Hot as Haitis!

It is sooooooo hot. I mean, sweating profusely taking a thirty foot walk from the car into the grocery store hot. Don't bother with make-up and get over hating your legs so you don't ever wear shorts kinda hot! So, what to do for fun? Miami Seaquarium? Sure, why not? I'll TELL you why not! There is no air conditioning. NONE, zero, zip. Even inside the underwater viewing areas, nada. And shade? Barely! It is nearly all exposed to direct, beating sun. PPPfffftttthhhhtt! NEVER again in the month of August will I haul my cookies...or my little cookie, who, P.S., was flippin' MISERABLE, to this place. If she could say it, I assure you she would have asked, nay, demanded to go home. Problem is, this excursion to the center of the sun was a bit spendy. Garret thought it would be a nice pre-birthday family getaway. God love him...no more planning left to him. Next time, mommy schedules a ski trip to Aspen. :)

Laughter...truly the best medicine!

So things have been a bit stressful lately. Financial stress, family issues...the usual. It's amazing how children remind you of the silliness of it all. Maddie is smiling now with this goofy under bite and it's hilarious. I'll be worrying about something and she just flashes this crooked grin, eyes squished shut, nose wrinkled. It' hilarious. Instantly, I am reminded of all the many blessings in my life...her and her daddy heading the list and it's somehow all better. Thanks baby girl for knowing exactly how to make me forget my troubles and focus on the many positive things all around me!

It's official, Maddie's a "toddler". *SIGH*

I'm not sure why it's so traumatizing, but it is. You have this baby...this innocent, dependent little being that thinks you hung the moon. Then, BAM!! They start wriggling out of your arms, testing you with their will, rolling over mid-diaper change, biting (or wait...is that just mine?!) . The point is, it's all happening soooo fast! It seems like yesterday Maddie came into our world, screaming her little head off. I know that sound cliche', but really?? An entire YEAR has gone by? The changes and advances that happen in twelve mere months is amazing. Not to mention the impossible range of emotions you experience as a parent in those first months. Fear, anxiety, guilt, joy, pride, gratitude....it's so...amazing, really. God just prepares us for this roller coaster of emotions and changes and all the while we are molding this little person into who she will become in the world. It's an enormous responsibility. But what I have realized, is it is exactly what I am meant for. For the first time in my life, I have real purpose. Being her mother is my job, and I don't take it lightly. I just pray I am not messing it up too badly. ;) HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY LOVE!!!!

Our Little "Lady" is almost one...

Today was PARTY DAY!! We had Maddie's First Birthday Party at Grandpa Jim's clubhouse...Ladybug theme in full effect! It is my obsession that I will force upon her as long as she will let me. In my defense, I genuinely think she looks amazing in red. Totally her color!

I spent countless hours making a customized birthday banner, party hat, smash cake. I individually wrapped plastic ware in polka-dotted napkins. I painted, cut, decorated...it was exhausting. As much as I enjoy that crafty stuff, it was so much work that my almost-one-year-old didn't even notice anyway. Pppffft. Maybe she'll be impressed when I show her the pictures one day many years from today?

It was really fun though! She got tons of amazing presents and clothes and given it was waaaay past nap time, she seemed to really enjoy herself! Everyone enjoyed the food and watching her get icing all over her face. But I am wiped. I don't even have much energy for creative descriptors! See photos! ;) Next year, Chuck-E-Cheese's!!

Hide the dog bowl...

So Maddie was slow to crawl. Reeeeeeeal slow. She is a typical first child in that she is in no rush or competition with anyone. She'll do it when she wants to, thank you very much and would appreciate the patience of the adults around her who incessantly read about her ever-growing development. There was also the "leg thing". When she had an antibiotic injection with her Pneumonia, they apparently went too deep in the muscle and caused trauma to her thigh which would hurt when bent. So no weight-bearing, no crawling for quite some time. Then there was the Army Crawl phase. No white shirts. Ever. Unless of course you are in the mood to constantly do laundry as the dirty floor ends up all over her torso as she is pulling her little body around like a soldier navigating the trenches. She was good too. Now, FINALLY, she is big girl crawling. All over the place...specifically in the direction of all the places she is not allowed to go, IE: the dogbowl. She is also pulling up on everything. Where I could leave her in a room for a few minutes before I cannot divert my eyes from her for mere seconds anymore! Baby gates, outlet plugs and (hopefully minor) boo-boos are here to stay!

Mommy and Daddy desert the baby...

We finally did it...one month shy of her first birthday, we took a weekend away. No Maddie. I think we finally are getting to that stage of parenting where you have learned to balance being parents with being a couple. But I also feel like I lost a limb when Maddie's not around. I'm so used to caring for her that I find myself helplessly searching for someone to bathe or diaper (and Garret finds it weird, so he's out...). We went to Key West for three days. We had such a great time! We went on a snorkeling cruise, ate Cuban, rented Scooters, relaxed..it really was exactly what we needed. But I missed my baby girl so much. She was in great hands (Ya-Ya, Oma and Momo had it under control!), but I felt lost without her. We are such a family unit and I missed her being a part of us. When we got home, she was already asleep so the next morning we both raced into her room to find her playing with her feet on her back. She looks at us, puzzled as if to say "where have you been?" and then gives us the BIGGEST smile and clear as day says "HI!". Great to see you too my love.

To my Daddy...

Dear Daddy,

On our first Father's Day together, I want you to know you will be the first man I ever fall in love with. The first whose attention I will seek. The first who I will rely on to protect me. The first I will turn to in moments of sadness. The first I will compare all men to. You are my hero and I love you more than any words could ever say!

Love Always,

Maddie