margaretyagan

For the first time in over a week, I actually slept through the night (pretty much defined as the point at which whoever wakes up to feed me doesn’t go back to sleep).  Dad got up at 4:30 and gave me a bottle.  I fell back asleep until 6:00, whcn I got up to eat and then I ate again at 7:00.  Get used to it, Mom.  I’m full time eatin’ from here on out. 

I slept at until 10, when I got up to eat.  Now, here’s where I pooped.  More impressive than my poop, though, is Uncle Danny’s description of his role in my pooping, which he claims to have “instigated.”  Uncle Danny “was the offensive coordinator; Maggie was the quarterback; [Mom] was the receiver who got destroyed in the end zone.”  Huh?  In short, Uncle Danny cheered me on, I did the pooping, and Mom did the cleaning.  Way to pass the buck, Uncle Danny.

Mom gave me a bath right after the “long bomb.”  And for the rest of the day I barely slept — only 1.5 hours in total between 11:00 am and bedtime.  I took a bunch of little cat naps – most not lasting even 5 minutes – at the end of which I would wake up happy and cooing.  Definitely a far cry from yesterday’s disaster.

A/C has been excited about having Patsy’s Pizza for a while.  Dad wasn’t feeling well and had an interview about the launch of a new website, so Mom and I walked up to 74th street and picked up the pizza.  And then, OH MY GOSH: Mom left me with a stranger!

That’s right!  There are stairs going up to Patsy’s that my stroller could not scale.  No one who worked at Patsy’s would help Mom carry my stroller in.  Nor would they bring the pizza out to Mom.  So, what could Mom do?  Well, have no fear, an old woman was near.  An elderly octogenarian lady — whose top speed, were she to try to “run” away might be 10 steps per minute — offered to watch me while Mom went in and paid for the pizza.  Mom thought about it, looked her up and down, surveyed the scene, and pulled the trigger.  She walked backward up the stairs, never taking her eyes off me.  She signed the credit card receipt blind and grabbed whatever food the lady handed her.  Within a moment she was galloping back down the steps to reposses me.  That was awesome.

I woke up at 2:30 and ate with Mom.  I ate again at 5:30 (a bottle, with Dad) and was pretty much up for the day.  We had to be quiet all morning because Uncle Danny was asleep on the fold-out couch in the living room.  We were going stir crazy so we decided to go run some errands to keep the apartment quieter.  We went to Bed Bath, scouted out a mani/pedi place for Mom and Aunt Claire, and hit the old standby, 72nd Street bagels, quite possibly for the last time.

When we got back home, I finally got to meet (well, I was so young last time we met I just don’t remember) Uncle Danny.  He’s weird because he always seems to have a camera stuck to his face.  The good thing is that I had a lot of choices for the blog.

And the afternoon was one to forget.  I was in such a bad mood.  I didn’t want to do anything, especially not sleep or play or poop.  And since sleeping, playing, and pooping are most of what I do, that left a whole lot of screaming and shrieking. 

When Dad got home, Mom and A/C finally got a respite from me (to get a mani/pedi), but I didn’t let Dad off the hook.  I drove him so crazy that he gave me a bottle at 7:30 and put me to bed for the night.  Not only was it rare to get a bottle in the evening, and rare to go to sleep so early, but he didn’t even bother to warm up my bottle! 

I woke up at 3:30 and ate with Mom, as usual.  Then I woke up at 7:00, and instead of screaming for Dad, I softly whimpered to get Mom’s attention.  We had planned that as Dad’s first Father’s Day present, we’d let him sleep in a bit!  Then Mom, Aunt Claire, and I snuck out of the apartment.  We went to The Food Emporium to get stuff to make Dad breakfast.  He loves pancakes, and luckily Mom learned how to make pancakes from great-grandma-Droste.  Since Dad’s not eating mammals this year, we also got him chicken sausage.  Yum!  On our way home we stopped by Starbucks.  Aunt Claire got Dad his favorite: a caramel macchiato.  Shockingly, she didn’t get anything for herself.  I am pretty sure that’s unprecedented.

