Santa Meets Madeline

Could someone PLEASE tell this kid that the beard is REAL?!?!? Love, Santa

Madeline at 7 Months

Sweet Doodlebug, you just turned 7 months old. That means you're closer to being a one-year-old than you are to being a newborn. Get me a tissue, please! At 7 months you: 

• Are still a great eater! You are drinking 4 bottles a day at 6 ounces each, but Dr. Barret told us at your six-month checkup that you don't have to take rice in your bottle anymore OR in a bowl! Yay! You were never a big fan of rice cereal. However, you LOVE eating your oatmeal (twice a day) and have pretty much tried every Stage 2 food that Gerber makes. You seem to enjoy them all and haven't refused any of them!
• Have started drinking apple juice (diluted with water) and love it! We're working on finding the right sippy cup for you. You prefer drinking from a regular cup, but Mommy and Daddy aren't ready for that yet!
• Are advancing as an eater. Dr. Barret has said that you can eat anything from the table that can be mashed - like bananas, mashed potatoes, etc. Your Mimi is VERY excited that she gets to feed you mashed potatoes during our Christmas dinner this week!
• Just started wearing size 4 diapers. They're a little big on you, but not much. You just finished off a box of size 3 diapers from Sam's, and I didn't want to have to buy just a few more 3's to tide you over. Daddy says your size 4 diapers look like control top panyhose...the waist goes pretty high on your tummy!
• Are wearing mostly 9 month clothes and a few 12 month clothes. Your 6 month pj's should have been retired a few weeks ago, but we still need them right now! We're hoping Santa Claus will bring your some 12 month pj's!
• Weigh 19.5 pounds today according to our rough calculations at home. You weighed 19 pounds 6 ounces and were 28" long at your 6-month checkup on December 3rd. That's 93% for weight and 97% for height.
• Are keeping us guessing with your teeth! You had a few restless nights around Thanksgiving when the only thing that would console you was a cold paci or teething toy. We see and feel some evidence of a couple of teeth, but they're not doing much. And, the faucet of drool stopped about 2 weeks ago!
• Are still doing well at taking regular naps! You have a morning nap and afternoon nap and sometimes an evening catnap. Your morning nap is the most regular. I still never know how long each one will be, but I'm glad you take them.
• Now go to sleep between 7:00 and 7:30 pm. You get earlier each month! You usually wake up around 7:00 am.
• Have mastered sitting up when we place you in that position, but yesterday (December 20th) you began moving yourself from your tummy to a sitting position all by yourself! We are VERY impressed!
• Still have your "pteradactyl" sound, but not as often. So very funny.
• Are still such a happy gal. It was hard for Mommy to get all her Christmas shopping done because people in the stores like to comment on what a smiley girl you are! I hate having to stop for people to admire you. Just kidding. :)
• Don't chew on your hands very much - usually just a finger or two. You love your paci.
• Have started petting Bond regularly. And...grasping his fur in your tight little fist because you like the way it feels. We're working on this...Bond is very patient. :)
• Are still mouthing things like crazy. EVERYTHING goes in your mouth.
• Sat in a shopping buggy without your carseat for the first time the other day. AND sat in a highchair at a restaurant without your carseat. It was a very interesting lunch. Madeline in a restaurant highchair = Mommy and Daddy taking turns eating a cold lunch.
• Still fit into your baby bathtub, but barely.
• Have acquired two additional nicknames: Helicopter and Scooter.You aren't crawling yet, but you can turn 360 degrees in the blink of an eye and scoot or roll anywhere you want. Usually toward the most dangerous thing in the room. ;)
• Love it when I "get you" by tickling your tummy and sides with my mouth like I'm eating you. You make the greatest cackling sound.
• Are still C-R-A-Z-Y about textures. Your recent favorite is Cousin Elissa's faux rabbit fur coat.
• Still have funny habits when you're drinking your bottle. Your free hand is always stroking the mouth/face of the person feeding you, but recently you've become fascinated with pinching my nose and getting kisses on your hands while you drink.
• Have about the same amount of hair. Still a lot for your age, and so pretty!
• Are losing the fascination with your feet.

A cute little onesie your Aunt Michelle gave you that says, "All I want for Christmas is my Auntie."

On that same note...

I am going to TRY to fill in missing holes in Madeline's blog since this is our "scrapbook" for now. So, when you see a post come through from October, you'll understand why!

Ahhh...Technology.

I just realized I can "fake out" my blog by changing the dates that my entries post. There are many things that I want to post about that happened between Madeline's monthly birthday posts, so...I'm going to go back here and there and "fix" the dates so that things stay chronological! Ha...love it!

