Magnolia - Now 9 Months Old

Magnolia is now a whopping 9 months old, and growing. She is still a happy, fun spirited baby. Its fun to watch her take in her surroundings, learning and applying her knowledge. Its incredible to think that she has only been in the world for 9 months, and already has a handle on many of the day to day processes that happen in our lives. Cheers to Magnolia.

Friday June 12, 2015

Magnolia got her first big break in the modeling business. I have a friend who works for Zulily, and she mentioned to me that they are always in need of models to advertise the new clothing lines that are to be posted on the web site. We decided it would be worth a shot. In exchange for the modeling, they give us copies of all the photos, plus $10 credit that we can use when shopping on Zulily.

The photos turned out really well. And we are proud of our little girl, already carving out a nitch for herself in this new world.

June 08, 2015

June has started off with a kick, bring both sun and heat blasting down outta the sky. I started a new job on June 1st, and in doing so have completely eliminated my commute from Seattle to Everett and back, and now I spend my mornings simply strolling to work along the colonnade of South Lake Union Park which functions to separate Eastlake and Westlake avenues. So far, my job is very similar to my last job in terms of work, but I can already tell I am flushing out my experiences learning another side of the same coin. Its pretty interesting so far, and I am glad I was not caught off guard or outta my element on what they expected out of my skill set.

Magnolia continues to grow, and has officially turned into a personality. No longer is she just a sack of potatoes that we carry around from place to place. She has definitely turned into a little human being,and is truly a pleasure to be around - as she has more to offer now on the interaction aspect of this relationship. She is nearly 6 months old. Her little legs are getting a little chubbier, she has nearly grown out of the #2 diapers, she graduated from the 3-month old nipples to the 6-month old nipples on her bottles, and she has nearly turned over her entire closet over the last month or so.

She has found humor, and loves to laugh and giggle. We have started feeding her purees, along with  formula bottles, and have even started supplementing now and again with a little chaser of water on the side. On a typical day, she will take 4 naps. Staying up approximately 2 hours or so before crashing back out for a 45 minute to an hour nap. At night, she falls asleep between 7:30-8:00 pm and usually get up between 6:00-7:00 am, usually only waking once, or maybe twice during the night to feed. For the last couple weeks I have been skipping the crib and just placing her in the big bed, so she can curl up next to me and we can sleep through the night together.

With the sun, comes a beautiful sun hat. And with the sun hat, comes more time spent outdoors. Magnolia, like her name, seems to be a little beautiful flower that attracts all kind of buzz everywhere we go. Tomorrow, Mari and Magnolia head off for her first professional photo shoot. We will get copies of the photos, and I will be sure to post links to the site and add some photos here in the near future.

May 25, 2015

Memorial Day


Magnolia continues to grow cuter and cuter. Her eyes are starting to change, from the slate grey color she has had from birth, to a emanation of green coloring that fractures outward from the black pupil. There is still alot of grey, so I can't wait to see how the final transformation will appear. But over all, her large, light eyes attract a lot of attention.

Magnolia just started sitting up. Her balance isn't 100% there yet, but for the most part she can sit on her butt and play with her toys. Her back and stomach muscles have obviously been growing and building in order to support her little frame.

She is a big fan of bath time, where she can pull her foot towards her face and suck on her toes.

Overall, Magnolia is now quite perceptive of her surroundings, watching everything and taking everything in. She loves watching the Chinita (our cat) walk, run and play within the house. She loves watching Curious George on Netflix. She is quite interested in watching us eat and drink, reaching out her arms in hopes of a taste for herself. These are all big developments that have occurred in the last month of so, that took her out of just being a passive baby towards more of an interactive baby. Its been fun.

May 19, 2015

Where to start? Its been a long time. Magnolia is now just over 5 months old. Her leg muscles are strong and she loves to stand. She still lacks balance, and needs help maintaining her upright position, but none-the-less she enjoys having a small respite from sitting around all day.

Dress: Uncles Bob and Jay

 She is growing out of her 3-month old size clothes and heading into her 6-month old size clothes, yet only being 5 months old, most are still a little baggy. Leaving room for her to fill out a bit more as she continues gaining her womanly figure.

Bodysuit: Travis

She is drooling nearly constantly, creating a small leaky fountain effect emanating from her mouth that quickly spreads and absorbs into all nearby objects. Her shirts, dads shirts, her toys, the couch, nearly everything. I am sure if we had a CSI black light in the apartment we would be able to fully document the extents of her incessant liquid mouth within the apartment. Lucky for everyone involved, we lack this object.

Shirt-bib: Aunt Grace

 Yesterday was a gorgeous Monday worth spending in the sun. We took a stroll to whole foods to buy some pears, as we are going to start feeding Magnolia a bit of solids. After the store, we stopped by Dukes Chowder House on South Lake Union to sit on the balcony and enjoy a mojito with chips and salsa. As you can see from the photo below, Magnolia got a kick out of perusing the menu in search of something she would enjoy.

Sugar & Spice Onesie: Uncles Bob & Jay

Cant Get Any Cuter

I received an email today from Mariana today with the subject header "omg! cant get any cuter" and three picture attachments. After slightly ignoring this blog for a little bit, I figured this was a great way to kick off a new update while bringing attention to the fact that Magnolia is now 3 months old. We received this summer dress from Bob and Jay in the mail yesterday, and of course the modeling session begins.

After mentioning to my father that Magnolia lacked a warm coat in these crisp spring days, this arrived yesterday as well.

