Letter to Morgan - 5 Years

Dear Morgan,

You are now officially a 5 year old. When and how did you get so big, in such a short amount of time? This past year has gone by so quickly and there are so many amazing things that you’ve done.

One of the biggest things that you did was graduate from Pre-K. You and your class recited all of the things that you’d learned and you read a book to the audience on your own. We were so proud of you, Pumpkin. You can read and write your ABCs, you can sound out your letters, and so much more! The unfortunate thing is that you are in Pre-K again this year. You just missed the Kindergarten cutoff date (due to your birth date). You were a little disappointed that you weren’t starting Kindergarten like many of your friends, but you got over it quickly, and you now talk about when you start school NEXT year.

You took swimming lessons this year and you are a fish in the pool. In just 2 short weeks, you were holding your breath underwater, kicking your legs, and straitening your arms while swimming. You absolutely loved it and you can’t wait to do it again next year.

We tried to talk you into participating in soccer this year, rather than gymnastics. Although you were interested in soccer, you weren’t willing to give up your gymnastics to do it. Over the past year, you have moved up TWO classes in gymnastics. You are learning more techniques, including the balance beam and the bars. You have great balance and like playing on the bars. You had the cartwheel down and then you tried learning a hand stand and all of the sudden you forgot how to do the cartwheel – back to the drawing board! (You also tried Karate at school, but it wasn’t something that kept your interest).

You had a BLAST at the Young Family Reunion this year. We spent almost 6 days total in the car driving there and back and you were such a good girl. You met a lot of your cousins and had a special bond with Erin and Jenna. They took you under their wing and had you playing with all of the other cousins in no time. You continue to talk about the trip to West Virginia and that you want to go back next year.

You love puzzles (just like Mommy) and are exceptionally good at putting them together. You completed a 200 piece puzzle this year with very little help. That puzzle is for 6+ years and you did it at 4 years old. It was a proud Mommy moment!

You are still trying to work through things when it comes to your baby sister. There are times when you are so sweet to her. You sang the most precious song to her when she was about 5 months old and it’s a video that I will treasure forever. There are also times when you get frustrated with her because she won’t keep her hands off your things. You struggle with sharing, but you are getting so much better. You will now offer her some of your toys, but you get upset when she tries to put them in her mouth, ha! I know that it will get better and I also know how much you love her. You are very possessive of her when other children want to play with her or when an adult jokingly mentions taking her home. You are a good big sister and I look forward to watching your relationship with Maylin grown over time.

You love: Frozen, Elsa from Frozen, singing Frozen songs, bubbles, drawing/coloring, playing games, singing made up songs, the color pink, dresses, anything “girly”, chocolate, ice cream, sugar, ketchup, pizza, chicken nuggets, mac & cheese, carrots, your stuffed animals, playing at the park, bounce houses, gymnastics, playing with your friends (your BFF is Lucy), and watching cartoons (Tom & Jerry, Scooby Doo, Pokémon, and animated movies).

You dislike: Mashed potatoes, spicy food, salad, ranch dressing, jeans, “boy stuff”, loud noises, thunder/ lightening, and bugs.

We love watching you grow and we can’t wait to see what you have in store for us this year! Happy Birthday, Pumpkin. We love you.

Love,

Mommy, Daddy, & Maylin

A Year In The Life of Maylin Muriel Young

Birth Day! August 1, 2013


1 Month


2 Months


3 Months


4 Months


5 Months


6 Months


7 Months


8 Months


9 Months


10 Months


11 Months


Happy 1st Birthday! August 1, 2014

Letter to Maylin - 12 Months

Sweetest Maylin,

You are 1 year old. Writing this brings tears to my eyes. It’s unbelievable that it’s already been 12 months. I still remember how tiny you were when we brought you home. Your newborn diapers were too big for you and Auntie Lisa and I would laugh at your little ‘granny butt’.

