Moments of Maggie, Mommyhood, and Mindlessness

Easter CRAZINESS!

2009-04-14T16:14:00.002-04:00

Saying this weekend was crazy busy is an understatement! Sue stayed in Charleston and Daddy flew out to Oklahoma. Bobby went to the Masters with his Mom on Sunday. Therefore, leaving our little Easter gang really small. Newspring had 5 different services: 2 on Saturday and 3 on Sunday, so Tom pretty much worked the entire weekend. I sang in the choir both services Saturday and then again on Sunday night. I have to say that I really loved singing! I used to sing all the time, but it seems like the older I've gotten, the further I've gotten from singing or playing the piano. Which sometimes makes me sad. I remember seriously singing almost every weekend in college in a different church somewhere. It was exhausting, but I loved it, and being able to sing again, even if just a little bit every now and then, has been pretty great. Grandma Judy kept Mag on Saturday night and they had a great time. I came home to find a bag of "rag" magazines, as she calls them, which I love. Tom said they'd be good to counteract all the "church" I had this weekend. She had also bought a cake from the Sweetery (Italian Creme, YUMMM!!!) and get this, had washed all of Maggie's laundry and folded it AND gotten the chocolate stains out of the dress she wore to the Easter Egg hunt. I was a little stressed about it, because it's one that Mama bought when I was pregnant with Maggie and I was worried they wouldn't come out - but they did, thanks to some hand-scrubbing by Grandma Judy. She really is the best!

Sunday morning, Mag and I got dressed up (pictures of Maggie and her Easter dress coming later), picked Sarah up, went to Dunkin' Donuts and then to church at Boulevard Baptist. Sarah and Bobby started going there a little more than a month ago and so far, they seem to really like it. Maggie screamed like a little banshee when we dropped her off at the nursery and I kept watching the door in Sunday School, waiting for them to come and get my unconsolable child. It never happened, though, so we went to the service. It's been so long since I sat in a really traditional church service. It felt a little strange. I mean, all those years I played piano for Townville Baptist, but it wasn't quite as formal as Boulevard. The hymns were the same, the ones I've sang on Easter since I was a little kid, but there was a lot of "call and response" stuff, which I have always thought a little strange. There were tons of cute little kids wearing their Easter outfits and the music was really well done.

Hm...so after that, we went back to "Sassy's" house and took lots of pictures in the front yard. The tree in the front is blooming and had the most fabulous light pink flowers all over it. I "re"hid Maggie's Easter eggs from the hunt on Saturday morning and she, Oscar, and Kobe all ran around finding them. She really looked like a baby doll! I can't wait to post pictures!

After that, Tom came home and we all went to lunch at Fatz. Our small little dinner party of 4 (including Maggie). Then back to church that night to sing again. Good Easter weekend! It was a little crazy, but it was definitely good!

All things new...

2009-03-30T16:03:00.004-04:00

This past weekend, we traveled to Virginia and back to visit Grandparents and other family. It ended up being a great trip...minus the Thursday night when we arrived and Maggie decided she was done sleeping. Poor Tom. He took full duty and stayed up with her until about 5 a.m. I bailed on him and slept in the other room with Sarah. I discovered long ago that Maggie and I cannot sleep in the same room. It actually all started during the first 6 weeks of her life. She slept right by our bed and every little noise, sniff, cough, etc. knocked me wide awake. It's never really changed. After a few times of sleeping in the same room with her when we are away, I now immediately look for a large closet or another room and that is where she sleeps. At Tom's moms apartment, Maggie's room is actually the large closet off of the guest bedroom. At the Christmas cabin this past year, her room was the extremely large walk-in closet off of our bedroom. It just works out better that way. However, in Virginia, there isn't really much room to move around so she generally sleeps in the same room with somebody. The house where my Grandparents live is the same house they've lived in since moving down from Ohio in the 1960's. Mama used to say that was the worst year of her life.
She was in 9th grade and her parents moved the entire family from Dayton, OH to Tazewell, VA. How they found Tazewell, I have no clue. Her brother, Rocky, still to this day, lives right up the driveway from my Grandparents. Civil rights stuff was getting pretty bad in Dayton and that's why they moved, but Mama thought she was going to die. The house (which now is a LOT different) at the time had only 4 rooms. A kitchen, a den, and 2 bedrooms. No indoor bathroom. They had to walk outside and use an outhouse. I can't imagine how awful that must have been. As if moving into a new school in 9th grade wasn't bad enough, my Grandparents found a new religion at the same time which included Mama no longer being able to cut her hair and always having to wear dresses. If you read my sister's blog, you can catch up on that a little more. I can't imagine how mean and cruel the kids at Tazewell HS must have been to her. Probably the same amount as they are to my cousins who are currently going there. I remember Mama reminiscing about how the "Town kids" and the "Country Kids" didn't integrate. She was a "Country kid" and in the few stories she told us about the "worst year of her life", she would comment about how mean the kids were. Makes my high school days not seem so bad.
We had a good visit, though. Learned a little more family history. It's interesting how I've noticed the ones who live there never ask questions about where we came from, yet when we visit we pick Grandma and Grandpa's brains as much as we can for any little tidbit of info that we might have never heard before. Sarah is on an Ancestry.com kick right now and she's actually done a pretty fabulous job of tracking. You've got to hate it, though, when you spend hours and hours tracking and then you open up Grandma's family bible and everything you've worked so hard to find is already written right there. It is a good feeling, though, for her that all the info seems to match up even Grandma says, "I don't know how accurate all that stuff is". I think the reason that we're so hellbent on finding our history is because our last tie to that history is Grandma and Grandpa. I'm sure Grandma shared hundreds of stories with Mama and I'm also sure that half of those stories never got a chance to be passed along.
They're coming down to visit in 2 weeks hopefully. We bribed them by pulling the Susanna card. They didn't get to see her this past weekend and she'll be coming home on the 17th, so hopefully they'll be here. The Saturday will be Townville day. We just want to take Grandma to Townville and go through the house little by little and let her tell us anything she can remember about where stuff comes from, any stories about anything, etc. Basically anything that we might never hear otherwise. It's something that needs to happen, not necessarily a fun thing, but a good thing in the long run.
We've started weeding things out of the house little by little. My take on it is that right now I have an "in" to the house by working for Daddy. However, when new wife comes along (which may only be a matter of time) my "in" will be gone. The feel of that house has already changed. It's like a weird shell that is completely Mama in every way except for the feeling (which is pretty much everything). I used to feel close to her when I was out there, but I don't anymore. I really feel like my clock is ticking to get everything finished that needs to be finished.
Sarah had theory this week about Daddy. She and I were riding along in the car running errands and my phone rang. It was Daddy again. I had just hung up with him and he immediately called back as if he had thought of one more thing he had to say. His question was about the title of a piece of music I sang in college and whether or not I could get the music so he could give it to the choir at the church in Oklahoma to learn. I didn't think anything of it except it was really really weird. Sarah immediately nailed her theory: He wants it in his wedding ceremony. Interesting. Hadn't though of that until she said it, but it strangely in a really awful way made sense. She was highly disgusted and pissed by the entire thing saying that what else could it be since the times in my life when he's shown any interest in any song/music ever has been um....ZERO...until that conversation. So, it makes awful sense.
More later, but before I go....a new Mag picture:

2009-02-15T21:37:00.003-05:00

The Attack of RSV

So, we've had a new visitor at our house this weekend. It goes by the initials, RSV, short for Respiratory Syncytial Virus (I actually just copied and pasted that...no way was I going to attempt spelling it). It is a seriously nasty little devil. Green snot, yucky cough, high fever, unhappy little Maggie over all. She has been truly pitiful and has spent the majority of the past few days on our laps. Took her to the Dr. Saturday morning and basically just confirmed everything we had already self-diagnosed off the internet (for a small fee of $100, 20 minutes later). It did make me feel better to know that her lungs/ears all looked and sounded good, though. Supposedly, the 4-6 days is the worst and it lasts a total of 10-14 days, so we're halfway there. Poor baby.

Her new words of the week are "Snots" (prounounced "noss") and "Splash" (prounounced "p-sash"). She gets so very upset when she has anything stuck on her hands. It can be food, dirt, imaginary particles, etc. This week, it's snot. She comes to me with her hand out saying in this pitiful voice, "Noss. Noss. Noss." I try not to laugh, but most of the time, I just can't help it. She is my favorite comedian.

Family Picture

2009-01-26T21:51:00.003-05:00

Recent family pic taken the night before Sue went to C of C:

Tonight at the Haren House

2009-01-26T21:31:00.004-05:00

Tonight is Monday and yesterday, being the 25th of the month, means that we restock all envelopes. Some of you will know exactly what I'm referring to when I say envelopes...some of you may not.

