Bicycle Cheesecake

We had fun celebrating Josh's 29th birthday yesterday! When he came home I surprised him and the girls were wearing new t-shirts that I had bought them for next triathlon season. Maryn's says "Future Triathlete" and Makenna's says "My Daddy Trains Harder Than Your Daddy." Josh got a huge kick out of that! We let him pick whatever he wanted for dinner and he choose steak, twice baked potatoes, fresh broccoli and Texas toast on the grill. The girls and I opted for brats :) Then he opened some presents (which Maryn had already opened for him once that day - see picture below) and we had to get out the bicycle cheesecake and sing "Happy Birthday. Every year Josh asks for a cheesecake on his birthday because that is his all-time favorite dessert. Well Makenna was okay with that but just thought that Daddy should have a bicycle on his cake (don't all birthday cakes have decorations on them?!) I looked for a bicycle figurine at the store without any luck so we had to improvise at the last minute (to keep Makenna happy). We printed off a picture of the bike Josh can't wait to get and displayed it on his cheesecake. Makenna thought it was so cool :) I think Josh did too!

I heard some ripping noises coming from the next room and this is where I found Maryn unwrapping her Daddy's birthday presents...



The bicycle cheesecake that Makenna was so proud of!



Maryn has had a rough few days. She is getting (from what I can tell) three teeth in at the same time, a few of those being her 1 year molars. She has been absolutely miserable. Tylenol doesn't even seem to help. Yesterday she would just start screaming for no reason, insist on being held all the time, jam her hand into her mouth as hard as she could and sometimes accidentally bite her fingers from gnawing on everything. She would even purposefully crawl over to the tile or wood floors (where it was cooler) and place her cheek or mouth on it to make it feel better. I've tried everything, but I think it's unfortunately just one of those things she's going to have to go through. And she'll have lots of teeth to show for it when it's all said and done :) "

It's A Duckie!

Last night Josh had to stay in Dubuque for work so it was just me and the girls for the evening. Since I was on my own, I had to try and figure out a way to squeeze in a workout without someone to watch the girls. As I was going upstairs to put Maryn to bed I asked Makenna if she wanted to do TaeBo with me after I put Maryn to bed. Well apparently she was so excited about TaeBo because ALL of the toys in the living room were picked up when I came back downstairs :) She had to make sure that we had enough room to TaeBo!

Well we're TaeBo-ing our little hearts out and she is loving every second of it (and she is actually pretty good) when all of a sudden she says to me "Last time I did this was when I was at the hospital with a baby in my tummy last year." I was like "What?!" She repeated it once again and said "Yeah when I was at the hospital when duckie was in my tummy and duckie was born." I was baffled and not quite sure where all this was coming from (trust me, I asked her to repeat what she said probably a half dozen times because I wasn't sure I was hearing it right). Then she went into all about how she's duckie's mommy and she feeds him and makes him take a nap and that he's a good little duckie :) Then all of a sudden it hit me... the very last time I did TaeBo (with Makenna) was only a few weeks right after Maryn was born. Since then I have pretty much only been going to the gym or running or biking outside for exercise. So when I mentioned TaeBo tonight apparently she was remembering us TaeBo-ing right after Maryn was born and thus transferred that entire experience to herself and duckie being born :) Don't you love the way little kids' minds work?!

Puzzles

Makenna's latest accomplishment....



Makenna has just recently been able to do these puzzles all by herself and she is so proud! With each piece she puts in she shouts "Mommy look what I did?!" Honestly the only help I give her is if she gets stuck I'll say something like "That looks like Elmo's fur there, do you have another piece with Elmo's fur?" And she takes it from there! She was so proud of herself for doing all three of these puzzles today that I just had to share!

Another First...

