Madilyn is 18 months old!

On October 17th, Madilyn turned 18 months old... my sweet baby! There are a few new things to report!

#1 : We turned her car seat around in the car... so she is officially forward facing. We were going to wait the extended recommendation, but car rides were beginning to be miserable... she needed to see, and I had to be able to see what was going on to help her. So... much better car rides come from turning her around... so happy we decided to do it.

#2: Madilyn can say so many new things! Most recently, she says moon, star and sky. The only problem is that she gets all upset when she can't see the moon or stars in the sky during the day, and can't figure out why mommy can't make them appear for her... if only I were that powerful!

#3: She is being potty trained. After much debate, and talking to 2 doctors about persistent rashes and trying every option under the sun... we decided to potty train! I was sooo dreading it, and probably would have waited until she went to Wal-Mart, purchased a potty and trained herself! J/K, but it's going so much better than I hoped. She hasn't had any accidents w/the #1... but #2 we are still struggling with, she's still scared of doing #2 on the potty, but she's getting better day by day. I am so proud of her!!!

#4: She is trying to dress herself! :) She can successfully take OFF her clothing... (Sooooo not the best thing for mommy), and she can almost get her pants back on after going potty. She can take her shoes off, and almost get them back on! She's getting so big!

#5: She tries to sing, and it is soo precious! She like, moves her head back and forth, with her mouth opening and closing, and hardly any sound coming out... it cracks me up, but it's just so precious! She tries to pick out words she knows, and will say that, then just continue to open and close her mouth while bopping her head back and forth. I am smiling just typing it!!!

#6: She loves to dance, but lately is consists of spinning until she falls down. A while ago we went to the Italian Festival downtown, and they had this great live music... but she wouldn't dance like normal, she just wanted to spin around. The problem with that is that we were outside on the asphalt, and if she fell, it would have been painful. So, I told her to stop spinning and just dance, she screamed and sat on the ground having a little fit... needless to say we had to leave a little earlier than we planned... :)

#7: She can't jump... but she tries so hard! She thinks her cousin, Preston (who's 13 months older than her) is just about the coolest thing in the whole world. He'll jump, and she'll try to imitate him... it looks like the cutest thing, he's jumping and she looks like she's galloping across the room. :) Love it!!!

#8: She is good @ helping mommy and daddy pray for meals and at bed time. She will even prompt us to pray before we eat, like... um, aren't we supposed to pray first? :) She'll fold her hands and squint her eyes. So sweet!

#9: She loves to pretend to go "nigh night". She'll lay on the floor w/her blanket and her lovie, or stuffed animal, and close her eyes. Then, she'll say, "mommy, daddy nigh night". So then we get on the floor and go "nigh night" also. She just giggles and thinks it soo fun! HA! The only problem is explaining to her that I can't pretend to go nigh night when I am driving... :)

#10: Her 12 mo pants are finally getting a little bit short. Most of her 18 month pants are way too big in the waist though, especially since she is now sans diaper... but we're trying to figure out what to do. It was so funny the other day though when I had her @ work with me and she ran across the room to get papa, and by the time she got there her whole tushie was exposed! I'm gonna have to tailor her pants!!! We don't want that happening in public!

Well, that's what I can think of for now. She has her 18 mo tomorrow so I'll have to post her stats... maybe she finally made 22 lbs! We'll see!!

See how excited she is to be hanging out w/big cousin Preston? :)

I'm big too Preston!

Look mommy, I can dress myself (and put a shirt on as pants!) hahahaha!

Likes to read while going potty...

Mom... I am trying to have some privacy here...

The cool water table @ The Discovery Place in Charlotte

Daddy and Madi playing @ The Discovery Place

Madilyn and her Uncle Stephen the weekend she got to meet him for the first time

Madilyn just hammin' it up

Madilyn's new cousin, Brooks

Madi @ Monkey Joe's

Madi and "Cle" (for Uncle) in the bounce house @ Monkey Joe's

She was trying to tell me something very serious here...