When we got home, Dad was in the shower.  He got out and was so happy to see me and his gifts.  Before breakfast, Dad left for an hour to get a massage for Father’s Day.  Then after breakfast, Dad headed in to work for a bit while I hung out with Mom and Aunt Claire.  Dad got back while was I napping in bed with Mom.  After I got up and ate, Mom, Dad, Aunt Claire, and I went to the park to meet Isabelle.  We walked around and then found a semi-dry patch of grass in the Sheep’s Meadow.  There were strange people around us, especially the people doing “acrobatic partner yoga” (see below!).

We got home, ate, and I turned in before Uncle Danny arrived — he’s spending the next few nights with us!

I woke up for my overnight feeding at 2:30.  Mom had just gotten back from a crazy night out with Aunt Ali that included trips to two different piano bars.  I didnt fall asleep quickly and got back up around 7:00.  This time Dad did the honors and he hung out with me for a while while Mom and Aunt Claire slept.  That turned out to be a very short while, however, as he made the bad decision to get me some tummy time while everyone else in the apartment was sleeping.  Keyword: was.

 Though I made some wonderful strides, including the use of my forearms to support my upper body.  But as even you, my bloggees, know, I am not exactly quiet when I’m on my tummy.  Oh no.  I let out some ferocious screams — ones that I would top later in the afternoon, though.  Aunt Claire and Mom were no longer asleep.  Mom’s exact words to Dad were, “Did you mean to wake me up?”  Aunt Claire was a little less subtle.

Dad decided to make the mission of the day to start packing up the apartment in anticipation of our trip back to Chicago next Saturday.  I saw piles of clothes I’ve outgrown, gifts I’ve received, and a whole bag dedicated to Mom’s shoes.  After I ate again, Mom and I went to Central Park to meet Aunt Claire and her friend Aileen. 

About 20 minutes into our hanging out I had had enough and I exercised my lungs to let out the loudest, longest scream ever.  Mom was so stressed that she put me in my stroller and ran — yes, ran — up the hill and toward home.  She tried to “shock and awe” me into being quiet.  That failed.  When we got home, I was so upset that I was choking on my cries.

After I calmed down, ate, and took a nap, Dad, Aunt Claire, and I went to The Food Emporium (not Whole Foods!) to get some groceries (and diapers!).  This trip was a bit quicker than usual since they didn’t want to have too much food at the end of the week.  Mom had asked us to bring home some dessert, but the selection was pretty poor at TFE.  So, Aunt Claire and Dad decided to go to Magnolia’s.  Unforunately for all of us, it was raining.  But I was a great sport and took the shower in stride.

The rest of my evening was pretty uneventful.  Dad gave me a bath.  I ate with Mom.  Then Mom and Dad left me with Aunt Claire and took off to Aunt Ali’s house for dinner.

I woke up overnight at 3:00 and had a snack with Mom (since it was before 4:00) and then got up for my bottle at  5:30.  Mom had a meeting this morning, so Dad, Aunt Claire, and took for the office right after my bottle.  We usually make a pitstop at Starbucks, but it turned out that it wasn’t open yet because the “key holder” hadn’t arrived.  The baristas were just hanging out in front of the door.

Dad tried to get me to amuse myself, but I wasn’t really having much of that.  I took a quick nap in my car seat on his desk, but after a few minutes I got quite irritable.  I screamed and screamed while Dad got my bottle ready, which really seemed to annoy him because a couple guys had already gotten to work and I was clearly causing a disruption. After my bottle, I refused to take a nap.  I was just plain old cranky.  Finally I fell asleep for about an hour around 9:00.  When I got up, Mom was there waiting for me and we headed back home (and I slept for most of the walk).