Another first at our house... only this one isn't so great and doesn't make me very proud. Makenna said her first naughty word :( And I'm even less thrilled to tell you that it's most likely my fault :(

How it all started... Sunday I had an unfortunate incident while I was out on a long bike ride that resulted in the entire right side of my body being bruised and banged up and a sprained wrist. No one wants the details, it's nothing glamorous, trust me. Anyway, after I hobbled myself into the house and held ice on my aching hand for awhile I attempted to go take a shower. Well trying to undue the cap on the soap bottle and pour it with only one functioning hand wasn't working out so well for me and I dropped the bottle right on my toe. Way to add to the pain I was already experiencing. Unfortunately a "S#&*" slipped out of my mouth and all of a sudden I hear a little voice say "Mommy are you okay?" Makenna had slipped into the bathroom while I was showering and I didn't even realize she was in the there. So I apologized to her for mommy saying a bad word and told her we shouldn't say that.

Well then the very next morning she comes walking into my bathroom and says "S#&*". I said "What did you say?" She knew that she wasn't suppose to say it and she went sprinting for our bed and buried her head under our covers all the while saying "Nothing Mommy, I said nothing!" I went over to her (well knowing where she had heard it) and asked her where she had heard it from. Without pause she says "Sesame Street." I did everything I could to keep a straight face. I guess Sesame Street added some new items to their curriculum this fall ;) Anyway, we had a nice long talk about how we're not suppose to say that word and that mommy shouldn't have said it and she was sorry, etc. We haven't heard it again, so hopefully she's forgotten about it by now.

Maryn is definitely making progress in her walking. When do you officially say that a kid is walking anyway? 1 step? 5 steps? 10 steps? This weekend she started taking 3 - 4 steps in a row and has done it consistently now for a few days. I actually think we might have been inhibiting her all along because she doesn't like to start walking from hanging on to an object. She would rather stand up on her own without holding on to something and then walk. It seems a little more difficult to do it that way, but apparently that's what she prefers. She seems to have more stability and balance that way. Go figure. I'll keep you posted :)

Coolest Person In The World

Tuesday when I was picking up Makenna from preschool, Hanna's mom came up to me and said "Do you know that Makenna is the coolest person in the world?!" I didn't quite know how to respond so I said "Really?!" And she said "Yes at least that's what Hannah tells me!" I was glowing! As a mom I always worry about my kids making friends and being liked by others and this made me realize that she is apparently the same sweet, kind, charming kid at school that she is at home. What a relief :) That same afternoon Makenna also told me that Hanna is her new best friend so I think the two of them have really hit it off!

Makenna is saying/doing some of the funniest things lately...

Every once in awhile when she is trying to dress herself she will get frustrated if her underwear or pants are inside out. She will always ask me "Mommy can you turn these inside outside." :)

For some reason, Makenna uses the term hand-me-downs at all the wrong times and apparently doesn't know what it means. It will just all of a sudden pop up in a random conversation. Example "Mommy we need to get home because the hand-me-downs are coming."

Whenever Makenna is drinking something and starts to cough she will say "I think I have something stuck in my pipes!" Now duckie regularly gets food stuck in his pipes too ;)

We always tell Makenna to smile big when we are taking her picture. She will usually oblige and then if we ask her a second time she will put her fingers in her mouth, point to her teeth and through clenched teeth declare "I am smiling!"

We have been trying to teach Makenna about telling the truth and lying. It's an intangible concept so it's rather hard to explain to a 3 year old. This all came about because we would ask her if she washed her hands before dinner or after going to the bathroom and she would say "yes" when we knew she really hadn't. Well we've been going over this repeatedly with her lately about how it's not good to lie, but now she thinks that the word "lie" is a naughty word. Anytime we tell her not to lie she immediately tells us "Don't say that mommy, it's a naughty word!" Luckily they had a lesson all about the truth and lying at church on Wednesday night and for some reason that stuck with her better than all the times we have talked to her about it. Go figure. At least she learned it somewhere.

Proof

If anyone ever had any doubts (ha ha) that Maryn is my child, here is all the proof you need....





