So happy

Megan and Mark always seem to be playing peek-a-boo but during this game, I had to get it on video because she was so excited. Plus I haven't posted a video in awhile. This will make Grandma laugh and now she can watch it whenever she wants to get her mind off of things.

Play Date with the Ringmans

After Megan's doctors appointment, Riley and Brenden came over to play while Angie and I got to catch up on everything. Here are Megan and Brenden playing with the musical buttons. Brenden is 10 days older then Megan and just a little bigger.
Brenden really liked the spinner on this toy.
Riley was very good at sharing the balls with Megan and Megan was very good at wanting to play with everything Riley was playing with. Riley is such a great big sister to Brenden and was very nice to Megan, even when Megan was a little "annoying" Riley also liked walking up our stairs and turning on the lights. At one point she had me walk upstairs with her because she couldn't get Megan bedroom light to turn on even after she flipped the switch. Megan has a dimmer so after showing Riley how that worked, Riley turned the light on, then turned it off using the dimmer switch and walked downstairs. She was very cute!
As Angie has pointed out before, Riley didn't want her picture taken so I had to sneak pictures. That is way no one is really looking at the camera. Riley and Brenden liked the porch swing, even though it isn't exactly child friendly (at least not child friendly to get on)
After seeing all of the kids playing with the stacking balls at Wes and Michele's house, I had to go a get some for Megan. As you can see Brenden and Riley loved them too and I believe Angie left my house and straight to the store to buy them for her house. As soon as Brenden was on the porch he did the same thing Megan did, started collecting maple leaf twirlies. Then they both started eating them.
Next Brenden wanted to try some yummy mulch!Look at those blue eyes!
One more picture of Brenden and Megan playing together. If we were smart we would have posed them for one picture but we didn't so that will have to wait until the next time we see them. Granted they will be walking by then, but maybe by then Riley will give us permission to take her picture. But even without a group picture, we all had fun playing together all afternoon.

9 Month Check-up

Today's appointment was very uneventful, and by uneventful I mean Megan screamed the whole time Dr. Hunter was examining her and of course during her shots. She had 2 shots today poor thing. I bet all of you are wondering how big she is or isn't in her case.

She is:
27 inches long 25th percentile
17 inch for head size 25th percentile
and 15 lbs 12 oz for weight 10th percentile.

Yes, that right she gained 10 ounces in 3 months! Dr. Hunter isn't concerned because she eats everything we put in front of her. She said that Megan is just burning more calories that is why she hasn't gained much weight. So at this rate, Megan will be 2 years old before she can sit in a front facing car seat (you have to be a year old AND 20 pounds to sit facing forward)

Super Tuesday

As I was thinking about all of the things that I have to do on Tuesday, I realized that this is going to be a big day.

1. Megan has her 9 month well baby appointment. My guess for her weight is 16 lbs 4 oz and length 28 1/4 inches. I don't know if she has shots, but I assume so because what would be a doctor's appointment be without shots!?!
2. Then Megan will get to meet Riley and Brenden Ringman. Brenden is 10 days older then Megan and I haven't seen Angie (their mom) in a long time so it will be a fun afternoon of watching kids play.
3. Mark and I took a major step and put a bid on a house (see here) and we should hear back from our Realtor by 6:00. I'm guessing that we will hear what the counter bid is, but it will be good to finally hear something.
4. And most importantly, we will hear what Grandma's doctor has to say (cross your fingers for good news)

So there are a lot of things going on Tuesday, I'll keep everyone informed on how things go and take pictures along the way. Oh and the picture above was taken about a month ago and I needed a new picture for this post. I just love seeing Megan take a nap in Mark's arms, so naturally I took a picture!

Moving to the BIG Tub!

Megan is really starting to love bath time. I know that when I start to run the bath water Megan will soon be crawling into the bathroom to play with the water. As you can see from the "butt shot" she wants in the tub.
This is officially the last time she was in the "baby" tub. She didn't mind the little tub and I liked it because she was a little higher when I washed her. But she started standing up and that was the end of the little tub.
I don't even think she noticed the transition into the big tub. She just wanted to play. She did have fun crawling from end to end after her ducks. Plus it was nice that once the actual cleaning part was done, I could sit and just let her play. But I now know that I have to have the water a little warmer then before because our old and very cold tub, cools the water down quickly!

