Thoughts from mom.

Madeline had her 6 month check up and she is growing big and strong. Her pediatrician loves watching her progress, she thinks Madeline has just about the biggest blue eyes and smile she's seen in a long time. Of course her parents agree.

She weighs in at 20.5 lbs and 28 inches long. She's in the 97th percentile.

I typically like to reward her with a new toy or outfit after her check-ups...after getting poked, measured and having shots, she deserves it. I know she doesn't know the difference now but someday she will.

Buying clothes for this little angel is difficult. I love Carters brand, it fits her well, and she's wearing the 12 month size in that brand. Target is always good for some cheap buys, but unfortunately I struggle to find anything that fits her anymore. I think it's the lack of selection in what I want; cotton, cotton and more cotton. She's a wiggle worm and so fluffy dresses and whatnot are simply not practical for her, but cotton pants, onesies, and t-shirts are perfect! The other day I went to put on something other than her footsie pajamas and I found that each outfit she has for winter is now too small. She has her 6 month photos on Saturday afternoon, after we're done there, I think we're going to do some much needed shopping at the Albertville Outlets. I can't wait! Maybe we'll have a fashion show afterwards?

We traveled a short distance from home to a tropical climate Sunday afternoon...in the Como Zoo Conservatory. We watched the fish and snakes, enjoyed reading about the many different foliage and ferns, The Japanese Gardens and my personal favorite, the Sunken Garden. It smelled amazing.
It was a sunny day outside, so being indoors with the humidity and the heat sure was a nice tease for better weather to come. We ended our field trip with lunch at the Groveland Tap. Mmmmmm, delicious.

Two-toed Sloth

Pretty waterfall
The Fern Room, overlooking a pond

Fern Room again, Madeline see's something....

Aw shucks, family picture in the Sunken Garden

Dad and Madeline in front of the huge fish aquarium

Madeline in the Sunken Garden saying Cheese!

"Wow, this flower is quite large! Almost as big as my head!"

The delicously scented Garden.

I'm a "HALF" today!

Me and my Teddy.....

I'm 6 months old today! YAY!
Here's a little update on me:
I'm doing really well at sitting up on my own.
Remember I'm rolling over, from my tummy to my back?
I can eat with a spoon (with help from my mommy and daddy of course) but now I like to grab the spoon and try it myself. Usually the food doesn't end up in my mouth, but somewhere on my face.
I take 2-3 naps a day in my big girl bed and I usually sleep anywhere from 6-10 hours at night!
I love to play in my Baby Einstein Jumper and I love to watch the Little Einsteins in the morning when my mom is making my breakfast.
I laugh all the time, especially at my puppy Jersey. She is really funny.
I love going to Baby n' Me class with my mom. We make fun things and I love playing with all the other little babies, too! And mommy just told me we're starting swimming class in March!
I'm not sure how long I am or how much I weigh, but I go to my pediatrician next week and I'll let you know then! I sure am a BIG GIRL though!

The Sunday Paper.

A typical Sunday morning.....bathrobe on, coffee mug full, newspaper spread all over the living room...even Madeline enjoyed the paper this Sunday. Too bad her dad had to dewrinkle and tape pieces of it together again just to read his sports section.

Roll over!

The video says it all. Madeline has figured out how to roll from her tummy to her back....the only trick is to give her space, she won't roll over if you're right next to her. She's definitely like her mother in that way- back up, give me my space people and let me figure this out on my own!

Mom and dad are very excited that she has discovered how to do this; now we just need to work on rolling from her back to her tummy and she's very close!

Playdate

On Sunday afternoon Madeline (and mom) had a playdate. My bestest girlfriends stopped over to spend the afternoon, munching on treats, sipping tea and playing games. The little girls, Madeline and Keira, had a fabulous time checking out each others toys and....each other.

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

Happy Baby.

Okay, I know I'm "exploiting" my own baby's nakedness, but come on~ look how cute this is!
I captured this photo after a full day of shopping. That's right, Madeline LOVES the Mall of America. I stick her in her stroller with many blankets to ensure coziness...and she just marvels at all the lights, sounds and people around her. Not only does it give her a work out, but it does me too! We shopped for outfits for her 6 month photo session...yes, that's right. SIX MONTHS! Hard to believe it. And a few for our next trip to Florida in March....and of course mommy needed to pick up a few items as well. And we even bought something for daddy. When we got home I was trying on her outfits to be sure they fit, and they do. She seemed to be enjoying the time in her diaper on the "big bed" as we call it on Saturday and Sunday mornings when we feel like laying around a little past 6am.

One thing I'm happy to say that we are raising one happy baby, evident by the smile I captured in this photo.

Helping Mom.

Yesterday Madeline was definitely having a little S.A.D syndrome going on....with the dreary, dark, rainy day, she was just in the mood to sleep. Not much kept her distracted until I decided that she could help me make dinner. So I put her in her Bumbo on the kitchen counter and gave her the box in which part of my meal came from, as well as a wisk. The wisk was much easier for her to hold onto.
She was happy for about 20 minutes here, then it was time for bed. That was at 5:45. She woke up at 9:00 for a bottle and then she slept until 6:30 this morning. Mom and dad were pleased with our sleeping beauty.

Peas.

I know that I have been posting a lot of Madeline in her highchair eating, but you must understand that watching her interest in the texture and taste of different foods is not only amusing but such a milestone for her.

Here she is trying Peas for the first time. She became familiar with her gag reflex but once the camera came out, she had to show off what was in her mouth and give me a nice big smile. She's a goofball.

Among her favorite foods as of now are: Oatmeal with Pears, Rice Cereal with Applesauce, Sweet Potatoes and Corn, Carrots, Peaches, Mixed Grains with Apples and Vanilla. She hasn't met a fruit she hasn't enjoyed yet, except for Bananas...and I will admit to trying all of these foods too. They smell better than they taste, but Gerber does make a mean Oatmeal and Pears, with just a dash of cinnamon.