Waiting to See Dr. Bub

I took a few pictures of Madeline yesterday while we were waiting for Dr. Barret (Dr. Bub) to see Madeline. She cracks me up walking around just in her diaper!

Hmmm...maybe they could use my help? I'll just mark out this part about getting shots today...

She always loves playing with the spinning chair.



Trying to climb on top of the stool.




She always touches this outlet cover with her foot - it's cold!



Returning a few phonecalls to pass the time...

Purple Puppy was along for the ride since she was getting shots. He always makes her feel better! Dr. Bub asked if he could give Purple Puppy a hug, and she let him have him! I didn't get a picture of it though. :(

We are SO GRATEFUL to have a wonderful pediatrician that loves the Lord! He and his staff are AWESOME!

Madeline at 15 Months

Miss Madeline – You turned 15 months old last Friday, but I waited until today to make a post because you had your well-check today. I wanted to have your weight and height handy.
At 15 months you…

• Pretty much eat anything. The only “risky” foods we haven’t tried are peanuts and honey. You have such a healthy appetite and we are so grateful that you aren’t a picky eater! I won’t list all your faves this time, but it’s safe to say that your absolute favorite is still green beans. Hot, cold, seasoned, unseasoned – you love them. They’re like green candy. If they are a part of your meal, we have to put them aside until you have eaten your other foods or that’s all you’ll eat!

Yummy breakfast - blueberry waffle and bananas!

• You had your last bedtime bottle this past Saturday night (see earlier post here). You drink whole milk, water, and sometimes grape/apple juice diluted with water.

• Are still wearing size 4 diapers.

• Wear a size 4 or 5 shoe.

• Are suddenly outgrowing all of you 18 month clothes! I was hoping you’d make it through the summer before we had to move into 24 month clothes, but we’re going to have to buy a few more lightweight things to finish out the season. Some of your shirts are starting to look like tube tops. :)

• Weighed 26.2 pounds (90 percentile) and were 31.2 inches long (74 percentile) at your well-check today. Your height percentile has gone down quite a bit – even with the discrepancy (see note below). The last time we were at the doctor (a few weeks ago) for an ear infection, you got to STAND on the scale for the first time! What a big girl! Today, Dr. Bub said your ears looked great and that you looked awesome! Great news!

  *A side note on percentiles – they told us today that they apparently misread your length last time at your 12 month checkup. It was noted that you were 31.5 inches, which would be impossible since you were 31.2 inches today! They measured you twice today to make sure and informed us that’s probably why your height was in the 99 percentile last time! You’re tall, but not quite as tall as we thought!

• Have a total of 11 teeth and are great about letting us brush them. You like the song we sing while we brush your teeth and wash your face, and that always helps!

You can see 10 of her 11 teeth here! CHEESE!


• Still take both a morning nap and an afternoon nap; most of the time (thank you, Lord!). Some days you only take a morning nap and some days you only take an afternoon nap. It just varies. Usually it’s the former.

• Usually go to sleep between 7:30 and 8:00 and are sleeping later again (thank you!) until around 7:30 am.

• Can get yourself into predicaments pretty easily – since you’re so mobile and curious!

• Can now safely get in and out of your rocking chair by yourself. Sometimes you sit in it and watch Mickey Mouse Playhouse.

• Have a cute little “flip” in your hair on the sides – especially right after I’ve washed it. It’s darling – and the back is wavy.

• Love, love, LOVE balloons! You can even spot them on TV!

Great Aunt Beverly with Madeline at Mimi's Birthday Party

She found a balloon on the TV!

• Are DEFINITELY not ready for crayons yet. I thought we’d try the ones made for 18-month-olds, but you couldn’t quite get your hand around the chubby bottom of them. You DID, however, like tasting them. Good thing they’re non-toxic! We’ll try again at a later time! Mommy had fun with them, though!

• Love to try to “drink” out of anything resembling a cup or a can! I think this comes from us playing “tea party”. It's hard to keep you from drinking bath water out of your toys!

• Are starting to say a few more words, but not a lot. Gran keeps saying you have lots of words stored up in your little head and one day they’re just all going to fall out! Words you’ve said: Mama, Dada, Mommy, bye-bye, hello (heh-wo), Mimi, baby, woof, and hi. You love parroting what we’re saying – especially the inflection in our voices! Just this past week, you've started picking up anything that resembles a telephone and then say, "Heh-wo!"