A wonderfully warm, soft, pink Columbia fleece that is sure to keep her nice and comfy warm when we are out and about running errands or simply out for a stroll around the lake.

This past Sunday we had a nice long visit with Grandma Mary and Grandpa Thom. Magnolia is a big fan of her little brown monkey.

Magnolia is a pleasure to be around. She has a simple, calm demeanor, and really just loves to sit close and feel the warmth of another body near by and watch her surroundings. She is starting to smile more and more, and she is continuing her vocal improvisations. Her hands are getting a little more skillful, as she can almost hold and manipulate the bottles come feeding time.

March Marches In

We had a good weekend; spending time together while enjoying the soft transition from February to March slip by. As seasons change and the weather is warming, another two weeks has pealed off and magnolia is now two and half months old. As you can see, she is a wonderful morning person, and loves to wake up and hang out and welcome the day with a smile.

She is very sweet and calm, and loves to simply cuddle with Papa, and be close.

A quick snapshot of the two ingredients in the Magnolia making recipe.

Friday, Magnolia had a pediatrician's appointment where she very ungratefully received three shots. I think the medications got to her on Sunday, because she spent a large portion of the day sleeping. I can't help but love the way Magnolia crashes out when she is exhausted. Like a little snow angel.

x

Midweek Update

I flipped through Erika's blog today and glanced a few photos of Hiyab and Magnolia hanging out together. I was very surprised to see the amount of growth that has taken place in Magnolia between the time of those two photos. I forgot how tiny she was when she was born, and it was a nice reminder of how far she has come in just over two months time.

This past weekend we had a visit from Grandma Carol and Great Aunt Patsy.

 

Patsy hand delivered a gift for the upcoming day of Easter. A gorgeously hand made dress that I will only partially show now, as soon enough Magnolia will be dolled up within it and photos will be taken to commemorate the day. Mango is sure to be the belle of the ball.

 Grandpa Thom had this delivered the other day, staking claim to Magnolia's mental state and prognosticating how she would rather be spending her time.

 We received a gorgeous box of Honey Bell oranges from Henry & David sent by Grandma Carol that unfortunately, Magnolia could not partake in. Her loss is our gain and Mari and I rightfully engulfed all said oranges in no time.

Magnolia didn't make a fuss at missing out on the oranges, as she is still thoroughly enjoying her liquid diet of milk and formula.

 A few small toys arrived in the mail today. Grandpa Thom and Grandma Mary sent a portable rockin' radio that Magnolia can take with her when she's on the go.
 

 
This  pacifier sharing monkey also arrived. The box lacked proper identifying factors as to who sent it. Grandpa denied responsibility, saying he only sent the above mentioned radio. So I can only assume a mommy monkey witnessed Magnolia dropping her pacifier, and sent her baby over to help out with pacifier duties. Well done mommy monkey.

 Magnolia's picture perfect face, and calm stellar personality has attracted major attention from talent scout from San Diego from the Stanley Fashion academy. In an attempt to lure Magnolia to model for the upcoming Spring Baby Season, high fashion gear is showing up on our doorstep.

 

We will see if we can sign her to a  contract with those big, come hither eyes of hers.

A Giggling Mood

Mariana was able to capture Magnolia in a state of jubilation. Smiling and happiness has become infectious in our household lately.

February 16th 2015 - 2 Months

Magnolia turns two months old. This fact is true only if you measure time by way that she was born on December 16th and now it is February 16th. In this scenario, two winter months have passed as we progress towards spring time.

If, on the other hand, you like to measure time in weeks. She is 9 weeks old.

Other than normal physical growth, her measurable progress this month is:

• She is starting to smile more and more often.
• Her state of being, either happy or upset, is clearly recognizable.
• She is not quite able to use her hands (like holding a bottle), but she is able to use her limbs to push or pull my hand (with the bottle) in or away from her face.
• She is babbling more, finding her voice and how to use it.

Thingama-Bobs

I have a theory that the name Magnolia may have derived directly, or indirectly  from the word Magnes, or Magnesia. These are the ancient latin names from which the word Magnet was derived . I think my theory holds water because Magnolia keeps attracting packages to our door. Packages of all sorts and sizes, some cardboard, some in manila envelopes, and others wrapped in plastic. Some of these turn out to pajamas depicting colorful princesses, whom I have never seen the likes of but that I am sure to know when Magnolia gets a little older and I am forced to watch Disney cartoons.

Other packages contain beautiful little dresses. Some with leggings.

Some with stripes.

Another with a cute pair of undies and a gorgeous floral pattern that is sure to melt the heart of anyone who catches her eye.

Some contain books. Written in both Spanish and English in order to prepare our Bilingual baby for the future.

And some have captured the nationalistic pride of the mother. Who is sure, and I say this with authority, sure to utilize these Uruguayan onesies as much as humanly possible. Mariana is one of the most nationalist people I have ever met. She loves Uruguay and never misses an opportunity to inform someone about where she is from and give a little tidbit about the country. She is the first to point out anything that Uruguay does "better" than the United States, and more often than not, expresses interest in returning to see friends and family. 

These two onesies are a real treasure, and I know that are quite meaningful to Mariana. Thank You.

Speaking of Uruguayan pride makes me remember that just about this time last year Mari had the distinct privilege of running into the Uruguayan President Jose Mujica. Fortune was with her when she was able to grab a quick snapshot with this great, great man. You can take the woman out of Uruguay, but you can't take the Uruguay outta the woman.