clean bill of health

We went to see Dr. Sargent yesterday for Maggie's second followup. He said that everything looks great and she won't have to see him for a year. That means she can eat and do anything she wants, so with lunch she was able to have dorito's. We will have a speech assessment done in the next few weeks and go from there. We are thrilled that she has healed well and doesn't have to be limited in anything she does.

This week Maggie went to Build A Bear for the first time. According to Barbara, she took a while to pick out anything for herself, and finally settled on a cat that she proceeded to name "Meow".

She also went to gymnastics this week and back to the swimming pool. It was a good week! Maggie is saying alot. Yesterday we were going to try to have her lay down for a nap, but when we asked her to go upstairs she said "I don't wanna go night night". She can also tell you how old she is and hold up two fingers. We'll be having conversations soon.

We were going to plant a tree for Maggie on the day of her Baptism, but couldn't find the tree we wanted (a tulip poplar). I finally found one this week, and Maggie and I planted it yesterday. She had fun and enjoyed watering it as well.

We are getting ready for a busy week with Barbara's brother and nieces. It should be fun!

Busy week

Maggie had a very busy week, but it was so much for for her. She went to two different pools, and LOVED them. She had her gymastics class on Monday and met others from the local FCC (Families with children from China) group on Wednesday to play in the water at the aquarium (there are play dates every week during the summer). On Saturday we had her pictures made professionally for the first time. She loved having her pictures made and they turned out great. Also on Saturday we had dinner at our friend's Tim and Jen and their daughter Mia's house. Maggie and Mia always play so well together and yesterday was no exception. We all had a great time. This week Maggie will be going to Build-A-Bear on Tuesday with the FCC group - that should be fun. She has her second followup with Dr. Sargent on Friday. On Saturday, Barbara's brother and 3 nieces will be arriving from Baltimore for the week. As normal, we will stay busy, but Maggie is having a great time, and as it should be, it's all about her!

Creative Discovery Museum

A month or so ago, one of Barbara's students from her RCIA class won a family pass to the creative discovery museum. She decided to give the pass to us for us to use for Maggie. Yesterday we took her for the first time. It was alot to see and Maggie seemed to enjoy herself. We also took Barbara's cousin's daughter, Erin, who is visiting from Minnesota and stayed with us on Thursday and Friday night. They all had their toes done on Friday (Maggie is her mother's daughter - she loves having her toes painted). We went to church last night for a dedication of a new hall. It was followed by a wonderful dinner in the school gym.

Watch the video of Maggie playing the piano. It actually looks like she knows what she is doing!

Fathers Day!

First of all, happy father's day to dad and all the father's out there. I am proud to celebrate this day for the first time as a father. I did what all dad's should want to do - I spent the day with my daughter. We went out for breakfast and stayed home the rest of the day. We played in the pool and Barbara cooked some delicious baby back ribs with the fixings. I still find it hard to believe that I am actually the dad of such a sweet, beautiful, smart, funny daughter, and the husband of the greatest wife in the world. I am truly blessed and am such a lucky guy.

Baptism

Maggie was Baptised by Father Mike on Saturday afternoon. Father Mike did an incredible job, and as always, Maggie did great. We are so proud of her. We had alot of family and friends present for this special day and celebrated with hot dogs and hamburgers at our home. Thanks to everyone for making this day so special with your thoughts, words, prayers, and gifts. We have tons of memories to share with Maggie as she gets older.

We had a great visit with Barbara's cousin Lauren and Shaun and Michael. Michael is one, and is a sweet and active child. We loved getting to see him. I was able to show Shaun around Chattanooga on Sunday and we all went to the Aquarium in the afternoon. They left for home today. We also got to spend some time this weekend with another of Barbara's cousins, Kerry, and her husband and daughter. All in all it was a great weekend.

Maggie continues to learn more and more each day. Yesterday Barbara sneezed and Maggie said "bless you". She is saying "I want....", "I'm gonna get you", "I want a drink". I'm sure there are other things she is saying, but I can't recall them all at this moment. It's amazing to see her grow and learn. Maggie is also becoming an expert with the ABC song and I believe she may hold the current world record for most recitals in a day. She sings them loud, soft, and in funny voices. It's adorable.

Grandpa's visit

My dad and stepmother drove from Florida on Tuesday and left today. We had a great visit and Maggie loved them both. My dad and I got to play golf on Wednesday and the girls went shopping. Yesterday was also our 3rd anniversary so we all went out to dinner to celebrate. It's been a great week! On Monday Maggie started gymnastics. Barbara said she loved it and she is signed up for 2 months. Hopefully I'll be able to get to see her at some point. Barbara's cousin Lauren, husband Shaun, and their son (our godson) Michael will be here tomorrow for Maggie's Baptism on Saturday. They will be staying until Monday. Also in town is Barbara's cousin Kerry and her family. We got to see them today and they will also be present on Saturday. We're a bit tired, but we love getting to see everyone and spend time with them.

Maggie's a big girl!

Barbara's father came to visit us this week both to and from his trip to Florida. He bought Maggie her own chair for the living room and helped us move Maggie into a full size bed. The first night she slept in it, she actually went to her room before falling asleep on the couch (the first time ever) and proceeded to sleep throughout the night without waking us up even once. Maybe we should have thought about that earlier. She looks so tiny in the bed, but cute at the same time. We went for a follow up appointment to the ear nose and throat doctor on Thursday. Her hearing test passed in the right ear and was borderline on the left. Before her surgery, she failed her hearing test in the right ear and passed in the left. The doctor said he wasn't concerned about any hearing loss as the numbers can be kind of sketchy after tubes are inserted. She doesn't have to go back for a retest for six months.

Maggie's Baptism is scheduled for next Saturday, June 7th. Barbara's cousin Lauren and her husband Shaun are Maggie's god parents and will be flying in from Wisconsin on Friday and are staying until Monday. Also next week, my father and step mother will be visiting from Tampa. They left for my brother's home in Navarre, FL today to attend my nephew's high school graduation on Monday (congratulations Shawn!) and will be arriving here on Tuesday. They will be leaving on Thursday. We thought about going down for Shawn's graduation, but I'm not sure a 6 1/2 hour car ride would work for Maggie.

It's hard to believe we've been home for 2 months now. In a way it doesn't seem like we've been home that long, but on the other hand, it seems we've always had Maggie. Looking through her pictures, we can see a big change from the day we got her. Her hair is getting longer and fuller, and she is starting to look all grown up.