Anyway, since envelopes are restocked, it means it's grocery shopping time. We headed to Publix tonight and had a very successful shopping trip. Successful shopping with Maggie is defined as going as quickly as possible, keeping Maggie happy by handing her random items along the way (marshmallows was the prize item of tonight), and lately she really like to ride in the front of the shopping cart. I used to a very clean mother that took the time to unfold the little shopping cart cover, place it in the cart, carefully fit it in all the little places it fits (as to cover all exposed areas of the cart), securely tie the cover to the cart, place Maggie in the cart, securely buckle her in and then finally, begin shopping. However, I've now become that Mom that just puts her in the cart and hopes for the best as long as she's happy. She is past the stage where she gnaws on everything, though, including the shopping cart, so that aleves much of the stress concerning germs and the cart. But, tonight was successful.

When we got home, she ate dinner while we put away groceries and then went to play in the living room. We're thinking about moving all the furniture out to make room for more toys. Hm...

Then I walked in, and found her sitting on the couch like this:

Not to mention, she was holding my glass of Diet Coke carefully on her lap and I think she's attempted to drink some, judging by the large wet stain on her shirt. What a ham!

So, we ended the night with a little video, which is fabulous, because I've been wanting to catch all her body parts on camera. She now can identify: Hair, nose, eyes, ears, mouth, teeth, tongue, hands, belly, coat, pants, feet, shoes, and we're working on "hiney".

So here goes...Check it out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHP3K9CD7Oc

Playing with her Daddy...

2009-01-21T16:48:00.002-05:00

Check out this SUPER SUPER cute Maggie footage...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEaIBe63eUI

Maggie and Mama

2008-11-06T22:16:00.002-05:00

Today, like a lot of days every week, Maggie and I made our solo (or technically duo) trek to Townville. When we travel to Townville, it's usually pretty quiet days. If Daddy is actually there, he will hold Maggie on and off (giving himself a time limit on the clock, but if you know Daddy, then you understand that) and read her books. She absolutely loves him. When he walks in the room or she hears some one say anything about Granddaddy, her face lights up and she starts saying "Da da Da da!" over and over again.

I've split my T-ville days into specific duties. On Monday (or sometimes Tuesday, whichever) I generally cook...and when I say cook, I mean really really cook. Like 6 or 7 hours of cooking. The goal is to fill enough plates in the refrigerator of home cooked food, so that Daddy doesn't have to eat out. He is tired of eating out, says that he hates sitting there alone, eating food that isn't homemade, and then coming home to his house alone afterwards. I can understand that. Better to just come home alone and at least eat good food when you get there. So, there's always the cooking day.

The other day is spent cleaning and doing his laundry. Always 4 loads, one nice colors and darks, one with jeans, one of nice whites, and one of Michelin whites (those are the not so nice whites). Over the years, Mama trained Daddy to put his Michelin whites in a separate location from his others clothes. They're really that bad. I guess that's what working with rubber will do. So, after all those years of getting so irritated at him when he combined his laundry time after time, he has finally grasped the concept. So, the other day is spent doing laundry...a lot of laundry and cleaning the house.

Today was a cooking day. Mag and I started out by going grocery shopping in the ghetto. That would be Quality Foods, which is definitely the cheapest place to buy meat. And Daddy eats a lot of meat so for him, that's where we go. We got home and instead of taking her normal nap, Mag was ready to play. She loves playing out there. Better even than her own house. I don't know what it is, but I can always get a lot of work done out there and she just entertains herself.

I was going back and forth between feeding her lunch and baking cookies and as I stood at the stove, I heard her laugh. If you know Maggie then you know that she doesn't just laugh for the heck of it. I turned around to ask my silly child what she was laughing at. Immediately, I stopped in my tracks. She was looking towards the other side of the kitchen, but at something close to her that I couldn't see. Her little hand was waving and she was laughing over and over and smiling into what appeared to be only air to me. I'm tearing up just thinking about it. I knew without a doubt that Mama was standing right beside her playing with her baby Maggie. I just sat there and watched as Maggie looked back and forth between me and Mama. Waving her little hand with the biggest smile on her face and laughing. I told her to tell Mama hey for me. Unmistakable moment that just reminded me for a split second that Mama isn't far away at all. I know she was in the kitchen with me and Maggie, I could feel her, and Maggie could see her, and best of all, Maggie knew her.

Tropical Tree Frog Costume GIVEAWAY!!!!

2008-11-05T17:48:00.000-05:00

Tropical Tree Frog Costume GIVEAWAY!!!!

I seriously hope I win this for Maggie's Halloween 2009.

Catch me if you can!

2008-11-05T17:33:00.004-05:00

Trick-Or-Treat at The Legacy

Above: Daddy and Maggie getting ready to go to Denver Downs.
Below: Our little girly girl...not so much enjoying the hay bale.

Our little baby squirt is walking! We can't believe how quickly she took off. One day, she's still doing the "scooter" crawl, and the next, we're chasing her around the house (see video below for some great footage).

We've had some slightly grouchy days lately due to teeth. That's one thing I'm really glad that no one remembers. It would really start us all out on the wrong foot (no pun intended...ha ha). Seriously, though, teething hasn't been fun. Molars are the worst and she's getting #3 and 4 in right now on top. The perks of teeth, however, are that she can eat pretty much anything. And she does, just not at meal time. Maggie is a perpetual snacker and eats like a bird at meal time, yet 5 minutes after she's done and you go and grab your own food, she begins to beg much like a puppy.

I'm not sure if I ever posted about her biting phase. Basically short story, about 2 months ago, she started biting. She would only bite me at first and she would only bite when she was mad. Her version of a temper tantrum. So, then her biting began to spread to other victims, but still mostly focused just on me. So, after several sad times of getting her poor little leg and hand popped (a Maggie spanking), she has stopped biting other humans. In moments of rage, she now bites herself. Seriously. She stomps her feet and bites her own hand. We basically ignore this (while trying to hide our laughter) and I think that this problem will most likely solve itself. I would imagine after a few hard bites, she'll seek another way to take out her anger.

Rabbit Pellets

2008-10-23T11:11:00.004-04:00

Maggie has a new trick, and this could definitely be one of the best so far.

In the mornings, it is routine for Tom to go get her out of her crib, change her diaper, come wake me up, and then go make her breakfast. Maggie loves this and has come to expect Tom as the face that pops in her room every morning. He's a much better morning face to pop in on her than I am, so this works out well. In the past several weeks, he's walked in several times to find her missing parts of her pajamas. Sometimes it's the tops. Sometimes the bottoms. It's always hilarious to see her standing there, holding on to the railing, grinning from ear to ear, and missing her clothes.

So, the other morning, I did the morning Maggie routine. Grandma Judy had put Mag to bed the night before and she was wearing her favorite leopard print pajamas. Tom had a dentist appt. on the Friday morning so he wasn't there. I walk in to find Maggie standing there grinning at me and I just busted out laughing. She had no pants on. Just little chicken legs wearing a leopard print pj top. So, I picked her up, went around opened the blinds and then went to the changing table. Only when I laid her down did I realize that she had no diaper on either. First thought, how in the heck did I not realize that after carrying her around the room? Second thought, I'm SO glad she didn't pee on me. Third thought, YUCK! Where is the diaper now? Went to the crib and found the diaper laying underneath a blanket with (pardon the graphic explanation) little rabbit poo-poo laying in it. I folded it up and put in the wonderful diaper champ, laughing the entire time. Sense of humor really helps in situations of a nasty nature like that one.

So, the day went on. Tom got home. I came back home (I had a dr. appt. too) and once again, we find ourselves in the nursery changing a diaper. While Tom was doing that, I started folding up her crib blankets and straightening her crib. All of a sudden, GROSSS! A little rabbit pellet had escaped the diaper and was attached to her blanket. I had to grab my camera and capture that fun memory. Gotta love Maggie...she never lets a boring day go by!

Look closely...Can you find the pellet escapee?

Catching Up in "Fast Forward"

2008-10-21T22:15:00.010-04:00

So, this post is solely dedicated to catching up the "happenings" of the past several weeks, as I have been very lazy about updating Maggie Sunshine. Let's see....here goes:

A Trip to Chick-Fil-A

We have pegged the best restaurant of all time...don't judge that opinion by Maggie's face in these pictures. Despite how she appears, she really does love Chick-fil-a. Not only do they have this great little toddler area in their playroom, but they have these fabulous little splat mats, and they have nutritious kids meals (the 1 strip meal with apple juice and a fruit cup seems to be Maggie's favorite), and most importantly, they have fabulously friendly staff that seriously carries my food to the table, puts my "splat mat" on the table, and helps me get everything situated when I'm there by myself with Maggie. And did I mention that if you request the small child's toy in your meal, it's a little board book?

