Exotic Fish and Pony Rides

Today we took a trip to the Seattle Aquarium and then walked the waterfront. It was such a great day! Morgan loved all the fish- she particularly liked the really bright, tropical fish. One of the buildings on the waterfront had a carousel so Morgan took her first ride. We then stopped and had some clam chowder and Matt and I had a beer. It was a very Seattle day (minus the rain). Here are some pics!

Can you see the otter behind us?

My little fishies

Whoo hoo! A carousel!

Coloring is FUN!

Matt reminded me that I've been a terrible blogger over the past months! I am going to post some of M's 1 year birthday and pro pics over the next couple of days, but in the meantime here is a little video of her new found love of coloring.

Skinny Minnie

This past week we had Morgan's 9 month well check with Dr. Hott where we got some good and not so good news.

First the stats
Weight: 14lbs, 9oz
Length: 26 inches

Length wise she's in the 20th percentile- on the non-preemie chart (the regular old baby charts). Great news!The problem is her weight is low. She's always held steady at the 10th percentile (on the preemie charts), and is now at the 5th percentile. Meaning, we gotta fatten that girl up (and, we're back to monthly doc visits to check weight progress). She definitely has her daddy's metabolism. So, my job is to create meals that are healthy but will pack on the pounds.

I've put together a baby friendly menu for the week with lots of healthy fats! I figure if I ate like this I would pack on the pounds so hoping it works the same for Miss M.

Breakfast:
Oatmeal (Bob's 7 grain) with sunflower seed butter, apples and cinnamon

Snacks:
Avocado
Sweet potato fries (made with olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper)
Whole greek yogurt with mango and banana (this is given to her in very small quantities as it hardens the poo)

Lunches and dinners:
Spinach and mozarella smothered chicken breast with rice and roasted veggies
Rice and veggies with homemade coconut curry (coconut milk, curry and ginger)
Butternut squash soup (made with butter and olive oil)

I'm So Lucky to be Morgan's Mommy! (long and sentimental)

First I want to take this opportunity to say "Happy Mother's Day!" to all my mommy friends!

So, I've been thinking about Mother's Day quite a bit this week, with tomorrow being my first and all. Honestly, I sort of always thought it was a Hallmark holiday. Don't get me wrong- I love celebrating Hallmark holidays, and I love celebrating my mom (best mama EVA!)  but I didn't realize the history went back to the 1600's. Yep, before Mr. (Mrs? St.?) Hallmark was even born.

Anyway, now that I'm a mom, I have such a different opinion on Mother's Day. I have a greater appreciation for my mom, and how much she did for me, and sacrificed for me, and loved me. And, I look forward to the opportunity to tell her how much I love her tomorrow(another shout out Mama B!).

I'm also thinking about how LUCKY I am to be a mom. And, specifically Morgan's mom. Excuse my ooey gooey sentiment, but seriously. Her smile is contagious. Personality bursts from every inch of her petite little body. She's so sassy and funny and perfect in every way. I can't think of anything that makes me feel so special than when she wants to snuggle (it doesn't happen very often). All of these milestones she's hitting are so exciting. But, I want to slow down time because the past 9 months have gone by too fast.

I always think back to her birth, and how scary it was. We had a whole team of neo-natal specialists in the delivery room ready to take her to the NICU after my emergency c-section. And, she was born at 4 lbs, 9oz, kicking, screaming and hot pink and perfectly healthy. Not a minute in the NICU. And, she came home with us 3 days later. Such a trooper. I'm so lucky to be the mama of the cutest little girl in the world. I love you Morgan Biagi Scheck!

And, just because it's fun to look back at pictures:

3 generations. I had just had major surgery. Excuse my face.

Proud mama

I can't believe she passed the car seat test. Look how small she was!

Our little peanut





9 Months!

Morgan is 9 months old today! We have her 9 month doc appointment next week so I'll update with stats then.

She hasn't had a ton of new milestones this month, but she does love to stand and play on her music table. We also think she's getting close to crawling as she'll get on all fours and rock. She's added many foods to her repertoire and is the same happy little gal. Here is a pic of her with her fave giraffe:

Pearly Whites and Sunshine

The teething has started! We have yet to see any teeth, but the drooling, chewing and fussing are sure signs that one is sure to break through in the upcoming days/weeks. Morgan has been taking really short naps (ie usually she takes 2 naps a day, both at least 1.5 hours), and for the past few days she's been waking from her naps after about a half hour very upset and not easily soothed.

In other news, we saw the sun this past weekend! The fair-skinned Schecks all got a little bit pink. But, mostly Matt because he refused to put on sun screen. After a full day of yard work he's actually more of a fuschia. Real men wear pink (and, Matt is a real man!). The yard is looking MUCH better, and we finally moved the weird yard waste/compost bin/manure smelling garbage can from the front yard. It was a klassy little treat that was left for us in our new place. We're all for composting but this got wet and nasty and smelled like a barn.

We also went down to Ravenna Park (our first time) and found a park full of trails that will be great for trail running and walks this summer. There was also an entertaining drag/cosplay (think Role Models) May Day Festival going on.  All in all, a great (and typical sunny Seattle) weekend.

Here are the pearly whites and sunshine promised in the title of this post:

Bring on the vitamin d

Rain, rain, go away....I've been finding myself singing this a little too often lately. May is quickly approaching but the sun is being a little slower about things. I am looking forward to getting out and about, visiting Greenlake and Ravenna Park, ordering ICED lattes (after my 30 day hiatus, of course), and wearing summer dresses and sandals.

We did have a warm day a few weeks back and Morgan and I walked down to the park. She had been begging me to do a photo shoot (translation: goooo ga ga ba). And what Morgan wants, Morgan gets. So, since Seattle won't cooperate (bastard), these pics are my little ray of sunshine today.




Yay, this is fun, mom!

Get back here, you squirrel, you!



OK, I'm done with this photo shoot, woman.