Sweet Little Maddie-isms

Some cute things Maddie is doing right now:

• She is waving at everyone--in pictures, on the tv, in the mirror, at people who walk by when we are out in public.  It is so cute!  She's been able to wave for a while, but she has recently gotten better at it and will wave her whole arm instead of just open her palm.  I guess she is so excited about her new improved skill, plus she usually gets a good reaction from other people.
• She drops food off the side of her high chair at every meal.  I don't know if she has figured out that she is feeding Hershey when she drops food (he is always right beside her chair just waiting), or if she is just playing her usual game of "pick-up".  If you say something about it, she'll look at you and smile, and then do it again...little rascal!  Either way, Hershey seems to like her more and more each day due to the special treats she gives him!

Beach Baby, Beach Baby There on the Sand

At the beginning of August, we took a family vacation to Myrtle Beach.  We went with my mom and dad and my sister's family.  Other than a quick visit to the beach for a Family Medicine retreat with Cody's work, this was Maddie's first beach vacation.  We had such a good time! 

Maddie really enjoyed the beach, although it took her a couple days to warm up to the ocean.  I can imagine that it would seem pretty scary to a little baby.  After a few days, she was wanting us to walk her in deeper and deeper into the waves.  She loved playing in the sand too.  (By the way, I will keep baby powder in my beach bag from now on.  Just put baby powder on to get the sand off--this trick off of Pinterest worked like a charm!)

Mommy and Maddie playing in the sand

Grammy, Grandpa and Maddie

Getting used to the water with Daddy

Building a sand castle with Daddy

My cute pregnant sister and me

Eating a snack

Sweet Connor

Maddie loves her some Connor!

Playing with Grammy and Grandpa

Jeremy and Mary

Walking in the waves with Grammy

Our family!

9 Month Photo Shoot

9 Months!

Madelyn turned 9 months old on 8/12/12.  Our sweet little baby is growing up!  Here's what she is up to now:

• wearing 6-9 month clothing and size 2 shoes
• wearing size 3 diapers
• She is very good at pulling herself up to a standing position.  She will stand for a long time as long as she has something to hold on to and something to entertain herself.  Usually she just plops back down to a sitting position, but I've noticed that she is gradually gaining more control when sitting back down.  Today, she stood up using her book crate, grabbed a book with both hands, and gingerly sat back down by herself. 
• Madelyn is on the move ALL.THE.TIME!  She rarely sits still.  Even when she is nursing, the littlest noise can distract her and make her head look around to see what it was.  She hates having her diaper changed now; I assume this is because she wants to be on the move.  When she is on the changing table, her little legs pump up and down as fast as they can go.
• She loves to walk with help, and I think she would walk around the house all day if I let her.  She hasn't started crusing on her own yet by holding onto furniture; it takes a lot of encouragement for her to do this.  I'm sure it will happen soon enough, so I'm not pushing it. 
• She loves books!  She can entertain herself for the longest time (in my world, that's about 5-10 minutes) by looking at her books on her own, but she also likes to be read to.  She is very good at turning the pages herself.  Her favorite books are interactive books--anything touch and feel, Pat the Bunny, or All the Ways I Love You recorded storybook.
• Maddie loves music and being sung to.  She likes just about anything, especially when you add a little dance to it.
• Maddie is eating about every 2 1/2 - 3 hours, and is eating 3 solid meals a day, plus 2 snacks.  She eats breakfast when she wakes up which consists of nursing, some type of pureed fruit, rice cereal or oatmeal, and some kind of finger food, usually Cheerios or some kind of fruit.  Lunch is nursing, some type of pureed fruit or vegetable, rice cereal, and some kind of finger food, usually fruit, cheese, or a vegetable.  Dinner is usually nursing, some kind of pureed vegetable or meat, rice cereal, and some kind of finger food.  For a snack, she nurses and then eats a finger food.  She is also offered a cup of milk at each meal; she doesn't usually drink much though.  Bananas, grapes, and Cheerios are Maddie's favorite foods. 
• As a result of all the solid food she's eating now, her poops have changed to solids too!
• Madelyn usually takes 2 naps, one in the morning and one in the afternoon.  Her naps have been pretty inconsistent lately, ranging anywhere from 30 minutes to 1 1/2 hours.
• Maddie's nighttime sleep habits are about the same as last month.  She goes to bed around 7:30 p.m. and sleeps until about 6 or 6:30 a.m., getting up once or twice a night.  Madelyn goes to sleep listening to ocean waves on her Sleep Sheep while we bop her or rock her.  She has enjoyed having her back rubbed lately while drifting off to sleep.  She usually nurses once, usually around 4 a.m.
• Madelyn is teething right now, so everything has been different from normal.  She is not sleeping as well, she leaves a line of drool where ever she goes, she's been cranky, and her nursing habits are slacking some.  Hopefully that tooth will come in soon!
• She is talking so much!  She babbles all kinds of sounds and loves to squeal.  She likes when we repeat the sounds back to her; she'll respond back to us with more talking.  She can say, "Mama," "Dada," and "done."  She understands so much more than she is able to verbalize.  She knows her name and will turn and look at you when you say Maddie or Madelyn.
• Maddie went on her first vacation to the beach.  She wasn't sure about the ocean for the first few days, but ended up liking it a lot.  She enjoyed playing in the sand too.
• She is certainly more attached to her Mommy and Daddy.  It usually takes her a little while to warm up to anyone different. 
• She is a very happy and smiley baby.  She is usually in a good mood and it's usually pretty easy to get her to smile and laugh.  Her facial expressions are constantly developing. 
• Maddie is ticklish on her neck, belly, and thighs. 
• Maddie gives kisses!  It is the sweetest thing!  I'll ask her to give me a kiss and she'll lean in, usually with an open mouth, to give a kiss.  She has offered kisses without being asked, which I love!  But I like lots of kisses, so I usually ask for them a few times a day!  ;)
• She loves being outside, whether it is going on a walk, going swimming, letting Hershey out, or getting the mail.
• She goes to the doctor in a few weeks, so I'll post her 9 month stats then.