You are on the brink of walking and have taken a few steps here and there on your own, but you’re not quite there yet. You are crawling everywhere and are very quick about it too! You will also use tables and chairs to help you walk around the room.

What a wonderful baby you have been! You only get fussy if you’re hungry, tired, or in pain. You’ve had some tooth pain, but you take it like a champ. You have 4 bottom front teeth and you have one top front tooth that is already in and the other one is just breaking through. You chew on anything that you can get your hands (or mouth) on, including dirty shoes. We have to be careful not to keep our shoes lying around because you will find them!

You are still not too sure about regular foods. You will try a bite of most things, but will quickly spit them out if you don’t like them. You’re still not a fan of bananas or really any fruit that isn’t pureed. You will eat chicken nuggets, carrots, applesauce, cheerios, French fries, and Gerber Cheetos and Puffs.

Your personality is very mellow and laid back. You suck on your bottom lip and observe what is going on around you. Your facial expressions are priceless! You tend to have a shy demeanor especially in group gatherings, but you are fine with people holding you. At home, you are a chatter box and you’re favorite thing to say is “yeah yeah”. We’ll ask you questions and your typical response is yeah yeah, which makes it sound like you are actually answering.

You love to play with your sister and when she gets excited about something, you will too. She can get you to dance and laugh more than anyone else. Your tummy, neck, and feet are ticklish. Nibbling on any of those areas will get you laughing and squealing in no time. Your laughter is such a beautiful sound.

Your birthday weekend was very active and fun. You celebrated with cupcakes at school on the day of your birthday. The next day you got your first pair of shoes (hopefully you will be walking in them soon). On Sunday, we had a pool party to celebrate. The pool was cold, but you didn’t care. You were happy as a lark in your float. You weren’t too sure about your smash cake, but you did like squishing the green frosting in your hands. Mommy, Daddy, Morgan, Auntie Lisa, Grammy, Pap, Aunt Robin, Uncle Ed, Gracie, Brittany, and David were all there to celebrate your one year of life.

How blessed we are to call you daughter. Happy 1st Birthday, Sweet Pea. We love you.

Mommy, Daddy, & Morgan

Letter to Maylin - 11 Months

Dear Maylin,

You are now 11 months old and getting so big! You are all over the place and enjoy getting into things that you shouldn't. You are beginning to understand the word 'no', but that doesn't mean that you actually listen. You follow your sister around everywhere. We've had to put up road blocks to keep you from venturing all over the house, these roadblocks really make you mad. When I'm in the kitchen, you will stand at the gate and fuss at me until I either cave in and pick you up or you get distracted by something or somebody else. You've not started walking yet, but you will stand unsupported in one spot before sitting down.

You have your top 4 front teeth all coming in at once. Your left front tooth is the front runner and is already breaking through. Even with 4 painful teeth coming in, you are still so good-natured and rarely cry.

You have a very sweet disposition and tend to be shy around new people. You are an observer and will watch with a bit of uncertainty when you are around several people that you don't know. You will allow people to hold you, but you aren't quite sure about the situation at first. You prefer to have mommy or daddy in your sight if someone is holding you.

You have started eating regular food along with your baby food. You don't seem to like the 3rd stage baby foods very much. These are the foods with chunks - chicken & veggies, turkey & veggies, etc. You typically only take a few bites and then start spitting it out. You like anything with fruit and veggies combined, applesauce, popsicles, fruit puffs, and baby cheetos.

You and your sister are starting to play a lot more. Morgan can make you smile and laugh more than anyone else in this world - which just melts our hearts. Our hope is that you and your sister will forever be tied by love and friendship. She loves you so much and although she gets frustrated with you because you want to chew on all of her toys (ha!), she has so much fun playing bubbles with you and trying to get you to laugh.

We love you, Sweet Pea!

Mommy, Daddy, and Morgan

Letter to Maylin - 10 Months

Dear Maylin,

You are 2 short months away from being a one year old. It amazes me how quickly 10 months can go by when blessed with a sweet baby.

