April 2007

April has gone by quickly! So much going on. We had a quiet Easter. It snowed the Saturday before so it was a little cold to do anything outside (it was very pretty though!). We did some shopping and got to listen to a reading at Barnes and Noble of "If you give a mouse a cookie." Maggie wasn't sure what to think of the mouse, but kept saying she wanted to say hi.

We still have to take her 18 month pictures, even though she's almost 19 months old now. She had her first dental visit this month. She didn't like it very much, but the student dentist (we went to the dental school) said she has very healthy teeth. She likes to brush her teeth. She talks so much. She is starting to get frustrated when she can't do something or we don't understand her. She is starting to count -- and can count to 6, though she usually forgets 1. She also loves to sing a long with Elmo or the ABC song.

Maggie and Rocky have gotten a lot of Dadda/Daughter time this month. I've had some extra time at work for events and even made a 3 day trip to Billings Montana on an interview for a recruiter position for the Billings Clinic. I liked them and they liked me, so we are moving to Billings this summer!! We are very excited to move back west and be within a day’s drive of family. I'm happy I found a position that is similar to my current position. Rocky is looking for jobs, but is also looking forward to the possibility to staying home with Maggie for a while. Though, we do want to find something for Maggie at least part time so she can continue to get interaction with other kids.

March 2007

Happy St. Patrick's Day! It has been a fairly uneventful March. We enjoyed a short trip to Hershey and Wilkes Barre, Pa. Our trip to Hershey was the first time Rocky and I have taken a trip that didn't involve visiting anyone or one of us working or attending a conference! We did end the trip with a quick visit to Rocky's sister Shelly and family. Maggie liked all the attention on the vacation, even if most of the people in Hershey thought she was a little boy. She loved running up and down the halls, eating all the chocolate and seeing the sights. Every time we saw a cow she would tell us they can Moo. She can tell you what sounds many animals make and will try to repeat almost everything we say. Very recently "No" and "My" seem to have become favorite words. She is really loving any kind of animal and was very excited to meet Aunt Shelly's cat Butters. She chased Butters around, but only wanted to look at his face.

The big excitement in Richmond was VCU's men's basketball team making it into the NCAA tournament. They made it to the 2nd round, but lost in overtime to Pitt.

February 2007

Maggie continues to grow and amaze us by what she can do. She seems to have entered the Monkey phase. She loves to climb. She loves to put diapers on her babies. She loves her puppies and will give them lots of hugs. Maggie seems to really love being in Junior Toddlers. We hang out for a few minutes before dropping her off and she always has to show us something. She really loves playing in their little kitchen -- cooking and cleaning! She doesn't cry very often when we drop her off. If Lucy is there, they will sit and have Cheerio's together or will go play. We have our first parent conference tomorrow, but I have no concerns about how she's doing. Maggie will bite on occasion, but it doesn't seem to be a problem - yet. Maggie is talking more and we are really starting to understand her. Cousin Zac visited again this past weekend. After he explained one of his theories, Maggie said "You're smart." Not sure if she intended to put aleck on the end of that or not.

Maggie and I have spent our last couple of flex days playing at the mall. Maggie has no problem warming up to new kids, though she also likes playing alone. We went to church last Sunday and she seemed to have a great time, and now that football season is over, we may start going more often and going to the later service. Rocky and I are still just plugging away at work and not much interesting to say. We are hoping to take a short trip over spring break. We had hoped to be able to afford a real Spring Break - WOO HOO trip, but airline prices seem to be jumping up a lot!

We do ask for your prayers for my Uncle Ed and Aunt Jeanne who are suffering illness. Rocky's mom is doing very well and hasn't seen any illness in quite some time. She and Mike are officially retired and are hoping to come visit this May.

Happy New Year 2007

2007. Wow. 2006 went by very fast. It was amazing to watch Maggie grow through the past year. I look back at her newborn pictures and just marvel. She is walking all over and talks a mile a minute. We're not always certain what she is saying, but she is getting good at sign language and can almost always make herself understood. A week from Monday she moves up to Junior Toddlers. She gets to move up with her best friend Lucy. She and Lucy are so cute together. When they see each other in the morning, they squeal with delight, do their secret handshake and catch up on the latest gossip. Sometimes, they let Hayden play with them. We are hoping that when Hayden moves up, he'll get in the same room as well. The more familiar faces that are there, the easier the drop off will be in the mornings. Maggie has started blowing kisses and even gave her Daddy a big kiss last night before bed. Rocky starts classes again on Tuesday. And I endured my second root canal -- though this one wasn't as bad as the first, probably because I requested the nitrous oxide. I was feeling really good after that!!