Maggie is 9 months old!

We’re on a number 9 roll this week as Maggie today rolls over to 9 months old. Longer out than in…? Something like that. In any case, the 8th month of her life can be summed up in one photograph:

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HOLY SHIT.

What a month it’s been. Probably one of the worst of my parenting career with all 3 girls getting whooping cough and dealing with THREE sick little girls, scarily so as they coughed and spewed and stopped breathing their way through the month. We had hospital visits, so many broken nights of sleep and only now a glimpse of some light at the end of a dark tunnel. Poor Magaluf.

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But even though it’s been a shit of a time, there has been plenty of smiles from the happiest little baby girl. In fact, thank goodness for Maggie as a distraction with her cuteness for us all through the month of home arrest and SO much time together at home. Mags, you saved us on more than one occasion even if you did make my heart stop approximately 89 times when I heard you start to cough from one end of the house to the other.

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9 months. What we are looking at at the moment is a ball of baby ANGER. She’s starting to feel better and she’s just worked out a few things. One, the girls are now at School ALL the time which is really boring. Frank has a new friend to hang with at the door to wait for some more action to come back home.

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Speaking of Frank, the love affair is as strong as ever. He adores her because she not only drops her food accidentally, but occasionally just feeds him from the side. He’s thrilled at this new turn of events. When she’s finished she just sits and watches him eat the leftovers.

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Secondly, the kid still can’t move. Which means that pretty much her entire time being awake consists of her making the noise “uh uh uh uh UHHHHHH” as she wants someone to either hold her up so she can stand, or just sheer frustration at WHY DON’T MY LEGS WORK LIKE ALL OF YOURS DO GODDAMNIT.

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Seeking position of Maggie stander if anyone is keen. And, um, hello THIGHS.

She’s also got no teeth, so even though she eats more and faster and better than Daisy and Harper combined, she’s lacking in the teeth department and this week in particular is she isn’t knawing on something cold and chewy, she is losing her shit.

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My parenting at the moment is pretty much me setting her up safely and as quickly as possible so that I can run away before she sees me because if she sees me, she needs ME. And if I run I might get 2.5 minutes to complete a task. Like getting a drink of water, or you know, working, or dealing with the other kids. There’s mess! Oh how there’s mess, but I just go with it because it might mean she’s distracted for those 2.5 minutes and the clean up, even if it’s longer than 2.5 minutes, means that I actually got something done.

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Thank GOODNESS for her sisters is all I can say. They have saved me big time during the holidays (even if they were sick) and I am missing them very much during the day for things like (hanging out washing and bed making).

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Girlfriend can EAT. Nothing brings me more joy than watching this kid eat. She adores food, any kind, every kind, all of the kinds, actually what’s that kind? MY kind. Her kind. All the kinds. We’re talking double fist action if she gets something really good in front of her. She eats what we all eat for dinner, plated up every so nicely on the tray of her Ikea High Chair.

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She’s still being breastfed during the night (and still waking at least two times) everything has been out of whack while she and the girls have been sick…I know that we have to try and work out a way to get her to sleep through, but right now, the 3 minute breatsfeed is working for both of us. She pretty much refuses my breast through the day because: STANDING, trying to crawl, EATING, all of the things better than sitting and being breastfed.

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It’s been one hell of a month, but we got through it, like we always do as parents. Moving on to the next challenge, the next achievement. There’s hair that grows and is getting longer over Maggie’s ears that just may be the sweetest thing that ever was. There’s those smiles. The laughs and dirty giggles. The endless love and joy that she brings us all even when we are going through a tough time.

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I’m so sorry that she’s had to go through this awful sickness. That they all have, but a helpless little babe? The worst. She’s shown her true colours to us all though, ever smiling and ever loving to us all. Sweet Maggie Macdonald, thank goodness you are here.

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Happy 9 months our precious girl x

Comments

  1. I remember many moons ago when I had a 5yr old, 2yr old & baby Maggies age all go down with chicken pox. The baby is now 13 but I still remember it vividly ! So glad yours are on the mend & the gorgeous Maggie didn’t lose her award winning smile.

  2. Mine babe will be 11 months in a fortnight. ELEVEN MONTHS. What the actual hell. These Mags pics made me smile so wide I think my mouth cracked. Happy big 9 Maggie. You absolutely gorgeous little muppet. And well done Beth. Nine months in, nine months out. X

  3. Well done for getting there! I’m so glad you’ve turned the corner with the illness. It’s just going to keep getting better too!

    My “baby” (remember when he was just an ‘am I?’ at your place) still amazes me. At the moment his developing personality continues to delight us all. X

  4. what a gorgeous poppet! thanks for sharing beth! … because love!
    you have got all of these memories documented beautifully!
    mags might skip the crawl! she probably thinks all she has to do is walk
    because everyone walks!!! … love it and the tufts coming!;))
    btw you look fab! even though you’ve been through the mill hun!
    much love m:)X

  5. Just gorgeous Beth. I’m running horrendously late for work right now but I HAD to read the Maggie update because well it’s Maggie! Completely adorable and I’m so glad you are all on the other side of your illness…such a bloody worrying time love. Hugs xxx

  6. Gorgeous post Beth……..we all feel we know your little girl. And as for the photos….well, swoon, is all I can say!

  7. Happy Nines Maggie May, so glad to hear that the cough is heading off and you and the sisters are on the mend. We’ve been holding good thoughts for you three since you got sick. Your little grin brings a smile here; thank you for that.