And I know it looks like she doesn't have any bath toys but she does. I don't want to have to worry about bath toys while we are selling our house so the second we move she will have one heck of a "pool" party with all of her toys. Plus we have a cool frog to keep them in, but he is still in his box waiting to move to a new house (some day)

Why won't her clothes fit???

Okay so we have been having a lot of issues with Megan's clothes staying on. A while ago she got too long to wear 0-3 month sleepers so we moved up to the 3-6 month sleepers and of course those were all huge. She had so much room that she could tuck her legs in the "body" of the sleepers and kick through the buttons on the legs. So we moved to sleepers with zippers, then her feet would get stuck in the "body" and she couldn't move. After mentioning my dilemma with non-slip feet, we bought sleepers from Children's Place. She doesn't slip, but she can still scrunch her legs up and just stretches the legs out so the feet never stay on her feet (even with the elastic) Now as you can she from the picture, she has figured out how to get her arm out. I think what happened is that her legs got stuck in the "body" and that pulled the neck hole down allowing her arm to get out.
As you can see it doesn't slow her down at all, but seriously she can wiggle out of a 3-6 month sleeper and she's 9 months old! If we didn't have cold wood floors she would be in just a diaper 24/7. Don't get me wrong I love having a little peanut but I never would have thought that her baby clothes would be so big, they seemed so tiny before she was born. So at this rate, you might see a whole series of blog posts on how Megan manages to wiggle out of her clothes.

We Finished!!!

Here are just a couple cute pictures from after we finished the 5K. Megan hung out with all of the men and other kids while the women were "running" She was doing her trademark tongue thing so we posed for a picture together. She is so cute I can't stand it!
Cute Harrington family photo alert! We were all gathered at the finished waiting for the rest of the "melee" to finish so there was a large group of us all wearing the same t-shirt. So needless to say people looked at our group as they walked by. I heard one women say to her friend, "Oh look at that cute baby, oh look there's another one, and another!" Yep, she's right this group was filled with cute babies/kids. It was fun.

"For Women Only 5K"

Here is the group of Michele's friends and family that came out to "run" the 5K with her. We had a lot of fun even though it was kind of early and kind of cold. It is always good to see how people can come together to support each other during tough times.

To Michele and Wes,

Both of you have been so strong and positive through all of this. Mark and I feel lucky to be your friends because you are an inspiration to us. You guys push through the tough times with love and laughter. We can't wait to have a huge celebration once Michele has kicked cancer's butt! Rock-n-roll!

As part of a fund raiser and to show the group support, Wes and Michele had t-shirts made. I don't know how many people had t-shirts but there was a bunch of us all dressed alike, even babies!
Ok here is proof that I ran (if only part of the race) I mean I ran the whole thing! I will be the first to admit I am not a runner, I sat down in the middle of a soccer field during YMCA soccer as a kid because I said it was too much running. My high school softball coach would make fun of me when I ran the bases because I ran funny (And I was the team captain getting yelled at) But I couldn't say "no" when asked if I would run. I would do anything asked of me to support Michele during her battle with breast cancer.
Great job Michele! We ran the first portion and we ran the last portion on the race (because we knew there would be cameras around) Our mission next year is to run the whole thing. The is just the motivation I need to start working out! And you are all my witnesses to make a huge effort so I can run the whole thing next year.
I have to mention this group of girls. They are all part of a group called "Girls on the Run" that teaches them self-esteem through fitness. There was a huge group, at least 150, that all had purple shirts on. It was fun watch them on the course, they would be walking then sprint then walk again. It reminded my of running the mile in middle school. Some of them got side tracked and played on juggle gyms, but all of them finished!

Pre- "For Women Only 5K"

This weekend was the "For Women Only 5K" run/walk. A group of us joined Michele Harrington for this because she wanted to continue with this run/walk even though she is in treatment for breast cancer. So naturally when the invitation was extended to join her, a lot of us said "yes" instantly. (more on the run/walk in later posts)

The 5K was on Sunday so Mark, Megan and I headed to Ann Arbor Saturday night and had dinner with Wes and Michele and other friends. It was so fun we walked in and saw 3 other babies/toddlers to play with. Above is a picture of Max (10 months old) and Megan. Max is Wes and Michele's nephew. They loved playing with that basket and pulling out all of the toys inside.

