Madeline is 13 months old (a little late)!

For now, I've given up on placing the sign near Madeline. She just can't resist playing with it, and I can't get a cute picture when it's near her. So, for now, this is the new "monthly sign picture."


Madeline has treated us to another month of fun! She's definitely an official biped now...walking is her main mode of transportation, and she wants to walk everywhere by herself. So, you can only imagine how long it takes us to get places when I actually let her walk. Not to mention, she is still very fascinated with everything that pops into her vision --- "oohing" at everything --- shrubs, leaves, yard lights, you name it, she ogles and studies over it until I give her a little tug to move along. It's very sweet to watch her ooh and ah over the world around her when I'm not in a rush.
Her little personality is still so happy, curious, sweet, and easy going (95% of the time), but she's definitely showing more and more a mind of her own. Madeline is a stubborn little thing which right now can lead to a nasty tantrum, but this trait will serve her well down the road once she learns how to put it into a positive direction. Full blown flailing the head back, kicking the legs, swatting the arms temper tantrums have entered our world in full force! WOW, it's not happened very much, but it definitely caught me off guard! When she's not allowed to go somewhere or touch something, she lets us and everyone else know that she's not happy about it. The few times she's had one, she's been tired and/or hungry which makes them that much worse. I don't make excuses for them because it is unacceptable, but I am sure to be much more proactive these days when it comes to eating her meals and getting that afternoon nap in. Since she's an only child, I can keep her on a pretty strict schedule which help any nasty attitudes that can surface.

My girl loves other people greeting them with an enthusiastic "HI!" as they walk by. Luckily others indulge Madeline's over-friendliness with a response which just makes her day. She's especially fond of other children greeting them with an even more excited "HI" over and over, but they're also are the recipients of gigantic toothy smiles and arm flailing which I'm guessing is supposed to be an overly excited wave. I've actually heard other children comment to their parents, "Why is that baby doing that?" to which the nice parents usually respond with something like, "She really likes you and just wants to say hi." Madeline has never met a stranger. Luckily for us, this makes dropping her off at nurseries and babysitters a piece of cake. Music and dancing have captured Madeline's heart. She head bobs and dances to music all day long --- in the car, at the house, at the gym kids' care, and even the elevator music at the grocery store. Right now, her rhythm is questionable, but there is no doubt that music and dance will be in her future activities.
Madeline's a mover and a shaker. Running errands, going to the gym, cruising the grocery store, taking a walk, walking through the mall, going somewhere, anywhere...all of these fit into "it's been a great day" category for Madeline. That makes us happy since we like to be out and about instead of cooped up in the house all day.
Madeline is a hot dog, Cheerio, mandarin orange, cheese, and green bean eating machine. These are by far her favorites at meal time, but she's getting much better about eating what she is served. I do give her credit with regard to her tasting...she will taste and eat anything we stick in her mouth for the first time. Now, if she's not a fan, she won't have another bite, but she's not been spitting out food or throwing it to the floor if she doesn't like it. We are, however, working on table manners with regard to dropping food to the floor on purpose. Madeline seems to think this activity makes for a perfect excuse to use the word, "UH-OH!" Unfortunately, for her, we are working on nipping this bad habit in the bud.

Madeline's vocabulary is pretty minimal...mama, Dada, hi. "Uh-oh" and "woa" are new additions over the last month. She intently studies our lips when we are talking to her, and you can see her little brain trying to make her lips do what ours do. Sometimes, she makes a sound similar to ours and sometimes not. I love watching her trying to learn vocabulary. Madeline wants to verbally communicate badly, and I'm sure it just will happen "overnight"...just like when she popped out with "uh-oh" after she dropped her toy. Madeline loves her stories, and she's by no means what I would call an attentive audience, but she'll sit still for a few pages of actual reading/talking about the pictures. And, when she's playing by herself, she'll pick up a book, turn the pages one by one, and study the pictures. All the while, she's jibber-jabbering as if she's telling herself a story. I love to see her do this. She will do this over and over with some of her favorite books. Madeline has 7 teeth, and we think her molars are working their way up to the surface. She's pretty much a regular gal with her schedule sleeping from 7 PM to 7 AM, napping in the afternoon, eating breakfast/lunch/dinner with a snack thrown in here and there if needed. The two things this mama must break out of are the two bottles Madeline receives right before her nap and bed and the paci. We limit paci and lovey to bed only, and the bottle I just need to brace myself and go cold turkey.
Madeline brings something new to each day that makes her daddy and I just smile and makes our hearts just swell with love. I try to treasure each day, even the hard ones, because it's all going by so quickly. As someone said to me this morning, "Madeline is becoming such a big girl. It's happened almost overnight." So true, so true baby girl! Madeline Grace, we love you so much.