Books and Coloring...

...are really important around here. Madeline loves to color and loves to "read" books (regardless of the book). Many minutes (that eventually add up to hours) in our days are spent like the following pictures. Of course, I don't mind because I get a lot of "office work" done for Eric while Madeline is busy reading and coloring. She's happy as a clam sitting on the stool at her desk using her crayons reading her books. :)

Eighteen Month Well Visit

Today Madeline received a good report from Dr. Kapp --- physically & developmentally. She received a few shots today, and to say the least, Madeline was p-oed. This was the first time that she really "fought back", and our girl put up a good fight --- arms flailing, legs kicking, and the over-the-top, high-pitched crying that may have done damage to my eardrums. However, Eric, the nurse, and I managed to pin her down to get the job done. All was well once we got back to the car, got some snuggles & love, turned on our coveted Laurie Berkner Band DVD, and had a frosted Shredded Wheat snack from the snack trap. Needless to say, Madeline is napping very well today.

Madeline's latest stats are:

• weight: 24 lbs. 2 oz. (48 %)
• height: 33 1/4 inches (89%)
• head: 46.5 cm (49%)

We are the typical first time parents at the doctor's office, I'm sure. Of course, we had our list of questions to go over with the doctor. Mostly we asked all sorts of "developmental" type questions just reassuring us that all of these tantrums, a little aggression (swatting at us mainly), and big signs of strong independence (not wanting to hold our hands in parking lots, on the stairs, etc.) were "normal". Our doctor is wonderful. He graciously let us know that we are not slack parents, and Madeline's current behavior is typical of this age. I'm so glad that we have a relaxed, laid back doctor since I am not a relaxed, laid back parent when it comes to some of this "nasty" behavior that I am seeing as of late. :)

We don't have to see the doctor again until Madeline is two years old, and until then we are satisfied with her clean bill of health she received today.

What Could Be ...

more fun than sitting in a box?
READING in a box, of course!

If you look closely, you can see that Madeline is wearing shoes with her footed jammies! :)

The Beginning

We have started the process of creating Madeline a "big girl room" in the new house for when that time comes. No, we don't have one on the way that we need the crib/nursery room. :)

My parents are down-sizing, and they have had these twin beds since my oldest brother was moved to a "big boy" bed, so that means these beds are waaaay old. Then, my other older brother came along, and they shared a room. These beds were used as bunk beds. When I came along, the boys had long since gotten larger beds and rooms of their own, so naturally these became my beds as twins. I used these beds as until I moved out of my parents house for good when I received my first teaching job near Charlotte, NC way back in 1998. So, needless to say, they are family, and they are perfect for Madeline.

I've been looking for comforters/duvets since I was pregnant since I knew I was getting these beds for Madeline. I happened to stumble upon these duvet covers, and I really liked them. I wanted Madeline's room to be girly yet not too toddler, so that she could use it for awhile. (My hubby appreciates my practical-ness because it doesn't happen very often.)

It just so happens that these duvets match Madeline's nursery curtain, rocking chair cushion, and all of her wall hangings from her nursery, so I am going to work those things into the new room as well. My decorator/friend of a friend, Jim, has taken the curtain in order to find fabric to have bed skirts made since I didn't like the ones that came with the duvets. (you can see swatches in the picture---Eric and I are sure Jim will be responsible for making this room look fantastic as well as many other rooms in our house.)


For Christmas, my parents had their friend make a "dollhouse" bookcase for this room. It's perfect since Madeline loves to read, and it's a cute, girly way to display books in her room.

There is lots to be done yet, but I love working on this room. It's girly, simple, and fun. I can't wait for the finished product!

Eighteen Months Old

YIKES! Madeline is only six months away from being TWO! That, to me, just means that she is a full fledged toddler!

Madeline has a zest for life, and it's so funny to watch her bee-bop around. She will walk up to random strangers if we are walking together and just join in the conversation with a very enthusiastic "HI!" Madeline loves to be around people, and she wins them over with her hilarious antics whether we are in the grocery store or the church nursery. She loves being around other children, and she tries to play with them. Unfortunately, she does lack a few social graces, but with some effort and play dates, we can hopefully correct those. Madeline adores her Daddy, music, dancing, her bunny lovey, and her books. This child is destined to be a reader! She will thumb through chapter books jibber-jabbering away as if she knows what she is reading, and she's memorized so many of her board books. She loves to color, to walk around in my shoes, carry anything on her arm as her purse, be outside, "roughhouse" with her Daddy, and just play. Madeline still enjoys playing independently, but she likes to be within a closer range more so than she used to prefer. If I'm in the kitchen, Madeline has her books, toys, etc. right there near me. If she wanders off down the hallway, she comes back to check to see where I am and what I am doing after a little bit.