In the last month, you have sprouted a new bottom tooth and it looks like your top teeth are about to make an appearance. You are crawling everywhere and exploring EVERYTHING! You love to play with wires, play by corners and edges, pull up on unstable objects, and basically get into anything and everything that has the potential to harm you. We tell you 'no no' a lot and you will just give us your cute toothy smile and continue to do it anyway. You are starting to show an interest in the stairs, but haven't yet tried to climb them (thank goodness).

Your personality continues to shine and express itself. You are very easy going and will put up with a lot from your sister, who is constantly messing with you. She loves you dearly, but she also treats you like one of her stuffed animals. She'll squeeze you, pinch your cheeks, pick you up and try to move you, yell in your face, push you, pet you, and love on you; none of this seems to bother you. You love her so much and squeal with delight when you see her. You follow her around the house and kick your legs anytime that she runs past you.

You are very ticklish and laugh with delight when I tickle your belly, ribs, and "hammies" (short for ham hocks). All I have to do is say "I'm going to get your hammies" and you start laughing. Your laugh is one of the best sounds in the world, Sweet Pea. The best moments are your delicious squeals with excitement when you see me or Daddy. You've become a bit clingy when it's time to drop you off at daycare or when Auntie or Laura comes to babysit, but you quickly get over it.

Your appetite has increased and you're eating more food now. You're still not getting the concept of picking up your food and eating it. You seem to have the princess mentality of "feed me servant". You love your afternoon snack of fruit puffs, but you refuse to feed yourself. You will put your mouth on my fingers, arms, and legs to let me know that you're ready for another puff. This makes me laugh and I happily oblige.

You bring happiness to all of our lives on a daily basis, Sweet Pea. We love you so much!

Love,

Mommy, Daddy, & Morgan

Letter to Maylin - 9 Months

Dear Maylin,

You are getting bigger and bigger every day. You started crawling at the beginning of your 9th month and you got your first tooth (bottom). You are all over the place now and want to get into everything that you shouldn't. You want every electrical cord in the house and you love to scare us by trying to stand up by the sharp corners of the entertainment center and the fireplace. You develop new bruises on your forehead all the time from bumping into things while crawling. You are pulling up on things and standing like a big girl. The next step, all puns intended, is walking!

You are getting more hair on your head, but it's still too short for clips. You are getting more baby fat on your legs, which I lovingly call your 'hammyhockers'. I love tickling those ham hocks, they are so cute and chunky!

You have a very high-pitched squeal, which draws attention when we go out in public. I believe you think you have to compete with your sister, who is also very loud. Morgan and I call you Squeakers. Typically you are squealing with delight. You squeal when Morgan, Daddy, or I walk into the room. You also squeal when being tickled and when playing with your sister. You are such a happy baby and we love your high-pitched squeals.

You have become an alarm clock for me and Daddy. You wake up at 6:00 every morning, without fail. We wish you would set your internal alarm for later on the weekends, but if you're anything like your sister, who wakes up at 7:00 am on the weekends, we may not sleep-in again until you both are teenagers!

You are beginning to experience separation anxiety with people who aren't around you all the time. You become apprehensive and will whimper if you can't see me when someone is holding you. In some instances you are shy with others and will lay your head on my chest when they talk to you.

I am buying you baby foods that combine both fruits and vegetables and you seem to really like them. I don't think your tummy handles bananas very well yet. You always seem to end up spitting them up after eating them. You play with little snack foods that I put on your tray, but you've still not figured out that you need to put them in your mouth and eat them. They end up on the floor and in your chair, but you don't seem to care. :) You have figured out how to hold your bottle though - such a big girl!

What a wonderful little baby you are, Miss Maylin. These 9 months have gone by so quickly and you are progressing so fast - please slow down! We love you, Sweet Pea. Happy 9 months!

