almost walking

It seems our little peanut, just born yesterday (it feels like!) is almost walking these days. Are we scared? Hell, yes! We've been baby-proofing like crazy needless to say.......

Holidays

As a parent of a kid experiencing her very first EVERYTHING, I can't tell you how excited we are this year. It was Madison's first Easter, her first Halloween, her first Thanksgiving, and now coming up is her first Christmas!! Christmas was always my fave holiday growing up (being a Christmas Eve baby), and I thought Santa and the reindeer and the Christmas songs etc were all just for ME! So I have a special childlike fondness for it all in my heart. When we visited Santa for Madison's First Santa Visit the other day at the mall, I told Santa this and he said: "It IS all just for you.... Santa is just for you." OK, so this could have been construed as creepy from any other old guy with a white beard, but I think he meant it sincerely and he was a good Santa. Madison seemed to like him and just stared and stared with fascination.

So anyway, I can't wait to see what Christmas brings for her. I think she will like it -- maybe not be obsessed with it like I was as a kid :) -- but I can't wait to see what she thinks of the presents and traditions as the years go by.

And speaking of firsts, her First Plane Ride for her First Thanksgiving went fabulously! I was in awe because for some reason we were expecting the worst. We had brought all kinds of supplies and toys to keep her distracted for the long ride, but we maybe pulled like one thing out of the diaper bag. She was perfectly content to just watch people, smile and wave, and ultimately fall asleep on my lap. It was like from a movie. And I even got to *watch* the movie on the way back (!) with a sleeping baby on my chest the whole time. With headphones! Eating a Mounds bar! Bliss!

Here are a few pictures from Thanksgiving when Madison got to hang with the Kennedy Cousins. I think they hit it off!

And back at home in Colorado:

Watchful kitty:

Thankful

I have been meaning to write an "I Am Thankful For..." post for a while now. And yes, this smacks of a 5th-grade essay assignment, but it's just something I've been thinking about. And what better time than Thanksgiving week? It's true.

As most of you know, this has been a Year of Change for us. With a capital Y and a capital C! It all started with an innocent little roll in the hay, and look at us now! ;) Having a baby was just the tip of the iceberg. Being a parent, and now a stay-at-home-mom, has made me feel as if I've aged about 20 years in the last 9 months. I've learned, laughed, and loved on completely different levels than I ever thought possible. It's hard to imagine that just under a year ago I was still pregnant and couldn't even picture truly having a kid!!!

Then, in addition to having a baby, I lost my job, our (only) car broke down, and other day-to-day dramas were thrown into the mix of life.... Sigh. When it rains, it pours. Amidst all of this, it would be easy to focus on the negatives but overall these are truly happy times. I am so glad I have this extra time with our baby and that we have a happy, healthy child. What more could you ask for? These days I feel truly blessed.

And - (here's the thankful part :) - I am SO thankful for those who have helped us out in these trying times. Chances are if you are reading this, you are one of them!! We've had friends take us to lunch, buy us dinner, and give us clothes, books, & toys from their kids. And both of our families have helped us out financially which has truly been a lifesaver. It's times like this that you really appreciate your friends and family, and I/we cannot thank you enough. Thank You!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Our Smiley Morning Baby. Check out the little teeth showing!

Cruisin'

OK, I'm really only expecting the grandparents to watch this one (um it's kind of long)... but you can see that MJ is starting to "cruise!"

And - Happy 9-Month Birthday, Baby!!

Catchin a ride

Solly always loves to trot right behind us when we go on walks, so I thought, hmm... what if - ?And I just happened to have my camera. Good thing cause you have to see it to believe it! :)

Congratulations, President Obama

And thanks to everyone who voted yesterday!!!! Wow, what an exciting night last night!!!! Of course, Madison slept through the whole thing and missed all the speeches.

Here is our tired little voter...

Here's to a new beginning for America!

Happy Halloween!

Almost let Halloween pass without posting a pic of our happy little cowgirl!

I remember getting some red baby cowboy boots as a hand-me-down from a friend when Madison was first born and I thought, now what in the world am I ever going to do with these?!?!

And yes, I was the cheesy mom who matched her baby...

I figure there is only a limited time I'll be able to do this, so I've gotta milk it for all it's worth.....!

jean jacket baby - (thanx Bailey!)

This is one of my favorite pics lately. Meant to post it a couple weeks ago!

Hope everyone is having a good Halloween week!

Videos

I think I took these videos around the beginning of last week.... Just a little peek into our daily lives.... The crawling has progressed a bit into more of a "backwards slide," but no real forward movement yet!

Thank You

I just wanted to say a big *thanks!* to everyone who voted for me on American Idol. Oh wait, I mean- to everyone who left a comment on here the other day! It's nice to know I have some readers out there..... And that they're not totally bored by all the baby stuff.... hahaha. Of course, there are those who *used to* read my blog in the past, but then gave up once it became All Things Madison.... I won't mention any names... Um, I guess they are too busy hanging out with people named "Felony!"


