May June July

Maddie,

These past three months have been such a pleasure.  I get more and more of a chance to know you every single day.  Your personality is shining through.  I know your likes and your dislikes, your funny quirks and your sense of humor.  You make me laugh every single day and you teach me something every single day, not only do I learn about you but I learn about myself and life through you.  You bring so much to my life.  There are times when I am holding you or playing with you that I think to myself "one day she'll be sixteen and these moments will be over and only memories".  I try so hard to cherish the good and the bad times.  The scary thing is that I can already picture you as a teenager.  Your moods sometimes resemble that of a teenager and I tell your Daddy that we are doomed!  Ha ha!

I've enjoyed taking hundreds of pictures and videos with my phone over the last three months.  If there is anything that I love seeing you do I take a picture or a video of you doing it.  It's my way of preserving your littleness.  :)  In the last three months alone I have taken 400 pictures with my phone alone (not including the big camera) and 50 videos.

You have definitely become comfortable in your home.  I love these moments when you are so care free, watching tv as you tinker with something mindlessly.

This was a new trick you showed me one day!  Of course I had to take a picture and then tell you to get down!  You scared Mommy!  Thank goodness you haven't done it since and you aren't too much of a climber yet.

We keep a lot of art supplies on hand and one of the best is nothing more than water!  You love your chalkboard walls and a spill proof cup of water.  We paint concrete too.  Good clean fun!

I was in a car accident a few weeks ago and my back was hurt.  I started seeing a chiropractor and you come with me.  I always have to lay on a table that massages my back and you sit with me or on me rather!  You have always been so good at the chiropractor office.  You love singing "row row row your boat" or "row row" as you call it as the table makes my belly go up and down!  I usually show you all of the videos on my phone.  You can see baby ducky in front of you here.  :)

On Fridays, I have the day off and we enjoy going to the park sometimes.  Just the two of us.  You've become such a little fishy and I really enjoy going with you.

Here you are talking on the phone, i mean, calculator!  You pick it up and say "Heh-woah".

Someone is going to be a big sister!  Wearing your big sister shirt before we go to take pictures.

One of my favorite parts of having a girl...all of the fun girly things we get to do!  I painted your toesies with piggy paint (a non-toxic water based nail polish).  I love your red toesies!

Sitting in your babies stroller.  A little big for it, I think!

I love babies in bikinis!

and heart shaped sunglasses.

You LOVE Wilson, or "whoo-wuh" as you have started calling him.  My heart melts when you bend over an slap your leg and call his name to get him to come to you.

Someone loves the sprinklers!  

The splash pad at the pool is finally open!  You love the splash pad, especially with a bucket!

You loved the pools splash pad so much that we bought our own little one!

A break from splashing to drive your car...

and swing...which you love now!

There is a program I downloaded to my phone that takes ordinary pictures and turns them into beautiful treasures.  Here are a few of my favorites.

I love your bed head after going ni-ni or a nappy!

I love rocking with you while you wake up.  Now that we have brought your books into your bedroom you really love to read and rock.

You mastered climbing stairs when you were less than a year old, here you are again!

More splash pad fun...while Daddy is out of town.  Those two green slides in the background...you LOVE them!

You used to cry when that bucked above your head in the picture below would dump but we taught you to clap and say "yay!" and now you do that automatically where ever we are when the bucket dumps...(unless you are under it, then it's a different story!)

I love seeing you relaxed and enjoying life.

Some snacks (as you call it) or lunch/dinner as we call it.  You love peas and cheese.  We can't get you to eat pasta because it is wet and slimy and you don't like the texture in your hand before it even get's to your mouth.  I feel you would love it if you were to try it!

You cried and cried one day for something in your art supply cabinet and kept pointing.  I pulled everything out except for the play doh which you haven't been interested in because of the texture.  When I pulled out the two play doh containers you screamed and flapped your arms.  That was what you wanted!  I said "do you want to play with some play-doh" and you screamed  "day-doh!"  You had so much fun playing with all of the little balls Mommy rolled up for you.  It's been a favorite ever since.

Mommy gave you a hair cut afterwards.  Before (above)  After (below)

Okay, one of the funniest things to happen this summer.   We went to Purina farms with Peyton this summer. On the way back you wanted your shoes off and so I took them off.  You kept sticking your feet in (literally in/on) Peyton's face and up her nose!  I must have pulled your feet back one hundred times.  You would just glare at her and stick your right foot up her nose as she yelled at you to keep your stinky feet to yourself!  I laughed so hard because you were so serious and kept doing it!

More splash pad!  Maddie's favorite place!

Watching cartoons or "toonz" a you like to call them.  One night in the middle of the night recently you woke up and asked for milky and toonz!

Another visit to the chiropractor with my sidekick!

I love the way you sleep with your butt in the air.  Makes me want to hold you.

Guess what!  You discovered playgrounds!  We took you to the school up the street and discovered that you love slides and playgrounds there and now you are a playground junkie!  We took you to the Chesterfield Playground before swim lessons on Saturday mornings.

Your first time going down a slide all by yourself!

Have I ever told you how much you love your Da-da and how much he adores you?  You are the single greatest thing in his world.

After the park it's off to swim lessons!  Here you are walking into the chilly water with Nana.

You and I went for a walk  and I couldn't resist but to take a picture of your feet from my view.  You love going for walks and sometimes when you are in a really cranky mood (as you were this night) I can put you in your stroller and you are happy as can be.  You were kicking your legs on this walk, so happy to be out on a walk.

Have I mentioned that you LOVE Wilson!?!  He's become your jungle gym and he often just stares straight ahead wishing for help.

A visit to the zoo.  We only took one picture this day.  We visit the zoo so often.  It's so great that it's free.  You love going and I love taking you!

Cousin June bought you a penguin after the penguin exhibit.  She let you choose your stuffed animal and you were very clear as to which one you wanted.  You pushed them all away except for the big eyed penguin.  You slept with it at nap time.

and then carried it around the house...

My pretty pretty Maddie in her car seat.  I love those blue eyes.

Guess what!  You got to ride a choo-choo train!  All aboard!  Here, you and Daddy are sitting at the station before it starts it's trek.

Your pony tail looking forward towards the conductor.

Once it started you were scared.  You laid your head on my shoulder and I assured you it would all be okay.

After the first lap you started to ease up and enjoy a little bit.  We were able to distract you by pointing to the geese in the pond.

You and da-da after the ride.  You said choo-choo for the first time this day and it's the sweetest things you've ever said!  "Chew-chew" you say with your little high pitched voice.

Daddy was out of town again and after picking you up from school I took you to dinner and then to Petsmart where we looked at all of the fish and other animals.  It's so great.  I push you around in the shopping cart while you enjoy the animals.

You have been doing so great at naming your colors.  So far you know yellow for sure and sometimes you know blue.  Not bad for 18  months!  I decided to stop one day and pick up some teaching aides at the Teachers Supply store to help you learn your other colors.  It has really helped.  In just a week you are quickly catching on to other colors.

 You filled your word wall!  All of Maddie's first words in order (for the most part!)  Great job Madelyn!  I am so proud of you!

You turned a year and a half old today, Madelyn!  Such a big girl and such a blessing in my life.

You are the light of my life, Madelyn.  I look at you and watch you point to baby ducky in my belly and give baby ducky kisses and I can't fathom the fact that I only have a few months left with just one baby.  You will always be my baby, you will always be the baby that made me a Mama first.  Thank you for that.  Thank you for the last year and a half.  It's been nothing short of magical.

Mama