Mommy, Daddy, & Morgan

Big Sister Song

I LOVE this video of Morgan singing to Maylin!

Videos of the Girls

I realize that I've become a slacker when it comes to posting on the blog. I'm blaming it on the fact that I'm a working mom with 2 kids. :) Below are some videos of the girls over the last 6 months.


My cousins celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in November. They renewed their vows and had a wonderful reception to follow. Morgan (and the rest of us) were getting our groove on.




Maylin in her Bumbo for the first time.




Morgan & Daddy in the front yard.




This video has quite a bit. Brian's opening remarks, baking Christmas cookies for Santa and Candy the Elf, Christmas morning, and a tour of the suite that we got at the WinStar Casino.




Morgan feeding her baby sister.




Puzzles, Princesses, Babies and Corks, and a Fat Cat.




Morgan's version of Frozen's "Let it Go"




Dining with Maylin & Morgan




Cool Rider Morgan




Maylin's Teacher took this video of her playing in the mirror.




Lazy Saturday morning and pictures of trip to Athens.




Crawling




Maylin likes to 'swim' in her bouncy




Sweet Maylin




Morgan Bubbles




Maylin finally gets her hands on Daddy's phone.

Letter to Maylin - 8 Months

Sweet Maylin,

You are a little 8 month old now and on the cusp of crawling. It seems like just yesterday we were excited to see you rolling over. Now you are sitting up like a champ, rocking back and forth on your hands and knees, and grabbing everything within your reach (and out of reach).

You love your sister! Any time that Morgan is in the room, you have to watch her. You will practically break your neck to see what she is doing. She can get you to laugh more than anyone, including mommy and daddy. You smile, laugh, and play with her all the time, but you also get your feelings hurt when she doesn't want you playing with her toys.

You have started a new game with mommy called "I'm going to fuss, just because". It's actually pretty funny. You are perfectly content playing on the floor, but if I get up to do something, you start fussing. You do the same thing when I enter the room as well. I'm not sure if you think I'm leaving you or maybe you think you're going to miss out on something, but you only do it to me.

You love to take a bath and you love to splash water everywhere. It's almost guaranteed that I will have to change my shirt after bathing you. Your sister will sometimes blow bubbles while I'm bathing you and you get so excited that she's there. She will also play peek-a-boo with you and you think that's the funniest game ever.

You are eating more baby food now, about 3 times a day. You like most everything, but you're not that keen on bananas or the carrot/pea combo. You seem to like the mixtures of fruit and veggies the best. I've tried giving you a sippy cup with water a few times, but you're not interested. You don't like the taste of water and you'd rather chew on the cup. You have outgrown your 6 month clothes, but only in length. The 6 month onesies still fit you, but all of your pants and sleepers are too short. You are finally getting some meat on your bones and getting some chubby little legs.

Daddy and I have fun tickling you, now that we've found your tickle spots. You will squeal and laugh when we tickle your thighs, ribs, and collar bone area. You also like it when I sweep a piece of clothing or a burp cloth over your face and body. You think that's pretty funny. In addition to laughing and squealing, you are doing a lot more talking and making sounds. It's fun to hear your inflections like you are really trying to say something to us.

You bring so much joy and love to this family, little one. We love you so much! Happy 8 months!

Love,

Mommy, Daddy, and Morgan

Letter to Maylin - 7 Months

Sweet Maylin,

You are now 7 months old and growing way too fast. You’re finally getting some meat on your bones and you now have some cute little ham hocks, which I love to tickle. Speaking of tickling, you have the cutest giggle when I blow on your belly and nibble on your ribs. Your laugh is one of the best sounds in the world.

You are sitting independently now and are reaching for everything within your grasp, including mommy’s hair and daddy’s beard. You love to take baths and play with the bubbles. You don’t mind having water flowing over your face while I wash your hair - you just take it in stride. You have such an easy going disposition, which I hope carries out into adulthood.

