only my child

Go ahead, Rob. Let the comments begin...

i'm a big kid now...

After a very busy weekend schedule of riding quietly to San Antonio, having dinner at a steakhouse, shopping with her Auntie Kim, and meeting her mom's cousin Kelly, Mary Beth then proceeded to cry and scream for an entire hour and a half of the return drive home. Yes. Hour and a half. It was more, but we stopped 2 times, making the 4 1/2 hour drive really 6 hours. But the last 2 hours included her screaming for 90 minutes STRAIGHT. It was enough to drive her parently LOONEY. Once again I'll use the same four words: she's lucky she's cute.

Anyway, when we were staying at Kim's place, Mary Beth actually fell asleep on her own. I about fell over when I saw that. It never happens. In fact, she was on the bed, chillin on the towel after a diaper change. So I literally wrapped myself around her and slept with her on the bed. There was NO way I was going to move her.

That got me and Bob thinking... so last night we put her down for a late nap in her crib. She hardly ever naps in there. She was out for 1 1/2 hours. Fed her again and put her back in the crib. She actually went to sleep on her own, IN HER OWN ROOM! :-) It really is an awesome room, but she's just used to sleeping in ours, 3 feet from her mommy. Hooked up the monitor and went to bed ourselves in a quiet room. It was eerie, actually. She woke up hungry at 2:30, so I fed her again and put her back in the crib. She fidgeted for a while, but quite honestly I wasn't about to stay up with her again. Monitors are fantastic things -- worth every sweet penny we spent on it. I woke up at 5 and she was asleep. Ahhh. She liked it so much, we literally had to wake her up at 8:30!

So what do we do to celebrate this milestone in Mary Beth's life? Well, we take her to get shots, of course. :-( Poor little girl. Didn't even see it coming. Oh well. Won't be the last time. So here are her four month stats, for those of you keeping track:

• weight: 13 pounds, 50th percentile


• height: 25.3 inches, 92nd percentile -- I KNOW! HOW'D THAT HAPPEN???


• head: 15.8 inches, 35th percentile

Not too shabby for the girl who at one week old was in the 10th percentile for weight and 72nd for height. She was given the green light to try rice cereal at night, and later some stage one food. Food? Sniff! My baby's growing up!

happy 4 months!

Dear Mary Beth,

We're a day late in posting this, but yesterday we celebrated your 4 month birthday. Wow. Can't believe it has already been 4 months! Looking back, it feels like just yesterday... and it feels like a lifetime. We look at photos of you when we first brought you home and just can't believe how tiny you were! You're now 12.5 pounds, and growing every day! Next week you'll have your 4 months shots -- so I'm apologizing in advance for that.

You're having fun at daycare - though we were nervous about leaving you there. You tend to get, um, vocal when you are tired or hungry. But you're making friends there. Another baby, 7-month old Elizabeth and you seem to get along like best friends. They even put you two in the excer-saucers facing each other because you "talk" to each other. So cute.

You're talking more than ever. It's adorable because you look like you're concentrating SO much to tell us something. And we have no idea what you're saying, except that you're cute when you do it. It's probably what you're thinking when you hear us. Somehow like the teacher on the Peanuts comics. Oh, you don't know what/who that is. Don't worry, with Auntie Kim in your life, you'll know ALL about Peanuts.

Speaking of, hopefully we'll be heading down to San Antonio this weekend so you can visit Auntie Kim. She's going through Mary Beth withdrawals. Besides, we need to celebrate your Auntie and Mommy's birthday,

And once again I have to post that one day in your lifetime we'll get you baptized. We thought we had it all finalized (AGAIN) but didn't take vacation schedules into account. Don't worry -- there's a lake about a mile from the house. We may just take you out there and do it ourselves. But don't let Uncle Rob take you anywhere near a lake. Don't worry, I'm sure he'll tell you that story one day.

So, as the photo shows above, you're 4 months old today and you like to smile. Whenever the camera is on, it takes a little more coaxing to have you smile. And you certainly don't know how to hold a sign. But you'll get there.

We love you, Baby Love!