I started making a new kind of noise today as I continue experimenting with my communication skills.  My new sound can really only be described as a squeak.  Mom’s attempts to immitate the squeak were pretty bad.  I think this is the first thing I can do that she can’t!

I made up for my crankiness by taking a 3.5 hour nap in the afteroon.  I got up, ate, and then was in a really good mood while I hung out with Aunt Claire.  She eventually had to leave for yoga and she and I met Dad down in the lobby to save her a couple extra minutes (he was running late).  When we got up to the apartment, I started screaming again, but quickly fell asleep while he carried me around.  Dad seemed really sad about the death of Tim Russert.

I got up and screamed a lot more; Mom correctly guessed that I was hot and would be a lot happier with fewer clothes on.  So, I stripped down to my diaper and became a much happier camper.  I ate supper with Mom (before she took off to hang out with Aunt Ali at The Duplex) and then Dad put me to bed around 8:45.

I woke up at 4:00 and had a bottle with Dad and then went back to sleep until 7:00 — exactly the same thing I did last night.  Mom had pumped right before I got up, so I waited for about an hour until breakfast was ready.    I had another snack about an hour later and then took a nap before going on walk.

Our first stop was Duane Reade, to pick up some toilet paper.  Then we headed to Central Park, weaving around the softball fields on our way to a shady spot in the Sheeps’ Meadow.  After a while, though, our shady spot was no longer shady.  Luckily, Mom brought an umbrella to keep me cool.  When we got ready to go, I decided to show my newfound power as a 3-month-old and I completely rejected my stroller.  Mom put me in and I screamed so loud that she felt uncomfortable being in Sheeps’ Meadow — an official “quiet area” — with me.  So, she ended up carrying me in one arm and pushing the stroller in the other, all the way home.

We had awesome tummy-time, where I finally conquered my big head and lifted it completely off the ground.  I still need to learn how to use my arms to support my upper body, but hey, one step at a time.  I took a bath right after tummy-time (I spit up all over myself) and then spent a bunch of time playing with that new giraffe that I got the other day.

Unlike yesterday which I pretty much slept away, I was awake most of the day today.  Dad got home a bit earlier than usual and played with me for a while.  I pooped in the middle of one of his games, though.  I guess that means I won.

Apparently he read somewhere that I’m supposed to start developing my sense of smell, so he got nine spices out of the kitchen and held each one up to my nose.  I was pretty unimpressed with most of them, except the sage, which I immediately tried to shove in my mouth (and I am sure I drooled inside the container!).  I ate a couple more times and then turned in for the night around 8:30.

It’s my birthday!  Woo!  The so-called “4th trimester” is now over, meaning I can officially start manipulating my parents.  Watch out, Mom & Dad, I’ve been practicing my smiles and big puppy eyes.  You’re in a lot of trouble.

I slept a lot, pooped twice, and went on a field trip to Barnes & Noble with Aunt Claire where she bought me the only birthday present I got today.  In the evening. I started getting really fussy and Dad strapped on the Baby Bjorn and went for a walk.  Nominally, the goal of the trip was to pick up something from Duane Reade to fix our clogged drain.  After checking out, Dad decided to extend the trip for a while so Mom could get some time to herself.  We walked passed a delicious Mexican restaurant, strolled through Best Buy, and then walked through Barnes & Noble (my second visit of the day).  Finally we headed back home where I ate and fell asleep.

I’m sure there’s more to write about, but I know, what you really want to see are pictures of my third month, so, without further ado:

http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf

Well, after going four whole days without a poop, I’ve now pooped four times in the last two days — twice yesterday and twice today.  It’s great to see them on their toes.  I woke up at 5:00 for my bottle, which Dad gave me.  While Dad was burping, I emptied my bowels — much to his surprise!  I stayed up for an hour or so playing wtih Mom and then I fell asleep for about three hours.

I then spent an abnormally long time (almost an hour) eating, followed by my second “movement” of the morning.  This definitely warranted a bath, which Mom gave me.  I kept hoping we’d get to go out today, but the heat was pretty miserable so there was no way we were leaving the apartment.

