MJ's B-day

Some pictures of our little ONE-YEAR-OLD on her big day at Gymboree! I don't know if things like this are more fun for the parents or the kids... We get to laugh at all the bumbling, stumbling one-year-olds bouncing around. And they'll never remember it! But it was a very sweet moment and of course I'll cherish it forever!

Our baby is growing up.....! Sniff sniff.

With cousin Alayna

Happy with Grandma

BUBBLES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

How in the world did I end up here???

Before pinching the candle out

Yummy frosting.......

Yay for birthdays!

A couple days later, eating ice cream...... We created a monster!!!!

But there's nothing like a good old-fashioned carrot!

MJ

The birthday girl

Madison on the day of her party. Just thought this was cute :)

Due Date

This morning when I woke up, the first thing I thought of was: Hmmm, Feb 10th, why does that sound familiar? For one thing it's Sadie Simonton's birthday (Happy Birthday, Sadie!), but also -last year at this time was Madison's due date - ! So the date of February 10th was etched in our minds for several months. I remember that waiting period (before we knew our bundle of love would be 8 days late!) and went back to check out my blog from last year at this time.

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Monday, February 11, 2008
The waiting game
Yesterday our due date came & went. I guess that's what people are talking about when they say don't get too hung up on your due date! So we spent the last three weeks stressing that the baby might actually come *early*, when all along the little stinker was already planning on being *late*!I can't say I'm surprised, knowing my track record and all....In the meantime, I honestly feel fine except for the whole getting huge part. I actually bump into corners and doorways because I forget that I've got another passenger up front! Ha! OK that sounded weird but you get the idea!So don't worry, I am keeping myself busy by talking on the phone, taking walks to the park, watching lots of "Baby Story" and "Oprah" (of course!), and playing with the cats. Oh, and online scrabble & Battlestar Galactica episodes on DVD have been occupying a good portion of our time lately too :)So keep sending positive baby vibes our way and maybe soon this little bundle will make an appearance! It's kind of weird not knowing when it's gonna happen! The doctors were talking about inducing but let's hope it happens naturally in the meantime!~Cheers!~

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My how life has changed since then ;) I miss those days of watching Battlestar Galactica..... It was exciting just waiting & wondering what was going to happen. But I have to say I am happier watching my baby grow on the outside of my belly rather than in it!

The elf rides a car

Hair, Hair, Everywhere!

My hair has been driving me crazy the past month (or two, or three), and one day one of my friends suggested I donate it to "Locks of Love." I thought wow, what a great idea! Then looked on their web site and realized you have to donate 10 inches of hair. I wasn't sure I was willing to part with 10 inches, altho I knew I was ready chop most of it off! So when I went to see my hairdresser, I mentioned the Locks of Love thing, and she said Pantene Beautiful Hair does the same thing but you only need 8 inches! That sounded a lot more doable. I felt selfish not wanting to part with a whole 10 inches but this way I'm glad my hair can still go to a good cause!
Of course we had to take "before" and "after" pictures w/ my cell:)
"Before" --

From the back too so you can get the full effect of my crazy hair!

My hairdresser wanted to take the pic with measuring tape! She chopped it off in ponytails!

And here is the "After" -- A little shorter than I was originally thinking, but hey, it's just hair, right? It will grow back someday!
And we had to see what Madison will look like with all this hair someday :)

Maria- I think she looks like Sadie with those ponytails!!

Walking!

Madison took her very first steps on January 15th (to Daddy!) and since then has been practicing little steps here & there. Of course we never have the camera around but this morning managed to capture a little bit! She is getting the hang of it!

Chatterbox

The past month has been a monumental one for our Little Elf. Not only has she become a regular little crawler/almost walker these days, but she's also quite the chatterbox!
In addition to her favorite word, "kitty" ("diddy"), her latest thing is animal sounds. She hasn't yet said "meow" but it started with "baa" for the sheep and has broadened to "moo" and "neigh" when she sees the animals in her books! I don't know if she would actually make the same relation if she saw a *real* horse in real life (maybe we should take her horseback riding and find out!:) but it's pretty cool!
And somewhere along the line she developed her own sort of babble language which she'll happily tell you all about. It sounds a bit like Swedish.
You can also ask Madison to retrieve something (ball, toy, book) and she will usually (depending on her mood) crawl over, pick it up, and bring it back to you! Next we are working on having her bring us the remote!
Books are definitely her toy du jour. She will gladly pull a book off the shelf, sit on your lap, and have you read it to her 72 times.
One day she also started pointing to her head, tummy, and feet when asked!
And I guess what just really seems so monumental to me lately is this new level of understanding. She seems like she actually knows what we're talking about more & more and looks at whatever we're discussing, etc. She's more aware of the world around her and not so much a baby anymore, but a toddler who wants to get out there and do things. It's pretty crazy, it seems like you blink and they're doing all these new things!