Love, Mom and Dad

marybeth the movie star

Well, not a real movie. But close enough.

Tomorrow is the beginning of the Annual Engelman Camping Trip/Family Reunion up in Minnesota. But seeing as how we were just there in May for Papa's funeral and that I just started a new job 2 weeks ago, well, we're not going. I'm highly disappointed, as I made it the last 2 years and it's quite fun! Next year, I promise!

Anyway, for all the peeps up there, especially my aunts and uncles, I put together a video/slideshow of the munchkin and sent it to them to watch at the campground. Yes, it's that kind of campground with running water, toilets and showers. Gross showers, but showers none the less. And an outlet for the hairdryer. Majorly important!!

But I can't just keep the show to those who are up in Minnesota for the reunion. So I've posted it here for all. It's about 6 minutes, but worth every second. She's is so damn cute, if I do say so myself.

all at her expense...

So, Mary Beth's Auntie Kim said she almost pees in her pants whenever she sees her in the jumper/saucer toy where she can't reach the ground. In Kim's defense, it is pretty damn funny.

So Bob and I decided to try it again and see if she has grown any. OK. Really it was to just make ourselves laugh again. She really does seem to like it, even if we have to manually move the toy around to make it seem like she's doing all the work.

Still hilarious. You be the judge. There's hoto of the little one not being able to touch the floor in her jumper/saucer toy. I have to admit, it is pretty damn funny. So Bob and I even video this time...

and sorry... can't rotate this one!!!

bratty brat brat

I wrote Marybeth a new jingle today:

Some people tell me I'm really cute
When I smile, coo, burp and toot,
But when I refuse to take a nap
I turn into a real big brat.

And of course she's already made the video for it:

in honor of mary beth's grandpa phil

me, Dad and Kim on first day of preschool

So, this weekend will be quite bittersweet. It will be Bob's first Father's Day, but it will also be the first Father's Day without Dad. So, I decided that tonight I will dedicate this entry to Dad. Sunday will be all about Bob.

What, praytell, would be a good way to honor Dad? Of course by saying everything he probably would say to Mary Beth if he were here:

• You know, you're pretty cute even if you're a redhead. (He'd say that NUMEROUS times!)
  
• Don't worry, we'll get you that hair dye soon.
  
• No matter what your mother tells you, she was NOT a quiet baby. Go ahead and scream. Scream at the top of your lungs.
  
• Go play in the street.
  
• I always had to trick your mother into doing new things. And she always liked them. Just remember that I was always right.
  
• Your grandmother Mary and I had the perfect strategy to stay married all our lives. Whoever filed for divorce got the kids. The other one got the cats.
  
• Your mother was so loud when she was born that they put her in her own room away from the rest of the babies. Seriously.
  
• You can do whatever you want in life. Don't ever let anyone tell your differently, especially a guy.
  
• We tried to drown her at birth, but it didn't work. Then your Uncle Rob tried it 8 years later, but I saved her. Stupidly. Your grandmother made me.
  
• Grades aren't important. But knowledge is.
  
• Where you finish in a class isn't important. I worked really hard to finish last in my class, but I was second to last. Your great uncle beat me.
  
• If you're going to do horribly in a college class, drop it and take it again later. (Yeah, he didn't tell me this until AFTER my experience in micro-economics...)
  
• No, I wasn't a troublemaker. I was the perfect child. The troublemakers were always the girls. Like those redhead great aunts of yours.
  
• No, no, I'm not old enough to be a grandpa. You must be mistaken...
  
• You can get through anything you try.
  
• Always try your hardest.
  
• If you ever need anything, you call me. We won't tell our folks.
  
• And if you ever need anything and I'm not around, you call ANY of the Engelmans. They'll move heaven and earth for family.
  
• If anyone picks on you, beat them up. Picking on you is our job.

You know, this was kinda fun. I'll think of some more later... Happy Father's Day, Dad! I'll have a drink in your honor. But I draw the line at the cigar...

rockstar!!!

My daughter, the rockstar, decided to sleep straight from 9 pm to 6 am. Even amidst rolling power outages. After being, well, bitchy earlier in the day. Dead asleep. I think I may buy her a small country...

