Daddy Day!

Michol was in NYC this past Saturday with cousin Jeanette, who was selected to be filmed for a TLC show called Say Yes to the Dress. The filming took place during the mid-morning into the afternoon which meant they had to get up super early to catch the train and it also meant that it was just me and Mallory for the day. I didn't know what to expect since the day before Mallory was not feeling too well and had to take a half day from daycare. I decided to take a photo timeline of the day....enjoy!

Mallory eating breakfast while Oscar waits for his share

Heading over to the Merrimans for a visit!

Watching Mickey's Clubhouse with Nana!

Horsey Horsey with Grandpa!

Naptime with Daddy!

Heading home!



More Playtime...could not have picked a better location for toys!



Starting to get tired... 

After a nice dinner...time for bed!

St. Patty's Day!

Hard to believe that we are already halfway through March. Despite the occasional snow storm, Spring is definitely getting closer and closer. Unfortunately, the temperature on Saturday, for the parade, was not quite "Spring like" or as high as last year. We had a busy day planned out starting with a stop at Jeannine & Jake's house for a pre-parade gathering. Last year at this same gathering, Mallory was not walking yet, so it was a little easier to keep tabs on her. This year was quite the opposite...between being completely mobile and being in a new environment, she was definitely fascinated by just about everything she could get her hands on. Thank goodness for two things that were at the party: green beads and tortilla chips. These two lifesavers seemed to keep Mallory completely occupied and out of trouble for the most part. We tried to get her to eat some other delicious food, but she kept asking for more chips. As you can see by the pictures, it was hard to capture her in a still position.

Trying to sneak this candle off the table...

Open those eyes!

Come on...just one more picture!

After we left the party, we headed down to our normal spot for the parade. Our plan was to bundle Mallory up, put her in the stroller, and hope that she would take a nap while we walked downtown. We managed to accomplish two out of the three. Since we arrived a little early and ahead of the rest of the crew, we walked around for a few blocks to keep Mallory moving. She seemed pretty content the entire time...either that or she was too cold to fuss.

Alright, time to go!!!

We had a great time at the parade and got a chance to hang out with the family. Although she didn't quite show it, Mallory was excited to see everyone, including her Aunt Mema! She was in the stroller the entire time and was really good despite all the crazy madness around her. At one point she looked like she was going to fall asleep but fought the nap successfully. Once the parade was over, we packed up and headed to the nice warm car and headed over to the Merrimans for her sleepover. We weren't surprised to hear the next day that she ate like a champ for dinner since all she had was tortilla chips for lunch!

After grabbing a not-so-healthy dinner (let's just say there was a drive-thru involved), we stopped at the house to feed the pups, and then headed over to Power's Pub to meet up with some friends. We didn't stay out too late, but our bodies were definitely telling us it was time to close up shop. All and all it was a fun and successful day! We're definitely looking forward to next year when Mallory can enjoy the parade a little more.

Under the Weather :(

I hate the hospital!

I wish I could say the rest of February was uneventful but it had its ups and downs. As far the ups, Mallory had a successful trip to the hospital for inner ear tube insertion surgery. We had found out at a recent hearing test that she had some fluid in her ears which was causing moderate hearing loss. It's no wonder she has slept through the night since day one! The procedure was done early in the morning and took all of about 10 minutes to complete. The recovery was actually much easier than we expected. I think the whole experience was tougher on Michol and I then it was for her. The tubes didn't seem to bother her at all and she still sleeps all night :)

I don't feel good!

Now to the downs...After I passed my cold on to Mallory last week, she wound up developing bronchitis. We had dropped her off at the Merrimans for their usual Wednesday and they noticed that as the morning progressed, her breathing was very labored and shallow, not to mention her chest seemed very congested. We called the doctor immediately and they brought her over to get checked out. The doctor prescribed an antibiotic (which she loves...I'm kidding) that she has to take for 10 days. After a few days on the medication, she started to sound much better and is feeling like her old self.

Let's hope March is an easier month on everyone!!

On Her Own!

We recently enrolled Mallory in a daycare program (all day/every Friday) and had to send her off for her first day this past Friday...the day of the incoming snow storm, of course. Just the thought of someone other than us and our parents watching her, made it a very anxious and emotional morning. The minute Michol brought her in and took her hat and jacket off, Mallory jumped right in and started playing and completely forgot that Mom was there. Throughout the day, the person who runs the place, eased our minds by texting some updates on how she was doing. All in all, it was a good first day! Mallory even took time out to make us a nice Valentine's Day card.

The Spaghetti Incident...