Woooo, she loved the slides!

Madi in her pack & play w/MOST of her stuffed animals....

17 months, and almost 18 months!

Every time I think about updating this blog, I don't have my camera anywhere near me! I'll have to make another post of mostly pictures when I do. We also need to get our family pictures done for this year, so I'll have to post some as soon as we take the time to get outside and dress nicely. That takes effort.... :)

So.... I am trying to think about things that are new. One thing is, we are trying to get Madilyn to say "thank-you", and she finally did! YAY! New word, and we are on our way to her attempting to be polite. She'll say "please", but not without prompting... yet... so we are working on it! She says "Elmo", ALL THE TIME. I swear, I think she'd watch Elmo all of the hours that she is awake if we allowed it. She also would only eat fruit and popsicles. Although, I discovered that she likes frozen peas... lol! They spilled the other day, and she started eating them.... and they soften so quickly and they are so small, I don't mind.. and she's getting her veggies, so it's all good! She's gotten quite finicky about her eating lately too, so I take what I can get.

We have had so much trouble with Madilyn's skin, it's crazy! I finally had to just bring her to a dermatologist (which I mentioned before)... but now we are having trouble w/her skin in the diaper area... so as per the suggestion of her pediatrician, we are going to give potty training a go! :) We'll see how it goes. I have tried just about everything else from cloth diapers to creams and "naked time" to get rid of her "boo boos" on her bottom, and it didn't work, so here goes! We tried last night just the "introduction phase" of the potties, and she's definitely curious, but skeptical and a little bit cautious of those plastic seats with holes in them... ha! She did let her stuffed animals "go potty" on them, and she got an m&m for sitting on the potty w/out a diaper for a few minutes, and even got to read a book while sitting on her potty, ABOUT going potty. I even found an Elmo (her favorite topic of discussion) movie about potty training, so we watched that yesterday. I am going to take a reward approach, and then get serious about it when we have a weekend at home when we can really buckle down and spend a whole weekend with her on it. I am furiously reading any book I can on early potty training in the mean time. Pray for me and John... and to think of it, Madilyn! :) I am stressed out about it, and I need to cut it out, because it shouldn't be a stressful thing, but a bonding time for mommy and Madi. That's how I am going to look at it from now on.... with a bit of prayer intermixed! :)

I am seeing a bit more of "first born" tendencies coming out in Madilyn. It's so sweet, and I can't wait to learn more about her. I am a middle child, so I will have to work to understand her, but I definitely don't mind. She is so opinionated. She likes what she likes, and you can't persuade her any other way. If I try to distract her from something she wants (and she is not supposed to have) it just doesn't work. She knows what she wants, and that's it! So... she usually goes with nothing, and I have to give her a time-out to let her know that flailing about and tantrums won't be tolerated... I thought this happened around age 2... not 17 months. HAHA! I guess she wanted to show mommy what she was all about a little early. She's definitely starting to test me too, she wants to know her limits, and she's definitely learning them! I am reading about how to direct her persistent personality so that she will thrive. I know that she will use it for great things one day. She is very independent and energetic and so very very persistent. I can see her being something great one day, she will succeed in whatever she chooses to do.

Well, I had to update the blog a bit so I didn't get so behind, but her 18 month post will be coming soon, and I will do my best to get pictures with that one, she's growing up so much, and her hair is getting so long... where did my tiny baby go? Although, she is 17 months and just now fitting into a size 4 shoe, so she is still "little", but you know what I mean. :)

Catching Up!

Ok... So, I will catch up in picture form! :) Madilyn will be 17 months on September 17th... so I want to make sure that I don't have months worth of pictures to post by then... I will be able to post current due to the fact that I will catch up now. Here's the last couple of months in pictures:

We had our caregroup get together @ the bowling alley... we had so much fun! Even Madilyn and the other kids did a little bowling!