:-)

3 WHOLE months!!!

Dear Mary Beth,

Happy 3 months, little girl! Once again we come to a milestone, and once again we're thankful that we've all made it this far. In the last two weeks, you have become even cuter than we ever could have imagined. You smile and laugh with us - which definitely is a good thing at 3:45 wake-up calls! You've starting cooing and "talking" to us, which is so damn cute. So far you just sound like you're saying "hi," though both your dad and I swear you answered "yeah" to us the other night. Your dad keeps trying to get you to say "dadda" but I'll be happy with anything.

You're starting to play more on the activity mat, which is a feat in itself since you're now actively laying on your back. We've come a long way since you were screaming in pain in the first few weeks! That poor whale is really getting its butt kicked by you! And you're finally starting to take naps in your nursery as well as sleep at night in the pack and play. Sooner or later we'll move you to sleep the nights in your nursery! It really is a cute room...

You still don't like having anything on you when you sleep, so we wait until your unconscious and put a blanket over you. Without fail you've kicked it off before the time you wake up. And you don't like it when we talk loudly or disagree. It's really cute because you're sort of a mediator! And as we discovered two nights ago, you really don't like HUGE storms that make the house shake and the wind howl.

You were supposed to be baptised next Sunday. All schedules were rearranged and cleared and arrangements were made to go back to San Antonio for the big event. But things changed and it's not happening next week now. It's a shame because your Uncle Andy and Auntie Kim were really looking forward to seeing you again and standing up for you as Godparents. And it would have been on Father's Day, which would have been a great gift to your dad. And his dad, your only living grandfather, has not even met you yet. But hopefully he'll make it to see you eventually, and you'll get to see your only living grandma again, too! We know she misses you dearly - she has us send photos of you to her all the time! We'll get you baptised some day soon, we promise!

We love you dearly, Baby Love!

Love, Mom and Dad

this toy is broken.

it's marybeth here. daddy put together a new toy for me. mom and him were all excited. something about me being able to "go crazy" and jump around.

um, this toy sucks. i'm no rocket scientist (yet), nor do i even know what a rocket scientist is, but in order to jump, don't my feet have to touch the ground somehow?

looks like i'll just have to cry instead. that makes mommy "go crazy"...

home yummy home

This past weekend we went to San Antonio for a wedding reception for one of Bob's fraternity brothers. It was the first time we've taken little Mary Beth home--with the exceptions of course when she was just an interloper inside me. And to nobody's surprise she was the bell of the ball, and everyone found her incredibly cute. Couldn't agree more. Auntie Kim and Quasi-Grandma Terri showered her with LOTS o' gifts, and she will officially be the most styling little girl to grace this earth. Can't wait until she can wear most of the gifts!

And no trip to San Antonio would be complete without trips to Rudy's and Longhorn Cafe. I'm really lucky we didn't live in town when I was pregnant or those two places would have been the death of me and the reason for double weight gain. But Mary seems to like them, especially with her Aunt holding her! I think Rudy's should pay me for her ringing endorsement for their barbecue sauce...

mommy and me yoga

Although I lost all the baby weight before the 6 week appointment (woo hoo!), I still need to get back in shape. But with Bob working so many hours, I never get to leave the house to go work out without Mary Beth. And she's too young for the nursery at the gym to watch her, so no workout for Kristi.

The other day Bob was going to watch her while I went to yoga, but he had to stay late again. So the next day Mary Beth and I had our own workout and yoga session at home...

growing and growing and growing...

With all the excitement about the shots yesterday, I forgot to post the BIG news. That's BIG as in our little Mary Beth!!

At birth she was 5 pounds, 9 ounces. 20 inches tall. Head 13 inches round.

At 2 months, she's now 11 pounds, 2 ounces! 23 inches tall! Head 15 inches round!

She went from 7th percentile in weight (hence the quick c-section) to 81st!!! She may not have liked my food in utero, but she sure doesn't have a problem with it now!! Dr. Z said she just had to catch up with where she was supposed to be.

We liked the news so much we whipped out her pretty pink Bumbo that she can now sit in.

it hurt mommy more...

