All sorts of new goodies at Maggie's house! I came home to find her running around this little pool and loving it. It was a bit too chilly to fully submerge but she got her fair share of splashin' out of it.

Bi-lingual baby.

If you've been checking Graham's tweets you may have caught on that we were in New York early in the week. I had a small work thing up there but was able to turn it into a mini-trip for the fam.

Our first day could not have been better. Maggie was as sweet as pie on the train ride up. We checked into an adorable hotel in the West Village and spent the afternoon walking the neighborhood and enjoying perfect weather. The highlight, for me, was picking up sandwiches at a great little shop and taking them over to the playground for lunch and a few hours of play. It was terrific people watching and Maggie got a chance to cut loose. This was followed by a stroll down the high-line and then off to a swanky party.

Our second day, however, took a turn for the worst! We awoke to pouring rain with the looming reality that check-out was at 11:00 and our train was not until 6:00. Sans-Maggie this would have been fine but when you have a kid and a stroller and bags and umbrellas and few indoor options that encourage toddler-dom, you feel a bit stranded.

We saw the MoMA as our salvation and a way to pass several hours. After a long and expensive cab ride up to it, we learned that it is closed on Tuesdays. (Ouch.) Thankfully, Graham had the brilliant idea to try FAO Schwartz and because the rain had turned to a drizzle we decided to walk it. This trek started out fine but quickly turned into chaos when the rain started pouring in sideways and the wind was turning our umbrellas inside-out. At that point we were committed to walking so Graham clutched Maggie to his chest and wrestled the umbrella the rest of the way. I was left to push a stroller of wet bags and gave up on the umbrella altogether. By the time we got to FAO we were a sight to see!

Thank God for that store. It was the perfect refuge. Maggie (who by the way was dry - go figure) had the absolute best time and ran up and down every aisle. We were even able to stay long enough to get to the train station only reasonably early. On the train, Maggie decided to grace her very weary parents with a relaxed ride home by watching Nemo and curling up on dad's lap.

It was an exhausting two days. All three of us had some low points - especially on day two - but I have to say that we were able to hold it together and avoid any major melt downs. For that I am proud of our little crew.

Note: All photos were taken on day one. For obvious reasons.

I know I usually post with a pic, but I'm reaching out to readers to see if anyone has experience with "night terrors".

For the past week or so Maggie has been waking up every night around 1am in absolute, inconsolable hysterics. Graham and I have both tried to calm her but many times it's seemed like she is still in the midst of a bad dream and she will aggressively resist the slightest touch. If we hold her, she will squirm and not necessarily wake up. If we leave her be, she will just stand in her crib and cry terribly. She has even pointed at the door and repeated "eyes, eyes" and "mouth" and I hate to imagine what the poor thing is dreaming about.

Has anyone experienced this before? Is it something she will out grow? Has anyone found a way to help their kiddo through it?

Our biggest adventure of late was buying a baby seat for my old bike. We're hittin' the streets in style (and causing traffic jams in our parking lot).

I'm pretty sure Maggie loves it. And I do too. We went on our first big ride, yesterday, all the way to Nana and Pop Pops house. Truth be told, this is only a mile or two but it still felt like an adventure. The front-mount seat is great; perfect for interacting with her and chipping in when the helmet slips into her eyes.

Looking forward to many many bike rides.

Today was a beach house clean-up day and Graham found Maggie a turtle. To prove it, he was forever Sharpie'd with her name before being released back in to the wild. (Is that wrong?)

Graham and I took a very grown-up trip to Newport, Rhode Island last weekend. I say grown-up because Maggie didn't come and people have made comments like "oooh, a real getaway" and "must have been nice to have the break." We didn't really see it that way, but – the fact that the notion of taking breaks from parent-dom is even relevant – makes me feel old. The fact that the weekend coincided with my birthday also makes me feel old.

Captions, from top-down: Rosecliff, the Tennis Hall of Fame, and Aardvark Antiques.

Newport was great. My favorite parts were the hotel (which was more like a little cottage), a place called Gary's Handy Lunch (where we ate three times), and playing slots on Sunday afternoon (where my $20 lasted 2 hours).

It's unclear if Maggie was happy to see us when we got home. Her new thing is to say "no!" to absolutely everything, including hugs and kisses. Most often her "no's" actually mean "yes" but she hasn't mastered the difference. So, for now, our days are constant "no's". On one hand this is charming but, on the other, it's exhausting! A "yes" here and there would be so refreshing...

Can you believe we forgot charge the camera battery for Easter? She looked so darn cute in her Easter dress, too.