You are eating more baby food and pears are your favorite right now, but a close second is turkey and sweet potatoes. You also like cereal mixed with your formula for breakfast.

You LOVE to watch your sister and when she gives you attention, you always have a smile for her. You are also very interested in her toys and are already grabbing for them. Morgan isn’t quite ready for this, but you don’t seem to care.  You like playing in your bouncy activity center and playing on the activity mat that Grammy and Pap got for you. You no longer want to sit in the swing and you’ve almost outgrown your bouncy seat. You’re not very fond of the bumbo and will only tolerate it for a few minutes and then you’re ready to get out.

You have started a new habit of whimpering when I enter the room. You are perfectly content at one of your activity centers, but if you see me, you whimper and want to be picked up. What does mommy do? I pick you up of course! You have trained me well, little one. You are still one of the happiest babies I’ve ever seen and even when you’re fussing for someone to pick you up, you will smile. It’s the funniest thing – whimpering and smiling at the same time.

Happy 7 Months, Sweet Pea! We love you!

Love,

Mommy, Daddy, and Morgan

Letter to Maylin - 6 Months

Miss Maylin,

You are 6 months old and growing like a weed! You had a growth spurt recently where you were wolfing down your bottles and drinking every last drop. You're still a little unsure about baby food, but you will at least try the foods that I give to you. You seem to like corn, which was your sister's favorite when she was a baby as well. So far, you don't like squash or peas, but you are coming around on eating cereal. You make me and Daddy laugh when you drink your bottle because you will put your left hand on your head like a damsel in distress.

You truly are one of the happiest babies I've ever seen. You smile at everyone and you have the most wonderful laugh when I tickle your belly. You have the sweetest disposition and you love to be held - by anyone. You have no 'stranger danger' issues. You love everyone around you and they love you back. You and Morgan were both born with a birth mark at the base of your hairlines - the same one as your Grandma Beverly. I treasure this, for I know that she is part of both of you.

You've mastered rolling over, but you've only rolled yourself back over once at home. Apparently at school you are doing it all the time, but you insist on me or Daddy helping you roll back over when you're at home. (Hmmmm, something isn't right here.) You can't sit on your own yet, but with assistance, you're sitting like a champ. You also raise yourself straight up with your arms when you're on your tummy. You are always so proud of yourself when you do it and give us the biggest and happiest smile. We believe you're teething because you are chewing and drooling on everything. We've not seen any cute little teeth show up yet though. You had your 6 month check up today and you are a healthy 15 pounds.

You're such a sweet baby and every day is a blessing with you in it. We love you, sweet pea.

Love,

Mommy, Daddy, and Morgan

Letter to Maylin - 5 Months

Hi Sweetpea,

You are now 5 months and growing like a weed! You are the happiest baby and so sweet. You smile a lot and when any of us walk into the room you give us the biggest toothless grin and melt our hearts. You've definitely won your big sister over. She loves to give you kisses and hugs and always wants to play with you (sometimes a little too roughly, but you don't care). You love her too and will watch everything that she does. You tried your first food on the day that you turned 5 months (January 1st). I gave you Oatmeal Cereal. You weren't too thrilled with it, but you did try it. I've since given you a variety of other baby foods, but you're still not sure what to do with it. You will get it in your mouth and then spit it out. You are drinking 6 ounces of formula at your feedings now and you rub your head while eating. You are now sleeping in your own room in the crib. You transitioned really well, with no problems from the first night we put you in there. Sometimes you sleep through the night (usually when it's Daddy's turn to get up with you) and then other nights (typically mine) you wake up in the middle of night wanting to eat. Somehow we have to get you trained to wake up on Daddy's nights - Ha! You are rolling over like a champ now and holding your head up very well. The only problem is, you can't roll yourself back over, so you get upset when you get stuck on your tummy. You are growing so much and your sweet personality is really starting to show itself. We love you so much, Sweetpea. You have brought us so much joy.