The pictures above are of Maggie's trip to Chick-fil-a with the girls (Carolina, Meghan, Vanessa, and Matthan). Tom and I went to a movie and Maggie went on a date with Caroline and Meghan to Chick-fil-a and then Old Navy. I hear rumors that my child now gives table dances in Old Navy. You can never start them too young. And Maricary, I know your opinion on that. Ha! Needless to say, they absolutely wore her out. She fell asleep in the car on the way home and slept the entire night without waking once. Yay for Caroline, Meghan, and Vanessa!

Above: Mag chills in the backseat after a Chick-fil-a run. Notice the new board book she reads from her 1 strip chicken meal.

Below: Mag chills in the backseat after a Chick-fil-a run also sporting a new purple balloon compliments of the nice girl behind the counter.

And off to Virginia we went...

Sarah, Mag, and Sue in IHOP on the way up to VA. Somehow we manage to turn a 5 hr. trip into um...about 7? I don't know how that happens.

We had fun while we were there. Riley had his 1st Birthday party and it was good to finally see Matt and Jessica's house and be there for the party. We could only stay one night because we went up on Sat. a.m., but it was a great trip! Got up on Sunday morning and stuffed our faces with Gravy, biscuits, breakfast casserole, fresh apples (the gooey sweet kind), and then headed out.

Below: Riley opening his birthday gift. Isn't he a cutie?

Mag, Grandpa's brother, Jack (therefore Mag's Great-Great Uncle) and Aunt Sue Sue. Maggie was attached to him at the hip. He always has been one of our favorite uncles, though, so I guess that explains it!

Thank you.

2008-09-28T22:26:00.004-04:00

We have some really great friends...

Vanessa, Meghan, DeeDee, and Jeff took a trip to New York...

http://vanebrown.wordpress.com/2008/09/18/6-new-york-check/

And Sarah's former co-worker, Kathy, sent us these pictures today.

I have to say that as "sick to my stomach" as these pictures make me feel, they also make me incredibly proud of Mama. Proud of who she was while she was here with us, who she is now. Her faith, her smile...I don't think she could have felt more honored by anything. Thank you, Vanessa, Meghan, DeeDee, Jeff, Kathy, and all the others that helped out. It means more than words can say.

Hey Grandmama

2008-09-17T13:35:00.001-04:00

Hey Grandmama,

This is Maggie or “your baby” as you so affectionately call me. I wanted to write you a letter to let you know how much you mean to me. You made the 1^st two weeks of my arrival the best ever. They will always be the best 2 weeks of my life and I will never forget them.

I am really growing now and just turned 1 already. Time really goes fast when you’re little. I love to eat big people food, cruise, play, hang out with mommy and daddy and crawl around like a little sidewinder, but of course, you know all that. I miss you a lot, but I know you are with me everyday. I remember when I was really little, and mommy and daddy would put me on their shoulders to burp me and I would catch you looking at me and smile like crazy at you. Also, there are the countless times I get hot at night and kick off my covers and I always catch you putting them back on me…you always know what is best. Although we can’t hang out much physically, I see you every single day in my mommy, my aunts and even myself. You taught all of us so much that we use in our lives every single day. You will always be my Grandmama and one of the most incredible people I will ever meet. That’s why I am writing you. I wanted to let you know that me, my mommy, daddy, aunts, granddaddy and the whole gang of incredible friends that love you so much will always think about you everyday.

As a matter of fact, daddy and I (and I’m sure a lot of others) are going to visit you today. This will always be important to me and I will be sure to say “Hi umm-mama”, since I can’t quite say your whole name just yet. Well, I just wanted you to know that on this special day, and everyday, that I Love You. I can’t wait to join Google and Ziggy and sit on your lap and listen to you read to us in the amazing place you are at, but for now, I look forward to our games of “hide and seek” and catching you watching over me. I Love you Grandmama…

My 1^st letter,

Maggie Sunshine

2008-09-09T17:49:00.003-04:00

Ever wonder how a One year old celebrates her birthday? Well, this should give you an idea...

Maggie the Artist

2008-08-25T14:58:00.004-04:00

So, as most of you know, I'm learning to sew (taking a class at Tri-County) and just for the record, I LOVE it! I've made a pillow, pajama pants, a birthday dress for Sue, and I'm getting ready to work on some window treatments. I rearranged our upstairs to be compatible with all my messes that I see to create. My sewing/craft corner is now exactly that...a corner rather than the entire room. I brought Mama's sewing maching from Townville and although I was a little scared of it at first, I've started to figure it out. It's one of the old models that is actually attached to the cabinet, so it was a little difficult to figure it out Kimberly's (sewing teacher) help. While everyone else was lugging their machines into class every week, I wasn't because I would've had to bring the entire cabinet in. Hm.

So anyway, last Wednesday, it was Sue's 21st birthday. I was upstairs with Maggie racing to finish the dress that I was giving Sue for birthday. By the way, in the last post from the Zoo, Sue is actually wearing the dress so you'll have to check it out. So, I was sewing like a banshee and Maggie was playing. She had crawled behind me and was playing in my craft bins which isn't necessarily the smartest thing to let her do, right? I was checking on her, though, so she couldn't really get into anything. At that point, whatever would make her happy so I could sew was what I was going to let her do.

Things all of a sudden got very quiet. I turned around and this is what I saw:

At first, I was like "Oh my gosh!" and then I just looked at her grinning at me and I couldn't help but start laughing. It was a red marker, by the way, and a crayola one, so child safe for anyone who was worried.

I scooped her up and took her to her changing table. Honestly, this picture doesn't even do the mess justice. Red marker all over her legs, arms, in her hair, on her feet. I started scrubbing and realized I was only smearing it. Finally, I gave up, went back upstairs and dumped her in the bathtub. Everything came off except for the distinct bright pink color on her lips. She looked like she had bright pink lipstick on for the rest of the night. When I dumped her bath water, it was actually pink. Those are the things that will be fun to remember.

Our Day at the Zoo

2008-08-24T13:16:00.002-04:00

OUR TRIP TO THE ZOO...in pictures

This is how it all began...Maggie snoozed through the bears, the sea lion, and the gorillas. She woke up half way through the monkey house. I don't know if it was the noise or the smell.

Susanna and Maggie ride a turtle together in honor of Sue's birthday trip to the zoo. These were Daddy's favorite animals. He said he likes them because they're old and slow like him...seriously.

We all take a break to enjoy the stadium seating and AC in front of the huge aquarium.

Maggie and the elephants. This was taken right before the elephant flapped his ears and Maggie screamed and started trying to climb up Sarah. She loved the snake house, but the elephants, not so much. Go figure.

Awwww....how cute. Daddy and baby ride an elephant with Aunt Susanna leading the way.

And the day ended with a fun ride on the Zoo Carousel. We all rode. Even Daddy...although he sat in the big couch thing instead of on an animal. Maggie LOVED it and squealed!

Meet Baby Google!

2008-08-18T18:19:00.004-04:00

It's official! Maggie will have a new cousin in the Spring! Sarah and Bobby found out about 3 weeks ago that they are pregnant and we are so very excited! This picture is actually from the first ultrasound last Monday and then today was ultrasound #2. You wouldn't believe how much "Google" has grown in only one week. If you check out Sarah's blog tonight, I'm sure she'll have the pictures up. He/She already has a ton of nicknames:

1. Baby Google
2. Google Rettew
3. Mr. Amoeba
4. the Zygote
and
5. Ziggy the Zygote

This family definitely isn't lacking on creativity in the naming category. As long as they don't stick with him after his world debut. Then we may have a problem. All terms with "google" were coined by the soon-to-be proud Uncle Tom and all others were coined, with love, by Bobby and Sarah. There will be another ultrasound in 2 weeks on the day before Maggie turns 1. She will 8 weeks then and that's the same age Maggie was in her first ultrasound (where she did a little dance for us and was nicknamed "Wild Thing"). Yay for Google! Yay for Sarah! Yay for Bobby! Yay for a new addition to our really (and pretty screwed-up) family! I don't think that poor little guy knows what he's getting into (or she).

Oh - and cute story really quick...
After the ultrasound was over today and the screen was frozen on Google's picture, I took Maggie up to it and said, "Look, Maggie. It's your baby cousin!" She reached out, pointed, and then started waving at the picture on the screen. So sweet.

Maggie Mozart

2008-08-11T19:31:00.005-04:00

I am really encouraged by this video. I think my child may take after me in the piano department. Sit back, relax, and enjoy this composition by the one and only, Maggie Mozart.

She especially loves playing for an audience. The more people, the better. Definitely a little ham. Here are a few more poses of our little pianist:

Family Dates

2008-07-28T22:08:00.005-04:00

Above: Maggie gets her first ice cream cone at Bruster's.