My mom and dad claim that this was my favorite activity at Maryn's age too and they have many pictures to prove it :)

Maryn and Makenna were playing quietly in the computer room one evening last week as Josh and I were getting dinner ready. We'd go in and peak on them every once in awhile and all of a sudden I hear Josh say "Where's Maryn?" Someone inadvertantly left the bathroom door open and gave MarBear her prime opportunity to accomplish what she tries to do nearly every day! She succeeded in emptying the entire roll of toilet paper and sat there contently playing with the toilet paper for nearly a half hour.

Pretty Ballerina

Makenna started ballet today! She was so excited (as was I)!!! She has been talking about being a ballerina for sooooo long. Whenever we check out ballerina books from the library those are the books that we have to read over and over and over again :) Not to mention that she would wear her ballerina pajamas every night if we let her! So I bought her the whole get-up - pink leotard with skirt, pink tights and shoes. She looked SO adorable! I couldn't wipe the smile off my face the entire time she was in that outfit! We showed up to class and she immediately made friends with another little girl whose Mom happened to park next to me. They both jumped out of their vans and Makenna and her new little friend Lauren immediately bonded over the fact that they were both wearing the same thing (as was every little girl in the class ;) Makenna seemed to really like ballet but didn't have much to tell me about other than the sticker on her shoe (so she knew which toe to point). We'll see if I can get more out of her next week.

My pretty ballerina...



Showing off her moves...





My exhausted ballerina...

I've Got A Tail!

As are most 3 year olds, Makenna is fascinated by her independence in going to the bathroom by herself. She loves playing with the toilet paper, kleenexes and water and almost always makes a mess of the bathroom after she's been in there. Well the other day she comes strutting out of the bathroom, no pants or underwear on, and says "Look Mommy! I've got a tail!" Yep, she has a long string of toilet paper stuck in her bottom and it's flowing right along behind her on the ground. She was so incredibly proud of herself. Of course she had to repeat the tail episode again a few days later because she thought she was so funny (probably also because I made the mistake of laughing at her when she walked out with the tail the first time! :)

As I've talked about before, Makenna has a very vivid imagination and oftentimes will play with imaginary friends. When she was 2 she had an imaginary friend named Heem, but he seems to have moved away ;) But now we have Meria and Jeria. She talks about them all the time. And the funny thing is that Jeria was around for probably a month before Meria emerged. If anyone ever wants some unique baby name ideas, just hang out with Makenna for awhile :)

Maryn is talking a lot lately. She still says most of the same words, but is using them more often and with more purpose (instead of just the baby babble). It is common knowledge at our house that she talks about Dada the most and says his name the most. Well the other day the girls and I were in the van going somewhere and Maryn starts saying "Mama Mama Mama" in the backseat. Makenna enthusiastically says "She said Mama, not Dada!" Yes, I was shocked too :) But very pleased!

We just got back from Maryn's 1 year doctor's appointment. Poor little peanut hated those shots. When we got home, she had a little lunch and then went straight down for a nap. She continues to be a little peanut... she was 29 3/4 inches long (60%) but barely weighed in at 19 lbs. They were really giving her the benefit of the doubt by putting down 19 lbs because the scale kept going down to 18 lbs. 13 oz, 14 oz, 15 oz. etc. 19 lbs. puts her in the 15% for her age. Her length percentage has gradually been going higher and her weight percentage has gradually been going down. They're not concerned because she's still putting on weight, but it just shocks me that it's so low with how much food this child consumes. She seriously eats more than some elementary school kids I know!

Dr. Sterling also followed up on quite a few different issues for us. Checked Maryn's birthmarks and they all seemed to be doing well and are not worrisome. Also checked the Epstein Pearls in her mouth that she developed at 9 months and she said that they will go away on their own over time (a few others have already gone away). Dr. Sterling also checked Maryn's left breast from where she had the horrible scary breast infection at 4 weeks old. This is an issue that I still worry about constantly since it was something so out of the ordinary for a baby to have. I probably am a little overprotective, but I think I have the doctor check it every time we go into the office for a well check. Dr. Sterling said that her left breast bud continues to be slighted more enlarged than her right one but that it is not a cause for concern at this time. Thank God.