Our dear, sweet Madeline has really become a handful as many of my posts have addressed lately. Yes, she is asserting her independence, is very Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde with her temper and emotions, and has a mind of her own as of late, but I also think this is a stage of frustration. She can understand SO much, but she cannot totally communicate her needs and wants. Therefore, we are left to guess or just "make" her do this, that, and the other. Everyday I have to remind myself that she is going to test boundaries, rules, and limits, and it is our job to enforce those boundaries, rules, and limits. I only pray that Eric and I model the behavior we are preaching in hopes that she will see that we practice what we preach. There are some rules that Madeline continues to challenge as if to question my consistency (seriously, when will she learn that I have 10 years of teaching 5th grade under my belt?), and there are some that one discipline action is enough to curb the behavior.

Madeline's general temperament continues to be happy-go-lucky and obedient. Madeline has adapted to our change over the last 9 months really well, but this month she has shown a tad bit of separation anxiety. I think her Daddy's increasingly busy travels have caused the anxiety to fester and rear it's ugly head. Some days are better than others, but she's cried and clung to me more than she ever has especially in familiar places. We will just power through it, and our little sweetie will learn that Mama always comes back. (Everyone tells me that she calms down almost immediately with an enticing distraction which makes me feel better.)

Madeline has become quite frustrating in the food department lately mostly because her appetite is up and down, & she doesn't want to sit in her chair at the table for a long period of time to eat. However, her use of a little fork and spoon are improving. She loves to use it, and she does pretty well for someone of her age. Her pickiness and aversion to some foods has no rhyme or reason. Some meals she eats like she's never been fed, and some meals she hardly eats a nibble, and it could be all of her favorites. She'd live on Goldfish and Cheez-its (and other similar snacks) if I let her, and I've really curbed the snacking in hopes of creating a very hungry child at mealtimes. Again, if she could communicate just a little more clearly, I think she would operate well under an "A or B" choice for breakfast and lunch, and then that's what SHE chose, so SHE has to eat it or be really hungry. Of course, I am sticking to the dinner rule --- eat what we eat. Black eyed peas and lima beans were part of a recent dinner, so I kept consistent with my rule, and Madeline especially loved the black eyed peas. I quote, "Yummmmmy!" as she shoved a huge fistful of them into her mouth. She ate the very same leftovers for lunch the next day and scarfed them down. So, in addition to Madeline's current favorite foods, I am adding black eyed peas and lima beans. Madeline is not big on sweets, but she discovered chocolate covered raisins and loves them. Ironically, she won't eat plain raisins.

Madeline still does really well in the sleep department. Believe it or not, Madeline's "bewitching hour" is between 11 AM and 1 PM not the typical 4-6 PM. Her afternoon nap can be anywhere from an hour and a half to three and a half hours. I've tweaked her nap time routine, and it's going remarkably well. When it's time for nap, (most days, Madeline will say, "Night Night." when she is ready for a nap/bed), we go upstairs to her room, read a few stories in the rocking chair, have a few snuggles, and down she goes. Rarely, do I hear a peep from her room. She's a great nighttime sleeper sleeping 12-13 hours each night. She's always in bed by 7:30, or we really pay for it the next day. In light of our nap time routine going well, the nighttime ritual is soon to be tweaked as well. (Yes, I admit it --- my 18 month old still gets a bottle with whole milk at bedtime. More on that later.) Unfortunately, Madeline is very attached to her paci, and she's only allowed to have it in her bed right now. I have plans to go cold-turkey on that later this summer when it warms up so I can retreat outside while she screams for her paci because I know she will scream for it.

