A Tale of Two Maelees

And now the four month mark has been reached!

More pics of her "4 Month Photo Shoot" here:

Has reaching the 4 month mark been magical?

Well, let's just say that "magical" is not quite the word I'd use to describe this past month. What about predictable? Wait, did I really say our sweet Maelee was starting to get a bit more predictable only a few weeks ago??? Let's just say that predictable would be about the last word I'd use to describe this past month!

Don't get me wrong, there were some awesome moments during month 4. So let's start there.

It began with a wonderful visit from her great Too-dad, "Great Nart," Nana-Lin, and Pop-Pop...

Slideshow of that visit here:

Followed by her first trip on an Amtrak train...



to see Nana and Pop-Pop for a week in Alexandria, VA!

She fell in love with the "jump-up" there.

And LOVED being in the arms of Nana-Lin

and Pop-Pop

Gracie sure loved having Maelee around, too!
(But is still anxious for the time she can actually play with her...:)

And she got to wear a crazy (albeit stinkin' cute) outfit that Nana-Lin couldn't resist picking out for her...

to meet her future BFF, Alli!

(Becky's dear friend, Cindy's, new little girl)

A riot of a slideshow of that afternoon here:

She also enjoyed the cool breeze from the Potomac River during her visit...

More pics in a slideshow of our "bathing beauty" here:

A great trip was had by all that week.

And a slideshow of pics from the Alexandria visit here:

Then Maelee enjoyed being back in NYC at a nearby park...



AND met her Grandma and Grandpa Mason this month, too!!!

Enjoyed another cool breeze from the East River down at the South Street Seaport...



Then back to the park with the Mason family...

Followed by a past-bedtime dinner decked out in her "little black dress" before having to say goodbye to Grandma & Grandpa and Aunt Kim.

Of course, another slideshow of this visit here:

Also in month four, Maelee hung out with future boyfriend, Wesley...


And definitely still managed several smiles for the camera...

And a final slideshow of 4 Month pics here:

(What- too many pictures???)

She's using those hands more and more to grab, shake, and rattle her toys, those eyebrows are getting even crazier and more expressive, and her "talking" is hysterical, complete with razzberries and all.

So what about this "Tale of Two Maelees" in month four? Truth be told, I have no idea! But I seriously felt like my child had morphed into a different person the last two weeks of her 4th month.

Maybe it's the *very* beginnings of teething (as in nothing can be seen or felt yet but maybe there's "movement")??? Maybe it's Maelee's way of demanding a more structured routine that's not so different every day now that she's pretty much waking up at the same time each morning? Maybe there was a serious growth spurt in there? Who knows! Maybe she just enjoys this new skill she's developed!

All I know is that my dear sweet child certainly found her voice this last month and truly discovered how to scream. No, not just cry. She was doing just fine with that before. I mean S C R E A M. Yup, my precious girl has some serious vocals. Those couple of weeks were quite harrowing for mommy, to say the least. I admit, I know I can hardly complain as she would eventually settle down, and the screaming was by no means constant, but there was a point where I wondered if I'd ever get my chill, go-with-the-flow, Miss Smiles back!

Well, as I always take longer than intended on these posts and we're now officially into Month 5 by this point, I can see that there was light at the end of that tunnel. We've gotten a bit more structured with our day, the smiles have returned (with even some crazy giggling thrown in!), and the screams have subsided. Still not as smiley, still not completely past the screams, but it's just been a reminder of how in love we are with this little girl even when "the going gets tough."

Lots to tell already on other Mason family fronts as we entered Month 5, but I'm hoping to get more frequent in posting (not just once-per-month), so I'll hold off on everything else until the next time...

Three Months- The Magical "THERE" Mark

What is it about that benchmark? That moment in the world of new parents when they finally feel like they're... there. Ok, I doubt many ever really feel like they're there when it comes to parenthood but when it comes to those first few months, I've repeatedly heard other moms say:

"Oh the first three months are the worst! But then, everything seems to fall into place."

Or

"You just have to get through those first three months!"

Or

"Once they hit three months..."

Etc, etc, etc.

Well, that mark has been reached! Has it been magical? Truth be told, this parenting thing has actually been pretty magical from the beginning (notice I didn't say "easy," and there have been plenty of good and not-so-good days, of course!), but I can definitely see some patterns becoming better established now. Our sweet Maelee girl is getting a bit better to read and dare I say, a bit more predictable. Maybe there's something to this 3 month thing?

