Road Trip

Maddie went on her first road trip! Her and I made a trip up to Crown Point with Nana and Lindsey for Teri's baby shower. I was very nervous prior to going on this trip. I had no idea how Maddie would do in a car for 2 1/2 hours. Riding in the car always puts her to sleep but she's never been in the car longer than 30 mins. I sat in the back with my little girl armed with my bag of goodies and ready for just about anything.



Much to my delight Maddie did great! She slept a majority of the time and when she was awake we just sang and played. She even figured out how to make the cow talk without using her hands. Who needs hands when you've got feet and cute shoes!





We enjoyed some wonderful family time.....It was just the girls!



Maddie enjoyed spending time with her cousin Lindsey. She especially enjoyed discussing the past seasons of Jersey Shore and Teen Mom in the car. Maddie loves all the great shows on MTV! Basically, I allow her to watch such filth so she will learn how not to act when she grows up. It's called good parenting.



Maddie had to take a break from all of the excitement at the shower. So, she kicked her shoes off and took a little nap. (Actually, she slept through the entire thing.)



Congratulations Teri! We can't wait to meet baby Emerson! (Look at Judy's face!)




I love my Maddie O. I am so proud of my little girl! With one road trip successfully under our belt we may attempt another here soon. We have a new friend, baby Helen, in Chicago that we are dying to meet. So who knows where the open road my take us next.

Who am I kidding... we aren't going far. I get car sick!

Thank you!

This post is a shout out to Wylie and Leah. (Basically because she told me she expected to see a post.)

One of my dear friends from college, Wylie, had a gorgeous daughter Leah about a year and a half ago. Wylie is pretty crafty, I think that's one of the reasons we got along so well, and she made some headbands for Leah. Little Leah's head has grown and Wylie's creations no longer fit Leah. So, they sent the headbands up to Maddie to "rock out".

So....Wylie and Leah here is how Maddie "rocks out" her new headbands.....

Oh, they also sent Maddie some winter gear.

Thank you Wylie and Leah! We appreciate the gifts.

Maternal Instincts

I've never been a baby person. They are so little, so fragile and I've always just been nervous that I could hurt them. I've always been more comfortable with kids that are above the age of two. During my pregnancy, I hoped that the maternal instincts that people talk about would kick in and I can confidently say that they infact have. It's weird how I just know what she wants and needs. (Not always but for the most part.) She is fragile but I know that there is no way I could hurt her. She needs her Mommy to be there to do things for her.

Like take naps on the couch....

To teach her the alphabet....or at least some of it...even when she's not ready yet.

To dress her up for the big game....even if it makes her look like a boy.

And to love her cute face....unconditionally. (Which is so easy to do.)

I love my Maddie O. She has made my journey of learning to be a mommy easy.

Maddie vs. Marvin

VS.

Marvin entered our lives 6 years ago. Up until 3 months ago he was our baby. Once Madison arrived I started noticing many similarities between the two.

1. They both sleep a majority of the day.

2. I have to make sure that both of them are fed.

3. They are both loosing their hair.

4. Neither one of them can pick anything up with their hands/paws.

5. Both of them like to chew on things.

6. It's frowned upon if I leave either one of them in the car for any period of time.

7. I have to bathe them.

8. The nails on each of them grow at a surprisingly fast rate.

9. They have each gone potty in their own bed.

10. They both like squeak toys.

However, Maddie got a one up on Marvin yesterday......

She rolled over!

Now, I have been trying to get Marvin to roll over for years but it's not happening. So, I started focusing my efforts on Madison and it worked! I am now convinced that it wasn't my teaching that has prevented Marvin from rolling over. It was him.

We are so proud of our little Madison. Yes, we are still proud of our Marvin. But Maddie is just going to keep learning new tricks and I am afraid Marvin will be stuck behind. Maybe one day Madison can try to teach Marvin to do a trick. Who knows he may listen to her.

Holy cow, it's been 3 months!

It is hard to believe that 3 months ago our little Madison entered the world. It is even harder to imagine our life without her. I now wonder how we lived without our Maddie. She completes Ryan and I. We are a family. Team Bethel.

We constantly hear from others "She is such a good baby." I love hearing that. (I mean really do you want people to say "Geesh, what's wrong with your kid?" ) I know I am biased but I think she is a great baby. She is still sleeping through the night and takes about 3 naps during the day. She eats about every three hours and when she's not napping or eating she is playing and discovering everything around her.

We've found a few things that she likes: pacifiers, puppets, music, daddy's whistling, mommy's singing, sqeak toys and her hands.

I anticipate seeing what the next 3 months will bring us. Watching her change, grow and discover has been so rewarding. It's just going to keep getting better.