11 Month Pictures

Ready for bed
Always being silly!

I was really late posting Madison's 11 month "letter". Finally got around to it, but forgot to post the pictures.

Sick Babies Learn New Tricks

Last Tuesday night, I slept about 45 minutes. It was so strange to me that Madison didn't sleep well at all during the night. I expected to get a call Wednesday from daycare that she wasn't feeling well, but they never called. However, by Wednesday evening she had started with pretty severe cold symptoms. She didn't sleep well again Wednesday night - I was up with her just about every hour or so. By Thursday morning, I wasn't feeling well either. I decided it would be best to call in Grandma! Thank goodness my mom was able to come and take care of both of us.

I called the doctor to let her know that Madison had been exposed to RSV at daycare and that she was showing symptoms. The doctor said that it probably was RSV, and to let them know if her symptoms worsened. We went back to Man with my mom Thursday night and came home Friday evening. By Saturday, Madison's fever started to rise higher. Her breathing was more rapid and she just seemed so tired. She had taken such a small amount of liquids and just seemed so out of it that we decided it would be best to take her on to the emergency room.

Once there, we did a lot of waiting and then poor little Madison had to go through so much - a nose swab, some blood tests, a chest X-ray, a catheter, and an IV of fluids. The tests confirmed that Madison does have RSV. She also has an ear infection. We got home at about 2am. Madison seemed to perk up a bit after getting the fluids - she was beginning to get dehydrated.

The next few days, she's been on the mend. Grandma Peggy and Aunt Jennifer stayed with us Sunday night and went to Madison's follow-up appointment with us Monday. They stayed an extra night to take care of Madison on Tuesday so I could get back to work. Madison was able to go back to daycare on Wednesday. She seemed happy to be back!

Somehow, despite being sick, our baby girl learned a few new tricks. Madison is now crawling - really crawling. She had been army crawling for so long that we thought she was just more comfortable doing it that way. While at my parents' house in Man on Friday, she started crawling using her knees and elbows (with her belly off the ground). After a short time, she finally got the hang of it and pushed up to her hands. We are so proud of her! She is also pulling up on everything with little trouble. She's getting so much stronger!

11 Months

Madison,

You are 11 months old! Overall, the last month has been a great one for you!

You now have 8 teeth (four on the top and four on the bottom). We adore your smile - and you show it to us so often! You are such a smiley baby! I hope you are always as happy and smiley as you are now. Your smile is so beautiful, and we can't help but to smile every single time you do.

You stopped crawling army-style and started crawling with your belly off the ground. I was so surprised! I was beginning to think you would just crawl army-style until you were ready to walk. I love watching you crawl! I don't even mind chasing you all over the place!

You started pulling up this month. At the beginning of your 11th month, you started pulling up on your bouncy seat and on the blocks at daycare. After a short time, you were pulling up on just about everything. You've even started cruising a bit! We are so proud of you! You are pretty proud of you, too! When you started pulling up, we would yell "yay!", and you would yell back to us. You are so funny!

You are babbling so much now. You also say mama, dada, cat (you started with kitty, but traded it in for cat), no, stop, done (and, sometimes, "ah done"), bye-bye. We also think you are trying to say duck. You've been calling Daddy "Matt". I'm sure this is completely my fault. After you started repeating "Matt" when I called out to him to come help me with something, I realized I probably need to always refer to him as "Daddy" in front of you. You're still calling him "Matt", but I'm hoping it will pass quickly.

Your new favorite thing is dancing. You've always loved music, but now you bounce and tap your feet with the beat. You love it when we sing to you, and we do very often! Your new favorite song is "Barbara Ann". After we sing it a few times, you chime in with "Ba Ba Ba". We get so tickled!

Your favorite toys this month are your Elmo (the one the blows kisses), your new puppy from Aunt Patty, and your musical table. One morning, we even took Elmo along for the car ride to daycare. You just didn't even want to leave him behind. You cuddled with him in the car until you fell asleep.

This is the last month you'll be a baby. Next month, you'll officially be a toddler. We still can't believe how quickly the time passes!

10 Months

Dear Madison,

You are 10 months old! I think over the last month we've seen the greatest change in you yet. You are doing so many new things!

You have four teeth - your 2 bottom front teeth and your canines on the top. We call you our "vampire baby". You won't be our vampire baby much longer! You have 3 teeth coming in - your 2 top front teeth and another tooth on the bottom.