Here's Daddy and his little girl @ the bowling alley

Mommy and Madi

First attempt @ bowling w/a baby in the arms.... not such great results... :)

So, we tried a different approach, that Madilyn and all the kids actually liked!

We have discovered Madilyn LOVES Cracker Barrell.... below is part of the reason why.... :)

Here's a picture of the 3 cousins! Madilyn, Preston and little baby Brooks. This was the best one out of about... 10! :)

Madilyn likes to walk around in Preston's shoes when he visits...

They are just a tiny bit big....

Madilyn also gave Preston a short lesson in piano... they are beginning to become quite the duo!

Completely Gratuitous: Nap Hair... my favorite!

A few weeks ago a few of us parents went to Bouncerific and had a great time! Here's proof:

Madilyn was NOT ready to leave... but the owners kinda were ready to head home for the night....

Come on Madi, let's go home....

Madilyn's Grandma got her a kitchen set... and let's say, Madilyn is definitely learning  how to pretend. Her favorite things though are taking stuff out, and putting it "ba" (back) over and over again.

This is RIGHT after she woke up, she wanted to play w/her kitchen set ASAP

Then we played with Madi's friend Caleb while his mommy had an appointment... and Madilyn was trying her best to learn how to share! :)

"No Caleb, this is MY step..."

"What are you doing with my toys? I will stand and watch you to make sure I approve..."

Every once in a while we pick up a Little Ceasars pizza for dinner on the way home from work, and Madilyn usually cannot handle that smell without being able to take a few bites... so, I get to sit next to her and watch her eat a piece of pizza... so, I entertained myself and wet her cute little hair a bit... she thought it was so funny! I then handed her the water bottle... and she soaked herself! So, hence the picture sans clothing....

My mom watches Madilyn while I am at work. She has a set of miniature tea pots and cups... and we have discovered that Madilyn LOVES having pretend tea parties! She's sooo cute!
Here is Madilyn's "How to have a tea Party" etiquette lesson:

Ok, pay attention guys.... this is important!

You pour the tea INTO the cup.... you won't always make it, but it's important to at least try.


Then you sip out of the cup... it's good to get most of it into your mouth. I wear a bib as a backup to make sure my clothing stays dry... it USUALLY works.

Every once in a while,  you have to check if you are out of tea, it's not fun to run out!

After it's refilled, you replace the lid, and start over at point A! It's so much fun!

By Y'all, see you real soon!

16 months...

So... as of August 17 (yes, almost a week ago, I am so behind!) Madilyn is officially 16 months old. Only 2 more months until I can say she's 1 and a HALF! :) HA! She's growing up too quickly! My mom got her a baby doll and I pulled out some baby clothes for the baby doll... I couldn't believe how small Madilyn was... it reminds me of how quickly time goes. I was thinking about how last year @ this time, she was a mommy milk drinking, constantly held, many naps a day little baby... and NOW, she's a : let me down, do it myself, 1 nap a day big girl! I can't believe how much my little girl does on her own now. She can get on (w/occasional help) and off of our couch! How crazy is that! She can go up and down stairs on her own, but I stand there like a hovering helicopter the entire time... :). She eats most meals on her own now, and she can maneuver a fork and spoon quite well! We always have to make sure the table and floor get fed some of her food though... she likes to share! :) She has a little play kitchen in her room now that her Grama got her, and she likes to use her little "step stool" that I put there for her to reach the microwave and phone to put them "back". I found out that she doesn't need it because she's only 1... Caleb came over and he was plenty tall to reach everything. So.. I guess Madilyn is just a little short! :) I love it! I have found that she is quite particular about things too. When she puts things back in her play kitchen, it has to be put just "so" or she gets upset. Things have to be straight and standing up. Some mornings I give her a waffle for breakfast to eat in the car on the way to Grama's house, and I fold it in half... well, if it tears, or comes unfolded, she will NOT eat it until I fix it. She's pretty funny like that. My mom is cluing me into first-born tendencies, because it's quite unfamiliar to me, but I am learning! She tries to put her shoes on by herself, but she hasn't quite gotten that down. She sure can take them off like a champ though! :)