Sweet baby!

Giggly baby!

Mischievous baby!  Can't sit still!

Face the Cookie!

One of the games we played at Cody's birthday party was "Face the Cookie."  These pictures were just too funny not to post!  This was the funniest game by far!

Happy, Happy Birthday to my Sweet Husband!

Cody celebrated his 28th birthday while we were at the beach (what a great location, huh?)!  I had several activities planned to (hopefully) make his day very special. 

1. My dad cooked him breakfast--eggs, bacon, toast, and coffee. 
2. While he was out for his morning run on the beach, my mom and sister helped me decorate the condo with birthday decorations.  I had birthday plates, cups, and napkins for his birthday breakfast; streamers, and balloons.  There were (almost) 28 balloons for his 28th birthday, each with a special message from a family member or friend.  I had planned on filling them with helium, but it just didn't work out....so we just taped the balloons on the wall, chairs, and light fixture.  When he returned from his run, he was surprised by the birthday decor and enjoyed reading each of the balloons.
3. After we ate breakfast and Cody opened his presents, I planned several games to play, Minute-to-Win-it style!  Cody really likes watching Minute-to-Win-it, and we have talked many times about how easy it would be to duplicate a lot of the games at home.  We did 5 games:  Play it by Ear, Breakfast Scramble, Face the Cookie, Nose Dive, and Defying Gravity.  We had so much fun and laughed so hard! 
4. I made Cody an apple pie for his birthday "cake."  I remembered candles but forgot matches!  He got to pretend he was blowing out the candles!  :)

Birthday decor

Birthday breakfast

Surprise!

Maddie helping Daddy open presents

Mom concentrating hard to put the cans in order

Mary trying to catch the cookie in her mouth

Daddy transferring cotton balls with his nose

Jeremy trying to keep the balloons afloat

Grammy and Maddie

8 Months

How does time move so fast?  We went to the hospital a few days ago to visit with a couple from our church who just had a baby boy, and it brought back so many memories.  It seemed like we were just in the hospital ourselves for Madelyn's birth.  How can she get so big so fast?  Everyone keeps telling me it only gets faster...

Miss Madelyn is now 8 months old!  Here's what she is up to now:

• wearing 6-9 month clothing
• wearing size 3 diapers
• She can pull herself up to a standing position.  She's pretty good at keeping her balance.  She's able to sit back down after standing.
• She loves to walk with help.  I think she looks like a little chicken the way she pulls her legs up so high to take a step...but a cute little chicken!  :)  She can go pretty fast, but she is still kind of wobbly, especially when she gets excited.
• She is a fast crawler.  One of her favorite things to do is crawl into our laundry room--Hershey can usually be found there, either eating or "protecting" his food.  I've got to either close the door or keep a close eye on her if I'm in the kitchen, because she'll make a bee-line in there every time!
• favorite books:  Puppies and Kittens touch and feel book, Bedtime touch and feel book, Biscuit, All the Ways I Love You
• favorite toys:  picnic basket, tea pot, piano, bumblebees, butterfly, anything hard to chew on
• favorite songs:  "Wheels on the Bus," "I'm Bringing Home a Baby Bumblebee," "I'm a Little Teapot," "This Little Light of Mine," "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands"
• Her eating habits are about the same as last month.  She nurses every 2 1/2 - 3 hours and is eating 2 solid meals a day, at breakfast and dinner.  We have just started adding finger food, and she is doing well with it.  She is kind of picky with the temperature of her food, just like she is with her milk--she likes it extra warm!  Bananas (one food she'll eat without being warm) and sweet potatoes are her favorite. 
• She recognizes when we get a cup of water (she thinks every cup has water in it and it is for her!), and she wants it!
• Maddie goes to sleep around 7:30 p.m. each night.  We "bop" her or rock her while she listens to the waves on her Sleep Sheep to go to sleep.  She wakes up once or twice a night, but has had a few nights where she slept all night long--we're hoping more of those will come in the near future!
• Madelyn naps 2-3 times per day, each nap usually lasting anywhere between 30 minutes to 1 1/2 hours.  She naps in her crib--no more swing!  I guess she has outgrown the swing because she no longer seems to find pleasure being in it...she fusses every time...so, it's being passed along to her cousin Kinley!
• She is taking a bath in a regular tub! 
• Maddie can wave bye-bye.  She doesn't hold her arm up high, but she will open her little palm. 
• She likes looking at pictures and will coo and smile when she sees Cody, me, or herself.  It's so sweet!
• When someone she doesn't know comes up to her and says hello, she usually smiles, but turns her head away and buries her face.  I guess her shyness comes from Mommy, because it sure doesn't come from Daddy!
• She'll go back to the doctor next month.

Cute baby!

Look how big she is getting!

Miss Gigglebox