Madeline is 17 Months Old!

Another month has come and gone, and Madeline has changed so much in just a short month. She is definitely all toddler & no more baby. Her little social butterfly personality just continues to make us laugh and make our days brighter.

Madeline has really shown us her laid back, adaptable attitude over the last 6 months. She did really well moving from our Irmo home to the rental house to the new house. She quickly learned her boundaries in each new location and made herself comfy in each new environment. I've been taking her to the Gold's Gym on this side of town, and again, she walked into that kids' care like she owned the joint. Madeline has not missed a beat with all of this change, and for that, we are so thankful.

Madeline still loves her books, and those are her first "toys" of choice when she's playing by herself.

However, she's getting into her shape sorter and figuring out how the shapes fit into their coordinating shape to go in the box, and she's playing more with her dolls. Barbie is a new word for her. (Yay!)

Of course, the tupperware cabinet, my Shark sweeper & broom, my Swiffer, and the mop continue to be a big hit.

Peeking into the diaper pail is a new fascination, and I can only assume it's related to the fact that she is very well aware of her diaper situation now. If she's made a stinky diaper, she will grab at it, and say, "Stinky!" while scrunching her face up. She likes to dispose of her dirty diapers into the diaper pail.

Her vocabulary is ridiculous. It seems everyday she belts out a word that I had no idea that she knew. It's crazy how much she's trying to say. Communicating with her is definitely interesting, and she understands so much more than I realize. She knows all parts of her face including eyelashes. She actually said eyelash before ears which was just funny to us. I can't even begin to list here all the words she says or all the animal noises she does, but it's pretty amazing to watch her absorb the world. "OH NO!" is one of her favorite phrases, and she spends much of her day putting toys, books, etc. under furniture all the while yelling out, "OH NO!" and looking for it as caught on camera below.

Peek-a-boo has reached a whole new level now that she can open closet doors and jump out from behind them screaming "BOO!" Being chased or chasing is also a latest favorite.

On the food front, Madeline is still pretty picky, but I'm continuing with my quest of "Mama is not a short order cook." Madeline is not much of a meat eater, but Madeline LOVES ham. She will eat ham straight out of the container which we caught on camera. This particular night, she ate no side items --- just ham out of the tupperware. I'd say she ate more than half of that container in one dinner sitting. (And, yes, she was moved to her seat to eat. I had her on the counter while I was getting the rest of her meal ready.)

She still loves pasta, yogurt, hot dogs, eggs, cheese, green beans, Cheerios, blueberry Nutri-grain bars, waffles, and oranges. Peas and blueberries are a new favorite side item. Madeline still loves junk food, so I have to be sure to keep the chips out of sight and reach. However, Madeline loves her milk too. She guzzles milk like I've never seen...I'm sure her sodium levels are a little high considering ham and cheese are in her top choices for meals.

Discipline wise Madeline keeps us on our toes --- she can be a little stinker. We call it "Madeline time" --- she wants to do things on her terms and in her own time frame, and unfortunately, it doesn't always work that way. Her stubborn little attitude pokes through & a nasty tantrum will ensue. She is sure to let me know that she is not happy about whatever it is that I'm making her do. Luckily for all of us, she gets over it quickly. I think she's figuring out that I don't give into the tantrum, and I certainly don't try to console her when she acts out. I typically walk away from her, and she realizes that her behavior is getting no attention whatsoever...most of the time that works. Sometimes she does follow me all the while she's screaming and carrying on, but again, I just ignore her as much as possible until she simmers down. Since we've been in the new house, we have not put cabinet locks on any of our cabinets because Madeline is really good about not getting into cabinets, draws, etc., and if she opens a drawer that I don't want her to mess with, she will actually push it shut when I tell her to do so. I love her compliant little attitude. She is still really well behaved regarding not bothering the TV, table tops, outlets, etc. I like that I can take her places, and she will not bother things. Oh, and Miss Madeline has decided that slapping faces is her all out way to let us know she's mad. Let's just say that we are SERIOUSLY working on that one, and it's not pretty especially when Daddy is on the receiving end of the slap.

Madeline makes our little family complete, and we continue to realize how blessed we are to be her Mommy and Daddy.