Below: We took our ice cream to the park at the Civic Center and watched the ducks and geese.

Above: Maggie and Daddy Tom hanging out at the park.
Below: Ditto.

Above: Daddy Tom pushes Maggie into the playground.

Below: Maggie hangs out...get it? Ha ha!

Above: The park was pretty much THE place to be if you were between the ages of 6 months and a year. Maggie met a friend (little boy swinging beside her) that was born only 10 days after her.

Below: And this is how the night ended...We found her curled up at the end of her crib after we put her down. So cute, I couldn't resist risking a picture.

The Koo Koo Ice Cream Depot

2008-07-28T21:52:00.002-04:00

Recently, Sarah, Sue, me, and the Mag took a little Girls trip downtown to eat The Koo Koo Ice Cream Depot (http://www.kookooicecreamdepot.com/). It is the cutest little ice cream shop and really feels like the "old-timey" real thing. They've used all train decor because the owner's son (when he was little) used to say "Koo Koo" instead of "Choo Choo" for a train whistle. So, there's a little history if you didn't already know. We had fun, though - just girls! Maggie was pretty amazed, however, by this couple that came in. You could tell that they were probably on their first date - nervous laughter, stupid jokes, the works, etc. And I think Maggie really added a lot to their ice cream experience because the last picture shows what she did pretty much the entire time they were there. She actually cried when they left. I don't know why she found them so entertaining...

But, we had a fun and Sue pretty much stole my camera and was the photographer of the night. I'm so glad we live in a little city like Anderson. If feels relatively big until you go somewhere that is truly big and come back home. After we got home from Vegas recently, Anderson felt like a "village" and I loved it. Never want to live anywhere else!

True South Carolina Girl

2008-07-28T21:21:00.004-04:00

These give new meaning to "Palmetto Tree and Moon".

Happy Birthday, Granddaddy...

2008-07-18T00:52:00.004-04:00

I'm not one to normally get very sad on this little Maggie Sunshine blog, but just let it be said that we have survived another family holiday without our centerpiece. Definitely not easy and I think Sue said it best when she said that more than anything, she was sad for Daddy today who was spending his 54th birthday and the first birthday without his spouse. It's definitely so much to absorb and it's pretty sad to think about him being at the little house in Townville tonight by himself. That's just the new "way it is", though.

Tonight was 10 months since Mama left. It is sinking in little by little that this really isn't a joke, this is really very real. It's really true that this is the first 10 months of the rest of our lives without our Mama, Daddy's wife, and Maggie's Grandmama. I don't really believe we'll ever "get better" or "move on", I just believe that we'll learn how to mold into the new life that has become our "normal".

A heartbreaking sight is when Daddy picks up Maggie, carries her through the house, stops in front of the famous and beautiful picture of Mama at our wedding reception, and says, "Maggie, who's that? Can you say Grandmama?" And Maggie just stares at her like she knows. I believe she does. Daddy says it's his way of making sure Maggie knows who Mama is.

Mama on her 50th Birthday

The last picture ever taken of the original 5

One proud Grandmama and her little Margaret Denise

A proud Granddaddy with his first Grandbaby

I might be foolish for formulating these little idealistic ideas that Mama isn't completely gone, but she told me that she would be with us all and that when we were rocking our babies, she would be looking over our shoulders. Right there with us.

I miss her so so so much and days like this just bring it all a little closer. I don't ever want to forget anything about her. I have a Mama. I always will have a Mama who is with me. Maggie has a Grandmama that is just as much with her as if we could reach out and touch her. Some days it's hard to believe that, but I have to keep believing that. That's the only way I won't forget.

She's been getting around...

2008-07-15T16:29:00.005-04:00

So, it's really amazing how in only a few weeks, Maggie has pretty much morphed from baby to toddler. Really. She is now crawling, eating solid food, and pulling herself up on things. Not to mention, she's little Miss Independent now. Tom and I are getting used to the new Maggie. The new Maggie likes to crawl around on one leg ("side crawler" as Tom says) and pick up everything she finds with her little finger (her "pinchers" as Tom says). I don't think I've ever kept my floor cleaner in our house. She will seriously find every little speck of anything and the next thing you know, she's eating it. She has so much hair now...I think it has grown a little more every morning when she gets up. And her newest thing is, after naptime, she crawls up to the corner of her crib that's closest to the door and waits on me to come get her (with a little yelling on her part) and then when I walk in, she grins at me through the bars and reaches her hands through, as if to say, "Please help me! Mommy...". We are also learning the meaning of "No!" Her new favorite prohibited item is the candle holder in the living room floor. A few days ago, she was crawling towards it and I said, "No, Maggie." She stopped, turned around, looked at me and grinned and then inched a little closer. I said it again and shen kept looking at me and finally gave up and went on to something else. Such an obedient child.

Motrin has been our friend lately. The molars are coming through and this past Friday, we went to see the pediatrician, Dr. Maddox and he said that she has a few just about ready to come on through. That's one thing that I'm thankful you forget by the time you grow up. Just watching her chew on her finger makes my gums hurt. But she loves Motrin and Tom and I have started calling it "Maggie Candy", which could prove to be a bad thing later on, I guess? When she really starts to think it's candy and then we'll have a little addict on our hands. Not good.

Here's a little picture story of all the things that have been happening:

Aunt Merrill visited me last week...

I had my first July 4th! And saw FIREWORKS!!!

Maggie Bloopers

2008-06-22T12:41:00.002-04:00

For some pretty hilarious footage of Maggie's Latest Tricks:

http://www.sarahrettew.com/2008/06/maggie.html

http://www.sarahrettew.com/2008/06/crawling-clapping-lessons.html

http://www.sarahrettew.com/2008/06/maggie-face-plants.html

My Heart Belongs to Dabdy...

2008-06-22T12:17:00.009-04:00

This is a pictures of the gift that Maggie and I made for Tom for his first official Father's Day. And not even joking, she really did paint the top part herself. I painted the words on, but everything else was her. I could kick myself for not taking pictures during all of this...we had a beach towel spread out on the floor and she was in her pamper, covered seriously from head to toe in paint. And of course, she managed to eat some before I could stop her. No worries, though, it was water soluble and I checked for any CAUTION: CALL POISON CONTROL IMMEDIATELY, and there was none. So we're okay and Daddy Tom absolutely loved his gift.

All the Daddy's on Father's Day:

We were really excited because this photo op hasn't happened since Maggie was 3 weeks old. She had both Grandpa's at the same time and the coolest thing was, it was Father's Day!

Mommy...Daddy...Where are you going?

2008-06-19T11:34:00.002-04:00

It's me, Maggie's daddy again. I know, posting back to back days. No, the rapture is not coming (at least to the best of my knowledge), but I had to post on Awesome thing #2 today. This one is going to blow your mind! It involves our Home Group and Vegas, quite a strange combination. For those of you who do not know, a Home Group is group of people who gather together in homes, on a regular basis, to eat, hang out, grow together in Christ and pray for one another. This happens to be near and dear to me b/c it is the area where God has placed me in full time ministry at NewSpring Church. Well, that is the text book definition. In real life, personally, our HG is the people (outside of our families) who have been the closest to us through the toughest time in our lives over the past year. They have been the only outlet (outside of family) where Jennifer has felt comfortable sharing about the loss of her Mama (Grandma Denise, the namesake of little Mag's middle name) over the last year. We get together every Thursday night, ship the Maggie to Auntie Sarah's, and have a great time. We are pretty much close as family now. The closeness, intimacy and friendship of our group is certainly uncommon, I wish I could bottle it up, write a book about it and give it to all the churches across our country and title it "this is what is SUPPOSED to happen in a Home Group". Well, that would give us the corner of the market on how to do Small Groups and make me a guru, which I'm not. Actually I can take no credit, it is all God how we have come together with these folks and as much as I'd like to be able to explain it, or replicate it, I simply can't, other than saying it's just been a God thing. Well, where am I going with all this? A week ago today, we were meeting at the Waters' house at night. Here is where the legend begins...