Or at least we think it did.

This morning was Mary Beth's two month appointment where they gave her the first round of immunizations. Although she pleaded with Auntie Kim to come kidnap her so she didn't have to get them, she was a trooper. Bob and I watched, and I held her hand, as she received two shots in one leg and one in the other. After the first shot she was still OK. Or looked like it at least. When the second was about to go in, her face went from white to a dark shade of red and she let out a scream that, well, I'm sure rivaled the scream my parents heard from me! Of all the things we wanted her to inherit...

But after the third shot, and the oral vaccine that was given before, we held her and she didn't cry for too long. Which is a good thing because she has these sad, sad crying eyes that would make me buy her the world if I could to make everything better. We came home, ate, and then she slept on me for 3 hours. Yes, I spoiled her. Yes, I would do it again. After eating, I'm trying to see if she can stay awake and see if she has any side effects. So far so good.

As you can see below, she has a new toy. When we were in Minnesota, Uncle Duane gave us a gift card and said we could buy her some clothes. Well, she needed this more than clothes right now. She LOVES the mirror and kicking the whale. And tummy time is fun, she says.

Here's to a good rest of the day...

priceless

I could write a ton right now... but Bob's out of town and that's left me alone with Sybil, I mean Mary Beth. Yesterday she was a terror. Today an angel. Tonight will be interesting -- with Sybil she slept from 11 to 430, fed, and then slept another 4 1/2 hours. So if she's an angel today, wonder what the sleep will be like. Anyway, not going to spend too much time here because I'd rather read a magazine that has been sitting on the table for, oh, 3 weeks. LOVE motherhood.

Instead, I'm just going to post the picture above that was from Papa's funeral. I mean come on... could she be any cuter? She doesn't do much right now other than sleep, poop, cry, eat, and repeat, but sooner or later she'll start mimicking, playing, etc. But in the meantime, I'll take the look on her face here. Priceless.

happy two months!

I'm two months old today. (And I like to fly on airplanes!)

Dear Mary Beth,

Today is your two month birthday! And what an interesting month it has been, especially the last week or so. You're really starting to show a personality, and your facial expressions are priceless. If anyone would have told me about your cute faces and stretches, we would have had you a long time ago! You now like the swing, especially the vibrating function. But you have to be in the right mood to be put in there. Which means we do need to go get more batteries... We thought you were starting to sleep a lot more at night, but the last few days you have stopped that. But we have been out of town, so that may be why. More on that later.

We have discovered something you REALLY like. Baths. The other night you were inconsolable - crying and getting fussy for no reason. As soon as we took you into the bathroom and you felt the heater and heard the water, you got quiet and smiled. You may soon be the cleanest 2 month child out there because we love to see your reaction to it all. And your Auntie Kim likes when you smell nice and clean, too.

Last Monday we found out that my Great Aunt Cecilia died at age 105. And then, your great grandfather, my precious Papa (Cecilia's brother) also passed away. He was 94 and has desperately wanted to join his loving wife Geimps and daughter, your namesake and my mother, in heaven. He missed them dearly and was in a lot of pain, so we take comfort in knowing they are together again. Your Aunt Kim, you and I flew up to Minneapolis for the funeral, and spent time with both the Vener and Engelman families. We were nervous on how you would handle the flights -- you slept the entire way, both flights. I can only hope you act that way on future flights! We met a lot of great people at Papa's funeral - including someone who helped take care of Mom when she was a baby and had whooping cough when she was a baby. That was 64 years ago! It's strange to say, but you were the hit of the funeral - everyone wanted to see you and remember that life is a complete circle. Papa may be gone, but you're his blood that will continue on. I'll post more photos and news from our trip, but right now we're resting from being up since 3:30 a.m. I guess that's nothing new for you, but staying awake since that time is new to me! The photo above is from your trip on the plane this morning. Yes, it's written on a barf bag, which thank goodness nobody had to use. Auntie Kim almost had to on the way up there, but she'll have to tell you why one day.