Josh had his hands full trying to put Maryn to bed a few weeks ago.



Snack time at our house! Maryn was loving the frozen waffle because she had a tooth coming in that day!


Makenna had to be a copycat and have a frozen waffle too! And she was so thrilled to have an extra special treat that day and get a juice box leftover from the party!

Finally It's Fall!

Fall is by far my favorite time of year. I pretty much love everything about it, but especially the weather. Cool evenings (perfect for sleeping with the windows open!) and crisp, but warm in the sun days! And how can you beat football, pumpkins, the smell of burning leaves, Halloween and Thanksgiving, footie pajamas (one of my favorites!), leaves changing color, farmer's harvesting the fields, cooking in the crockpot (Josh has already requested my chili!), the start of a new school year, and wearing big warm sweatshirts :) Speaking of clothes, Maryn's not quite sure what she thinks about pants or socks yet, but I'm sure she'll get used to it after awhile :) The other morning we had our official family fall kick-off - it got so cold in our house at night that in the morning the girls snuggled in our bed with us under the covers so we could all get warm! Now that was a fun fall moment :)

One of the first days we could wear our fall clothes!


Makenna posing for the camera


The girls reading a Dora book together


Maryn enjoying some leftover birthday balloons!


Makenna posing for the camera again!


Maryn showing off how she can stand on the couch when the cushions are missing.


Once again, Maryn enjoying the couch (and Makenna's Leapster) without the cushions.

1st Birthday Report

Maryn had a good 1st birthday, even though she was oblivious to the fact that it was her birthday! She woke up in the morning sopping wet... her diaper had leaked in the night and her pajama top, bottoms and sheets were drenched! What a way to wake up on your birthday! We spent some time playing outside in the absolutely gorgeous fall weather yesterday. Josh came home early from work so we went on a wagon ride and then out to eat at Red Robin. Both girls were as good as gold at the restaurant and ate all of their food. We came home and Maryn actually opened her gifts... she tore into the wrapping paper with no help whatsoever! She really seems to enjoy the gifts we gave her... Drop and Roll Dino, Laugh and Learn Piggy Bank and two books. Makenna likes them too :) Makenna and I had baked and decorated cupcakes earlier in the day so then we put a candle in a cupcake and sang to her! She loved it and was all smiles! And then much to our disbelief, totally unlike at her party on Saturday, she picked up the entire cupcake and shoved it in her face!!! She was grabbing cake and frosting by the hand full and shoving it in her mouth! It was so fun to watch! That was a little more of what we expected... guess she had a little stage fright at her party :)

Maryn - 1 Year Old

Happy 1st Birthday Maryn! We love you with all of our hearts! We are so glad that God put you in our lives! What a joy you are!

Maryn Leigh Budke at 1 Year Old...