Lately, our group has sort of stepped back study wise to work on building our relationships with each other. We hang out together, eat together, share what's been going on and then the girls go up on the rooftop of the Waters' awesome downtown loft (to talk about girl stuff) and the boys break out the card table and play cards. It's actually quite fun, and I think we have grown closer together as a result. Well, 2 months ago, Jeff polled the group to see whose been to Vegas. Very few had. So, being the go getter he is, he started planning, and before you knew it, the Waters, Browns, Huckabys and Sentells were in. Jennifer and I talked about it and were like "DANG, that would be so much FUN, but it's just not possible". One of the most important things Mama Jennifer and I have ever agreed on is how important it is for her to stay home. Much like I have a call on my life to be in full time Ministry, she has a call on her life to be a full time mama and we're willing to do whatever it takes to make that work. We wouldn't trade Jennifer being able to stay home with Maggie for anything in the world. With that being said, there are certain sacrifices that need to be made, and sometimes they hurt. This was one of those situations, it was just impossible (so we thought). So back to last Thursday. At the end of the evening, Jennifer comes downstairs with puppy dog eyes. Jeff begins to go through the Vegas Itinerary with the gang and she says to me, "we need to have a conference". Hmmm, right then, right there, weird I thought? Well, we go around the corner to talk and she says with tears gently coming out of her eyes "I REALLY WANT TO GO". Talk about heart breaking. Nothing makes you feel smaller as a husband than not being able to make your wife happy. A couple things you gotta understand, in 2 years of marriage, my wife has never played the "cry card" so I knew how much this meant to her. Also, this wasn't about Vegas, it could have been Butte, Montana, what was important to her was being able to hang out and spend time with the girls she loves so much b/c of how close they have gotten over the past year. Also, it was sad b/c the Brown's are moving to Florence in the beginning of July and this will be one of the last opportunities to do something like this with them for a while. So, obviously there was nothing I could do then and there, so we agreed to talk about it and went back out to face the group. We told them we were going to talk about it (which honestly was about all we could do, b/c there was no way we could make it happen on our own) and all the girls gave me the "you better do something look" as we walked out the door. We went by Auntie Sarah's with tears steady streaming from Mama Jennifer, scooped up our Mag and headed home. This was a late night as we rocked Mag together in the nursery at 11:45pm. We were talking, and I knew how much it meant to Jennifer, so I started talking crazy. We began talking about the ever famous Bush "stimulus check" we received, which was already spent on paper allotted to things like car repairs, house repairs, our Christmas vacation fund and several other necessity type items. This is crazy talk for me, b/c anyone who knows me knows I'm "tighter than bark on a tree". I'm a natural tight wad and being a one income family now has taken that to almost extreme levels. We are "living like no one else now, so later on we can live like no one else" (thanks Dave Ramsey and Joe Sangl). So, after rocking Mag for about 20 min, Jennifer finally said "it's ok, it just can't be done. I'm sad, but it's ok". Part of me was proud, in that she wasn't willing to sacrifice the necessities for a great time (which is saying something coming from a former free spirit) and part of me was heart broken knowing how disappointed my wife was. At that precise moment, my phone rings. It's Pudge (from our HG). He says "Hey man, I got 3 questions for you". Me, "ok, shoot". Pudge, "If something crazy happened and you could go to Vegas, could y'all find someone to watch Maggie"? Tom, "I think". Pudge, "Would you be able to get the time off"? Tom, "probably". Pudge, "3rd, could y'all come up with the spending $"? Tom, "I think". Pudge, "ok, well we've (Huckabys, Browns, Sentells and Waters) decided to pay for your air fare and hotel." Tom, dumbfounded, "You're kidding". Pudge, "No! We want to do this for you as a gift b/c we love y'all." Please understand this too, this sacrifice for them was huge. We are all young married couples and the $ to cover this was a lot. This wasn't just chump change and their generosity has made a huge impact on our lives. I was floored. I hurried to get off the phone to run back to the nursery and tell Jennifer. I can't remember seeing her that happy. She cried again and I was so happy to see her that happy. So, Friday we got all the questions answered, worked out the details and next week this time the Haren's will be in Vegas completely due in part to God surrounding us with such amazing people in our HG. We truly could never thank y'all enough....

You Always Remember Your 1st.

2008-06-18T11:17:00.003-04:00

Howdy, it's been a while. It's Maggie's daddy. He is a slacker when it comes to posting on his precious little daughter's blog. Although I must admit, I like the "many faces of Maggie" look that Mama Jennifer has added to the top, nice! Anyway, want to hit on 2 awesome things. One just happened, one will next week. 1st, let's hit on what just happened.

So, my 1st Father's Day. Mother's Day and Father's Day were incredibly special this year. In light of the year we have had, it's tough to fully enjoy them, but you only get one 1st and you never forget it. Maggie has the best mommy in the world, so Father's Day rocked. This year was unusual in that my dad, who makes 1 annual visit down South, hit it this year on Father's Day. This was the 1st Father's Day we spent together in a decade since I was 18 years old. There, I dated myself and now you know how old I am. Being in ministry, Sunday is spent at the best church in the world (in my opinion). So, with limited time, I think I had the best 1st Father's Day you could ask for. In between our 4 church services, we get about a 2 hour break. Mama Jennifer and I bundled up the Mag and hit Ingles (grocery store). We got the makings for a feast to indulge in Maggie's mommy's newest hobby; cooking (DADDY LIKES!). Got home, had a little lunch and headed back to church. Got home Sunday night around 8:30 and got to hang out with Grandaddy, GAG (Great Aunt Gin, from California), Auntie Sarah, Uncie Bobby, Mommy and Mag. Mama Jennifer and Auntie Sarah cooked a Father's Day feast of rolls, corn, sweet potato "shuffle" ( I know souffle, but shuffle is more fun), asparagus, bacon rolled pork and some type of fruit salad concoction. Talk about good, dang that Mama is turning into quite the cook. Anyway, ate, talked, cleaned up and cleared out. Then I got my Daddy Day gift. Now for a little aside. Everyone knows the phrase "Anyone can father a child, but it takes a man to be a dad". That saying has never rang more true. Being a dad is not the easiest job in the world, but there is no higher calling. You are the spiritual leader in your home, hubby, daddy, income provider, poopy diaper changer, baby feeder, baby player, baby wake upper, baby put to bedder, trash taker outer, dishwasher, laundry assistant and best friend to all (just to name a few). I really believe that one of the major breakdowns in our society is the lack of true dads. There are a ton of fathers out there, but few dads who stick it out and step it up and be men. They either fly the coop, stay but are never home or always working or have the "I bring home the $, so you do the rest attitude". Hence, there are a ton of lonely, tired , frustrated mommies out there going at it alone. Hence, higher odds of said child to become wild child. Anyway, off my soapbox and back to the gift. All of that to say, that the Father's Day gift means a lot to me b/c I view it as the fruits of your labors of trying to be a good daddy. So, I love homemade gifts and Mommy and baby are quite crafty. Maybe the technological director (Mama Jennifer) of Maggie's blog could put a picture on my gift here, but in the meantime I hope this description suffices. It is a homemade hanging double painted canvas. The top canvas is brown and aqua (hand painted by little Mag, mommy had quite a clean up) and it reads "my heart (insert picture of heart here) belongs to dabdy" with the initials of MDH (Maggie Denise) in the bottom right corner. Then, attached with a cute brown ribbon is canvas #2 on the bottom with mommy's hand print and baby's hand print inside with the initials JWH in the bottom right corner. It is so special and means so much to me. Our little Mag is growing up so fast and I will always cherish Sunday, June 15th, 2008.

This post was a lot longer than I thought so I am going to hold off on awesome thing #2. It will give me incentive to post in the very near future, today or tomorrow. All I have to say is that our Home Group is the absolute best and what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas...

Maggie phone home...

2008-06-10T10:01:00.003-04:00

The following is the truth and nothing but the truth:

This past Saturday, I got a call from Daddy (Maggie's Granddaddy) saying that he had come home from work early with stome sort of stomach virus-thing. After talking for minute, he said, "Well, you won't believe who called this morning to check on me." I had no idea and told him, "Ummmm...I have no idea." So, evidently he had received a phone call at about 10 that morning and it went something like this:

RING RING

Granddaddy: Hello?

Silence

Granddaddy: Hello? Jennifer, is that you? (my number was on caller id)

Caller (Maggie): BLAH da boo goo gah

Granddaddy: Maggie? Is that you? Did your mommy put you up to this?

Maggie: Uh goo gah boo goo gai

Granddaddy: Well, hi there, Maggie! Is your mommy there?

Maggie: boog cooo ahhhhh daa daa

Granddaddy: Well, it's so nice of you to call, Maggie. Is your mommy there?

(Granddaddy starting to realize that I am nowhere to be found)

Maggie: Goo Gah bah bah

Granddaddy: Well, Maggie, I'm so glad you called, but Granddaddy's not feeling to good so he might have to go.

Maggie: Goo gah bah bah

Grandaddy: Okay, Bye bye now.

Click. The end.

I didn't even know this happened until Daddy told me. I have no clue how she did this. Probably the same way that she called Pizza Hut earlier this week. She was playing with my phone on the bed and all of a sudden, I hear a voice on the other end going "Thank you for calling Pizza Hut. Pick-Up or Delivery?" I guess I'm not feeding her very well since she feels the need to order pizza.

