today so I took Margaret there for the first time. She was so funny. She was soooo curious and could not keep focused...she was looking EVERYWHERE! We looked at the fish, the birds, mice and hamsters. She liked a big canary the best. When we were looking at him, she looked at me like, "is it okay to like this thing" for approval first and I smiled at her and she got so excited, looked back the bird with a big smile on her face and dove for the cage!

She is turning into a little girl and it's so weird... we are having a ton of fun with her.

Funny things she is doing:
1. Shaking her head back and forth and thinking it's the funniest thing. She will do this while eating, playing, or just to be silly. She'll then mimic Kevin and I when we do it too.
2. Just hang out in her crib and babble after a nap or in the morning.
3. She will change the same two binkies in her crib like seventeen times when she goes down to sleep. We keep two in there for her naps and she will roll over back and forth to find just the right one...in and out, in and out, etc.
4. She loves to be silly and adventurous, Kevin and I will be "rough" with her (ie, hang her upside down or bend her head over while on our laps and she just laughs like crazy.
5. Every time she sneezes, she'll look at us after and smile...she loves to sneeze!

Just a snip-it of the little girl Margaret is becoming!

No Autographs, Please

I am having a pretty proud "mom" moment! I think I just might be gushing!
We took Margaret for her six month pictures today and it was so much fun! Margaret was so good and was loving the camera and the photographer. I was so proud of her for doing so well and it was so nice how the photographer was also gushing over her every smile. She kept saying (which I am sure she says every time) "this is the perfect session" and "when you have sessions like this, it makes it all worth it" or "she is the best baby ever"!
At the end of the session, the photographer told us she wants Margaret to be one of the models they have on the website, pamphlets, or studio! How cool is that!?! So, we signed her up for it, of course! That was so neat! My little model baby! HA!

Massages

I love massages. I don't know what I love more...my slippers or my massage I had today. Tough call. Massages should be a semi annual event and covered by insurance for the therapeutic affect it gives. Just wanted to pass it on... it was so enjoyable.

Slippers

I love my new slippers. No, I mean I really, really love them. I love them so much I had to dedicate a whole post to them. I have been looking for a good, comfy, warm pair of slippers for years and I finally found them (at REI)!

We (heart) Vacation

And so it begins...

Her new favorite toy. My theory is to get her walking ASAP because this girl is just not going to crawl...and my back cannot take much more bending over!

Extremely happy...

Yes, keeping her hand away from the flame...

Getting the cake ready!

A much needed updated shot! Margaret had a great time playing with Uncle Porter's glasses.

Ahhh, the best birthday kiss ever!

Pretty, pretty stuff!

Margaret's first covered bridge, eh, asleep.

Cheese shop #1.

So proud and so, so full.

Yummmmy...maple syrup kisses!

I'm smiling because my pancakes are about to arrive. I think Margaret is scared....

Kevin and I kicked off our annual February vacation by having a pre-birthday celebration at the Morrison's. We watched the three crazy kids being monkeys while we had Chinese food courtesy of Beijing House! Gosh, I love my birthday!

We headed out the next morning to see Heather and James in VT! It was our first official trip since me being back at work ...(I'm not going to count our 'disastrous' trip to Michelle's) and Margaret was sooo good. It gave us some confidence to plan another trip-SOON! We kept it pretty low key and just enjoyed being away from the hustle and bustle. Here are some highlights... Harpoon Brewery in Windsor, VT...delicious beer... apparently, even the one brewed with oysters that Kevin had. Margaret was of course a big hit and got lots of attention there. On Sunday, the boys went skiing at Okemo and the gals went for a nice drive through some pretty NH and VT towns while stopping to get CHEESE at a couple cheese shops ( http://www.boggymeadowfarm.com and http://www.graftonvillagecheese.com ). Oh, I almost forgot the PANCAKES. Man, that place is so good. Heather, what happens in the Pancake House stays in the Pancake House, right?! Sunday night led to a taco night and a few "skinny margaritas" (thanks, Keri!)...bed time followed shortly after that! Monday, of course, was my birthday and we headed out pretty early from Heather's. We took our time and stopped for coffee (fricken' awesome!) in Keene, and then got lunch and took a nice walk in Peterborough. It was a great day that ended with mac'n'cheese from the Fat Cat and red velvet birthday cake.
Once again, I LOVE MY BIRTHDAY! More vaca updates this week...

I'm Baaaack...

Work + Baby + No Sleep = No Time for Blog

Ha...I like these little equations. It's about the only math I can actually do.
I am going to do my best to catch you up on all things Fleenor. It's been a busy, exciting but trying four months. I hope you enjoy how much Margaret has grown and all of our fun things we've been up to. There's alot of firsts happening and it's just really fun and amazing to watch her grow.
Margaret is now 6.5 months old and doing fantastic. She's mastered solid food, sitting up, rolling over, and walking by being held...I think this little girl will go straight to walking! She's sorta saying "kitty" and "dadda"...but no momma! We find Margaret to be a bit moody but overall a very happy kiddo. She's becoming more and more silly and VERY curious about everything. She's one smiley kid.

Valentine's

No problems, here!

For Valentine's Margaret got her very own placemat that she will have for many years, a book about kisses and some new bowls. Nanni and Pop Pop got her a nice outfit and a sippy cup!

I'm so smiley...most of the time!

Goofin' Around the House

Thank you to Patricia for this awesome hat that she made. Here is Margaret showing off her good looks!

All sorts of randoms...

Hi Momma!

So big and love looking outside!

Tubby time.

Grampy taking a turn.

My first REAL food...PEAS! Loved it!

Out for a walk...enjoying the view.

One of her best buddies, Alex!

Check out those chubba's...

My first solid...rice cereal. Loved it!