• Like to clap your hands – especially when we’ve told you you’re a good girl, or if someone on the television is clapping. You can make the touchdown motion, wave hello and bye, give a high five, and blow kisses.

• Aren’t paying much attention to Bond these days. I think he's enjoying the break! You pet him on the head around once a day and that’s about it.

• Are still pointing like crazy! You LOVE looking at photographs and pictures on the wall. You have started pointing to things in your books – flower, puppy dog, Jesus, star, ladybug, “the Mommy”, “the Daddy”, boy, girl, etc. You want to know the name of everything!

• Still love your baths! When we say it’s time for a bath you walk quickly to your bathtub. You’re recently gotten pretty ornery about having your hair rinsed. You’ve never been bothered by the water in your eyes, but you DEFINITELY don’t like it now.

• LOVE being picked up. Makes my heart melt when you walk to me with your arms up in the air wanting to be held! You've started going through a little attachment phase - Mommy is your best bud. Daddy's not too happy about this, but we understand it will be a phase. You cried for the very first time when we left you in the nursery yesterday, but it didn't last long.

• Are still hearing “No No!” or “Don’t Touch” a lot. You know the items you’re not supposed to have (mostly remote controls and Bond’s bones/toys), but you pick them up and immediately bring them to us like you’re doing us a favor! You’ve also started putting these items (especially Bond’s bones) in the basket where we keep the remotes. We appreciate your housekeeping!

• CANNOT get enough of books. We still read before each nap and at bedtime, but now you bring us books and want to sit in our laps and read. We love watching you make connections – you’ll see a ball in a book and then point to your real ball. You’ll see a dog in a book and then point to Bond.

• Are pretty fast on your feet. We’ve seen you pick up the pace several times – something we’d classify as a “run”. You’ve also started climbing a lot – like onto the couch. Dr. Bub suggested we get you one of those little plastic slides, put it in the middle of the room, and let you go crazy on it!

• Have shown a “not so pretty side of yourself” – the possibility of temper tantrums! You do NOT like it when I want us to walk one way and you want to go the other. You THROW your little body down on the grown and fuss like crazy! Once I pick you up and get us going in the right direction, you’re fine.

• Still use your pacifier, still only when you’re sleeping and sometimes in the car. We still let you take it with you to the church nursery, because if we don’t, you swipe other babies’ pacis!

• Still sleep with a blanket, Purple Puppy, Piglet, and Green Puppy – and have added Blue Puppy.

• Still love the water. We’ve been swimming several times at Aunt Michelle and Uncle Bruce’s house. We can’t wait to take you to swimming lessons next year!

Silly Uncle Bruce!

Aunt Michelle, Madeline, and Cousin Gregory - one of her favorite playmates!

• Can do the motions to “If You’re Happy and You Know It” pretty well, and on the beat, which makes your Mommy happy! You also love singing“The Itsy Bitsy Spider” and “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes” and can do most of those motions as well.

• Still love playing with balls. ANY kind of ball.

• Have learned more body parts! The newest ones you have down pat are mouth, teeth, hands, and fingers. Still working on knees and shoulders.

We love you, sweet Madeline Rose!

Bye-Bye Bottle

Tonight Madeline said goodbye to an old friend - her bottle. Tonight was the last night she will have a bottle of milk before the rest of her bedtime routine. Alan and I both shed a little tear - seems like there aren't many things left about Madeline that say "baby" - she's a full-fledged toddler. :( Alan gave her the first half and I finished up giving her the last half. Honestly, we don't think it's going to be a big deal for her. We've been putting it off for miscellaneous reasons - Alan was out of town, Madeline and I were out of town, Madeline had an ear infection, Madeline was teething, etc. - it was good for her to have a "comfort" item. There just never seemed to be a good time to make it official! We had decided to give her the last one on her 15th month birthday (August 19th) - her pediatrician said he'd like her to be completely off bottles by then - but Alan was hanging out with the guys from our Sunday School class last night and wasn't here for her bedtime. So, we did it tonight!