Here is my latest "Mom Wisdom" which could be filed under Things I Have Learned, Part 3:

- When in doubt, sing!
I've found it works for most everything. It is a great distraction for Madison when I'm trying to clip her nails, change her diaper, get her to sleep, just about anything she doesn't want to do anymore. And it's also a great calming technique for me. Pretty crazy how that works! It's kind of like taking a deep breath. It also works as a non-distraction during things like feeding when you want her to pay attention but everything else is a distraction at the time! ha.

Pensive Pumpkin

We are excited about fall and everything that comes with it!

Here is another 'attempt to crawl' vid - taken on my cell at a playgroup yesterday - at least you can see it! I didn't realize the lighting was so bad in that last vid!!!

By the way, one 'secret reader' feedback I got was: videos are fun! So I am gonna try to post more videos. You'll have to put up with my choreography skillz.

Personally I never really look at videos on the web because of the whole buffering, loading, yadda yadda yadda... so I'll try to make em short. And feel free to skip these if you want!

We are headed out to the CU / Texas game today. Go Buffs!

Asteroids

Hello, secret readers! I was gonna write about how the one person I had specific instructions for never responded (!) but okay, yesterday I finally saw a little note letting me know she truly is following Madison in cyber-world. She's a gramma... I guess I'll cut her some slack.... I should be impressed that she even knows what a computer is! ;) I mean, the email machine.

So I guess I am glad to see that everyone enjoys the Madison posts, but no asteroids anyone?

I did like the Halloween suggestion and I will definitely write about that. I have a few ideas in mind that involve felt, if I can get my butt over to the fabric shop before the end of the month.

Here is our latest feat ("standing!") along with a video attempt at crawling from the other nite (didn't realize it was so dark when I made it) and attempt to capture "mama" this morning at breakfast. She is saying it, I swear! After hearing "dada" for the past 2 weeks I am so ready!!!!

little elf

Todd and I are always calling Madison our "little elf." When we're driving along, we look in the backseat and she's sitting there smiling like a little elf. When we put her in the high chair, she stares up like a little elf. And when she's sleeping, you guessed it- an elf! Took this picture this morning too- ha!

She especially seems elf-like in the hood.

So, I know a lot of people read this blog but never leave comments, because they tell me they read it! You know who you are.... So I am asking you to leave a comment! it's really easy to do (these instructions are for my mom..), just click the comment button below. You can do it anonymously- you don't have to have a login or anything. Trust me it's super easy! And-- I have a request- let me know what you want me to write about! All these entries are always about Madison these days, but let's say you want me to write about asteroids or something.. put it in the comment! And I'll write a blog about it! Could be fun. :)

Tooth~!

Rainy day girl

Sittin on the porch watching the rain this morning......

I was trying to get Madison to talk on camera. It's funny, she babbles and talks what seems like constantly now, and yet I feel like we never have the camera around or the battery is dead, the memory is full, etc! It's the story of my life! Batteries and me do not agree. And then when the camera is actually around she clams up. Ha. But this was a pretty cute impromtu moment this morning.

A few things I left off of the 6-month update the other day are:

Sleeping:
Amazingly, this girl is a sleeping champ! For those who remember my last blog about sleep, we spent months of being sleep-deprived and I like how my friend Jenny put it, it was like "Chinese Water Torture"- ha. But around 5 1/2 months she turned a corner, and much to my persuasion (golf clap here for Mommy!) we were able to get her eating only once a night. Which ultimately resulted in her waking up only once a night! So now our nighttime schedule is:
8:30pm last nursing and bed
5am wake up and nurse
8:30/9:30am wakeup for real
Naps approx 11-1, 3-5
Of course, it's not always an exact schedule *every* day, but so far so good!!! Eventually we'll probably have to move the bedtime up so morning can start earlier. Daycare and all. Ugh. Not Mommy's choice!!

Talking:
Within a few days, "words" like "ba" have become "blabla," "baba," etc. I know it doesn't seem very monumental to those without kids, but it's cool to see how quickly she picks things up and develops it into the next new thing.

Walking:
OK we are nowhere close to walking yet (thank goodness!!!), but when we were at the Minsons' last weekend, she tried out her first time in a walker. It was cute- you could see the wheels churning in her head as she realized her little steps equalled movement. She mastered the backwards step/push pretty quick!

That's all the mommy brain can remember for right now!

6-Month Update

Yes, it's true. Madison is 6 months old already! Actually, she has been for a few weeks and now is pushing 7 mos! Sheesh, where does the time go??
So I guess I'm a little behind in my update.
Where do I begin?! Madison is definitely developing more of a personality now that she's getting older. She loves the water, loves baths, loves the pool, likes being outside and seeing people and dogs. She loves grabbing faces (bonus points for beards!), is sitting up, rolling over, and completely cracks up whenever anyone does a fake sneeze (altho a "real" sneeze is still a little bit scary). We discovered the fake sneeze effect while up in Keystone -- a guaranteed laugh! She has also discovered her "voice" and can babble and "talk" for what seems like hours! Of course, she can cry louder than ever before too -- and she knows how to work it!

