What did you do today?

Did you....

.....play with muffin tins and cutting boards?

...ham it up for the camera?

....play ball with Sophie?

...put on your Vikings beads?

......I did, and it was so much fun!

Fun with Kleenex

Madeline found the Kleenex. She loves the Kleenex. And so, we let her enjoy the Kleenex....as much as she wants. It's fun to watch her take them out and then try to put them back into the box. That is something she's doing really well with recently....with her shape sorter she is getting really good at taking the shapes and putting them into the matching hole; squares, circles, triangles, etc.... She also enjoys stacking her stackable toys. This makes me excited because a) she's smart and b) she's going to be great at organizing someday!
While we're on the subject of what Madeline is doing, I'll mention that she loves bath time. Is it bad that I will, on some days, bathe her twice? I mean, I don't get out the soap each time, but just let the water run clear and let her splash around. I'm not kidding, she hears that tub start and she is in there trying to climb over the ledge to get in, clothes and all! She loves it and I love that she loves it because a) she's clean and we're avoiding H1N1 germs (I hope) and b) she will be a clean freak like her mom ;-)
Madeline is still crawling as a means to get to where she needs to go, but she's doing great at walking, even balancing on her own...until she realizes we've let go. Then she has a melt down. I recently brought her to a new and fantastic place called The Little Gym. There are classes for kids of all ages, and on Wednesday we went. She was able to jingle some bells, play with bouncy balls, climb on all the soft child-proof equipment, play with a hula-hoop, and play with other children her age. It's amazing to see the difference in children who are the same, younger or older by just a few weeks! We may have to continue going to the Little Gym....she really did enjoy herself and when we got home she was quick to go down for her morning nap.
And finally, something that I never hear enough of when people at the store, the mall, the gas station, the bank, the post office, the park, whereever we go......people say....."Oh my, she has the most beautiful blue eyes...." or "Wow, those are the biggest blue eyes I have ever seen." Sometimes I think, come on people, let's come up with something else....but then I look at her and realize that she really does have the most gigantic blue eyes. Thank goodness for her Papa's (Grandpa Jeff) gene pool.
Hmmmmm, let's see, what else. She's napping once a day every day, two naps if we're lucky about once or twice a week. She has 4 teeth and about 4 more poking through. She has about 4 bottles each day of whole milk and has been treated to a bottle of apple juice, or carrot/apple juice, or Juicy Juice Berry, and is spoon fed the rest of her meals. In the past few days, however, she has been caught putting food in her mouth. Although I end up giving it to the dogs, I always tear up cheese, meats, fruits and puffs and put them on her tray to try....and as I thought, someday when she's ready, she'll do it. She's tried about 3 times now. Fingers crossed. Mom will be happy. Oh, and finally. She successfully waves HI and BYE. SO stinkin' cute when she does that too.

Until nex time.....

A sneak peak....

Madeline's photographer posted a sneak peak on her blog.....check it out!

www.3peasphotography.com/blog

I'm so pleased with these couple photos...can't wait to see the rest!

Checking in...

I survived "girls weekend" last weekend. It went a little something like this:
Drinks, food, girl talk, chick flicks and 90 minute massages. Repeat (up to the massage part anyway...) Sunday morning came and we were all home with our babies by 11am. It was good. It was fun and a much needed break. I'm looking forward to doing it again next year.

Today, though, Madeline had her one year photos taken...finally! Took us a while to get there, but it is most likely going to be worth the wait. We tried a new photographer (details to come) and we were extremely impressed with her. She was awesome.
When we get a few sneak peeks I'll send out the link to check 'em out! Madeline was giggling and smiling all the way through! Love love loved it!

In the meantime, here is our pet frog. He has been hanging out on our flower hook in the front yard for weeks!

The Thompson Twins Have Arrived!

Congratulations to my dearest friend Suzanne who delivered twin girls Saturday, September 5th.

Claire Ann, 6lbs 14oz

Elliott Joy, 6lbs 7oz

A message from the MOM.

It's been roughly 12.5 months since Madeline was born. In that time, the most I've been away from her was for an evening out with friends or my husband from time to time. I'm a mom who is very careful, very protective, and very set-in-her-ways....just ask my husband. I can be a bit overbearing and maybe even a bit ridiculous, but, I'm Madeline's mom and that's my right. I will love her and protect her until the day I die....fortunately for me, my husband is very supportive and he truly is a great dad. I love watching them play together in the evenings, and even more, I love watching her face light up when she's see's him come through the door at the end of the work day. And of course, it's even more adorable when Jersey and Sophie give her all their kisses.

This weekend I am leaving the house from Friday to Sunday. It's the first weekend away. To some, this isn't a big deal, but to me, it is! I think I'm having regular panic attacks. Not because I'm worried that she's not in good care, but because I will miss her so much. She'll be fine, this I know.
We're traveling north, about 90 minutes outside of Taylor Falls, WI. My friend is opening up her family cabin to 4 of us for a mom's getaway. Our plan is nothing, except for 90 minute massages on Saturday afternoon. Good friends, food, cocktails, chick flicks and games. I'm really looking forward to this. But kisses to my baby and a big thanks to my husband!

Just hangin' around.

Madeline had her 12 month appointment this week.

• Weight: 23.14lbs
• Height: 30 3/4 inches
• Madeline cruises when she crawls and when she's walking along the furniture edges
• For you Yoga enthusiasts, she's started to do a great downward dog, which I believe is how she is learning to stand up on her own, unsupported by furniture.
• She's a master at peek-a-boo and pat-a-cake.
• She understands many words but only speaks Momma and Dada...and now Baba.
• Sleeps a good 10-12 hours each night and still has at least one nap during the day for about 1.5 hours.
• She's not a big fan of eating, but she'd great at feeding others...especially the puppies. She would prefer all her meals in a bottle, but we're not going to become concerned for a few more months yet. She loves all fruits, and some veggies. But her favorite continues to be yogurt.
• She loves to crawl up the stairs, and now, down the stairs. She also likes to crawl up on the couch and hang out for a while. She can get herself down from the couch, too!
• She plays so well on her own, and with others. She loves her book, her Baby Einstein videos and Ooo and Ahh from Playhouse Disney. Oh, and she LOVES Elmo. She has 3 stuffed Elmo's right here!
• She's snuggly, she's cute, and she's perfect in our opinion.

Here's a few shots of our little ham smiling for the camera....