I solemnly swear that the above stories are the truth and nothing but the truth. The real truth is that little Margaret is a genius and that's about all there is to it.

Maggie's Newest Trick

2008-06-05T09:20:00.000-04:00

Thus far in the raising of Maggie, it's been pretty smooth sailing. Everywhere we go, we are greeted by comments of "Oh, look what a good baby!" and "Is she always this good?". And we always answer, with smiling faces, "YES! She is!". Proud that our child of course is never "that child" in public that causes the entire room to turn around and look, those with children saying "Oh, poor them. Know what THAT feels like!" and those without children saying "Awww...how cute!" or the famous "When I have a kid, it will never EVER act like that!". Up until this point, we've avoided all that.

As of this week, things are changing.

Maggie has two new tricks:

New Trick #1: Separation Anxiety

She cries everytime anyone besides her "chosen" person attempts to hold her. The "chosen" person is just whomever happens to be the one that she wants to be with. The ONLY person she wants to be with. I think we've definitely entered the phase known as Separation Anxiety. Yes, it's a real thing. The doctor even told us that around 8 or 9 months, it would start. And we've been telling ourselves that because Maggie has been so outgoing so far, that surely it wouldn't be that bad when it did finally hit. And so far, it hasn't been THAT bad. I just really hope that it doesn't get worse! And it's so unpredictable. This past week, we went over to a friend's house and there were probably about 25 people there. She was fine until one very nice lady walked up and asked if she could hold her. We handed her right off and somewhere during the transfer, Maggie realized that she felt abandoned and began to scream. So, the very nice lady proceeded to hand her right back. We just smiled and said "We're sorry. This is her new trick". Then, a very nice man came up and asked if he could hold her. Once again, we handed her right off and somewhere in the transfer, Maggie decided that she would accept this man and allow him to hold her. Hmmm...either she's just very picky or she's a little flirt. I don't know which.

New Trick #2: The Temper

This new trick deserves it's own entry. Our child has officially developed what looks like it might be a "Temper". A "Temper" is defined as arching of the legs, straightening of the arms, and screaming like a little jaguar/panther (as her Daddy says). It could be caused by a variety of things such as being placed in her high chair, being placed on her changing table, being placed in her exersaucer, being placed in her jumperoo, being placed in her carseat, or the number one cause, being placed in her crib at night. It should be mentioned, however, that the "Temper" can also appear at any other time that little Maggie chooses. Such as yesterday in the grocery store. It passed as soon as it came, but just as we turned on the cereal aisle, it started. She began to squirm around to try to see the other direction and because she couldn't do this, she proceeded to scream like a banshee at the top of her lungs and kick her legs. Another customer walked by and I don't know why, but when this happens, you feel like you should give some explanation so that maybe you can keep them from thinking whatever they're thinking. So, I did. I don't even remember what I said, but then I leaned down and looked at Maggie and said "No. No ma'am!" She looked at me and stopped pretty much immediately. Sigh of relief.

The most dreaded time of day in the Haren House is now bedtime. Maggie has discovered the art of stalling and playing "possum". For those of you who don't know what playing "possum" is, it's what you do when you pretend to be asleep and you're really not. Maggie has this mastered. Last night being the exception, every night this week, we have rocked her, listened to her favorite music cd (Baby Einstein Lullaby Classics), placed her in her crib, and tucked her in. This has been the routine for about the past 7 months and has always worked beautifully. This week, Maggie decided that she didn't want to do this anymore and the new routine is all of the above except for one small detail: the minute her head touches the crib, her eyes pop open and she begins to howl. Not just any howl, but a howl that would make our neighbors think that they should contact Social Services. We pet her tummy and talk to her and she continues to howl. Finally, we close the door and then we both go sit on the couch and stare at each other in misery. The screams coming from her room are like nothing you've ever heard before....really.

Finally, after about 10 minutes, she winds down and the spurts of "blood-curdling" shrieks stop. And she sleeps.

Maggie Lately

2008-06-05T09:15:00.000-04:00

Above: Standing on her own two feet...finally!

Below: My Granddaddy is the BEST!

Below: Maggie Snuggle-Bug

Memorial Day with Maggie Sunshine

2008-05-28T23:27:00.000-04:00

WRITTEN BY MAGGIE:

This past weekend (Memorial Day weekend), Grandma Judy came down to Charlotte to stay with Cousin Anna while Aunt Amy and Uncle Justin went out of town. It was so much fun! We got to play together and Grandma Judy was a great sport!

Mommy and Daddy only planned to stay for Thursday night, but after Aunt Amy and Uncle Justin made a surprise early return, I was SO glad when they decided to stay Friday night, too. We got to go and see Grandma Judy's new apartment where she will live in only 3 weeks. It has plenty of room for me and Anna to run around. We especially liked the porch because we can see some pretty trees and lots of green grass to have picnics on. Maybe Grandma Judy will fix us all peanut butter and jelly and we can go out there this summer...and then maybe take a trip to the pool....and then maybe walk around the little path in the middle...and....maybe by then, Grandma Judy will be ready for me and Anna to take a nap. Hmm...

After we came home from Charlotte on Saturday, our friends, Michelle and Evan were here to visit. Michelle is Aunt Sarah's good friend that she met when she lived in Charlotte and Evan is her little boy...he will be 3 this Fall. We had so much fun at the park. Evan and Daddy Tom raced back and forth and Evan beat Daddy Tom every single time! We also got to feed the geese and the ducks and the turtles...until we ran out of bread. Mommy changed my clothes and my diaper in the park and that was pretty embarassing, but I didn't see anybody I knew, so I guess it's okay.

Top: Evan races Daddy Tom

Below: Me and Evan...holding hands!!! :)

Below: Maggie Sunshine in all her glory!

Above: The cutest picture ever.

Maggie and Cookie

2008-05-19T15:25:00.000-04:00

Please click on the link to see Aunt Sarah's version of "Maggie Meets Cookie Monster". It is quite cute and I just wanted to share!

http://www.sarahrettew.com/

Her first word, maybe? Hmmmm...

2008-05-09T13:45:00.000-04:00

So, this will be a quick little update, but to let all of you Maggie fans out there (hee hee) know...
I think that maybe, just maybe, Maggie may have said her first word. At least it was a word to me, whether she actually realized it or not (that's another question). As I'm writing this, I can hear her Daddy cleaning up the kitchen from lunch and she is in her high chair. I think they're having a squealing match. Don't ever tell Tom I told that, but yes, he does actually "squeal" back at her.

So, about the word. Could have definitely been random babbling, but I would like to think it was meaningful. She looked at me and very slowly said, "Maaaa-Maaaaa". I smile just thinking about it. Little Maggie Sunshine is about to enter the world of the English language and wow...once she starts, I think we're all in for it. Her Granddaddy says that she will never stop once she has begun. I think he might have a point of truth there.

However, I will post pictures later of Maggie's latest adventures. For one, she went to her first Air Show on Wednesday night. Besides wishing she had brought her own earplugs (versus my hands, which stayed over her ears), I think she had a good time. She wore sunscreen for the first time and wore the little pink flowered dress that her Grandma Judy got her when she came down, and also the sunbonnet from her Great-Aunt Jeanie in Virginia. What a cutie! Everybody that passed her couldn't help but smile.

And then her other most recent adventure would be her first bath at Aunt Sarah and Uncle Bobby's house. In their kitchen sink. Ha ha! The pictures are hilarious! And Sarah assured me that the sink had been thoroughly cleaned before Maggie's little delicate hind parts were placed there. I wasn't worried, though. Really, Sarah, I wasn't. So, while Mommy Jennifer and Daddy Tom went on a date (fully dressed in our sweaty workout clothes straight from the gym), Maggie, Aunt Sarah, Aunt Sue, and Uncle Bobby all played. It's funny how dates change as life changes. Yeah - I would have never dreamed of going to see a movie in my nasty sweaty t-shirt and tennis shoes even 3 years ago. Now look at us. Wow. We had fun, though. After our traditional convenience store trip to buy junk food and after forcing two diet cokes and a 3 Musketeers Bar into my very small pocket book (and one bag of pretzels into Tom's back pocket), into the movie we went (which was Forgetting Sarah Marshall....irreverant, crude, and HILARIOUS). I highly recommend it if you're in any type of compatible mood for laughing at anything related with those last three words.

Okay - promise there are new pictures coming as soon as I have time to upload them. We're off to run errands with the Mags. Hasta la vista! :)

Cute new pictures of the Mag...

2008-05-07T14:09:00.001-04:00

"I THINK I CAN, I THINK I CAN, I THINK I CAN!" - Maggie tries to crawl.

And, this morning...someone woke up on the right side of the crib!

Around and Back Again!