Favorite activities:

Watching the kitties

Banging together any two objects that make a noise

Playing her toy "piano"

Riding around in her Moby carrier

Watching trees (yes, she "watches" trees- blowing in the wind, etc)

Watching kids on the playground

Saying "oooh" every once in a while when something is REALLY cool

Favorite words:

"boo"

"ba"

"ka"

"goo"

"la"

Along with several variations, and the occasional squeak!

We had her 6-month doctor's appointment last week and got her 3rd round of shots. :(

Weight: 16 lbs, 3 oz, around the 50th percentile

Height: 26 1/4" which is around the 60th percentile

Head: 17 1/4" which was I think the 70th percentile. Maybe she inherited her daddy's big head!

She's eating solid foods twice a day now as "breakfast" and "dinner." Usually a fruit + cereal for breakfast and a vegetable for dinner. I've actually even bought a blender so I can make some of her own baby foods. You can just set it on "puree" and it makes a good soft blend. I have a feeling soon she'll be moving on to cheerios and whatnot and leaving my pureed food in the dust, but for now it's fun.

We have a playgroup we go to on Wednesdays with some of my other mommy friends, many of whom I met thru the Boulder breastfeeding group. It's a great way for the babies to socialize and the mommies to swap stories. And drink lattes!

I'm slated to go back to work on October 1st, and have a "practice" session with the Daycare person, Jan, next week. I'm not looking forward to it but she seems so loving with babies and excited about Madison that it makes me feel a little better.

Here are a couple pics from last weekend!

Swingin

First time in a real-people swing! I think she liked it!

A couple videos from today

Now whenever we say "Solly" or "Isa" (our cats), Madison looks around to find them. She gets so excited to see them but of course they keep their distance! :)

And this is just a clip from some pool time in the backyard!

The Birthday Girl

A few pictures of all the August visitors, and of course the half-birthday bash!

With Aunt Dana & Uncle Bill:


Meeting Daddy's sister Auntie Krista:
Both Grandmas together!

Hangin with Grandpa:
Swimming with Grandma:
With Heather, Dave, Jack, & H-T Baby #2:

With Nana & Paw-Paw:

A surprise visit from Alberto!


And of course......

A whole birthday cake?? For me?! :D
What do you mean, I can't eat it???!

Happy Half-Birthday, Baby!

Guess who's sitting up, giggling, laughing, and rolling over (well, when she wants to..) these days?

And who just turned 6 months old yesterday??

You guessed it!

Of course, we had the requisite birthday cake and all, courtesy of her Nana and Paw-Paw.

Photos to come, including all the August visitors......... MJ had the pleasure of meeting her Auntie Krista & Uncle Joe, her Grandpa Kennedy, the Tobey-Hutchison Crew, and got to hang out with BOTH grandmas at once!

Can't remember if I posted this one........

1st trip away from home

Well, MJ and I finally ventured away from the safe haven of the house, crib, and all the other marvelous baby ameneties to take a road trip (!) (not a very big one) up to Keystone & Vail! It was so much fun and she did just great. It really empowered me as a mom about taking her out of her "bubble" of our house and seeing what happens! I'm not a super schedule person (as we all know) but once I got Madison on a schedule I was afraid to take her away from it. But she proved she can still be her happy, sunny, usual self even without the perfect routine! So great!!!!! :)

Of course, I know that all trips won't be this easy, and many babies her age have already gone cross-continental and back by now. But hey, baby steps! Here are some pics from the trip:

Dinner Club International Babe

Dinner Club France (3 mos): Dinner Club Malaysia (4 mos): Dinner Club Ireland (4 1/2 mos):

Dinner Club NY (5 mos)!

Thanx to all her Dinner Club aunties, this girl knows how to REPRESENT!

Funny

Back in the days I can hardly remember now, Todd and I took a class at the hospital: Intro to Childbirth 101. Pretty eye-opening to those who had never had kids (!) but did it really need to be four weeks long?

Anyway, one of the things I took away from that class was that I should make a birth CD. As in, a music CD to accompany the birth. The instructor gave us all kids of tips on what to bring to the hospital, but for some reason the one thing I really focused on was the birth CD!

I spent hours coming up with the perfect songs. Death Cab for Cutie: "Where Soul Meets Body"; Papas Fritas: "I Believe in Fate"; Radiohead: "Exit Music" (Today is the day we escape); The Beatles: "Blackbird" (All your life, you were only waiting for this moment to arrive); etc......

I pictured us going through contractions, holding hands, in slow-motion like, while I explained the meaning of each song to Todd (it was a surprise) and he commented on my uber cool musical abilities.

Yep! That's how it was gonna happen!

:)

Needless to say, the birth CDs (I had so many great songs I had to make two!) were forgotten the minute we got to the hospital. I found them approximately three months later when I finally unpacked my hospital bag, along with the cute pjs and things I planned to wear around the hospital halls.

They are now the musical backdrop for me & Madison when we wake in the morning or are winding down at night, and for nursing and gazing into each others' eyes. Each song is a reminder to me of how I wanted to bring my baby into this world. And someday maybe I'll even tell Madison the meaning of each song!

The babes, they are a-growin'

Then (Maya- 3 mos, Madison - 1 1/2 mos):

And now! (Madison - 4 1/2 mos, Maya - 6 mos):

Gotta love MJ's chubby little legs!