No photos but a few videos, instead. (The yogurt video is a repeat from Graham's Twitter but it cracks me up.)

Here she is, hamming it up for the camera. I asked Graham to take pictures of her last night because I knew I wouldn't get home until after her bedtime but I still wanted to see her. I'm so glad he obliged.

We thought it might be fun to give a run-down of her ever growing vocabulary. And because all I do on this blog is brag on my girl, here is a running list of her words and animal noises:

1. cat
2. duck
3. dada
4. mama
5. pop pop
6. baby
7. shoes
8. socks
9. eyes
10. hi
11. bye
12. cook cook (for cookie)
13. bob bob (for bottle)
14. woof woof
15. quack quack
16. tweet tweet
17. oooh oooh (for monkeys)
18. neigh
19. roar

And my personal favorite: Henri, which is the name of our gray cat. Because he is French and she honors his heritage, she has an excellent pronunciation which sounds something like "awn-ree". Love it.

Here's the cut. It's nice to see her face again.

Super great, wonderful weather today and it's the first weekend in a long long time where we have nothing on the agenda. Perfect day to roam around the neighborhood and chill out on the patio. This was followed by a brave attempt at cutting Maggie's hair with fingernail scissors. (The baby kind with the rounded tips. I'm not advanced enough for the real deal). I think the results are... well... okay.

And, yes, I know I need a tan.

One our first stops was the Natural History museum to check out the dinosaur bones and insect zoo. Maggie was more taken with the running space than anything else but I think it was a success.

Three of Maggie's cousins are visiting along with her aunt and uncle! This one is Sadie... she really has a way with animals.

Showing off.

Another fashion show! The overalls and beret were gifts brought back from Barcelona and Paris. (In case you didn't know, we have a very cultured child.)

Also, I'd like to apologize to any readers that I have left: I'm so sorry that you have had nothing new to greet you when visiting this space. I could round up a lot of excuses why I haven't been posting lately but the truth is that I'm kinda burnt out on blogging. Don't get me wrong. I love having a place to record my musings and ramblings and to detail Maggie's development. The fact that a few of you actually take the time to read this is icing on the cake. Recently, though, my enthusiasm has waned and I think I just need to re-adjust my expectations for myself and accept that this site can shift from primary project to casual hobby.

So, in short, the blog goes on! Probably with fewer updates but I'm hoping that will make for better posts with more to share.

If daily tidbits strike your fancy, please direct your attention to Graham's Twitter Tweets on the sidebar. You can check them, here, or you can follow him on Twitter to hear about all of our momentous events like practicing somersaults and watching Dumbo. I'd definitely recommend watching his most recent videos of their walk... super super cute. (Or, if you're Graham, you'll find them "groundbreaking".)

We had our annual Chocolate & Liqueur Party last night which involves those two things plus a swanky dress code. I was loving Maggie's outfit. The dress was a hand-me-down and the tights and headband were an accidental match. We definitely need to find more occasions for formal wear!

Here he is! Beautiful baby boy. I'm heading out to KC in a few weeks and can't wait to meet him.

I love this photo. Graham and Maggie surprised me with a new jacket for Valentine's Day. Maggie insisted on carrying the bag.

Grandma Susie is in town to help out while my parents are traveling to see my sister in Spain. Together they're doing a quick tour of Paris. (Luckies!) I could really go for a several hour coffee break in a sidewalk cafe right about now...

UPDATE: Grandma Susie left in a hurry on Wednesday morning for the arrival of her new grandson, our new nephew, and Maggie's new cousin! Welcome to the world Baby Liam!

I wish I could say I share Maggie's high spirits. This is Day 5 of being stuck in the house, spending the day in pajamas, and eating terrible food. The snow just keeps coming and today's conditions may be some of our worst yet.

We've been spending most of our time in the office, trying to stay on top of work, while Maggie attempts to keep herself occupied. This has taken the form of moving crayons from room to room, trying to stick her feet in whatever shoes she can find, and "gently" petting the cats.

Poor girl. Graham is trying to put her down for her morning nap (after I have failed twice) but her lack of activity has left her feisty and in that weird state of over-tired yet wide awake.

I may just give up on work today and let loose with this baby. We both need a diversion... any indoor ideas for us?

I have no idea what the final tally on snow was, today, but it was a lot! It's a bit unsettling to be totally surrounded by piles and piles of dense snow but Graham alleviated that a bit by getting a jump start on shoveling. Poor guy! When he finally came back inside, ice sickles had formed in his beard and he was completely drenched.