I took a nap, ate twice, and then dozed off for about half an hour.  So, I took a 3-hour nap, a 90-minute nap, and a half-hour nap.  Not too bad!

Uncle Marty came over to see me — and he got to our apartment a lot earlier than he usually does, so we were able to play for quite a while (unlike last time, when I barely caught a glimpse of him as I was heading off to sleep!).  He brought me an early birthday (well, I turn 3 months old tomorrow) present.  It’s part toy, part blanket, part teether, and part noisy crunchy thing that he really liked.  He’s gotten so comfortable with me that he even did “Super Maggie” (which has yet to be recorded by a camera!).  He’s sure come a long way since he was afraid to even stand up while holding me.

Mom fed me and then headed out for an evening out with Aunt Ali.  I think they were drinking something slippery or purple or both — I’m sure I’ll taste it when I get up in the morning!  I didn’t fall asleep for quite a while after I finished eating — probably around 9:30.

I surprised everyone by getting through the night without a bottle (though I was pretty restless after 3am).  Dad tried to stretch me just a few minutes too long — he hopped in the shower after I made it clear that I was ready to eat.  By the time he got out, Mom had already gotten my bottle and started feeding me.  Dad finished up and then couldn’t resist hanging out with me for about 15 minutes before he took off for work.

There were three things to note today:

 – I had a playdate with Gil, who’s the son of Jess’s friend Tamara (from the KSG).  Gil was so fun and it was really cool to get a sense for what I’m going to be like in 14 months.  He still fit in my bouncy chair, so it’s good to know that I’ll be able to use it for a quite a while.  Like many others, Gil seemed pretty impressed by my rotund belly, though he took it to the next level, petting it like a little kitten.

– I pooped – twice!  After going over four days without pooping just last week, I let loose twice today, just two days after my last poop-venture.

– I learned how to shriek today.  And I don’t mean cry.  I mean shriek.  This is a non-stop, high-pitched wail.  Rather than a continuous cry, I unleashed long, loud, separate shrieks that drove Mom and Aunt Claire nuts.  Dad missed most of my shrieking, though I gave him a small dose while he was taking care of me during Aunt Claire’s run and Mom’s mat pilates.

I turned in for bed around 8:30. 

Well, it’s official.  The midnight feeding is going to be part of the schedule for a while.  I woke up at 3:00, ready to eat.  So, Mom and Dad had agreed that if I woke up to eat before 4:00, then Mom would get up and nurse me; if I woke up after 4:00, Dad would get up and feed me a bottle.  I have no idea how or why that makes sense, but I’m sure they over-thought the issue and probably have an Excel spreadsheet optimizing me.

I woke up again at 6:30 and this time Dad got up and gave me a bottle.  Of course, I wasn’t going back to sleep, so Dad got up and played with me for a while.  I hung out with Mom while Aunt Claire and Dad went to Whole Foods.    When they got back, we got ready to take off for breakfast.  We had a ceremonial removal of the newborn insert in my car seat and ventured in to the blistering heat.  We first tried Alice’s Tea Cup, but the hostess quoted us over a one-hour wait, so we headed back to Fairway Cafe, the place Alex and Kate introduced us to last week.  I had no interest in sitting on an upside-down high chair again, so I sat in Dad’s lap while he ate his pancakes one-handed.  We didn’t see any famous people this time.

We headed back home, trying to walk in the shade as much as possible.  Dad had planned on taking me into the office for a few hours, but Mom didn’t want me going out in the heat.  She said to Dad: “What if a germy person drips sweat in her face.”  Dad had no comeback.  I ended up sleeping most of the time Dad was gone, so Mom was pretty productive even though I was home.

The rest of my day was prett uneventful.  I hung out with Mom, Dad, Aunt Claire, and Maddi.  I eventually turned in for the night around 8:15.