January

We started off the new year, like every year, with Steven's birthday! This time it was the big 30! Our family got together when we were in Bham for a wee surprise party that included Jim & Nicks BBQ and sweet tea!! Yum!!

I finally gave in and got Steven a PS3 for his birthday. What was I thinking?!! All you wives of "gamers" out there know what I mean!

Steven got his mention...now on to Madelyn. ha! :)

Our little 15 month old just doesn't seem so little!

At her 15 month check up Madelyn weighed 24 lbs. (75%) and was 31.5 inches long (75%)

Now, do not let that sweet face fool you. Madelyn has learned to use that sweet face to her advantage. If she knows she's doing something that will get her in trouble, and I see her, she'll smile so sweetly and wave to me and say "hi!"

Like, let me distract you Mommy with my sweetness so you'll forget what I was doing. (I'll admit, it is pretty cute!)

In the food department: Madelyn showed interest in her utensils and began trying to feed herself. I was proud of her, but also proud of myself for just letting her go for it and not worrying about messes!

Those canines came in so the tooth count is 16. I think she'll get one more set of molars one day and that will be it for baby teeth! wow!

Madleyn loves to play, play, play! I think she was going to the grocery store on this day. Pushing her cart/buggy around is part of her daily routine!



I've mentioned before that Madelyn loves to read books. She'll pick out a book and come to sit in our laps for a reading session. (Mommy and Daddy love it too!)


Something else Madelyn likes is for us to sing to her, particularly the ABC song and the Bumble Bee song. (Neither Steven nor I are good singers, but it doesn't matter to our little lady.)


So far her words have been one syllable, ususally the beginning sound of a word. But one day I heard Madelyn say "heppa" referring to her one of her favorite books about helpers. I was so excited! A two syllable word!

Here is my little helper stirring in her bowl like Mommy does.

Madelyn is a quick learner, and knows what she wants! She knows to put on shoes and open the door to go outside. Cracks me up! (thank goodness for locks!)

Oh, and did I mention ear infection #2? Not fun. Fortunately we've learned the signs and symptoms. But there were a couple of rough nights were none of us slept! Ugh!

Well 2010 was off to its start! January was cold and the winter snow was upon us. More on the snow later.

We stayed inside and had plenty of free entertainment!

December

By the time December came to an end we had a 14 month old on our hands! Let me share a little about our big girl...

She continues to be silly! On this day she managed to wiggle partially out of her shirt. What in the world?!

Madelyn finds the funniest places to hang out! Playing in our closet is a daily activity. She just clears things away and makes herself at home. Shoes and belts prove to be fun toys!

Some of you have seen "the look." Madelyn began to find that she can be expressive with her face. It's something new each week it seems. Cracks me up! Steven calls this "Blue Steel."

I mentioned she sets up shop wherever!

The most fun activity for Madelyn is hiding! Oh yes, she just backs into some little place and waits until we come find her. So cute!

Teacher here is so excited that Madelyn loves to read! She'll sit down and look at books anytime, any place. She likes to cuddle and read with Mommy and Daddy too.

Other 14 month notes:

-all 4 molars are in! that mouth is getting full!

-she's beginning to repeat words more often; usually gets that first syllable right :)

-ear infection #1 was no fun :(

-she did great matching people with names when we were with family for the holidays; she knows who's who!

-"where?" when we ask where something is, she puts her hands up and sort of shrugs as if she's saying "I dont' know...where?!" so funny!

It seems like after she turned one, Madelyn grows up quicker everyday. Better get used to it, huh?!

Christmas

What a difference a year makes! Last Christmas we had an 8 week old little baby and this year we had big girl! Time sure flies!!

Christmas was a blast! Santa came a few days early because he heard we were going to be away from our house at Christmas. That morning we felt like our own parents did back when we were little..."Wait, get the camera ready before she comes down to see her gifts!" It's like I've always heard, just getting to see her face light up at the sight of something new and fun is priceless. :)

Her "big gift" was a slide!

(and there were some other fun things too!)