Madeline at 6 Months

Our precious Madeline, you turned 6 months old on November 19th. Even though today is December 1st, I'm writing the info as if it's November 19th! At 6 months you:

•Are eating everything in sight - living up to your last name. You are drinking 4 bottles a day at 6 ounces each, still taking some rice cereal in your bottle in the morning and at night, just started oatmeal cereal in a bowl (and LOVE it), are about to start Stage 2 foods and still like all the other foods you've tried so far. We are SO blessed that you're a great eater!

•Are still wearing size 3 diapers. You've learned that it's fun to roll over onto your tummy when I'm changing your diaper. Mommy doesn't think it's funny!

•Wearing mostly 9 month clothes, but can still wear some 6 and 6-9 month clothes. You always outgrow your pj's faster than regular clothes, so your 6 month pj's are about to be retired.

•Weigh 20.5 pounds today according to our rough calculations at home (December 1st), but I have no idea what you weighed on your 6-month birthday. Sorry, baby! Mommy still hasn't remembered to weigh you on your month birthdays. That's only a half pound more than a month ago...hmm...we'll see what the doctor's scale says on Friday at your 6-month checkup.

•No teeth yet, but lots of drool!

•Are getting MUCH better at taking regular naps! You have a morning nap and afternoon nap and usually an evening catnap. I still never know how long each one will be, but somehow you seem to get the sleep you need!

•You usually go to sleep between 7:30 and 8:00 pm. The time change on November 7th hit you pretty hard, but I think you've finally recovered! You usually wake up around 7:00 am.

•Officially became a "sitter" on November 16th. Time is flying.

•Respond to your name almost every time you hear it.

•Still squeal quite a bit and have developed another sound that we call your "pteradactyl" sound. It's long, loud, and hilarious.

•Are still a happy baby. Your Aunt Michelle bought you a bib to wear during the Christmas season that says, "Always Jolly". That pretty much sums you up. :)

•Still chew on your hands, but not as much. You and paci have become big buddies. You only want it when you sleep and if you're upset.

•Learning more about Bond every day. You love to watch him walk back and forth in the kitchen when you're eating in your high chair. It's fun feeding an octopus.

•Still mouthing everything you can get your hands on. It cracks us up how you think you can get things bigger than your head stuffed into your little mouth.

•Are about to outgrow your baby bathtub!

•Still rolling like crazy, and can scoot backwards. Nothing forwards yet!

•Get cracked up over the most random things. Mommy or Daddy will say a silly word that will make you giggle like a hyena. That word will work for about 10-15 minutes, and then it's over. That word isn't funny anymore, and we have to find another one! It's worth it though. We LOVE to hear you giggle.

•Are C-R-A-Z-Y about textures. You're fascinated by how everything feels. You love stroking blue jeans, different couches, your clothes, the carpet, Daddy's beard, Uncle Phil's beard, and the list goes on and on. When you're drinking your bottle your free hand is always stroking the mouth/face of the person feeding you.

•Still have lots of hair - especially on top - but it's actually thinned a little bit around the sides. You still have QUITE enough to hold a hairbow in place though.

•Are still fascinated with your feet.

We can't believe you've been a part of our lives for 6 whole months! That's half a year! Wow. We love you more and more each day.

Photo taken on 11-22-10

Madeline LOVES Oat-fa-meal

In celebration of Madeline's sixth-month birthday tomorrow (can't believe I'm typing that!), we tried oatmeal cereal for a snack today. She loves it! MUCH more than rice cereal. She ate her oatmeal along with some peaches and she thoroughly enjoyed it. She is reaching and grabbing for things more and more every day - she wanted to play with the bowl of oatmeal SO badly!

We call it "oat-fa-meal" in our house. Alan and I have joked about this since we were newlyweds. I remember clearly watching the evening news with Peter Jennings in our tiny little apartment in Austin where we lived when Alan was in law school. It was during the winter and Jennings was commenting on how oatmeal sales were escalating because of the cold weather. Only he didn't say "oatmeal", his tongue got tied and he said "oat-fa-meal". He didn't correct himself - which we thought was funny - he just kept on going. We've called it oat-fa-meal every since. Probably more than you wanted to know, but I shared it anyway. :)

Madeline Meets Santa

Much to her Daddy's dismay, Madeline ran into Santa at the mall today. He was apparently on break. He came up to Madeline while I was browsing at a kiosk and started talking to her! I told him we were planning to visit him soon, but he said I could go ahead and take a picture with my phone. She wasn't scared or anything - hope it stays that way!