She has learned a few new words! She can say: giraffe, monkey, love you (sometimes), uncle, "Ry-Ry" for her other uncle Ryan, cat, back, bed, eye, couch, down, up, mouth, more, no, yes, uh-huh (for yes), milk, drink, hi, hat... she's building her vocabulary daily! She can also say what certain animals "say"... like when we ask her what each animal says, she will say "meow" for a cat, "moo" for a cow, "oo-ooo" for a monkey, "roar" for a tiger, "baa" for a sheep, "grr" for a lion... there are a couple more, but I can't think of them at the moment.

She is currently working on a total of 5 teeth... 3 molars, and 2 eye teeth. She's been happy overall, but I do give her motrin only at night, otherwise she wakes up about every 2 hours... and she is not 3 days old, so I am refusing to deal with that...so, motrin it is, and she sleeps great!

I will have to post some pictures soon of our recent adventures... we've done some fun things the past month since my last post! Hopefully I'll remember in the next day or two.

God Bless!

15 Months! (and more news...)

Madilyn turned 15 months on Saturday! I can't believe it!!! I feel like I've been really behind in blogging lately, but I will get better!
Since my last blog a few things have happened...
On Thursday, Madilyn woke up with a low grade fever... I gave her some motrin and called the dr. because she had been exposed to strep and hand/foot/mouth, and had been in the nursery, etc. over the last couple of weeks, and I was concerned. The dr. said to wait and see if her temp gets over 102... well, I gave her motrin throughout the day, and then around 3:30 laid her down for her nap. By 6:15p she still hadn't gotten up, and I wanted her to go to bed well that night, so I went in and woke her up (Motrin was starting to wear off around this time) and she felt SOOO warm. I took her temp and it said 102 (under the arm)... so I gave her more meds and took her clothes off and gave her some water. She was so flushed, I was wondering if the thermometer
was right, she just felt so warm. Well, I needed to run to the store quick, so John said he'd feed her dinner. I stepped outside to leave, and my neighbor, Marilyn, from across the street asked if she could go with me to pick some stuff up. I said sure.. (she shouldn't be driving, she's on all sorts of medications, is in her 70's, and has had trouble with falling lately). She said she needed to get her wig and would be right back out... :) I stood there waiting for a bit, and then stepped back inside to tell John I hadn't left yet, but I was taking Marilyn w/me to the store. As I stepped back in John started yelling that something was wrong and to "come here NOW"... I walked over to the table and Madilyn was slumped over in her high chair with her eyes open, but looking up to the right and "water" was coming out of the side of her mouth. I guess she had tipped her head back to take a drink... kind of glitched, and then just slumped to the side. I now know it was a febrile seizure. It was not the kind called a "tonic-clonic", meaning she just went limp, instead of convulsing. It was terrifying. She didn't respond to anything, she just laid there, then her lips started turning blue... I panicked, and Johns started the car, he got in the back (since I was crying uncontrollably, and I couldn't figure out how to buckle her in the carseat), and I drove to the hospital (honking with my flashers on, going WAY over the speed limit) and pulled into the ER and John ran in and I parked. I don't know all of the details of how she was doing on the way to the hospital, and don't remember, but I know she was making scary sounds... (I now know that next time, I can just walk the 1/2 block to the fire station by my house, and they have first responders there 24/7 and will call an ambulance, instead of me endangering our lives to get to the ER... I wasn't thinking straight though... :( ) By the time I walked in, she was in the first room in the ER vomiting, but actually crying and responding... I was SO relieved! Her temp was 104.5 ON motrin. (What had happened, was while taking a nap, when the motrin started to wear off, her fever spiked very rapidly, which caused the seizure.) So, we were admitted, and she was given tylenol (which she vomited up 20 minutes later). Since she couldn't keep anything down to reduce her fever, she was given an i.v.. Then, they ran a battery of tests, inserted a cath (just to get