Next week we have a pediatrician appointment for your immunizations. It would be great if you would sleep through those, too, but that's not going to happen. I apologize in advance for what you're going to go through. It will hurt, but it's better in the long run for you. I have a feeling that won't be the last time I say that to you in your life.

We love you, Baby Love!!

Love, Mom and Dad

and we were swingin'... yes we were swingin'...

Up until now, Mary Beth has been inseparable from Lamb. Lamb, the baby papasan, was the best present we've ever received. And with her reflux, it was the perfect angle for her to sleep. She never slept a night out of it. In fact, when we went to Austin, we just packed up Lamb and headed down I-35.

Randomly 2 days ago, she began to not like Lamb. Very odd. Kept burping up in it and wouldn't get comfortable. It took FOREVER to get her to sleep in it!

And then... yesterday morning I decided to try and put her down in the pack and play bassinet, because I really wanted to take a shower and she was suffering from drunken baby syndrome after a feeding. I mean she was completely out. So I put her down, and low and behold! She stayed there for almost 2 hours!! And then later in the day went back for another hour. Of course then all hell broke loose and she didn't want to go in there, in Lamb, or anywhere else for that matter.


Then came the swing. That's right folks, the swing. The swing that Auntie Kim and I put together ourselves and then Mary Beth proudly proclaimed her immediate disdain for. Put her in last night... Another miracle. Loves it and falls asleep. She's in it right now!

There's gotta be a downside somewhere, right? Like now she won't like breastmilk or something? :-) Well, in any case, my daughter's now a swinger.

Little Mary Beth she's as pretty as the angels when they sing. I can't believe I'm out here on her front porch in this swing, just a swingin'...

for my marketing peeps!

It's not a Happy Hour until someone takes their shirt off!

(Please allow a little message here from Mary Beth to my former marketing department at Regent back in Florida. We miss them incredibly!!)

Hello Marketing peeps! It's me, Mary Beth. You may remember me from that bump that protruded out of Mom's belly. Yes, I said "protruded." I'm the daughter of a writer, remember?! A little birdy told me that you were having a Happy Hour today. I fondly remember going to those with Mom. She wasn't too happy about not getting to drink during them though... Anyway, I sent some goodies for you all to enjoy today, in lieu of really late thank you cards for the presents. I wanted to send wine, but apparently I'm not old enough to purchase it. Minor details. If I were there today I would tell you:

Kristen - thank you for arranging my baby shower. I have tons of presents from you all now, and lots of ribbon that Auntie Kim has sewn on my burp clothes. I'm stylin' now. Oh, and Mom wanted me to tell you to go eat either a tuna melt or the potato salad. Ummmm. Food...

Nadia - you need to come visit. I woke up screaming every hour last night, and Mom seems to think that you, and ONLY you would have been able to calm me down. (And I still get the hiccups every day!)

Andrew - three times? Really? You chose to go through this 3 different times? Mom thinks that's just silly! :-)

Nancy - there's a bunch of birds outside making noises. Mom said you would take wonderful pictures of them. But you'd have to come to Texas. She says we have a better chance of running into you in Minnesota this summer.

Kari - just wanted to let you know that Mom did a horrible job painting her toenails the night before I was born. She should have stopped for a mani/pedi like you. Now please give her some work to do -- she's driving me crazy!!!!

Jill - so this fluffy, soft thing that keeps making noises is what made my whole world vibrate before I was born? His name is Orbit? Interesting. He doesn't like me very much right now...

Tracy - you keep making Mom laugh with your facebook posts. Keep 'em coming, and come visit us next time you're in Texas.

Nicci - feta cheese. Finally got to have it (well, through breast milk). You were mean and had it at the office before I was born. It was worth the wait.

Colleen and Karen - once? Really? You chose to go through this just 1 time? Mom thinks that's a good idea right now. But I'll convince her to do it again eventually...

And last, but certainly not least, Mike - Mom said you told her people with only one baby at a time aren't allowed to complain. So I've been screaming twice as loud and twice as often in your honor.

I hope you all have a wonderful Happy Hour. Don't drink too much -- you know who I'm talking to...

Love,

Mary Beth

a full week...

(Mary Beth meets OUR Godfather!)

