Dress Up

On Saturday I was showering before I had to leave for work, and Madeline was joining me in the bathroom. She thought it would be fun to get in between the shower curtain and the tub - which meant that she got SOAKING wet over the course of my shower. I took her clothes off when I got out and set her on my bed so I could get dressed. I turned around to see her playing "dress up" with one of my shirts. She played with my shirt for a good 20-30 minutes. I'm not sure why a t-shirt is so exiting, but her toys are boring after five minutes. She sure was cute to watch, though.

First Cold - Survived

Madeline had her first cold last week. It definitely wasn't as bad as roseola, but it sure wasn't a picnic either. Her poor little nose was a faucet for a couple of days. I literally wiped it at least every 5 minutes, but it still was constanly running down her chin. She was pretty miserable. And so was I because we were stuck at home.

We survived. One cold down, many more to come I'm sure.

Grrrrrrr!

11 months and slightly crazy

I really wish I could understand what Madeline is thinking sometimes. But, this train of thought I will never understand!

Dirt, mud, leaves, dead/live bugs, lipstick, lint, carpet, newspaper, dirty bathwater = YUMMY

Potatoes, eggs, various other healthy and delicious foods = DISGUSTING! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU WANT ME TO PUT THAT IN MY MOUTH. I'M GOING TO THROW IT ON THE FLOOR BECAUSE IT'S SO GROSS I CAN'T EVEN STAND TO LOOK AT IT.

Dancing Queen

We have been having so much fun with Madeline over the last month or so. I felt like she was kind of at a developmental standstill from 7 months to 10 months. Then the week before we left for Utah, her lightbulb clicked on. She seems to be understanding so much more now, and doing so many new things.

She loves to flip through books, eat table food, stick out her tongue, give kisses, mimic, and push buttons. The thing that has been the most fun watching her do is dancing. One morning before Christmas we were eating breakfast together. Scott had found an old cd of 70's music that we were listening to. Madeline started bopping her head to the music in her highchair. It was hilarious! Now she dances whenever there is music on, be it from the sterio, tv, or her music-making toys. It is so amazing and rewarding to watch your child learn new things.

Christmas Vacation

We had such a crazy, eventful Christmas vacation this year that this is the only picture I took during the entire trip. Not much of our trip went as planned due to a birth, illness, and bad weather. We still had a great time, and enjoyed doing many things with our famillies, like watching movies, playing volleyball, eating good food, and shopping. We are always so grateful to be able to spend time with our families during the Christmas season. We are also grateful that we get along very well with each other's families.

Madeline did better than I expected during our travels. The plane rides were not aweful. She did ok during our many hours in the car. I do think she would be happy if she never saw a carseat again, though. By the end of our stay she had warmed up well to Scott's parents, and pretty well to mine. She loved my parent's dog the most, but that relationship was not reciprocal.

Before I was married I always found it extremely difficult to return to wherever I was living at the time after visiting my family for Christmas. I always felt like "home" was with my family. Now I feel like "home" is wherever my husband and daughter are, and it's not as difficult to leave my parents and siblings. I miss them and hope to be able to live closer to them someday, but as long as I'm with Scott and Madeline, I am happy.