It's Finally Here!

Remember my dear husband winning an incentive trip to Cabo San Lucas? Well, the long awaited trip is upon us, and we couldn't be more thrilled for a much needed (FREE!!) vacation! We are off for a week of sunshine, beach, poolside waitress service, Anne & Eric alone time, and relaxation!

Household chores are completed. Our bags are packed, and our little princess is packed up to stay with Grandma and Grandpa. I'm a little sad to leave Madeline behind for so long, but I know my parents have a week of FUN planned for this special one-on-one granddaughter -- grandparent time. They have been instructed to takes lots of pictures of their adventures for the blog. Meanwhile, our camera is charging away...perhaps we'll spot some famous people. :)

Nevertheless, how can you not miss this face?

Happy Halloween from Our Little Sweet!

We hope all of your trick-or-treating dreams come true!

Madeline is 14 Months Old!

Madeline's little personality is really coming into her own, and she's quite the little character. Unfortunately, this month's picture session did not go as planned. I suppose she just wasn't in the mood to smile for the camera nor was she in the mood to let that brush go. However, she laughed and giggled all day as long as the camera wasn't on her! Little stinker!


At 14 Months, Madeline loves:

• walking anywhere and everywhere
• reading her books either alone or with someone
• laughing & being tickled
• "talking" (it's all jibber jabber but she definitely has something to say!)
• saying "UH-OH" (even where there's nothing to uh-oh about)
• giving kisses and hugs
• music of any kind which leads to hilarious dancing
• her paci, bunny lovey, and bedtime bottle routine
• her Daddy
• the ladies at the gym who work in the nursery
• greeting others with a big toothy grin and the sweetest "HI!" you've ever heard
• hot dogs, mac-n-cheese, mandarin oranges, green beans, applesauce, milk, & yogurt
• wandering around outside & "oooohhing" at birds, dogs, grass, flowers, & even litter
• playing with her ball popper & baby dolls
• the mop, broom, vacuum, and dust buster
• getting into the tupperware cabinet
• unrolling the toilet paper off the roll until it makes a big heap on the bathroom floor
• going up and down the stairs like a big girl
• bathtime
• playing & talking to herself in her bed for ~30 minutes all by herself once she wakes up in the morning or after nap
• playing "This Little Piggie..." with her toes
• putting shoes on and off (hers or anyone else's)
• getting her haircut (strange, I know. She loves the brushes and all the mirrors!)
• riding face forward in the car

At 14 months, Madeline hates (luckily, it's a very short list!):

• getting out of her bed immediately when she wakes up
• stopping her play for a diaper change
• being scolded by her Daddy

At 14 months, Madeline can:

• follow simple directions like "Come with Mama!", "Shut the door." "Push the button." (b/c it's part of our daily routine)
• make me laugh or bite my cheeks to keep from laughing with her antics
• say "hi", "uh-oh", "woa", "ow", "mama", "dada", "woof-woof" (in Madeline's eyes ALL animals say "woof"), "boo"
• imitate hugging, kissing, and patting her baby dolls on the back just like we do to her
• blow kisses
• wave
• play a serious game of peek-a-boo where she jumps out from behind a wall or around a corner yelling "boo!"
• do the Itsy Bitsy Spider movements (sort of) & pat-a-cake movements
• throw a nasty temper tantrum if she doesn't get her way or at least flop down on the floor in a dramatic way to show she's mad (or that I've "hurt her feelings") --- see below :)
  
• sleep 12-13 hours at night & nap for 2-3 hours in the afternoon
• "blow" on her food when it's too hot
• use a fork properly if someone stabs the food for her; we're working on the spoon
• walk into the gym nursery and immediately go to/hug/kiss the ladies without as much as a glance over her shoulder to see if I'm still there (How awesome is that? I can't thank them enough for treating Madeline so special!)
• really chow down at meal time when she's hungry

Madeline is so happy that it's infectious. We get stopped all the time to be asked if she's always this happy and outgoing. Eric and I marvel at this child we created, and we thank God everyday that she was chosen to be our little girl.

Big Girl Shoes

Madeline learned to walk in the perfect season. It was summertime and warm --- perfect for bare feet. (I LOVE baby bare feet.) When she needed shoes at the nurseries, playdates, etc., I used her Robeez. But, with the cooler weather and Madeline's more proficient walking, it was time to put the Robeez away. I was a little sad. Madeline is growing up so fast, but it was really fun to take her to Stride Rite to get her fitted for "real" shoes. She, of course, loved it. The man who helped us made her laugh, and she just loved walking around the store "testing" out different shoes. And, the mirrors at her level were a huge hit. I don't think there was a mirror in the store that didn't have Madeline's lip prints or hand prints on it...yes, she's that vain that she kisses herself! :) Unfortunately, I didn't document the Stride Rite experience, but a few days later, I documented the first time she wore her big girl shoes to the gym! It's amazing what a pair of shoes does to her "look" --- I feel like she looks so toddler-like instead of baby-like in the following picture.

Sporting her new sneakers...Madeline has quite the Fred Flinstone foot (she wears a wide) and she turns her little ankles in a little bit when she walks. (I had no idea how knowledgeable these Stride Rite people are! He informed me about socks, shoes, feet!) So we ended up with shoes different than I had imagined, but they are still cute. You know me, I was looking for something stylish! The lovely man who helped reminded me that Madeline is only one and practical is important! :) So we came home with a casual shoe and a dress shoe, and Madeline seems perfectly comfortable walking in both pair!

Playtime Fun

In our efforts to regain our groove, we've spent lots of time just going about our normal business. After Madeline's afternoon nap, lots of playing around the house has taken place. Unfortunately for us, the yard in this rental house is a bit scary, so we can't take advantage of the awesome weather and play outside. So, indoors it is, but that's okay. Madeline doesn't seem to mind.

The ball popper balls are fun to carry around the house. Unfortunately, they end up in random places, so in efforts not to lose them, I try to keep an eye out for where they get dropped. We've had several go MIA, but luckily, Daddy's keen eye found them for us!

Madeline is not much of a climber, but she has started to take some daring moves (well, daring for Madeline) to stand on the bean bag in efforts to climb to the sofa. She's not terribly persistent or dead set on getting onto the sofa, so she ends up flailing around on the bean bag.

When Daddy is around, stuff like this ends up happening...

Flailing around in the bean bag is big fun! This really gets Madeline's belly laughs going. It's super cute to watch.

The ball popper Madeline received for her birthday is a huge hit. She loves to lean over the fan part and let it blow her hair and in her face. At first, Madeline would let all the balls pop everywhere, and we would have to retrieve them for her. Now, she chases after them, puts them back into the hole, and starts it all over again. Lots of entertainment in such a simple toy...