2008-05-07T13:19:00.000-04:00

Well, since we've last written, MUCHO things have happened. For starters, the Husband, a.k.a. Maggie's Daddy, and I went on our first little overnight excursion since the Mag was born...um...scratch that - actually since we were married. Yeah, you heard it right. Grandma Judy came down from Ohio and she and Maggie had a slumber party together. I heard it was great fun and I think I believe it, because when Tom and I got home on Sunday, either Maggie was mad at us for only calling once to check on her, or she was Grandma's Girl. I think it might have been the second one. She was inseparable from her Grandma when we came home and it was actually very sweet, however, I think it made Grandma Judy a little sad since she had to leave so soon. Side note, though - we are very excited that she will be permanently only 2 hours away in a little over 1 month. She's officially becoming a North Carolinian. YAY!

So, about our getaway: We went to Blowing Rock, NC for one night. We stayed in the Blowing Rock Inn and it was great since it was in walking distance of everything. The little town was SO cute and just tucked away in the middle of nowhere. You would never run into it if you weren't actually trying to find it. We almost never ran into it...even though we were trying to find it. A picture of the Mommy and Daddy escaped away for a night:

So, on Sunday, we came home, Tom went back to work on Monday, and life went back to normal.

The following Thursday was Mama's birthday. There isn't a whole lot to say about Thursday, except it was pretty rough. We all had planned to do a bunch of random things that weren't really going to be any fun for anyone, and then after a VERY long breakfast/lunch at Cracker Barrel (began with me, Daddy, Maggie and added on Sarah and Tom) , a trip to Lowe's (without buying anything) and a trip to Publix (without buying anything), Sarah finally had the good point that yes, it was Mama's birthday and while it wasn't exactly the happiest day for us, she LOVES birthdays and we should do what made us happy versus trying to do what we felt like we should do (which was planting grass and flowers on her grave). So, we proceeded to leave Publix, headed to Longhorn's, and ended up having a really fun dinner all together. Maggie had her first public disaster, which included knocking a Diet Coke all over the table and all over Aunt Sarah's shoes. Our poor waiter...bless him and his little patient self. We were slightly OOC (out-of-control), but didn't we learn it all from Mama? The day passed, and then May 2 rolled around.

Before moving on, though, a few pictures from our adventures in Publix...

Wondering throught Publix and Maggie hitchin' a ride with Uncle Bobby...

And another big first in Mag's life: HER FIRST PINATA!!!!

We had a post-Cinco de Mayo party at Micheal and Vanessa's house. Vanessa actually grew up in Mexico, so this was the real deal, enchiladas and all. Maggie had so much fun, and her new best friend, Jeff, even shared his Chocolate pie with her. Here are a couple of pictures from yesterday!

Clockwise: Maggie and Daddy Tom sharing a Twix bar, compliments of the pinata; Maggie taking a swing at her first pinata; Maggie and Jeff (do I see chocolate pie on that little mouth?); and how Maggie ended the night, asleep on Caroline.

Bad Mommy...Bad Daddy!

2008-05-07T12:41:00.000-04:00

Hello blog-friends. Maggie has scolded us for our lack of detailing her life on Maggie Sunshine. I have asked for her forgiveness and she said "it's ok daddy". So we're cool :) So, in a nutshell, I want to share some things Maggie has taught us over the past 2 weeks that might be helpful to all of you faithful parents and parents to be...here goes.

Toys. Maggie has taught us that getting the newest, best, most expensive toys is really not that important. It's hilarious. Her favorite toy is the one she can reach at the time. Some of the consistent ones she loves are so simple. For example, there is her "ear o' corn" her Auntie Sarah bought her while on business in the cornfields of Iowa. I think it was kind of a gag gift, but Maggie loves it. I tickle her chin with Mr Corn Man's fuzzy hairsprout on top of his head and Maggie smiles and rubs her face, too cute. Other culprits include Mr Yellow Sugar Packet (approximate value = 1 hay penny), Mr. Wrapping Paper Tube (5 cents) and the ever expensive budget buster, Mr Teething Ring, valued at 2 bucks. So anyone who knows Maggie's mommy and daddy, knows they love this. Please don't let this hinder you from buying Maggie fun toys, I'm just saying that we're not going to be the parents with a nursery full of today's best and brightest that will turn into tomorrow's yard sale ornaments at best or goodwill shelf toppers in a couple years.

Lesson 2, how blessed we are with great friends and family. We have been attending a grief class for the past 5 consecutive Monday nights and attend our Home Group (which is the bomb) on Thursday nights. Neither of which are kid suitable, so we wouldn't be able to to it without help. Auntie Sarah and Uncle Bobby (with help from Queen Sue) are the standing Thursday night sitters. They love keeping the Mag every Thursday night and for that I am SO SO thankful! I don't know what we would do without them. Not to mention, they usually show fun pics of their escapades on their blogs, so check em out. Our Monday nights were a revolving shift of friends. 2 of Jennifer's college buddies, Amy and Mari Cary, took several nights and Rick and Loretta (friends we met at church who happened to be my brother in law Bobby's aunt and uncle) took 2 nights. It truly is such a blessing to have close friends and family who truly WANT to keep the Mag and expect nothing in return. I can't express my gratitude for this and Mag has taught us to be grateful for the family and friends that God has blessed us with.

Not so much lessons, but firsts and facts since the last post. Little Miss Sunshine popped 3 of her top teeth. That brings her grand total to 5, with the 6th on the way. She is a completely unsupported sitter now (just on thick blankets and pillows), trust me on that one :( She has moved into an intermediate big girl car seat, which is rear facing and will be front facing in about 4 more lbs gained, which might take about 6 months for our peanut. Speaking of, just had a recent Dr's appointment and here are the Mag's specs: 27 inches (75th), 16 lbs 4 oz (30th) and 17 1/4 head (90th). Statistics indicate our child is a long string bean, with a giant melon head...but we love her :)

Well, that's it for now, hopefully mommy and daddy will be a little more responsible, so don't give up, we'll keep the posts coming. Maybe that mommy will post some pics very soon :)

Maggie goes out on the town...

2008-04-24T11:02:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, the little Haren family made a trip out on the town. Yes, this is about as "out on the town" as things get around here lately. Our first stop was Toys R' Us. Maggie was very quiet the entire ride there and about one mile from the store, we both caught a whiff of something not so good. Hence, explaining why Maggie had been so content and quiet. Needless to say, we had to make a little back-seat diaper change before venturing into the store.

Once inside, we finally found what we were looking for: a little red and yellow swing. Oh happy day for Maggie! After making a trip to Lowe's and then stuffing ourselves on pizza (much chocolate chip pizza be exact) we headed home. A new lawn mower, 2 trees, several pots of flowers, a hoe, and a swing later! What a successful trip...

So, while Tom and I attempted to plant grass in our "desert" out back, Maggie sat in her swing taking it all in. I love the video (which is soon to come) of her first ride in her swing! She's definitely the happiest little creature I've ever seen...

Missing my girls

2008-04-20T10:15:00.000-04:00

So, I got left behind. As the other family bloggers mentioned, everyone excluding me, loaded up and took off up the road for Virginia to see the Grandparents. Much to Bobby's (my b-i-l) chagrin, he was given Virginia duty again. It is agreed that he or I will accompany the ladies on all of the Virginia trips. This was my turn, but due to the fact that the trip changed 6 times in 1 week, it fell on the one weekend I have work duties, the vision event in Greenville (which was AWESOME), I wasn't able to request off b/c of short notice. As a result, it was just me and the bungalow this weekend. I can't believe how much I missed my girls. Granted, it was nice to have a little quiet time, but I missed my coffee, movie, sudoku and hang out buddy (Jennifer). I also missed my exerciser, high chair, googler and hang out on the couch sports buddy (this is Maggie in case there were any doubts :)). QUIET. This was the 1st time away from the girls and that's all I can say. I have a new found respect for the quietness my father in law (Marty) tells me about. So, today is a great day b/c the girls are coming back down the road from Virginia. I have prayed for their safety as they travel, please do the same if you read this today. I trust God will protect them. I can't wait to give them a big HELLO when they walk in and see 2 beautiful smiling faces. CAN'T WAIT!!!
Daddy Tom

2008-04-17T17:08:00.000-04:00

Maggie and her Daddy on lunch break...

This is the way we brush our teeth!

2008-04-17T16:54:00.000-04:00

Maggie Sunshine has officially begun brushing her teeth! With the help of Yours Truly, of course. So, I never knew that they had nifty little things like the "finger" toothbrush, but that thing is SO cool! When she sees it coming toward her, she actually opens her mouth and waits on it. And then proceeds to bite on it...a.k.a. my finger, which sometimes results in slight pain on my part. I remember the days when she was toothless (the toothless wonder) and I would let her gnaw on my fingers. I have had close encounters with those 2 little razors, though, and now know not to let her use my fingers as a teething device. This is Maggie having her teeth brushed on Wednesday morning...