    Much love and hugs sent your way xxx

  8. Still breastfeeding my nine month old little darling Ruby twice a night too. Yes a full night’s sleep would be lovely but rolling with it for as long as I can… just grateful the big two girls are sleeping through! And must be something about #3 – chilled, smiley, oozing love! So much joy! Hoping the rest of your year is extra healthy xx

  9. Loved reading your Maggiejourney. Our Henryjourney is 5 months on and its marvelous, and exhausting and frustrating and I laughed today as I actually got 20 words written on my latest novel during his 20 minute sleep. Say what! That’s one word a minute. This book may be finished by school at this rate…. So glad the cherub is on the mend.

  10. I can’t begin to tell you what joy I receive from reading your posts about Maggie, especially the photos. Honestly, your precious little girl has the look on her face that she has been here before, seen it all and is wise beyond her months. It is such a soothing face to look into, but my, I nearly cried when I saw the photo of her when she was obviously unwell. My heart ached. Thank you, thank you, thank you for sharing your wonderful family with us all.

  11. Sweet, sweet Maggie x

  12. As always: “Thank goodness for Maggie.”
    She sounds like Eleanor with the food department, my girl now contentedly SIGHS and CLOSES HER EYES when she’s eating. Oh my. She also didn’t pop a tooth until she was almost 10 months old, and was quite immobile. But she never ever never put weight on her feet until she was 14 months old. Weirdo. These standing babies I find most amusing!
    My desk is around the corner from the kitchen, out of sight, and most days/mornings/evenings I can pop Eleanor in there to feed herself and escape around the wall to do ALL THE THINGS. Run away! Run fast. It’s glorious. And genius. Good work mama bear, look at that hair and grins and thighs.

  13. Such a gorgeous little happy thing! Can you just freeze time and bottle this age? My bubba is 21 months and she is desperate to grow up too quickly!

  14. Katie Elliott says

    We had a really serious car accident at the beginning of January and I was injured but thanks goodness my little fella, who turned 9 months last Saturday, and my husband were ok. January has been deemed hell month for us too. Trying to look after an 8 month old with a badly broken arm, PTSD and dealing with stupid insurance companies (we still haven’t got a car 5 weeks later even though it was clearly not our fault and they agreed) has been an absolute nightmare. So I hear you sista! Keep soldiering on as best as we all can ?

    • Oh Katie you poor thing! I’m so sorry to hear but I’m glad that the others are OK and you are on the mend too. You poor, poor things. Thinking of you x

  15. She’s a gorgeous wee thing. Congratulations on getting through your month of hell team Macdonald!! xx

  16. Seriously – she is just the cutest!

  17. Iso glad your girls are feeling better, nothing worse than having to watch your kids struggle with an illness. The photos as always, beautiful Beth. Your girls are beauties xx

  18. So sweet! And those thighs! My babes both had thighs like that. They grow up way too fast.

  19. That was lovely to read Beth. X Love the pic of all your gorgeous girls.

  20. Well done on getting through what has obviously been an awful month – sick kids are the pits for them and you, but a baby like Maggie is just awful , your daughters are beautiful and Maggie, all that is gorgeous in someone that is just nine months – complete cuteness

  21. Even though I don’t personally know Miss Maggie gee she makes me smile everytime I see her gorgeous face xx

  22. Gah! Maggie! So cute!
    Maybe she will go straight to walking? Lydia only just figured out how to crawl the other day…around nine months she scuttled for about a week and then was up and off toddling!
    And I hear you about the mess! While I am cleaning up one Lyddie mess, she is making a new one…and round and round and round we go until I finally give up.
    Babies really are such gifts.
    I am glad all of you seem to be emerging from the whopping cough nightmare.

  23. I love seeing Maggy Moo and the girls… It always makes me smile to see you all xxxx

  24. She’s just beautiful Beth. Your post made me smile so much even though i have my own adorable baby girl only six weeks older. They’re both so similar. Mine has whopping thighs, and still can’t crawl! And she eats better than her 3 yo brother!

  25. Laura aka Sylvie says

    The whooping cough month sounds horrendous, poor Macdonalds. As ever, you have held a mirror up to my existence. The bit about having to hide behind her because she is quite happy but then when she sees me she is saddened and enraged at once by her plight and screams for me – now you mention it, of course it’s a stage. I thought I was turning my lovely low maintenance child into a crappy high maintenance one (specifically, I was turning Cress into Bea).
    Also, cuuuute Daisy cake.

  26. God Beth, I am not sure how you have done it. I am sure you house is still magazine perfect. Poor little Clancy used to get trapped in a playpen with his toys so I could get stuff done… he doesn’t appear too scarred, ha ha ha ha. So glad things are on the improve. I am actually speechless. Well done Beth. xxx

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