As challenging as this past month has been as far as having to step up the discipline, this past month has been really fun to watch her grow physically, mentally, and emotionally! Madeline has mastered the stairs going both up and down. Of course, I haven't removed the gates at the stairs, but she is much more confident in her abilities to navigate steps. She's learned how to climb onto chairs, sofas, etc., but luckily for us, she has also figured out how to get down and land on both feet. Madeline's vocabulary continues to explode daily. She is so eager to repeat words, use her new words correctly, try to use simple sentences, point to things wanting to know what it's called, explore how things work, and do things all by herself. It has been amazing to watch her figure problems out on her own. She has really blossomed in that area over the last month, and I have resisted the urge to jump in and do it for her. Before she would try to figure something out, and if her solution didn't work after a minute or so, she gave up and whined for me to help her or found something else to do. Now, she sticks with a task, and her logic has become much more reasonable and well thought out. Therefore she's become successful in accomplishing her tasks she sets out to do, and she's looks at me with a proud smile across her face. It's so cute as if to say, "Look at ME, Mama! I did it all by myself."

As much as Madeline may try our patience or test our boundaries, she hugs, kisses, and blesses us with her "conversations" tenfold each and everyday. Most of all, she is just a lovable, huggable, spunky child, and she's our sweet little Madeline Grace.

Snow!!

The weatherman finally got it right --- it snowed here in Columbia. About 4:00 PM on Friday, the flakes began to fall and didn't stop until sometime overnight. We were so excited! Eric was home from work early, and we didn't have a stitch of plans for the evening. It was a perfect ending to an interesting day (see previous post).

These first few pictures are about 30 minutes into the snowfall. It was perfect, fluffy, powdery snow not the wet/icy/sleety snow that South Carolina usually gets.

When Madeline got up from her nap, we donned our warmest coats and ventured outside. No my child does not have gloves nor does she have a really functional winter coat, so needless to say, she was not dressed properly for this adventure. But, that's okay because she had a blast in the snow. As a matter of fact, we brought her in because her little hands were like ice blocks and bright red, her shoes were soaked, and it was just time to come inside to get warm. Our very independent child who has a mind of her own very loudly let us know she was not happy about coming inside...a dramatic ending to the snow adventure.

Madeline had zero interest in being held for photos. All she wanted to do was get down and explore.

Later on in the evening...it was really coming down. It was so peaceful and beautiful.

Even later that evening...it really started to pile up.

Saturday morning...a winter wonderland!

Madeline stood by the door all morning and just kept saying, "Snoooww." over and over.

A look down the street...

It was fun while it lasted, and I'm sure we won't see anything like this for a long time.

Just Another Day at the Office...
is what my reply was to my husband when he arrived home (early!) from work today and asked how our day had been. Please continue reading for your own comic relief and keep in mind this all happened before 12:30 this afternoon...

The day started with the coffee maker overflowing with grounds, water, and coffee everywhere. I think it took me almost an entire roll of paper towels to clean up the mess. Since we set the timer, we have no idea what exactly happened to make this disaster occur. However, it was a disaster for two reasons -- I had a HUGE mess to clean up, & I didn't get my morning cup of joe first thing.

Madeline threw a tantrum-esque fit when it was time to get into the car to go to the gym because I wouldn't let her carry my "delicates" on her arm like a purse. Seriously! I let a lot go because it's not worth the battle, but she is not strolling into the gym with my delicates on her arm acting as her purse! I felt like I didn't need to go workout after wrangling my angry 17 month old into her car seat.

Madeline fussed and whined the entire way home from the gym because it was lunch time. I get it, she was hungry, but patience my dear, patience. And to make matters worse, her juice sippy cup was wedged in her car seat funny, so she could see it but not get it to drink from it.

Then the doozy that requires a little scene set up ~ Madeline was eating her much anticipated lunch, and apparently, she was unhappy about something because she was whining and banging her hands on the table. I was mentally preparing for another freak out fit about something. I checked on her & tried to offer her a fruit and veggie side item in addition to what she already had on her plate. She refused my offer, so I let her be. After all, she was still putting food into her mouth and eating, so I assumed she was just aggravated that she has to eat at the table. She hates being confined to the table to eat her meal.

Meanwhile, I'm at the sink washing up some dishes, and out of the corner of my eye, I see her pick up her plate while she was looking at me. I blinked. She THREW her entire plate of food onto the floor to show me how mad she was for a reason I'm still not sure of! I was fuming, but I took a deep breath before I reacted. I scolded her like she's never heard me scold before. Lots of crying and screaming coming from the wee one as I am cleaning up the mess. Once the mess was cleaned up, she was all hugs for me, so once again, we had another 'talk'. This time, she wouldn't look me in the eye. Perhaps, she really knew I was hot about this one? We moved past the incident, read a few books, and went for a nap.

