Big Girl!

My lovely sister-in-law pointed out that I haven't updated in awhile, and some big things have happened, so it's about time I filled everyone in!

A couple weeks ago we started swimming lessons! The water is pretty cold, so I was worried that Maddie would hate it and want to get out right away, but she LOVES it. She kicks and splashes and laughs and just has a great time. The great thing about swimming is that in the pool, she doesn't mind getting her hair wet, and that has transferred to the bath tub! Before we started swimming, she would freak out every time we washed her hair. Now she laughs whenever we pour water on her head. She gets pretty mad when swim time is over (and for a tiny little thing, the girl knows how to throw a fit!) but at least we know she's enjoying herself!

Last week, Maddie started trying to climb out of her crib. We weren't too worried about her actually getting out (because as you all know, she's quite a peanut) but she was getting her legs and knees stuck in the rungs of the crib and ending up with bruises. After talking it over and asking the advice of many wise parents that we know, we decided it was time to try out "big girl bed". I admit, I cried a little bit when Tim took the crib apart. My baby isn't a baby anymore! When did that happen? We were a little bit nervous the first night, thinking she'd probably be up and out of bed. But she didn't get up at all during the night and she didn't wake up once! She's been doing really well in her bed, though getting her to stay in there when we first put her down is a struggle. The third time is usually a charm when when it comes to getting her to finally fall asleep. As I type this, she's sound asleep on her side with her Dora doll tucked under her arm.

And one more piece of big news -- yesterday, Maddie FINALLY used words to tell me what she wanted! We were getting ready to leave for daycare and she ran over to the door, grabbed for the doorknob, and said, "Go?" As many of you know, the only "word" beside "uh-oh" that Maddie uses is "Eh?" So I looked at her and asked, "What, honey?" She pointed to the doorknob and said, "Me? Go?" I was so excited! This morning she ran into the kitchen for the door yelling, "Go? Go? Go?" Could she be any cuter?

Uh - oh

Maddie's new favorite word (well...her only word really, besides "eh") is "Uh-oh." It's "uh-oh" in the morning in her crib, "uh-oh" when she's getting dressed, uh-oh this, uh-oh that. She actually does know how to use it correctly, like if she dumps her Legos all over the floor or drops her cup from the table. It's very cute, actually, and MUCH better then the "eh eh eh" that she normally uses. Let me tell you, that gets pretty annoying.

She's definitely getting a big appetite. She LOVES sloppy joes and wolfed one and a half the other night when we had them for dinner. It's so funny to see such a big belly on such a tiny little girl!

Oh! This is Tim's last week of second shift at work! On Monday, he goes on the day shift! YAY! Maddie and I are really looking forward to having him home at night. Normal life!

All bundled up

Today felt like a heatwave compared to the awful, freezing weather we've had for the past week, so Tim and I decided it was a good day to bundle Maddie up and let her play in the snow. Last year she was too little, so this was her first experience with the cold white stuff.

She LOVED it! She was eating it, kicking it, picking it up and brushing it off the steps. After we came in, she had a nap, and when she woke up, she went right to the front closet and tried to pull her snowsuit down -- she wanted to go out again!

Lets hope the weather stays "nice" so we can do this more often.

Tell me what you want!

Those of you who know Maddie know that she is a girl of very few words. None, actually, unless you count "mama" and "daddy", and even those she doesn't really use very often. We've been trying to get her to talk by not responding to her pointing and grunting. Instead, we tell her to tell us what she wants. Usually this just results in a temper tantrum on her part, but she really got me the other day. We were eating dinner and Maddie decided she wanted more. I said, "Ok, tell Mommy what you what." She pointed to the food on the counter and made her typical "eh!" sound. I tried to convince her to TELL me what she wanted instead of SHOWING me, but she wasn't having it. Finally, she got so frustrated that she looked me right in the eye, pointed into her empty bowl, and pointed to her mouth. Think she's just a little stubborn? Ha! She does have a new word though -- "Nooooooo!" Great!

We're battling the dreaded runny nose again, and her ears are also draining a little bit. We had a good two and a half weeks of no runny nose, but it's back with a vengence. It's very frustrating, but I'm hoping she'll get rid of this one on her own.

Maddie's really into hiding lately. She hides behind the end tables, she hides on the side of the couch. But her favorite place to hide is under her crib. She even has toys under there to entertain her. I went into her room one day and could hear her giggling but didn't see her. This is what I found.

Maybe she found her calling?

Tim sat down today and put together the kitchen Nani (my mom) got for Maddie for Christmas. It took awhile, but it was worth it. Maddie LOVES it! She's been in the toy room all afternoon banging around the pots and pans and putting a sheet of cookies into and out of the little oven. We also assembled the Disney Princesses tea cart Papa (my dad) got her, so she's been pushing that around the house, filled with all the toy food she got from various people. She's a little chef in the making!

Cleaning up after her is a constant battle. I swear, the minute I put something away, she's pulling it, and twenty other things, back out. I've decided that I'm going to just let her do her thing and then before naptime and before bedtime I'll clean up. Otherwise I'm cleaning up twenty times a day and I'm exhausted!

A New Year, A New Blog!

Hi everyone! Welcome to our new blog!

There are so many of you that we don't get to see as often as we'd like, so I thought this blog would be a good way to keep you all updated on the new and exciting happenings in our lives.

Tim and I just celebrated our second Christmas with Maddie, and it was great. She got two carloads full of presents (all of you are so generous!) and now has a ball pit (thanks Erin, Tyson, & Andy!) set up in the spare bedroom, which has now been converted to a toy room because of all the stuff she has. She loves all her new toys and books.

Maddie is a smart little cookie, that's for sure. She knows what EVERYTHING is. Tell her to go and get her lotion, she goes right to the closet and gets it. Same for diapers and wipes. She likes to take my keys now and bring them to the front door and put them in the lock. She loves to build with blocks and will bring you ten books at a time (but she never lets you finish a story -- she wants to move on to the next one as quickly as possible.) But as smart as she is, the little peanut refuses to say one single word. She babbles a lot, and she says "Dada" all the time, but other than that, she just points at what she wants. I guess she figures, why talk when Mom is just going to give me whatever I want anyway? Ha!

Tomorrow, she'll be 20 months old, which means in only four short months, she'll be TWO! I can't believe how quickly the time has gone by.

Tim and I both finished school in December -- finally! -- so we're both really happy about that. Right now we work opposite shifts, which isn't fun, but we're hoping that Tim will get switched to the day shift in the next couple weeks and we can fall into a normal routine.

Well, that's all for now. I'll try to post new pictures as much as I can, because it's so much fun to see how much she's changing as the weeks go by.

Happy New Year!