Causing Trouble

For Valentine's Day, Madeline and I baked chocolate chip cookies for Daddy. Who knew that Madeline would love them so much? She is now a fiend for chocolate chip cookies. She saw them on the cooling rack and was reaching and crying for them. It was too cute! She also realized that we put them in a tupperware container, so she cried whenever we used a tupperware container.

I know those cookies are around here somewhere!

Found them!


Madeline after her first chocolate chip cookie

Grandma Peggy came over on Sunday with the chair that she gave to Madeline as a gift. She made the cushion for her, and Madeline had more fun climbing in and out of the chair rather than actually sitting in it!

Tonight, she was so funny. We had finished having dinner and Matt was emptying the clean dishes out of the dishwasher. Out of nowhere, she began to climb on the dishwasher door and sat down. We put her back on the floor and she did it again! She thought it was hilarious...

I guess we have Gymboree to thank for teaching her to climb over and onto objects! Who can get upset with a face like this?!?

A Month's Gone By...

It's been a month since our last post, but life has sure been busy! Madeline is growing by leaps and bounds, and is talking A LOT! She said her first sentence last week, "I gotta go!" Of course, she says it really fast, but it is the cutest. She has also taken to the word "no" very well. If she points at something that she wants, and you hand her something else, she will shake her head and say no.

She is also learning words and sounds very quickly. Matt will make a sound or noise at her and she will try to copy him. She also watches our mouths while we speak and will try and say the same word. She can almost has the word "sit," but knows what it means. If I ask her to sit, she will. Smart little girl.

She is now 14 months old, which Matt and I cannot believe. She has completely grown out of her baby tub and is now taking "big girl baths." She was a little scared at first, but now loves being able to play with her water toys and crawl around the tub.

Today begins her Gymboree classes at Hawthorne Mall, so that should be fun. Matt and I just want her to get out and play with other kids her age, so we think this is a perfect started. Our free trial class is today, and if all goes well, we're signing her up. When you pay for a class a week, you also get free gym sessions throughout the week, so Maddie and I will be doing that as well. I think she and I are both getting cabin fever, so this will be perfect. I'll post more on that after class! :)

Happy Holidays!!

We've had a few busy weeks here (as I'm sure everyone has)...

Madeline went for her one year check up on the 15th. She's now 29-1/2 inches tall and weighs 26 pounds. The doctor said that she's doing well. Matt and I are just glad that she has now reached the age and weight requirement so we could turn her carseat around to face forward. I'm sure Maddie would rather look out the front window than stare at the backseat.

She is saying more words as well. She's gotten "uh oh" down to a science. She will drop something and say "uh oh." It's the cutest. She says mama, dada, and "buh bye." She says it in the sweetest voice. She also waves hello and good bye which is really cute.

Christmas morning was spent with Grandma Peggy and Aunt Lauren at our house. Madeline must have been a good girl this year because Santa really spoiled her (so did Mommy and Daddy). She didn't seem interested in the gifts, but she loved the ribbon! She played with the ribbon more than the toys. She loves putting things on her head and shoulders, so she wrapped herself up in ribbon whenever she had the chance.

The afternoon was spent with the Amicos/Brummels. Maddie had fun playing with Francesca and Vincent and loved playing around the Christmas tree.

We hope everyone had a great Christmas and wish you all have a wonderful New Year!

Here are some pictures from Christmas...

Grandma Peggy bought Madeline a new chair...she loves it!

Madeline and Mommy at Nickey & John's

Happy Birthday to Madeline!!

We cannot believe that Madeline is now a year old. Where did the time go?!? She's been walking for almost 2 months now and has begun jogging through the house. She's talking all the time and we wake up to the little songs she sings when she gets up.

Madeline's birthday was Friday and her party was Saturday. We had quite a turnout!! We were so happy that so many of you were able to come and celebrate her birthday with us. Thank you to the grandmas and aunts who helped us set up and clean up for the party!

Considering Madeline only had a 20 minute nap that day, she did surprisingly well with the number of people who attended. We also found out that she loves balloons! She still has a few at the house that she plays with. Most of the toys she received are now set up and being played with. We need to buy a bigger house!

There were so many cute pictures from the day, I couldn't post them all. Here are some of my favorites:

Madeline and her cousin Hannah

Happy Thanksgiving!

Of course, this Happy Thanksgiving is a little late...we had a very busy week! We went to our cousin Nickey & John's for Thanksgiving and had a small celebration. Aunt Lauren flew in from Washington DC this year, and it's been awhile since she's seen Madeline.

Madeline still doesn't like solid meat, but she sure loved the mashed potatoes! She had cranberry sauce for the first time and didn't seem to mind them. She also tried pumpkin pie and shared a piece with me.

Here are a few pictures from the past few weeks...it's been awhile since I've posted any.

She loves this blanket her great grandma knitted for her...

She is definitely an animal lover!

And Now She's Walking!

Two weeks ago today, Madeline took her first steps. It's funny how it happened. The day before I had mentioned to Matt that I would be upset if I weren't around when she took her first steps because she was at daycare. Well, the next night she took her first step and I was there to see it. She actually took three steps in a row, got up, and did it again.

Now she's walking all the time, only crawling when she falls and needs to reach something to help her stand. Last night she stood from a sitting position for the first time. We are amazed how fast she is learning. She's walking so fast now, she walks circles in our living room, smiling and talking along the way.

First Trip to the Orchard

As a kid, my mom always took my sisters and me to Edwards Apple Orchard in Poplar Grove...it's a huge orchard where they have pick your own apples, pumpkins, raspberries, and THE BEST cider donuts you've ever had. They bake them right there and you get them right out of the oven. To keep with tradition, Matt and I plan on taking Maddie there each year.

Since the weather was so beautiful on Saturday, we couldn't pass up the opportunity to go. Of course hundreds of other people had the same idea. The lines weren't too horrible and Maddie did pretty well considering it was so warm. She was pretty excited to see her first pumpkin, but didn't know what to make of it. She loved the cider donuts as much as mom and dad. Near the end of the day, she was getting cranky, so we headed home.