Maggie and I got to stay dry and warm and watch the snow piles grow higher and higher. I made chocolate chip cookies to pass the time (and have already eaten far too many) and then rounded out the day with bad television. At some point, I am expecting the cabin fever to hit us hard but, for now, hunkering down together in a warm house isn't so bad!

Well, we have no idea what inspired this but she suddenly decided that tonight was the night she was going to walk! Leading up to this, she had taken a few solo steps, here and there, but tonight she made a major break for it and was loving every minute of it. (So were we!)

Look at these nice guys, taking Maggie around the Philly Museum of Art! I don't know that she was particularly interested in Duchamp or Brancusi but I'm certain she enjoyed the walk.

We headed up to Philadelphia over the weekend so that we could bid farewell to two of our good friends who are moving to Hong Kong. In fact, they are en route today and I wish them the best with lots of anticipation for their great adventure.

Maggie is changing a lot right now. She is very verbal and seems to get the gist of what you're saying most of the time, whilst babbling her own opinions and matter-of-facts. Tonight, she refused to be spoon fed and decided this was a task she could handle alone. Sure enough, she managed bite after bite (with plenty of misses and spills in between). She really likes to mimic actions and has a can-do attitude about brushing her hair or her teeth and reading books. Ohhh the books... she and Graham read 15 this afternoon. (Fifteen!) Then tonight I read her a few more at bedtime. My favorite was a line from a Toby book where the mama mouse says to her little mouse, "Oh Toby, you make everyday special to me." I know what she means.

We're having a Maggie and Momma day, today. There are some weeks when I feel like I barely get to see her and reserving Saturday becomes a necessity. No chores, no errands, just play.

The weather was warmer today, so we headed over to our park for a bit. There are great trails and I looked forward to practicing her walking and helping her gain some confidence. She's so funny. She has been on her feet for months and traveling along the edges of furniture but the thought of letting go of a hand (or couch, or table) still doesn't sit right with her.

I think the park was a great diversion because after just a short time of holding both of my hands (with me walking behind her) she confidently let me take one away. Soon we were walking side-by-side, holding one hand, and marveling at the dogs and squirrels and passers-by. She's still not free-walking but it was a big accomplishment for her and you could see it written all over her face.

As fun as that was, my favorite part of our outing was watching her observe and seeing her response to little wonders like sticks and pebbles. During our walk, she immediately honed in on acorn caps and insisted on stopping and picking them up. Most of them were tossed back but three were handed to me for keeps.

One for Nanna, one for Pop Pop, and one for Dad.

We finally had a proper birthday party for our dear girl, complete with crepe paper, cupcakes, and favors.

We're lucky to know so many nice people that care about Maggie and who decided to spend this day with us. We could tell she was enjoying the sights and sounds of people around her and I know we enjoyed the chance to celebrate our first year as a bonafide family.

It's difficult to remember our life before we were sharing it with this little girl. What did we do all day? What were dinners like when it was just the two of us? What did I plan for and what did I daydream about without Maggie to occupy those thoughts?

Whatever those thoughts were, I'm so grateful that todays are full of joy and lots of anticipation for great things to come.

I stayed home with Maggie today and took her to her 1 year physical while Graham went to work. It was not her usual delightful visit with fun stats and sweet behavior. Over the past week or so, Maggie has been discovering the art of defiance and that if you scream loud enough, the chances of getting your way greatly improve. We have been reasoning that this behavior came along when she started feeling sick and I believed (and still hope) that once these last traces of her cold go away her spirits might improve, too. For now, we'll have to learn how to manage blood curdling screams as the pediatrician checks her eyes and ears and Maggie's brute strength as she attempts to maneuver out of your arms while her measurements are being taken.

Speaking of measurements, her stats showed that she is still beyond the 95th percentile for height but that she has now dropped to the 25th percentile for weight. Sigh... That's not good. I had a hunch that we might not see much of a weight gain due to her recent lack of appetite but, wow, wasn't expecting a drop.

When we left the office, my mind started working through all the wonderful new foods we could try. Something to whet the appetite and get her excited about food again. Certainly, nothing we had in the pantry was doing the job so we scoured the aisles of the grocery store looking for fun new things. We picked out beef ravioli, chicken fingers pumped up with cheese and broccoli, a block of munster cheese, and all sorts of new goodies. I even bought ingredients for dumplings and spent the afternoon wrapping up little wonton pouches of tasty pork. Fifty dollars later, Maggie ate half a fig newton for lunch, another fig newton for dinner, a few bites of Gerber carrots and called it a day. Not the response was looking for.

On the bright side, those dumplings were good. More for me and Graham, I guess.