Nicknames: MarBear, Moosa, Moosa Roo
Weight & Height: We'll see next week at her doctor's appointment - all we know right now is that she is little :) 20 lbs would really be pushing it.
Hair: Light brown, not much there yet but it's starting to grow in nicely, especially in the back. The "fuzzhead" look has gone away for the most part and now she just has a few little pieces that stick up on her bad hair days!
Favorite foods: We are blessed once again to have another child that is not a picky eater. She'll eat most anything we eat (within reason). She loves spaghetti, lasagna, pizza, ham, turkey, cantaloupe, watermelon, pears, peaches, nectarines, bananas, puffs, cheerios, black beans (actually any kind of bean), grilled cheeseburgers, fresh green beans from the garden, frozen waffles (especially when teething), pancakes, applesauce, goldfish crackers, tomatoes, cooked carrots, and I could go on and on... Two nights ago I made Philly Cheesesteak sandwiches for dinner and gave her chopped up roast beef, onions and green peppers and she devoured it! Last night we had Black Bean and Chicken Enchiladas - I just chopped up half of an enchilada and she ate the entire thing! Like I said, she's not a picky eater!
Favorite Drink: She just switched from formula to whole milk and didn't even flinch. She drinks mostly milk and occasionally some water with an ounce of apple juice in it for a treat.
Favorite toys: Water table, Makenna's Care Bears, Laugh & Learn house, bead maze, new Fisher Price piano and books, books and more books!
Favorite stuffed animal: Pup Pup... if you think Makenna has a special bond with Duckie, just wait until you see Maryn and Pup Pup!
Favorite Person: definitely Daddy!
Bedtime: Anywhere between 6:45 and 7:15 pm, depending on the day
Wake-up time: Approximately 7:00 - 7:30 am
Naps: She is starting to wean off of her morning nap. Some mornings she seems to want one and the next morning she will just sit in her crib and play for an hour. Always takes a long afternoon nap.
What she's saying: her all-time favorite word is dada or daddy but she also says okay, uh-oh, mama, nenna, hi, yea, night night and pup pup
Latest Accomplishment: Somehow over the past few days she completely weaned herself off bottles... she now drinks solely from a cup. As of last week she was still taking two bottle a day but she was never really attached to her bottle and took to the cup well so it just kind of all fell into place. I was a little sad when I figured out it happened (Josh gave her a cup instead of her morning bottle, I gave her a cup instead of her nighttime bottle), but I realize she's not a baby anymore and there's no point in turning back now.
Likes: music, dancing, swinging outside, playing with her sister's toys, pushing her baby stroller, playing in the cupboards, baths, wagon rides, anyone tickling her tummy, jewelry or anything sparkly and shiny :)
Dislikes: getting in her highchair when there isn't anything to eat on the tray, when mommy shuts the bathroom door so she can't play by the toilet, getting her diaper changed, having mommy or daddy wipe her up after meals , hats, swimming pools
What gets said about Maryn most often: people often assume that she is much younger than she is since she is so little, that she has an adorable dimple
Best known for: being a very smiley, easy-going baby. She had a t-shirt on yesterday that said "Perfect 24/7" and I don't think they could've created a better t-shirt for this child :)
Health: Thank God Maryn is a healthy little girl. She has shown signs of eczema at times, but it is still very mild and not yet diagnosed by the doctor. We'll see if it becomes a problem this winter as the air becomes drier. She just recently had her first bout of the flu last week and that was a rough time. I believe she has only had one cold to speak of and no ear infections.
How she's like Daddy: Quiet and reserved like Daddy was when he was a kid, can charm the socks off anyone
How she's like Mommy: Practice makes perfect... she has to make sure that she can do something perfectly before she actually attempts to do it in front of people. We are pretty sure that she walks when we're not in the room (I've caught her taking steps as I've walked into the room before) and we had the same suspicion with crawling. Maryn and Mommy also have the exact same eyes - brown on the inside, green on the outside.
Interesting Tidbits: Maryn has developed quite a few birthmarks in her first year of life. If you're like me, I thought babies were born with all of their birthmarks but actually they can develop anytime in the first year. She has three cafe au lait spots (dark born splotches of pigment)... a large-sized one on her left ankle in the shape of a band-aid, a light small circle on her stomach, and a lighter splotchy one the side of her forehead by her hairline. She also has a stork bites on the back of her neck and a large mongolian spot (that basically looks like a bruise) on her tailbone. The doctor has checked all of them out and thankfully they are all fine. Also, since Maryn was a teeny tiny baby she has always slept with her ankles crossed. Doesn't matter what position she is sleeping in (tummy, back or side) her ankles are almost always crossed!

Maryn you have been an answer to our prayers. It is only of God that you are here with us today and we are so incredibly thankful for that! You have been a blessing to us each and every day and we can't wait to see what the future holds for you! You have so much to offer this world and we will be there by your side to encourage and support you in everything you do! We love you more than words can say!

Happy 1st Birthday Maryn!

