Sitting up and spitting up!

Maddie can sit up! YAY!! Seven months and she can balance her cute, chubby little thighs for a couple of minutes at a time. Mind you, she still topples over...she hasn't quite grasped the fact that she has to re-balance herself as she's going sideways, but hey, give the kid a break! She's just learning! Crawling seems a bit far off still...she air swims, however. What? You have never heard of air-swimming? Well, let me educate you on my daughter's advanced activity. She gets on her tummy, lifts her head, arms and legs and flails around like a fish out of water. So funny. We keep telling her "Baby, if you would put your limbs on the ground, you may actually propel yourself." She just flashes those two (and a half!!) bottom teeth and repeats the process. It's so funny to watch their little brains work through the motions. I swear I can see her thinking. Love every second of watching this little person become a bigger (sniff) person!

Love is in the air....

Breakfast in bed, roses, champagne, Children's Parade...huh?! My how Valentine's Day gets a whole new spin on it when you have a child!! I have to admit, though, we made it pretty great, in my humble opinion. The day was filled with the perfect combination of family time and romance. We got up and I made a big, yummy breakfast. Then we met Susie for a belated Birthday lunch. We then went to the Edison Children's Parade with Monique and Bella. Lastly, we put the baby's little, exhausted self to bed and ordered take-out sushi, drank a cocktail and enjoyed our alone time. The perfect Valentine's Day with my two favorite Valentines....

New Year, New Milestones

2010....the start of a new year. Of course, Maddie slept through the whole thing while we celebrated with friends. But in this year Maddie will reach so many milestones. Walking, talking, her first birthday. It's all happening too fast!!! Can't I just freeze time and keep her this way forever?? 6 months is so ideal. She sleeps through the night, eats without complication, smiles and coos and laughs. There is no sassing, no mobility to be concerned about. I can still leave the room if she's in her walker without fearing she will fall and crack her head open. She sleeps from about 6:30pm to 6am. I mean, THIS is the easy phase (granted, I have no idea what to expect in the future, but I have heard). So...how do I make this happen? Is there some white haired guy with a rad car that can keep my angel-baby in this state of perfect infancy?? Ugh...I suppose I will have to learn to really RAISE this child. Mold her, discipline her, teach her. Selfishly, this phase requires so little from us as parents. She finds everything we do utterly hilarious and interesting. Soon she'll be rolling her eyes at our corniness while jumping into her boyfriend's Camaro. Doc, where are you?!

Pugfest!

Every year in Fort Myers, the Bell Tower hosts "Pugfest", a pug-infested soiree where vendors sell various items, photos are taken, dog treats are consumed and a fashion show, yes, a fashion show ends the day. All breeds are welcome, but it is predominantly a pug event. This was Meatball's second year, Maddie's first. It was actually a bit chilly, but we had fun! Maddie and Meatball had their photos done and we got to meet some interesting new friends, costumes and all!

Fa La La La La.....

Maddie's first Christmas has come and gone! It was perfect! We had Garret's family over for breakfast and presents. Maddie basically just ripped the paper while we struggled to keep her from eating it! Then we headed to my family's...more presents and more paper munching! Lastly, off to Garret's mom's for yet MORE presents and dinner! We had a tough time shopping for her as she is in this "in between" stage. Too little for a lot of toys, but too big for baby-ish toys. So, we settled on lotsa things that light up, that she can chew on and that make noise! My mom got her an outdoor swing, which she loves! I so enjoyed watching my little baby girl on her very first Christmas, not really caring about much other than that she was surrounded by those she loves. The best present of all? Family...

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snooooowwww!!

Ahhhhh, Ohio. The midwest at its finest! Let me describe the area from which Garret's mom, Susie's family is from. Greenfield, Ohio, population less than 5,000. Farms...literally everywhere. Two stoplights...one continuously blinking. Everyone knows everyone AND their business. Just like small town America should be! Being from larger towns myself, this was complete culture shock for me! I have to admit, it was really great!! Everyone was so welcoming and sweet to us. When a dinner was made, people would just come over with every imaginable side dish, dessert and a plate of gossip (I kid...sort of). They were truly some of the kindest, most genuine people I have ever met! His aunt Jan and her husband Lonnie have this lovely home that they opened to us all and made us feel so welcome. Garret's grandparents live just down the street so we got to see them every day! There were 4 generations in one room with Maddie there. We had a blast playing Wii, talking, drinking wine, playing with the baby...so relaxing and fun. And then it came....more snow than I had seen since my days in Colorado. It was beautiful! We ran outside like kids and had a snowball fight, made a snowman. And it was Maddie's first plane ride! She did great...not a peep either leg! During takeoff, her eyes would widen like saucers, but she was amazingly calm and well-behaved! I could have stayed for much longer. It was the most relaxed I have felt in so long. No calls, schedules, appointments. It made me realize taking the time for family and taking care of the soul should aways be a priority! Thank you Greenfield, for your warmth and generosity!

Maddie meets Santa!!

We are evil, cruel people...Garret and I. We decide, on one of the hottest days in early December, to wrap our precious daughter in the heaviest, hottest Santa-imitation (down to the goofy hat) outfit to have her picture taken with the jolly, old fella. And why Costco decided to have this photo session OUTSIDE their store, is beyond me. Mind you, it was CHEAP! I think we paid about 20 bucks to get a bunch of photos in various sizes and 10 Christmas cards. But was it really worth it?! I mean, the poor thing is sweating her little bum off and letting us know all about how unhappy she is about it all. Naturally, Santa and his elves thought she was just precious and fussed over her...all to my dismay. I just wanted them to HURRY already so I could get my poor baby out of the felt disaster and into some lightweight cotton for crying out loud! So, in the photo, she looks miserable and as I am ripping her out of Santa's arms and profusely apologizing to her for forcing her to wear that God-forsaken monstrosity, he leans over and annoyingly says "How do you think I feel?!". Touche', Santa, touche'.