You are starting to actually "play" with your toys. You interact so well now. You also show preference to certain toys. Instead of just going after the toy that is the closest and easiest to get to, you now do whatever it takes to get to the toy you want. Your favorite toys this month are your "My Pretty Learning Purse" and your Bright Starts teething ring. You absolutely love that teething ring. I get so tickled because you just throw all the other toys to the side when you're going after it!

Your language skills seem to really be taking off. It actually sounds like you are trying to repeat a lot of the things we say. You also seem to understand words now, even if you aren't saying them. You are, however, trying so hard to say "kitty". It doesn't surprise us at all. We figured all along that "kitty" would be your first word. You love June and Adele (and Potter) so much. You get so excited when you see them and immediately we hear "kkkiii". Sometimes it even sounds like you're meowing. haha!

You are trying to pull up on things now, though you aren't quite strong enough. I can tell that you get frustrated because it's so hard for you. I want to just help you every single time - I hate to see you struggling...and it's much easier on my nerves (I'm so afraid you'll fall and hurt yourself). But I know that letting you try on your own is the only way you'll learn. So I just watch you, with my hands stretched out - just close enough to catch you if you fall. It's amazing to me how you are constantly teaching me what it means to be a mother. I realize that I'll always be doing this...nervously watching you with my hands stretched out, so that I can catch you when you fall.

One of your new favorite things to do is walking (running, jumping) while we hold on to your hands. You've enjoyed standing with our support for some time now, but you hadn't really made an effort to take steps. You've really taken off in the last week though! We're surprised by how quickly you're catching on!

Of all your new accomplishments, I have two favorites - you've starting playing pat-a-cake and participating when we sing "Itsy Bitsy Spider". It amazes me that you do this, and I think it's the cutest thing ever! You don't always do the motions in the right order and sometimes you're motions are a little delayed, but you do them! I love when you put your hands together up over your head when I sing "Up Came the Sun". Sometimes I catch you doing the motions on your own, and when I start singing them to you, you get the biggest grin on your face. I love that we are starting to communicate, and I think that you love it just as much!

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to the husband who laughs with me, who comforts me, who finishes my sentences, who rubs lotion on my swollen pregnant feet. Happy Birthday to my love and my best friend!

Happy Birthday to the father who carries his daughter around on his shoulders, who sings silly songs, who has an abundant supply of hugs and kisses, who loves his daughter with an intensity rivaled only by that of her mother. Happy Birthday, Daddy!Happy 27th Birthday to a wonderful husband and father! We are two very lucky girls! We love you!

9 Month Checkup

Madison's 9 month checkup was Thursday (the 14th). She now weighs 18 pounds, 4 ounces. She's 28.5 inches long. Dr. Darnell says she's still around the 90th percentile for height and around the 25th for weight. Said she's doing really well and that everything looks great! She was so quiet during her exam - which is so unlike her. I was really shocked, especially since she had just been flirting with a 10 year old in the waiting room. haha!

Madi has been doing much better with her crawling the last few days. She's still army crawling, but she's pushing up a little more and is also gaining some speed. She's also starting kind of talking. She says mama, dada, baby, and bye-bye. We're actually pretty sure she knows what she's saying when she says mama, dada, and bye-bye. She is just so cute!

Nine Months

Madison,

You are nine months old. Each day, you are more and more our "big girl" and less and less our little baby. You are so full of personality and have stolen so many hearts. You are beautiful, funny, strong, sweet, persistent, and easygoing. You mean everything to your mommy and daddy. You make us so happy!

You are still trying to get the hang of crawling. You push yourself completely up on all fours sometimes, but you prefer to army crawl. And, sometimes, you still use rolling as your major mode of transportation. ;-)

You are into anything you can get your hands on now. And you want it all! We've been playing with little squirt toys during bath time, and you try so hard to hold all of them at one time. Sometimes you try scoop them all up into your arms and sometimes you hold one in your mouth while holding one in each hand.

You've been blowing raspberries lately. You think it's soooo funny! We can't help but to giggle at you. You've also been attempting to wave. You're stubborn though - you never do it when we try to get you to!

Your new favorite toys are your Elmo, your musical table, and your Violet puppy. You interact so well. You are always babbling, and screaming, and squealing. Your babbling has changed so much lately, though. Now, it sounds like you are really trying to talk. We keep joking that, once you start, you'll never stop. We keep wondering if you'll talk as much as you babble. If so, we're all in trouble!

Happy 9 months, lil' monkey! We love you!

Mommy and Daddy