We were fortunate to spend the week from Christmas to New Year's down in Birmingham with our families. What a wonderful time we had catching up with everyone!
Here are some Christmas highlights...

Santa rode on the firetruck through the neighborhood!

Just two months prior, Madelyn wasn't into opening gifts at her party. But she sure was at Christmas!

"If I get close enough, I'll figure out what it is!"

"Ok, who are you?!"

"You want me to sit here for a picture?!"

If this year was so much fun, I can't imagine what next year will bring!

Baby It's Cold Outside

It has been cold here so far this month! On the really cold days we stay inside looking at the Christmas "chee," listening to Christmas music, reading books, and playing with toys. When it "warms up" (to the 40s!) we bundle up and go for a walk/ride in her red car!
(This is one of my favorite pics!!)


The predictions are for a cold winter here, so it looks like we'll be stuck inside for a while. To all of you creative people out there....what are some good indoor activities for a one year old??! I would love to hear from you! :)

Hope you're staying warm as you enjoy this Christmas season!

November

When we got back from Bham it was November and we had a one year old! This month seemed to fly by because we were home for only 3 weeks between Bham trips, and Grammy came to visit for one of them. So we blinked and it was Thanksgiving (another post.)

Hello fall and hello leaves! We love to go outside to play and explore. Steven and I seriously think we had the most leaves in our yard out of the entire neighborhood! Madelyn didn't mind; she wanted to play in the yard anyway.

Have I mentioned that Madelyn is always getting into something? I know all parents say that about their babies, but seriously....

Madelyn LOVES to go out for a ride in her car! It's one of the few times a day she'll sit still. What will we do this winter?! Bundle up and put the tire chains on I guess! ha!

Madelyn turned one and got sooo playful! We love it! Madelyn is also really learning! While she doesn't say complete words yet, she definitely makes the right beginning sounds for things. She knows what it means to go outside, get in the car, sit in her highchair, put on shoes, etc. I am amazed at how much and how quickly she learns!

But, she is also learning to test Mommy and Daddy. The word "no" has seemed so pointless; she's one to ignore it. Madelyn will do something she shouldn't to see how we'll respond. She is also doing this "I'm not getting my way so I'll fuss" thing. Ugh! I pray daily for God's guidance and wisdom as we tackle this parenting task.

If you've seen her, you know that Madelyn has a mouth full of teeth! (Molars #2 and #3 came in this month.) So we took her to the pediatric dentist for a check up. Where was this office when I was little?

the video game station...

the playhouse (next to the movie room)...

and there was a fish tank too! I didn't get a pick of Madelyn during her check up- Mommy needed all the hands she could find to keep the little lady still! Her teethies looked good and we started using a big girl toothbrush and toothpaste!

I like this pic from that day...

And when I say that Madelyn gets into everything, now it's quite literal! She is loving to crawl into baskets, drawers, etc.

And yes, that is a black eye. What are the odds that she fell into the one kitchen drawer that is her height, and hit her brow on the drawer pull, right before we left to go somewhere?! I was hoping no one would notice. Yeah right. Even the older man that bags groceries at the store said something. I felt so bad. But Madelyn didn't seem to mind!

Like I said, November flew by! And once again we were ready to head to Bham...again...

1st Birthday

Our "Little Ladybug" turned one at the end of October. So we headed to Bham to celebrate with friends and family.

This summer I took a Wilton cake decorating class and felt empowered to make birthday cupcakes. They didn't look so bad when I made them...


But when I put them out at the party... the colors had begun to bleed so they didn't look too appetizing. :(

Madelyn was content playing with tissue paper for a while!

She loves to talk on her new cell phone!

And her new Teddy is so soft!

But the highlight for Madelyn was the red balloon!!

(We took it home and she played with it for another 2 weeks!)

She didn't mind that the cupcakes didn't look right.

She enjoyed her cupcake indeed!

We had a great day!!

And of course we had one year portraits made:

Madelyn's 12 month checkup went well. She measured 30.5 inches (90%) and weighed 23 pounds (75%). She is a growing girl!! :)