As you will see from the video below, Mallory's love for spaghetti has apparently been taken to a whole new level. We're not sure if she just loved the feel of the spaghetti in her hands or if she thought she could fit more in her mouth by squashing it into a ball. Regardless, the pups didn't mind the "shower" of food that was about to come their way.

Hey, that's Mine!



This past weekend we signed Mallory up for some open playtime at a place called Tiny Tots right near the house. They offer an open time for kids to play every Saturday from 9:30 - 1. We received a really nice Groupon discount and couldn't pass it up. Since we haven't had Mallory involved in a lot of group activity, we thought this would be the perfect place to get her some socialization and the perfect energy outlet.

Upon arrival, we were quickly signed up and placed Mallory amongst the sea of screaming and running children. Most of the kids were between Mallory's age and 3-4 years old. Michol and I were able to be in the same play area the entire time and make sure Mallory didn't get into any trouble. For the most part, the kids played on their own and had little contact with each other, but it was good to have her actually see other kids playing and attempt to "communicate" with each other.

Towards the end, Mallory was playing near a kitchen set and began collecting various supplies. We're not sure what she was planning on doing with her collection but there was a slightly older girl who wanted one of her frying pans and wound up taking it off Mallory's homemade counter (a bin she turned upside down). Well, as you will see from the video below (at about 24 secs in), Mallory was not too excited about it and got up, followed the girl into the kitchen, and took it back.

Needless to say, it was time to go at that point and as I went to pick Mallory up to get her shoes and coat on, we got a nice dose of  Meltdown Mallory :) After what seemed like an hour of putting shoes on and bundling her up, we made it to the car and were very happy that we survived her first of many play dates. All in all it was a successful trip and look forward to the next one!   

Merry Christmas / Happy New Year!

As you can tell by the date of my last post, things have been extremely hectic on the home front and The Merriman Tales have been neglected to say the least. On the positive side, there is plenty to share! Before getting too far, I wanted to mention that Aunt Mema is doing really well with her recovery from major surgery. We are all glad that she is home and getting better with each day. Mallory misses her so much and cannot wait to see her! Also, Grandpa Merriman is doing much better after having a medical issue of his own last week. He is now home and doing well with recovery. Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with both of them as we start the new year!

So we last left off with a Thanksgiving update which seems like years ago at this point. Michol and I spent much of the early part of December racking our brains for gift ideas. We managed a day off together so that we could hit the stores in search of the perfect gifts. We also put up the tree and decorations around the house. The one missing element throughout all of this was the "white stuff" which decided to hold off for much of the month.

         

Not feeling well :(

 

As Christmas Day quickly approached, we each encountered bouts of illness which I started and passed along to everyone. Michol got the worst of it and had to seek urgent care for antibiotics. We did everything we could to not get Mallory sick but it was inevitable and she woke up on Christmas eve with a runny nose and horrible cough. Unfortunately we had to miss the Christmas Eve service with the Merrimans but it was probably a good decision since the next day was looking to be a long one.

Christmas Morning!

Christmas morning arrived and we woke Mallory up and brought her downstairs to open some presents. In our minds we had all these pictures of her running to the wrapped gifts and ripping them open in excitement. We set up the living room with her presents placed inside her play pen. We put her in the pen and she immediately turned around, started crying, and wanted to be pulled out. Knowing that she was not feeling good, we assisted in opening the gifts for her and she eventually warmed up to her new toys one by one.

Not in the mood to open gifts!

Starting to warm up....

The kids hanging out in the living room...

After eating some breakfast, we got everything together and headed out to the Merrimans for our first stop. Mallory couldn't stay out of the kitchen for some reason so most of the pictures we took were of her by the refrigerator. Sensing that a nap was needed, Uncle Harry attempted to walk Mallory around until she fell asleep but was unsuccessful this time (good try though!). After exchanging gifts, we sat down for a great roast beef and vegetable dinner.

Crossword puzzles at the Merrimans

Thanks Uncle Harry!

We headed over to the Astriabs for the second half of the day and surprisingly Mallory was still in good spirits even without a nap. You could tell she was starting to lose it towards the end of the night but we changed her into some pajamas and hung out for a little while with the family. This year was a little more low-key with Aunt Mema staying home to rest and recover but we still were able to see cousins Jeanette, Andy, Mac, and Conner.


 

Opening gifts at the Astriabs!

We got home at about 9 and put Mallory right to bed...she slept like a champ all night (as always) and woke up feeling much better. She was certainly in a better mood to play with all her new toys. Michol and I had most of the week off so we were able to relax most of the week. We didn't have much planned for New Year's Eve so we ordered our last big meal (slice of triple chocolate cake included) for the year from Olive Garden and relaxed at the house for the rest of the night.

Looking forward to sharing new adventures in 2013!