Nora, Jean and Margo
Aunt Nora (aka Auntie No-No) returned from her summer in Spain on Monday, August 18. Maia and Margo spent the day hanging out with her on Tuesday, August 19, and Margo got to meet Nora’s friends Jean and Jenna. Margo was so excited to haver her aunt back that she refused to nap all day. She is really looking forward to spending Fridays with Auntie No-No this fall.
P.S. Please excuse Nora’s disheveled look in this photo. She only slept for 4 hours the night before.
Margo is developing new skills faster than we can keep track. Here is a sampling:
She Rolls
Attention naysayers (that’s you Grandpa Jimmy and Uncle Eric): Margo is now not only rolling from her stomach to her back, but she is also rolling from her back to her stomach (first witnessed on August 12 and now seen on a daily basis). While there may have been some controversy about whether the previous video posted on this blog showed her rolling or “falling,” this new video should leave no doubt.
She Laughs
Margo laughed (a real laugh, as opposed to a squeal of joy) for the first time on August 10, as seen by Jake, Jimmy and Nancy. Margo must not find her mother very amusing because she didn’t laugh for her until over a week later. However, Maia and Jake have recently discovered a surefire way to make Margo laugh, which is to lift her up in the air and play airplane.
Margo and Jake Playing Airplane
She Grabs and Bats
Margo is now using her hands much more deliberately to grab and bat at the toys on her activity mat or to lift up a rattle.
She Stands
Okay, not even close, but when pulled to a standing position, she does bear quite a bit of weight on her legs.
Margo Standing on a Blanket Made by her Grandmother Nancy
Margo in her Baby Bjorn
Margo and Jake at the Montclair Farmers Market
Margo’s favorite mode of transportation, especially when she wants to take a nap, remains her Ergo Baby Carrier. But now that she is much more interested in seeing what’s going on in the world around her, she has also been checking out some new ways of getting around town. Margo likes to ride facing out in the Baby Bjorn for walks around the neighborhood with Maia, and has been increasing enjoying strolls in her stroller, such as when visiting the Montclair Farmer’s Market or walking around Lake Merritt.
Margo at the Pediatrician
Margo celebrates her four-month birthday today. Last week was her four-month check up at the pediatrician, and Dr. Landman of the Pediatric Medical Group in Berkeley reports that Margo is thriving. She weighed in at 12 pounds, 12 ounces (25th percentile). Her head circumference is 39.75 centimeters (25th percentile). And she remains a very tall baby at 25.5 inches (90th percentile!). Maia and Jake are somewhat skeptical about this length measurement, however, as the method of measuring doesn’t seem very accurate and Margo shrank from one appointment to the next in previous visits. So either the length measurement is off or Margo was switched at birth. We’ll never know.
Margo had her first successful swimming experience on Friday, August 15, when Maia and Margo attended a Parent and Tot swim class at the Berkeley High School Warm Pool. The water was 91 degrees, which Margo much preferred to her previous swimming experience at Long Lake. The class consisted of a large group of parents and babies singing such songs as “Old MacDonald Had a Pool” and “The Wheels on the Bus go Round and Round,” while doing various activities in the water. While Margo was first mystified as to what was going on, by the end of the class, she was happily splashing around in the water.
Maia and Margo have really been enjoying their new mom’s group. The group includes 10 great moms and 10 adorable babies (all born within one month of Margo). Each week, there is a discussion group to discuss such topics as sleeping, bottle-feeding, sleeping, returning to work, sleeping, childcare. Oh, did I mention sleeping (hmmm….can you tell this is Maia’s favorite discussion topic).
Below are some pictures from a group photo shoot. Unfortunately by the time the photos of the babies in the circle on the ground was taken, Margo had put on her finest fussy face.
Moms and Babies (from left): Jennifer (and baby Maya), Gail (and baby Naomi), Suzanne (and baby Greyson), Rebecca (and baby August), Michelle (and baby Isabella), Christine (and baby Amelia), Sam (and baby Lila), Maia and Margo, Rebecca (and baby Max), and Michelle (and baby Fiona)
Babies (from left): August, Amelia, Isabella, Margo, Max, Fiona, Maya, Naomi, Lila, Greyson
Babies (clockwise from Margo): Margo, Greyson, August, Lila, Fiona, Maya, Naomi, Max, Isabella, Amelia
The group also has an outing once a week where we take walks, go out to lunch, shop for baby clothes. Maia and Margo even took a “Mom and Baby Yoga” class with several of the group members (it was much more successful than Maia anticipated and they are going to try it again next week). Here is a video of Maia and Margo trying out some of the moves they learned at yoga class.
