Bananas, Carrots and Applesauce, OH MY!

It is time for big-girl food! Gone are the days of the lone bottle. Now we have color...lots of it...all over Maddie's face, clothes, me! She seems to like it and does well with the little rubber-tipped spoon, but when she's had enough, it is pouring out of her gummy smile! It's quite entertaining. She seems to be fond of bananas, pears and green beans...carrots, not so much! That's all we've tried so far, but more to come!

For some reason, this milestone seems to signify some maturation that I didn't realize I'd be so resistant to. Part of me looks so forward to her getting bigger, being mobile, expressing herself more. Another part wants her to be my little baby forever, gazing up at me while her mouth smiles around her bottle. Before I know it, she'll be choosing her own meals and navigating her own utensils. Sigh...

THREE months now...sheesh how time flies!

I have to confess, I didn't much love the first six weeks or so of mommy hood...or one minute of pregnancy for that matter! I just felt like we had this "supply and demand" relationship with no interaction other than the semantics of life. Feed, burp, change, dress, bathe...the bare necessities. Now all those preceding things are still a part of our daily routine but there is so much more ...FUN. Maddie smiles all the time, especially reacting to something silly we do or say. She makes constant eye contact. She only cries if there is a real need or she is sleepy. She grabs, kicks and is generally so much more alert and interactive. She still prefers to be held versus the swing, but she now really enjoys her activity mat and toys so I can actually get a few things accomplished throughout the day. She also seems to be...how can I say it...nosey, maybe? She hates to nap during the day as though she's afraid she may miss something exciting! But she does sleep through the night, so I guess I should be grateful! She's like this little person we're getting to know and it's so much fun! I look at her and she looks back and I feel like we're having this whole conversation through our eyes. She doesn't just rely on us for her needs anymore, we can see her recognizing us as the people who care for her like no other. We, in turn are falling madly in love with her more and more every day. I am so excited to continue to watch this beautiful creature navigate the world with us as her guides.

Maddie's first trip to the beach!

Yes, Florida is experiencing record-breaking heat and frankly, I am SICK OF IT! I mean, it's FALL for Pete's sake! I don't expect the gold and orange hues of the Northeast's trees or even "sweater weather", but PLEASE, a reprieve from the 100's!? So Garret thought a nice beach getaway would be in order. He found a great little inexpensive hotel room and we packed up our little family and headed to our close-to-home vacation. It was great...much needed! We turned off our phones and just enjoyed each other! Maddie did great! She was quiet during dinner, giggled during her hotel sink bath, slept THROUGH THE NIGHT and barely fussed on the beach or in the ocean, even though it was scorching! We kept her under an umbrella most of the time, only taking her out to dip her in the water to cool off (and for photo ops, of course!). We have such a great baby! We realized how lucky we are, that even out of her comfort zone she's an adaptable little girl! A successful trip to the beach...first of many I'm sure!

See a penny, pick it up...

So Maddie and I are at the bank this morning...too early, unfortunately. I am assuming it opens at eight, turns out it's eight-thirty. So we have to wait for ten minutes to get in...and I have to go in because I have to change my pin. I was assigned one when they sent me a new card and I can never remember it! I've had the same pin for years and I cannot, for the life of me, remember any other assigned number! As we're waiting, a small crowd begins to gather. Mostly elderly people, a woman in scrubs that I assume to be a nurse and me and my getting-increasingly-fussy baby. I move her carseat closer to my face and start to talk to her, soothe her. Out of the corner of my eye I see an elderly lady bending forward to pick up what I soon realize is a penny...heads up. I notice immediately that this is not an easy feat for her as she has some sort of impairment of the hand she is using to attempt to gain this bit of good luck. She finally gets it in her palm and turns towards me. "I wish you and your new baby much good luck, " she says and painstakingly twists her palm to let the penny drop into mine. I try to appear unphased by the awkwardness and focus on her generosity. This kind stranger, who clearly could have used some luck of her own, decided to share it with me. My blessings are abundant, and I don't know how much of them have to do with luck but I realize in that moment how very lucky I already am.