a urine sample), took blood, etc. She was just SCREAMING every time a nurse came in. They gave her anti-nausea medicine in her i.v., so she was finally able to keep tylenol down, thank GOD! They gave her a dose of a very strong antibiotic, just in case the fever was caused by something bacterial. Around 1:30 a.m. after Madilyn had been woken up so many times by getting a rectal temp taken, poked and prodded I had had enough. She wouldn't go to sleep as long as we were there since she started screaming any time a nurse or doctor walked in. Her temp was normal, and they gave us instructions and let us go home. I have not slept well since that night, just waking up in the night to go check on her... etc. I was so scared that something would happen in the night and I wouldn't know it. She had been on a motrin/tylenol regiment where we switched off every 4 hours since about 9:45p on Thursday. Last night I gave her a dose of Motrin @ 11 p, and then nothing else till morning... and I was sooo scared, but she was just fine. Judging by how she's acting, most likely she doesn't need anything, but I am still a little too skittish. ;) I'll get over it, but it's gonna take me a while. She's happy and giggling and running around again, my sweet happy baby... but I am still so scared that she'll get another virus and I won't keep on it and something will happen, but I have to trust in our Mighty Lord that He will protect her and us. I know he will, it's just so scary to let go of something like this. I mean, she's my baby, you know? How do you ever completely let go of control of your child? I mean, yes, she is in the Lord's hands, but we are humans, and sometimes God allows things, so I am struggling right now. God is bigger than me and my fears though!
On a more positive note! My sweet girl has been doing new things!
She says balloon, no no no, bath, ball, bubble, boo boo (learned this one @ the hospital :( ), please, yes, and she responds with an affirmative uh-huh (implying yes) when she wants something or if you ask her a question. It's so cute!
She LOVES baths, and asks for one every night, sometimes morning and night.
She LOVES to brush her teeth, and if I would let her, she would carry her tooth brush around all day and just suck on it and brush it back and forth! LOL! Last night I told her that she couldn't stand on the couch... She looked at me, and stood up! So, I told her no, and put her in a time out... she CRIED and ran to daddy, took his hand and led him over to the couch as if to say, "will you let me stand on it daddy?". Oh man, it starts early!!!! Luckily we have a deal already where we ask what the other says and we go with that. We are a team... but the whole standing on the couch thing is an obvious one. :)
Here's some pictures as of late... I finally found my camera! YAY! I found it with my mom's lost camera (lol) in the stroller @ her house in her garage. We must have been @ the zoo, or on a walk or something where we both felt we needed our camera. At least now we both have ours back! Thanks for your prayers for Madilyn, they were definitely needed, felt and appreciated!

Above is Madilyn standing on the floor during our flight to MN a couple months ago...

Her new friend Emma. Emma's mom and I are friends from 6th grade. We visited them because Michelle (Emma's mom) had her baby while we were there.

This is visiting my aunt & uncle in MN, and Madilyn got to go on her first boat ride! She loved it at first, then got mad that she couldn't take off the life jacket! :)

This is MN for you... the above picture is the same day as the boating pic above that. Swimming in the day, sweat shirts at night (until July). Madilyn had a blast in the pool!

This is my mom's sister and her kids ( my cousins) during our trip to the Mall of America! Madilyn didn't know what to think of all of the rides!

The three cousins taking a stroll in the Nickelodeon Universe in the MOA

Poor Ethan, I tried to get Madilyn to look, but she was too enthralled w/the roller coaster going by... :)

This is during our recent trip to Riverbanks Zoo. Madilyn has learned to smile when I say "say cheese" for the camera! :)

Madilyn felt she was old enough to wander away from me to look @ the monkeys. She learned to say "ooo ooo ooo" for what monkey's say during this trip! :)

My cute little bug! :)

So, that's it for now! I'll give more updates after I take her to her 15 month appt later this week.