She's been using a sippy cup for water/juice since around six months and has been drinking whole milk out of a sippy cup since her first birthday. She gave up her morning bottle on July 1st and has been using a sippy cup exclusively since then, other than a bedtime bottle. We might be surprised, but we think she'll be totally fine tomorrow night having a little milk from her sippy cup before getting ready for bed. Time will tell!

Sharing Goldfish

About a month ago, Alan and I had a lunch date with Madeline at the Cotton Patch Cafe. It was an interesting experience - the only table they had available was a booth, which ordinarily we like; however, their booths are raised up off the floor a foot or so which makes it inconvenient to use a highchair. The waitress suggested a booster seat and we decided (foolishly) to give it a go since we were on a tight schedule and didn't want to wait for another table. I sat on one side of the booth with Madeline and Alan sat on the other. There wasn't a safety belt or anything on this booster seat (not sure if that's the norm or not), so I kept my arm wrapped around her the whole time. I was afraid that at any moment she would slip under the table and fall. This worked fine, until my food came! It was interesting trying to eat a meal with one hand! We won't be trying the booster seat again anytime soon!

What I most remember about this lunch date (and why I want to make a blog entry about it) is a gesture made by my sweet girl. While waiting for our food, she snacked on the usuals - Cheerios, veggie melts, puffs, and Goldfish. I was playing as if I was going to steal a goldfish from her when she reached down, picked one up, and held it up to my mouth as if to say, "Here, Mommy! I'll share with you!" It was so sweet - it just melted my heart. She does it fairly often now and it melts my heart every time. I pray that she will always be willing to share with others with a smile on her face!

Couch Climber!!!

Well, we have now entered yet another chapter in our lives with Madeline. She has learned how to get up on the couch! We rearranged the furniture in our living room quite some time ago to give Madeline a bigger space to play and to also keep her away from breakables and other things on bookshelves. We moved the couch up against a bookshelf and the loveseat up against another piece of furniture. It's worked great - until today! She decided she was going to get up on the couch. She hiked her little leg up there, and the next thing I knew she was up on the couch - reaching for above-mentioned breakables.

I'm pretty sure she can't completely do it by herself yet - she sort of has to use my leg to push off - but I'm sure it won't be long before we're rearranging furniture again! Ha!

So determined!



Is she proud of herself or what?



A look of satisfaction!

NOT happy after I made her get off the couch!

Madeline at 14 Months

Our precious girl – you are 14 months old today! At 14 months you:


• Are still eating everything in sight. Some of your favorites are waffles, grilled cheese sandwiches, Coco multi-grain snacks (our local grocery store's version of a rice cake that also has wheat and corn in it), oatmeal, cinnamon toast, bananas, mandarin oranges, and of course, there's your ongoing love affair with green beans. On the dislike list: watermelon (you like the juice and flavor - just not the pulp), cantaloupe (same story), and cottage cheese. You still love milk. You drink everything from a sippy cup except one bottle before bed. Dr. Bub said he’s okay with that until 15 months, so it’s going away soon! You are drinking more and more water – probably because of the crazy summer heat!

Eating a rice cake and admiring your balloon.
You've recently discovered how fun balloons are!

• Are still wearing size 4 diapers.

• Are wearing 18 month clothes with the exception of a few outfits that are 12 months. You still wear 12 month pj’s, but some are getting a little tight – and the tops are getting short!

• Weigh 24.5 pounds according to our rough calculations at home. You will have your 15 month checkup before my next stats update and we will have “official” numbers to share then.

• Have a total of 10 teeth: 4 on the top/front, 4 on the bottom/front (your lower left lateral incisor FINALLY came in about a week ago) and your first set of molars on the top. We brush your teeth once in the morning and before you go to bed. You don’t mind having your bottom teeth brushed, but still fuss (most of the time) when we brush your top teeth. You “help” us sometimes by holding onto the brush.

• Still take both a morning nap and an afternoon nap, most of the time (thank you, Lord!).

• Usually go to sleep between 7:30 and 8:00 pm and have started waking up around 6:30 am. We’re not too fond of the later part; could you work on that for us, please? :)

• Still say "Mama" and "Dada" (mostly "Dada"), but this past weekend started saying “bye-bye”. It’s usually in response to one of your toys automatically shutting off and saying “bye-bye” – you say it back to the toy! Most of the time you’re actually saying “dye-dye”, but we hear the ‘b” sound sometimes.