After an eventful weekend of Bob being in Vegas, we had to find a way to top it. First, Andy and Jeff came over for a few hours on Sunday, so Mary Beth finally got to meet Andy, her future godfather. Then, she and I packed up WAY too much stuff and took a roadtrip to Austin. Auntie Kim was going through niece withdrawal, and Uncle John and Aunt Corinne were in Austin visiting Mom's cousin Denny for the Food and Wine Festival. It was the perfect chance for Mary Beth to meet her great-godparents. (I'm pretty sure I just invented that moniker, but it fits!) And John's yet another redhead, so of course we had to have that bonding moment. Hopefully we'll all make it to see Papa in July, and we can take a 4-generation redhead photo!

I have to admit that taking a 3-4 hour roadtrip with Mary Beth was a little nerve-wracking. Who knew how she would react? She seems to like the car, but for that long? So on the way I stopped in Waco for a diaper change and quick feeding. I really shouldn't have. We could have waited. So I drove straight on the way back. She was fine -- just had a few loaded diapers over the next few hours after returning home. Seems she was saving them up since she was sleeping.

Anyway, it was great to see John, Corinne, Denny and Eva. We don't really get together very often, so it was fun to tell stories and relax. Corinne was even trying to remember stories about when Mom had us as munchkins like Mary Beth. It's unfortunate that without Dad around, we're missing some pieces of the puzzle. But with as many family members as we have, hopefully we'll get lots of stories for Mary Beth.

We came back on Tuesday night, which basically meant that other than a few hours on Sunday, Bob hadn't seen Mary for about 5 days. He commented that in that short amount of time, she's changed. Yup. Every day.

I had my 6 week post-partum appointment yesterday. Which Mary Beth slept through, even when she gave Dr. Jeff his MexiCoke. Anyway, seems I'm somehow back to my fighting weight without even lifting a finger. OK, I lifted breasts, because breastfeeding ROCKS for weight loss. I gained between 27 and 30 pounds (depending on the scale) with the pregnancy, and give or take 3 pounds, I'm back. Now, it's not the shape that I want to be in, but I basically was like this before the interloper moved in. If Mary Beth will actually take the bottle from Bob, I can start hitting the treadmill soon. Woo hoo!!!

Pics!

sybil strikes again

So, Bob escaped (barely) to Vegas for a gathering/Bachelor party. I call it a gathering since there are only 3 people involved. But technically it's a Bachelor party. It was just a few weeks ago when he asked if he could go. I'd just be alone with Mary Beth for 2 nights. Well hell, I'm alone with her all damn day, so how much harder could the nights be?

Famous last words.

Good God she went crazy yesterday. And it wasn't even just the night! She'd be napping and then scream at the top of her lungs. For no reason except to see how quickly I could get to her. I honestly thought Orbit may have mauled her one time or something. Truth be told, he's scared of her since she can cry louder than him! She'd want to be fed, but wouldn't eat. She'd want to lie down, but then wouldn't. She wanted to be rocked, but then would punch me when I sat down. Seriously I thought I was going to go insane. I was NOT looking forward to the night.

Then somehow she settled down with me to watch tv. I gave her a bath (yea me - all by myself!), and then I went to the couch and kept her with me instead of the Lamb or crib/playpen. Don't know what did it, but she actually fell asleep. And then continued the happiness later and actually slept in the playpen for 4 hours! I slept from 1:45 to 5:45! I haven't done that in, well, 5 weeks now. After eating, she went back to sleep in Lamb and then continued to have an OK day with me. Sure, she got fussy after waiting 2 hours for the car to be done today... but I was pretty ticked off too. At least she had a good excuse of being hungry -- I was just mad!

I think her name should have been Sybil. One day she's a holy terror ready to demolish anyone or anything that crosses her path, and then the next she's sweet, loving child-o-mine. Wonder how many other personalities are buried in there. I asked this on my facebook page and my lovely brother reminded me that I'll be asking this same question in another 15 years.

Crap. Hate when he's got a point.

Here's lovely child-o-mine asleep on my chest last night... hopefully she'll do the same for me in another hour. She is pretty damn cute though...