Transitions

It's crazy how many changes take place around the one year mark! Pretty soon our baby girl will be out of the baby room at daycare and into the 1 year old room. I remember when we visited her daycare before choosing which one she would be attending, the 1 year old room was a completely different world compared to the other classrooms. I remember them telling us on our tour that people always expect the 2 year old room to be the "wild" room. Then, they introduced us to the 1 year old room. Haha! Madison will soon be one of the ones kept on the far end of the hallway...away from the office and as far away from the babies as possible! hehe!

The plan is to move Madison up to the one year old room at the end of the month. I'm wondering if this will be her last week in the baby room.

A lot of changes have been taking place in order to get Madison ready for the 1 year old room. For the past few weeks, she's been sleeping on a cot at daycare instead of in a crib. I really couldn't believe it at first and was terrified of her falling out. Anyone who has seen this girl sleep would completely understand why I'd be afraid of this! She's done great though!

Madison is also doing MUCH better with table foods. I seriously thought for awhile that she'd be 2 and eating baby food - haha! She absolutely loves watermelon, bananas, graham crackers and yogurt. She's also doing really well with feeding herself.

We've also made the transition from bottle to sippy cup. I was totally stressed over this for a few days - especially because there's NO bottles in the 1 year old room. Today is day 5 without a bottle. We can see improvement with the cup every day. It's easier for Madison to use the toss and go cups with the hard spout and no stopper (this is what they use at daycare), but she's also doing fairly well with the soft spout cups (I'm thankful b/c these don't spill!). She looks so grown up when she drinks from her cup! We are so proud of her!

Madison had her one year checkup on April 21st - almost 2 weeks after turning one. This was our first visit with the new pediatrician. Madison weighed 19 lbs, 13 oz and was 29 inches long.

THE BIG ONE!

Dearest Madison,

One year ago, we welcomed you into our life...all 5 pounds, 10 ounces of you. You were so tiny - yet from the very beginning our love for you was so big! I remember feeling you in my arms, as light and small as holding a folded t-shirt and simultaneously feeling a weight in my heart that felt much heavier. There was an ability to love inside me that I did not recognize. I loved you simply because you were. I was bound to you in love as much as you were bound to me for your very life. You have changed our lives (and even us individually) in so many ways. You are our constant joy!

It is so hard for me when people ask what you're like or ask me to describe you - you are one complex little girl.

How can someone be so sweet and so rotten? You give the best hugs. I love when you throw your arms around my neck and say "ohhhhh". Your smile is infectious, and your eyes light up every time that gorgeous grin beams across your little face. You are such a sweetheart, but you are sneaky too. I can't help but to giggle a little when you mock my "NO"s with your "no no no". Or how you say "no no no" as you are doing something you're not supposed to be. It's as if you just acknowledging that it's not okay makes it okay.

You are falling in love with animals. Poppaw recently taught you to motion for a dog to come to you. Now, every time we see one, your reach your little arm out and make that motion with your hand. You also do it with cats, and as you make the motion, you say "cat, cat, cat". You get so excited when you actually get to pet them!

You are so incredibly friendly. This is probably my favorite thing about you! I hope you always stay this way. You just LOVE people. You are always smiling and waving and entertaining. You are such a ham! You got a Disney Princess Power Wheel for your birthday. While riding, you take your right hand off the wheel and wave and put it back and then take your left hand off the wheel and wave and put it back. You do this over and over. More Gramma says you're practicing to be a parade queen. You love "talking" on the phone. You smile so big when we let you - you've even starting participating in the conversation a little.

You are doing such a good job with communicating. You point a lot to let us know what you want. You're also signing "more". You have your own sign for "all done". You take both hands and put them out to the sides (like how I would motion "I don't know"). It's so cute! You do it every single time someone says "all done".

Your absolute favorite thing right now is books. You definitely get this love from Mommy and not Daddy. You will read (play with) with your books for the longest time. You just flip through the pages and point to the pictures and babble. We love it when you read to us! You also really love music. You love the Beatles, the Jackson 5, and the Beach Boys. You bounce and dance and sing along. You are such a happy little thing!

You aren't walking yet. You are cruising along the furniture, walls, doors, toys with ease. And you even do a pretty good job if we just hold onto you with one hand. However, you have yet to take more than just a few steps on a few occasions all by yourself. That's fine, though. Take all the time you need. You can already crawl nearly faster than I can run!

Happy 1st Birthday, my love! You are our blue-eyed, water-spashing, hello-waving, "cack cacking" (quack quacking) baby girl! As it's been said many times before, the days may be long, but the years are short. You have changed so much over the past year, and we know you will be changing even more over the next one. Can't wait to experience it all with you!

There is a passage from a book (Stepping Heavenward) that makes me think of you:

Here is a little mouth to kiss;
here are two more feet to make music with their pattering about my nursery.
Here is a soul to train for God, and the body in which it dwells is worth all it will cost,
since it is abode of a kingly tenant.
I may see less of friends, but I have gained one dearer than them all.
Yes, my precious baby, you are welcome to your mother's heart,
welcome to her time, her strength, her health, to her most tender cares, to her life-long prayers! Oh how rich I am, how truly, how wondrously blessed!"

I thank the Lord every day, with amazement, for giving you to us.

Happy Easter!!!

I never get to update this thing as much as I'd like to. Seems like it's always either post a blog or go to sleep - usually, sleep wins out.

Madison got over RSV, only to end up with a stomach virus. Matt and I were both pretty worried about her. It was awful seeing her throw up like that. She ended up losing some weight, and that had us really concerned. The vomiting lasted about 3 days and the diarrhea another 2. We were so thankful when she started feeling better.

Madison's appetite has really increased in the last week or so. She looks like she's gained some weight back. Couldn't be happier about that!

Last week, Madison started walking behind her little stroller. She had lots of practice last weekend at the lake, and has gotten pretty good at it. I love watching her having so much fun!

This week, we've gone back to having really rough nights. I'm not sure what's going on, but I've been up with Madison pretty much every night this week for at least a few hours. It's very odd for her not to sleep well - especially this many nights in a row. I feel so bad for her because she just cries so loud and just screams like she is in pain or is terrified. When I go in her room, she seems to still be asleep. The only way I can get her to stop crying is to wake her, then she cries because she's sleepy. I'm not sure if she's teething (so far, she hasn't had much trouble with it) or if she's having bad dreams or what. All I know is I hate it! I hate that she isn't sleeping well (and that I'm not either!).

Madison saw the Easter Bunny twice this week. He came to see her at daycare Thursday, and we went to see him at the mall Friday. She liked him both times!

Madison will be one on Friday. This just seems so unreal to me. I'm kind of struggling with it. I'm so proud of her, but it just seems crazy to me that she's technically only going to be a baby for 6 more days. Today was especially hard for me. I went to see a friend and her newborn baby boy at the hospital - the same hospital where Madison was born. Tomorrow is Easter - a year ago, we came home on Easter day. Time really does fly...