• Tried to “hug” Bond a few times. He wasn’t very receptive – got away from you as fast as he could! You LOVE hugging all of your stuffed animals and anything soft. You squeeze them and let out a sweet little squeal of joy. SO SWEET! You also love rolling around in and playing with soft blankets.

• Are recognizing more and more words every day. This past week, you have gone CRAZY pointing at things wanting to know their “name” – especially photos of people. You ask to be picked up for a better view of things and then point at everything you can see. You've started pointing at ceiling lights and night lights. You especially like the decorative bird plates at Gran and Daddy Bill’s house. When you were eating breakfast there this weekend, I heard the birds chirping outside. When I asked you if you heard the birds, you pointed at the plates. It’s so fun watching you learn and soak up information!

• Still love your baths! When we say it’s time for a bath you walk quickly to your bathtub.

• Can be SO sensitive at times! When we sternly tell you “No No!” or “Don’t Touch”, you stop what you’re doing and quickly come to us crying, wanting to be cuddled. Just breaks my heart! Alan and I now understand the phrase, "This hurts me more than it does you".

• Still kick your feet whenever you get excited. I love it when we read books – you’re still while I’m reading, then as I’m turning the page, you kick your feet like crazy! You’re so excited to get to the next page, you just can’t stand it! Then while I read, you’re still again – until I turn the page!

• Are walking faster and faster every day. We haven’t seen anything we could classify as “running”, but you’re close. You still crash into things at times – mostly because you like carrying things in your hands (usually a matching pair of something – balls, blocks, etc.) and your hands aren’t available to catch you when you fall. A pretty green bruise on your head is quite common.

• Taught yourself how to snap. Yes, SNAP! We have no idea how. You just started doing it one day while you were eating dinner!

• Still use your pacifier, but only when you’re sleeping and sometimes in the car. We let you take it with you to the church nursery, because if we don’t, you swipe other babies’ pacis!

• Sleep with a blanket (any soft one will do), Purple Puppy, Piglet, and Green Puppy.

• Are especially ticklish down the middle of your back.

• L-O-V-E splashing and playing in the water – whether it’s in the bathtub or your wading pool. You also got to swim in Lake Frankston for the first time over the 4th of July weekend!

• Are still “dancing” when we sing or play music. Your usual move now is bobbing your head up and down – in the grocery store, listening to the TV, Mommy singing, wherever you hear music.

• Get in this funny position we call "Sumo Sue". While playing with your toys, you crouch down as low as you can get without actually sitting down.


"Sumo Sue"

 • Love playing with big plastic balls - ANY kind of ball for that matter. You have a red one that's as big as a beach ball, and you love walking around the house with it and rolling it it around.


Notice the lovely green bruise on her forehead?

• Really enjoy riding in your vehicles - your tricycle and Cozy Couple. You can get on your trike and in/out of your car all by yourself! You like taking trips in your car to get the mail.

• Are doing GREAT with learning your body parts! The ones you have down pat are: head, eyes, nose, ears, tummy, and toes. We’re working on mouth, teeth, knees, hands, and fingers.

Rosy-cheeked after a LONG afternoon nap!

We realize we're a little biased, but we think you're the most beautiful creature on earth - inside and out. Thank you, Lord, for our precious blessing! Love you, girl!

Madeline's New Portraits

We were FINALLY able to get some new portraits made of Madeline today. I had hoped to get some made around her birthday, but it just didn't happen. We've also had to wait for a time when she didn't have a big green bruise on her forehead from bumping into something, which is a pretty regular occurrence these days!

It's getting harder and harder to get her to look at the camera and smile. It was MUCH easier when you could just put her in a basket and let the photographer snap away! Today, she was NOT interested in standing still, sitting still, being STILL for ANYTHING! She's a toddler in every sense of the word! Overall, I think we got some good shots. By the time we were done, Alan and I were exhausted. We jumped up and down, sang, made funny noises, and basically made fools of ourselves trying to get her to smile!

Here is a link to the shots we purchased, and I'll post a few of our favorites of each outfit below.
Madeline's Portraits 7-8-11