(some of our favorite shots from her recent "3 Month Photo Shoot")

She seems to know what to expect for bedtime, although the actual time definitely fluctuates depending on what's going on, and she seems content to follow a fairly regular sequence throughout the day- "Eat. Active. Sleep." And repeat. The length of her daytime naps is certainly improving (will we ever be "there" in that regard???), but we thankfully subscribe to the routine over schedule line of thought anyway, otherwise the fact that each day is totally different would drive us crazy. (So maybe some days it does a little, but not all... I swear!)

Kudos to us for raising (hehe, so far) such an adaptable, good-natured kid?

HA!

Please do not get me wrong. I'm definitely not a believer that a baby's happiness/grumpiness, predictability, sensitivity, calmness/hyper-ness (?), crying amount, or anything personality-wise for that matter can be attributed to anything a parent does or doesn't do right. Thank goodness, too! Cause I'm sure we've made at least 1,000 mistakes already...

Sure, I think parents should get some credit when their older child has good manners and treats people well, etc, and there are definitely those extreme cases of neglect and abuse that could turn any baby into a sullen, sad child BUT, largely, I think babies are simply born with certain predispositions regarding temperament, inclinations, and tendencies. I'm obviously no expert, but I sometimes have to chuckle a little inside (and roll my eyes) whenever it seems parents want to take credit for their "angel" baby. And this is coming from someone who thinks their daughter is one of the sweetest, most easy going little darlings there is! I'm singing the praises to the Good Lord (and not myself) is all I'm saying! :)

(Note to self: don't get sucked in reading all the "mom-comments" in the Baby Center emails, otherwise some serious blog-ranting is sure to follow!)

But now that I've got that little disclaimer out of the way, here are some pictures throughout her third month, in chronological order:

Daddy's girl, hanging out with the Sullivans

First "Mommy Group" Outing at Central Park!

Enjoying the fresh air

"Cute Outfit Photo Shoot" later that day :)

Big day for sure- holding rattle later that night with daddy!
She has really been noticing and using those hands this month- so fun to watch:)

And somewhere during this month she started to gain control over that head!

She also got her first round of shots and didn't shed a single tear!
I think it was cause she liked the cute band-aid..

More playdates with friend, Teegan, and here with new friend, Dorothy.
She missed her times with Blake, though!

Again, "Cute Outfit Photo Shoot" earlier that same day :)

Enjoying time in her Aunt Kim's lap during her quick visit from NJ!

Big smiles for her Nana-Lin during her weekend visit

So happy together!

And mommy and daddy got to enjoy a fun date night while Nana was visiting
at a super yummy tapas restaurant, Pil Pil!

Happy 4th of July!

Our patriotic little lady


Just HAD to show you the sweet ruffles in the back! :)

Smiling for her "Auntie D" after rooting on her team
(the NL in the World Cup. They lost. She didn't seem to mind)

With Big Boy friends, James and Jack

In her jammies at the NY Philharmonic "Concert in the Park"
(mommy and daddy naively thought she'd just sleep in the stroller- ha!)

Little sweetie fell asleep in the middle of the last song :)

She didn't seem to mind the music, though!
(Hmm, wonder where she gets that from...)


Hanging out with Teegan

Grabbing at her toys and bonding with her doll!

The three big things about month three? Head. Hands. And "Haa's." It has been fun to watch her hold that head steady, move those hands like crazy, and "ha," "ga," and coo at us for huge chunks of time. We love it!!!

Once again, it took over a week to actually get this post published but the goal of sending out the announcements by 3 months has been reached! Speaking (typing?) of which, here are a few of our favorite pics from her 2-month bday, several that made it onto the announcements!






Below is a slideshow of some 2 month and 3 month "photo shoots" as well as one with more 3 month pics. There's also a link to a recent video which showcases her sweet vocal skills in a conversation with mommy.

Steve and I still can't believe that as intensely as we loved her the very first moment we saw her, we seem to just love her more and more each day. Crazy. And it really does seem to get more and more fun. We "got through those first three months" and are excited for what's in store with month four!!! (Hmmm... maybe I found a new cheesy title for the next post? J/K.)

Slideshow of 2nd and 3rd month "photo shoots:"



Slideshow of 3rd month:



Video:
http://vimeo.com/13468745
password: Maelee5