Here is Megan playing with Zoey (13 months) She is the daughter of Michele's best friend, Jenn from Texas. All of the kids had fun chewing on the same toys and trying to steal pacifiers. Alex (Wes and Michele's daughter) was also there watching everyone play. It was fun seeing/meeting everyone before the big 5K.

9 Months Old Today!!!

As you can see from her expression, Megan was extremely happy while I was taking her picture. This was the first time during any of her "month" pictures that Megan thought it was hilarious to flip over and crawl away while I was trying to get a picture. We had fun, and Baron joined in the fun too!

I don't know if I can even remember everything Megan has done in the last month. She has learned so many things. Here are the new things that I can remember:

• She has finally set her sleep clock on a definite schedule, during the day and at night.
• She can grab puffed cereal with her fingers and place them in her mouth.
• She can climb stairs (only once all the way to the top)
• She will eat anything I feed her (right now she is slowly trying meats)
• She loves crawling from window to window to watch things.
• She hates going in her car seat, but settles down quickly.

I only got one picture from this angle because she wanted to look out the window. She is so cute I can't stand it. Mark and I are still amazed at how wonderful Megan is and how much we love her. She is such a "people person" that she loves going places and meeting new people. She has loved all of the fun trips and experiences we have done so far and we have lots of things planned for the summer so she will get her fill. I love that she just takes in all of her surroundings, it is fun to watch. Can't wait to see what happens next.

Eight Month Photo

One Month Photo

Mother's Day

On Mother's Day we were in Grand Rapids and had brunch before we left the hotel. Tim and Ann joined us because we still wanted to visit with them. In this picture Megan is enjoying a delicious paper airplane Tim made.
Another picture with Tim and Ann. Megan had fun at brunch, she officially began the never ending game of dropping her toys so we could pick them up so she could drop them again. Maybe Mark and I don't have patients but after the 3rd drop her toys stayed on the floor. She found something else to occupy her time, so everything was good.
Pictured here are the huge bunch of flowers from the Harrington family. I was excited because they gave me a reason to buy a really cool shepherd's hook that I saw (yeah I know shepherd's hooks aren't cool but it was a pretty one) By the time I got to the store they were sold out, because of Mother's Day I'm guessing. Anyways, the flowers are beautiful, thank you.

Pass the Baby!

Daddy's Girl

This weekend everyone wanted to hold Megan. Naturally, Grandma and Grandpa wanted to hold her, but when all of our family friends are in one room she was passed a lot. By the end of the night Megan had lots of new friends and they all thought she was a well behaved baby.

Megan and Grandpa

Megan is into feeling everything with her cute little fingers, so of course Grandpa's mustache is the first thing she examines every time he holds her. She just woke up from a nap (during dinner) so she was extra cuddly with Grandpa.

Tim and Megan

Okay so not the best picture of either Tim or Megan but you get the idea. This was at the church before the wedding. Megan wanted to destroy Tim's boutonniere but since he needed to sing in the wedding we had to stop her. But she liked Tim anyways, how could you not he is just so funny, Sweet Buddy!

Megan and Ann (and a yummy necklace)

Megan was trying so hard to eat Ann's necklace but her forehead kept getting stick on Ann's chin. So just picture Megan's mouth wide open but stick 2 inches away from the necklace, straining to get it in her mouth. Very funny. Ann is married to Tim and they are the funniest people you will meet, it was great to see them again.