We had a fun day! Maggie and I kidnapped Aunt Sarah from work. Literally. We had lunch at Chick-Fil-A with our friend, Traci, and her boys, Brian and Brett. Then, headed home to see Daddy Tom on his lunch break. This is always one of Maggie's favorite moments in the day. The same routine everyday: Tom walks into the door, announcing his arrival with a big "Hello?" and no matter what Maggie is doing, she get the same surprised expression and starts looking around, waiting for him to pop around the corner and come and get her. Followed by Tom popping around the corner, saying "I'm gonna get choo!" Fun lunch breaks.

So, we spent the better part of the afternoon in Books-A-Million, just hanging out, drinking a caramel macchiato, and reading random books that caught our eye. Maggie and I took a stroll through the baby books and stopped to read a few. The Karen Katz books are the greatest! Maggie literally giggled while I read her a book called...something about "Where's Mommy?". So, that was our afternoon. Then we took a family trip to our new favorite movie rental place and got like 5 movies for $8.

Oh, and to finish today's entry, Maggie now has a handmade mobile...compliments of her Grandmama Denise, Aunt Sarah, Aunt Merrill, and me for risking my life on a chair hanging them up. She is pretty amazed by it, so mission accomplished.

Tomorrow, we head up to Virginia to see Great Grandpa and Great Grandma Butcher. Maggie hasn't seen them since before Christmas, so they are definitely in for a surprise. It seems like it all just runs together for me, being around her every day, but I can only imagine how different she looks and acts if it's been a while. She's getting bigger whether I realize it or not...I love the Mags!

My Number 2.

2008-04-17T12:59:00.001-04:00

Maggie is my #2 favorite human being on the whole planet! I put my new favorite picture of us here where we are laying in the grass together at a picnic and she is looking at the camera with that sly little smile. My "little bug" is my #2 b/c she is so dang cute and I love to hang out with her. Our favorite together activities include watching tv and playing with her 1000's of toys that hold her attention for .2 seconds each. I talk to her, read to her and look forward to all of the great things to come. But as for now, i am just enjoying the moment of hanging out with my little non-talking, non-walking little best buddy #2. The day will come where she'll run around, not be quite as cuddly and it won't be so cool to hang out with her dad, which is why I enjoy every moment to the utmost of where she is right now. I love her smile, her 2 teeth, the way she eats and food gets everywhere and all her array of cute little noises. There is so much to love in that 16 lb. pack of sugar, she ain't no bigger than a canned ham :) As for now, I'm heading that way for another great lunch break with my girls, 1 and 2. If you need me, I'll be at the little yellow bungalow acting like an idiot trying to make both of them laugh...
Daddy Tom

Daddy's intro and Top 5...

2008-04-14T12:42:00.000-04:00

So, I'm entering the 21st century and blog world...welcome. My goal is to provide the other 1/2 (probably the lesser 1/2) insight from Maggie's world and share how much our little Mags means to us from daddy's eyes. My goal is to post a couple times each week. Very briefly, who is Maggie's daddy? Maggie's daddy is thankful to God every single day for Mama Jennifer and for Baby Mags. He is also thankful for the incredible family he has been blessed with as well as married into. I thank God daily for the ability that Maggie's mommy and daddy share to fulfill their life's purpose daily, daddy in full-time ministry at a church that touches thousands of lives weekly and mommy as the most gifted mommy I have ever had the chance to witness. I am thankful for the Little Yellow Bungalow that surrounds the Haren's. Daddy loves any and all sports, especially baseball. From the world's standards, we may not have much, but from my perspective, we couldn't be more blessed. Life tries its hardest to derail you off the tracks, but I have always done my best to take the different course as a new challenge and a new opportunity. God is far better to us than we deserve and for that, I am eternally grateful. So, that's daddy, in a nutshell. You won't hear a whole lot more about him, just from him, since he is just a guest on the wonderful Maggie's blog. I hope you enjoy his perspective.
So, I thought a great kickoff would be to list my 5 FAVORITE "MAGGIE MOMENTS" thus far:
5) Our walks. I absolutely love going for walks with the Mags and her Mama.
4) Morning. I can't get enough of walking in each morning after hearing her "coo" out "come get me" and then come in and see her ginormous grin. There's no way to have a bad day after that type of greeting, especially, when she plays "find the baby" and hides in the corner of her crib beneath her 12 blankets and 16 stuffed animals in her crib.
3) Everyday when I come home. I love coming home on my lunch breaks or after work or whenever. I get excited to see the Mags. She is either playing with Mama, in her exerciser or doing something and when she sees me, she lights up with a huge grin and reaches out for daddy to "get me"...it makes me melt.
2) Watching her and mama nap. Sometimes (not often) the Mama and Baby are worn out from a long day and I'll sneak in on nap time. I love it, so cute, my 2 girls cuddled together on the couch...
1) The Miracle of witnessing her birth. By far, the most incredible thing my eyes have ever witnessed. Perfect. Love at 1st sight! her timing was perfect, despite what we thought at 1st :), and every birth is a miracle to me...but there is something so special about "the Maggie"...
Daddy Tom

2008-04-14T11:27:00.001-04:00

Maggie meets pudding...

2008-04-14T10:55:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, Maggie had her first taste of pudding....Chocolate Mint Chip Pudding, to be exact. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think she may have slightly enjoyed it. What do you think?

Family Portrait in Sausalito, CA

2008-04-12T17:49:00.000-04:00

Tom, Jennifer, and Maggie in Sausalito, CA overlooking San Francisco - Maggie's First Thanksgiving 2007.

Seven Months and Nine Days...

2008-04-12T16:57:00.000-04:00

Welcome to the first post on "Maggie Sunshine"! If you are reading this, you most likely already are very well aware of "Maggie Sunshine", "the" Maggie, Maggie D., Maggie Waggie and all of the other nicknames she has earned during her short 7 months and 9 days. She really is the sunshine of my life and so many others feel the same way. Now, I'm not just saying that because I just happen to be her Mama. That is fact. This child has led a life like no other 7 month old that I have ever known. As her Granddaddy says, she's the strongest baby out there because she has carried us since the day she was born. A life that I have been encouraged to document. Therefore, as of this week, I am beginning a scrapbook on my Maggie and also, under much persuading on Aunt Sarah and Aunt Susanna's part, am also beginning a blog. I hope you enjoy reading and I hope this will help me, too, to remember all of the little things that make our little girl so special. Welcome on behalf of "the Maggie"...

Now for introductions:
We are Jennifer and Tom, proud parents of Maggie. We have been married for almost 2 years. Our anniversary will be on June 24, 2008. During our first two years, we have faced about every major life crisis that one can face. Only 2 months after we were married, I returned to a job that I tried to love and Tom started a new job that he absolutely truly loved. So, I hated mine, he loved his. My dream job has always been to be a mom, but at the time, this was nowhere in our near future plans. So, as Tom settled into his new job and I coped my way through mine, life went on. In November 2006, our world was shaken upside down when my Mama, Sarah Denise, was re-diagnosed with Breast Cancer. If you knew my mother, you also knew that one of her main life goals was to become a Grandmother. Oddly enough, on January 6, 2007, Tom and I found out we were pregnant. At the time, we were shocked, and my family was thrilled. Maggie was exactly the motivation that Mama needed during those days, weeks, months. As I got bigger, Mama fought harder. She had a grandbaby that she was focused on. There was nothing more that she loved than to get on Ebay and buy smocked dresses, stocking away for her baby girl that was on the way. She often would pat my tummy and ask how "her" Maggie was doing. Maggie was "her" Maggie from day one. On September 3, 2007 at 2:47, Margaret Denise came into this world. The last person I saw before I had her was my own Mama. She rushed into the delivery room to see me just in time before her Maggie was born. Then little Margaret was here. She was the most beautiful and perfect little person any of us had ever seen. Mama was the first to hold her and taking her from me, she looked at her and said, "Oh, little Margaret". Her Margaret. Exactly two weeks later, Mama was gone.

Since then, Maggie Denise has been our rock, our sunshine, our "happy place". She is beautiful in every way. Her personality and her smile just radiate from her cheeks, her dimples, her long eyelashes and she shares this with everyone she meets. I know my own Mama has been constantly with her Maggie, watching over her, kissing her when she sleeps, making sure she is warm at night, making her smile when no one is looking. Maggie's own guardian angel is her Grandmama.

So, that takes us up to now where little Mag is going on 8 months old. The purpose of this blog is simply to share Maggie with everyone. Her smile, her laugh, her little teeth, all of her firsts. Hopefully, she can bring the same sunshine to you that she brings to me every single day.