She was out like a light instantly, and this Mama took the hottest, longest shower to relax. Like I said, just another day at the office!

Disclaimer --- I feel I must say that I love my job and wouldn't trade it for the world. I'm not complaining, but it's been an interesting day to say the least. And, who couldn't love this cute face even if she's letting me know that she has a mind of her own?

Sharing 101

How ironic is it that in the last post I discussed Madeline's sharing issue and today, well, today happened?

On a sad note, Madeline had her first public time-out today at the gym nursery. Boo hiss. Apparently, Madeline and another little girl about her age were playing famously together the entire time until....the other little girl had "the coveted toy"! Madeline pulled this little girl's hair today because she wanted the toy the other little girl had, and of course, the other little girl was not giving it up. Rightfully so, she had it first. Yes, Madeline's first major public offense took place today, and I was mortified when the lady told me about it.

I wanted to beat her little fanny (well, not really!!!!!), and I KNOW that is not the appropriate thing to do in this situation especially since Madeline had long forgotten about the incident. However, the teacher in me came out, and when I fastened her in her car seat, we had a 'come to Jesus meeting' right there in the Gold's Gym parking lot as if I had just taken her into the hallway out of the classroom to have a 'chat'. Even though Madeline had no idea what I was discussing, I felt better for very firmly explaining the concept of sharing and not being ugly to our friends.

When it was all said and done, Madeline smiled, waved, and said "HI" after I was finished lecturing her about pulling hair and sharing toys. Nice. It was all I could do not to laugh. Of course, I bit my cheeks and kept my poker face.

The concept of sharing has definitely moved up on the syllabus for the "Madeline life lessons 101 class" here on Millhouse Lane.

Little Artist

Madeline's first masterpiece --- Mommy was coloring too in hopes of "showing" Madeline how two people can SHARE the same four crayons.
Madeline loves to color. She requests, "Color!" several times a day.

We only color at the table...crayons don't leave the table. Madeline is not terribly fond of this rule, but crayons in Madeline's hands while roaming around, is probably not the best idea.

Notice how she keeps hold of as many crayons in her hands as possible. Let's just say that we are working on the concept of sharing.

So far, coloring, reading, playing with the vacuum/mop/duster, and dressing up in Mommy's shoes are Madeline's favorite pastimes.

Transitions


The Stewart household is adjusting to a new home, a new area, and Eric's new job. Yes, Eric received a wonderful, challenging promotion back in October, 2009! Eric loves it and seems to really enjoy the new challenges this job presents to him. However, it does require him to travel a lot. We were prepared for this, so we are making the best of it.

Unfortunately, Madeline doesn't quite get it, so she's a little more clingy these days. It may be a case of separation anxiety made worse by the fact that her Daddy is gone all week on some weeks, only a portion of the week on other weeks, and yet on the occasional week, he won't travel overnight at all. I'm sure it's confusing to her. It breaks my heart when I drop her at the gym nursery, a place she previously strolled into as if she ruled the roost, and she clings to me for dear life. I've never seen this child get so upset when I leave her, and I know she calms down shortly after I leave, but it still makes me sad for her. I'm sure it doesn't help that I have been going to both Golds, our old one and the one closer to us.

Speaking of the gym and adjustments to our new area, I'm struggling with the Golds closest to our house (I refer to this one as our 'new Golds'). First and foremost, the ladies that work in the nursery are awesome! They are completely different than the ladies who work at our old Golds, but I can't say enough wonderful things about them. Each Golds has a nursery that I am completely comfortable with Madeline residing there for 2 hours each day, and for that, I am grateful. However, our 'new Golds' just isn't all that great for me. While the cardio equipment is abundant, I don't care for many of the styles of ellipticals and stair climbers they offer. Big boo hiss for me since I do about an hour of cardio each day. The weight room is okay as far as variety, and that has given me the opportunity to change up my weight work-out a little bit. My biggest beef with the weight area is that it's not well kept, and I blame the manager for that. It irks me that a piece of trash was in the same spot for an entire week or weight machines are sweaty-dirty looking ...picky, I know, but EWW. At my 'old Golds', that never would be the case. It just seems silly to drive 20 minutes to my old Gold's when I have access to the one about 8 minutes from our house, but I'm just not sold on my 'new Golds' for more than the just a couple of reasons I've mentioned here. I'll spare you of the laundry list of things I dislike about it. I've yet to abandon my old Golds. I just can't do it right now.