September 12, 2006 - What a precious, precious day that was! The day our little Maryn came into the world! After only a short 12 hour labor and 2 pushes, little Maryn was born at 8:42 am weighing 8 lbs 3 oz and was 20 1/2 inches long. She was perfect! One of the first things we noticed about her was her dimple on her left cheek :) And that dimple is still one of the first things people notice about her! Here's a look back at that wonderful day :)

In Memory Of...

Today I encourage everyone to say a prayer in memory of all of those that lost their lives on September 11, 2001. And also for all of those they left behind. 9/11 is emotional for me, I can't imagine how those that were directly affected by it must feel.

I always thought it was weird that people in my parent's generation always remembered exactly where they were at the moment they heard that JFK had been shot. I never thought I would have one of those moments, but now unfortunately after 9/11 I do. It was a typical work morning for me and I was sitting at my desk at Health Iowa checking my voicemails and emails and getting everything ready for my day. I noticed that all of a sudden my computer was acting strange and I couldn't get onto the internet. But I just chalked it up to a system malfunction and went on my way. Very shortly after Sarah Hansen rushed into my office and asked me if I had heard. Of course I had no idea and she then told me that a plane had flown into the World Trade Center... of course then the tragedy continued to unfold as the second plane hit the towers and the others went down at the Pentagon and in Pennsylvania. I remember immediately worrying about my family and Josh. I couldn't get ahold of Josh, but he called very soon after I left him a voicemail. He had been at Carver working out and was on his way to class. Josh always understood world events better than me and knew by the urgency in his voice when I talked to him that this was huge. I remember in that conversation that he said that if this ended up being a full-out attack on the United States that we were going to get married right away (we were engaged at the time) and try to escape together. I know maybe it sounds kind of dramatic now, but at the time we were seriously worried about what was ahead of us. Having your homeland attacked is not something to be taken lightly. I had to give a presentation that day for work and I remember feeling that it was so unimportant... there was no point in doing something this trivial when a tragedy of this proportion was going on in our country. Of course along with millions of other Americans, I was glued to my TV on that day and in the weeks to follow in disbelief over what I was seeing. I remember being emotional that day and I am still emotional today as I write this. My heart goes out to all of those that died that day and all of those they left behind.

Maryn's 1st Birthday Party

Maryn had a terrific time at her 1st birthday party yesterday! All of our family was there and Maryn enjoyed being in the spotlight more than I thought she would (typically she's a little shy). I am so proud of the birthday girl! She was a good little girl and thoroughly enjoyed all the festivities!

Here's the party through LOTS and LOTS of pictures...

Maryn showing off her party dress and doing the Marilyn Monroe pose over the register as it was blowing her dress up.


Maryn checking out her HUGE bouquet of pink birthday balloons!


We had lasagna, spaghetti, garlic bread, salad and a veggie tray for dinner. As you can tell by the picture, the menu was picked because spaghetti is one of Maryn's favorite foods :)


Maryn's 1st birthday cake! The theme of her party was pink and lots of it! So I had the cake lady make a pink number one with pink and white stars on it! So cute! And of course Maryn's little smash cake had to match :)


Mommy, Pup Pup, and the birthday girl!


Singing "Happy Birthday" to Maryn. She was on the edge of losing it, so we thought the better option was for me to hold her while everyone sang to her. We thought for sure she would have a meltdown if we placed her in a highchair and then had 25 people start singing at her ;) This worked much better!


Maryn checking out her smash cake!


Our dainty little princess just lightly touching the frosting. She was cleaner with her cake than she was with the spaghetti!


This is the extent of how wild and messy she got with her cake!


Maryn checking out her presents!


"Look Mom! No hands!" She is getting SO close to walking! She took 2 more steps on her own the morning of her party!


Pretty birthday baby!


Makenna and Maryn and LOTS of presents!


Maryn helping mommy open a gift!


Someone taking a little rest from all the birthday festivities :)


Look at all this wrapping paper!


Maryn entertained us by playing on this box for quite awhile. She had fun just climbing up on top and then trying to dive off the side :)


Maryn playing with her new Little People farm.