Playtime

One of Madeline's favorite things to do is play with her ocean-themed play gym. It has a bright green seahorse and orange octopus with a mirror hanging on one end and baby-sized beach ball hanging on the other end. She bats at Mr. Seahorse and Mr. Octopus with each hand and kicks the stuffin' out of the beach ball with her feet - all the while talking to them in her own special language. They're big buddies. :) You can also take the toys off and attach them directly to the mat for her to play with during tummy time. As she continues developing, you can eventually turn the whole thing into a tunnel she can crawl through. I LOVE toys that grow with her...a sweet friend gave this to her before she was born.


Madeline and some of her best friends, Mr. Seahorse and Mr. Octopus



Playtime with Madeline is SO much fun! It's always been fun to watch her learn things, but it's WAY more fun now because she's starting to really interact with her toys. She's been able to follow a simple little rattle with her eyes (by sight and sound) for along time now, as well as hold it and shake it if you work with her on it. But NOW, she can GRAB it on her own and shake it and play with it! SO MUCH fun to watch her do it! Of course she loves to hear me say 'good girl' when she does it! She also has a little soft rattle that looks like a flower (we call her "Flower Power") that has crinkly stuff in the petals - sounds like crumpling cellophane. She usually just follows it with her eyes as I play with her, but now she's reaching out for it and making the petals crunch! She's also started putting things in her mouth, not a lot yet, but some. You can just hear her thinking...hmm, I wonder what this tastes like? Of course, that includes her fist! Yummy!



Madeline's Favorite Rattle



  



Madeline and Miss Flower Power



She has also decided that my face is a jungle gym! While hovering above her talking to her (picture her on her back on the floor or on the bed) she LOVES grabbing my lips, nose, and poking at my eyes. She's even grabbed my hair a few times. I LOVE smooching those precious little hands while they're exploring my face! I'll suffer making the sacrifice to be her jungle gym any day!