My other big adjustment has been GROCERY shopping. Yikes!! I loathed that rental house we lived in for 6 months, but I became spoiled living about 5 minutes from a lovely, brand new Publix. Now, the closest Publix is about 20 minutes away, and it's ALWAYS packed regardless of what time I go. I just can't shop there. Our closest grocery is a run-down, older Food Lion, and to be honest, it's not terrible for a quick milk, eggs, and paper towel run. However, it's not great for my big shopping. I was just getting my grocery game down to a science, and I was saving good money when we lived in the rental house. (However, I've heard through the grapevine that a brand spankin' new Publix is going in not far from us, and glory be the day that joint opens up! Happy Mama Stewart!) So for now, guess what I do? I make a big morning of it, and I go to the 'old Gold's' and then hit the beloved Publix near our rental house. Yes, I know, silly, but it's a good day when I workout in my familiar gym, and then push my grocery cart around my familiar grocery store.

So, we are in transition. Do we love our new house (pictured at the top) in our new part of town? Absolutely. Is it taking some getting used to living this area? Absolutely. At the end of the day, we know we made the right choices for our family, and it will all be okay with a little time to adjust to Eric's job demands and our new area.

How Could I Forget My ALL-time Favorite Madeline Funny?

Madeline loves to point out buttons on her clothes as well as other's clothes. Except when she says the word "BUTTON", it sounds like, "Butts!"

It just makes me giggle every time she says it. We do correct her, but we love her version of the word "button".

Some Madeline Funnies...

1. When Madeline is eating, it never fails that something falls to the floor. I always just do a quick clean-up post meal. Lately, Madeline has become obsessed with "the mess". She will yell out and continue to do so until I clean it up, "OH NO! What a mess!" all the while pointing to the floor. She cannot consume another bite until I get a paper towel to wipe it up.

2. As a follow up to the first Madeline-ism, if she notices the least tiny speck of anything on the floor, she will scream out, "OH NO! A mess!", pick it up, and insist we go to the trash can immediately. Or, if there is a spot of liquid on the floor (lately it's been her drool from teething molars), she grabs my hand, walks us to the paper towels in the kitchen, points to the paper towels, and is not satisfied until I've wiped up the spot of liquid.

3. Everyday about 9 or 9:30 AM, we head out for the gym, errands, etc., and it's as if her inner clock goes off because without fail, Madeline will head toward the garage, scream out, "Alright, bye bye!", and try to open the door to leave. Typically, she has something draped across her left arm acting as her purse. Anytime we leave the house, I have my purse draped over my left arm, and apparently, I say the words, "Alright. Let's go bye-bye."

4. At nap time and bedtime, when Madeline is ready for bed, she cries out, "Nigh Nigh." It's great how she just puts herself to bed these days.

5. When Madeline is hungry for lunch or dinner, she will walk me to the fridge, and repeat, "Hawt dogg. Hawt dogg." When she is ready for breakfast, she does something similar except she repeats, "Waufffle!" (It doesn't matter what she eats at her meals, but she associates waffles for breakfast & hot dogs with lunch and dinner.)

6. Madeline thinks anything round is a ball, so you can imagine how loudly she screams out, "BALL!" when we ride through the produce section of the grocery store. We get quite a few chuckles from passers by.

7. Madeline's daddy has a very visible mole on his arm, and she has always rubbed her little finger over it. Well, Eric has always said, "mole" when she'd rub her finger over it. So, now Madeline is very aware of moles. We were in the grocery line the other day, and the man behind us had a mole on his face. Yes, she screamed out, "MOLE!" I was so thankful that she did NOT accompany the yelling out of mole with a finger point. The cashier just looked bewildered, and thank goodness the man behind us didn't seem to notice Madeline yelling out that he had a mole on his face.

8. Madeline is always right near me when we are home. She can be playing, but she's always right there. As many of you moms out there know, this also can include when you go to the potty. So, even when I have to take a tinkle, Madeline is right there in the bathroom with me watching my every move like a hawk. Now, anytime we are in the bathroom (I could be emptying trash or putting towels away.), Madeline says, "Mama! Tee tee! Tee tee!"