Wonderful Weekend Wedding

This weekend we got to go the a beautiful wedding in Grand Rapids. The weather was perfect for a wedding. We timed our trip to coordinate with Megan's nap time so she would be refreshed to party and celebrate. She slept the whole 2 + hours we had to drive, longer then I thought. We got to the hotel with enough time to change and let Megan crawl around for about an hour. I wanted her to be free and crawl as much as possible because I knew she was going to be held a lot at the wedding/reception.
Goofy girl! After her long nap, Megan was so happy. She was all giggles at the church and didn't make a peep during the ceremony. She just sat and watched everything. She almost feel asleep at the church but then she fought it off to people watch. She finally succumbed to sleep during dinner. But then was up until 11:00 because there was too much to see and once we were back in our room she was so happy to get her dress off that she giggled for another 30 minutes before falling asleep. Oh and for the record, she hated wearing her ruffly outfit. The second I put it on her she pulled at the dress like "what the heck is this thing I'm wearing?"
Doesn't Katie look beautiful! Everything about the wedding was perfect, which for those of you who know Katie, isn't surprising. For those of you who don't know Katie she is sweet, funny, smart and just a good person. And she married a man exactly like her, Lance Richards. So not only was the wedding perfect but the couple is too, she's a lawyer and he's a doctor! We are so happy for you Katie and Lance, we wish you the best!

Happy Mother's Day

I have reverted back to elementary school with this fun Mother's Day poem dedicated to all of the great mothers, mommies, moms that I know. Enjoy, and happy Mother's Day to all.



M is for making it through all of the stressful moments.

O is for the one on one time with your child.

T is for timing everything around nap time.

H is for the many hours of entertainment babies bring to you.

E is for the excitement you feel when your child does something new.

R is for remembering to relax and enjoy everything.

S is for sharing stories with friends and family.



D is for countless diapers changes with a wiggly baby.

A is for allowing yourself to take a break.

Y is for writing this with a sleeping child on my lap (too tired to think of anything that starts with "y")

Baby Proofing

Megan loves the windows in our house because they are just the right height for her to pull herself up and look out the window. She will crawl from one window to the next and then back to the first window. She loves "pounding" on the glass and watching the cars go by. As you can see by the picture she also loves playing with the cord to the shade. So now the first thing I do ever morning is put the shades up and tie up the cord. And of course we use every shade in our house every day, so I can't buy a cord tie because I would have to take it off everyday. Plus, I don't want to put ugly ties on all of the windows since we are trying to sell our house. But the cords are up and Megan is safe, so everything is okay.

Another baby proofing issue we sort of have to think about is our stairs. Yes, that's right our tiny 8 month old climbed all the way to the top of our stairs on Sunday (Mark was right behind her the whole way) She normally doesn't pay any attention to the stairs but I was at the top of the stairs and she was on a mission! And for those of you who have been to our house knows that our stairs are not child friendly! Steep and narrow. The stairs, for me, are probably the biggest reason that we need a new house. So I am very proud that Megan can climb stairs but not ready for the world of baby gates.

How Does She Do That!?!

You might have to watch this video twice to catch what Megan does but it's funny and odd at the same. Lately, when Megan laughs or smiles she will stick her tongue out but with a twist, literally! When she sticks her tongue out it looks like it bends 90 degrees at the end. It's funny. Of course we then stick our tongue out and the whole things repeats itself. You've got to love free entertainment.

Beautiful Weekend

Sunday was a beautiful day and we were lucky enough to spend it at the lake with Grandma and Papa. Mark wasn't as lucky. Megan and I played in the sun while Mark and Papa put the boat dock in the water. Megan loved watching the boats go by on the water, just like she loves watching the cars go by at home.
So far Megan isn't sure about grass, at least at our house. At the lake she didn't seem to mind the grass. She was very cute, she would crawl to the edge of the blanket and grab and handful of grass. But when she opened her hand to look at the grass it was gone. The blades of grass would just slip through her fingers, but she thought it would still be in her hand. She keep doing it over and over it again, it was very cute.

Papa's "Helper"?

Grandma and Papa Schutte are home from Florida for the summer and we spent Sunday afternoon at their house to visit. Papa has a huge flag pole next to the lake and has different flags to raise depending on who is at his house. He has the Swedish flag up when Jesper visits and the Canadian flag up when The Coynes and/or The O'Briens come to visit.

Papa bought a new set of nautical flags and now has to figure out what he wants to spell, but there is only one of every letter so it makes it tough to think of something.

Megan wants to use the letter "F" at least that was the flag she grabbed after she saw all the colors. After thinking about what to spell with the flags the only we came up with was "MUSTANG" only because Papa now has 2 Mustangs, one for Florida and one for Michigan.

We are still working on what flag should represent our family. Somehow I think it might look funny if Papa hangs a "Adrian Maples" flag next to a Swedish and Canadian flag.