10-months old

I can...

* "cruise" and crawl.

* feed myself Cheerios, yogurt melts, toast with margarine, bagels, and bananas.

* wave and clap.

* say "uh-oh" and "hi".

* stand up in my crib.

* dance when the mood strikes.

And, she crawls

This week has been a monumental week in our house. Since last Sunday, our little Madelyn has figured out she can clap, wave, walk while holding on to something (ie. stool rungs, the wall, kitchen cabinets), and, finally, crawl.

I've begun following her around the house and plugging the outlets with safety caps as we go. The cabinet under the kitchen sink also has a lock on it now. Although, I'm not sure how long the lock will last as the "fun" thing to do is hang from the lock itself. It's only a matter of time before the weight of an infant/toddler hanging from the plastic is stronger than the plastic itself.

Hope you enjoy the wave. Please pardon the cough. We're all getting over a cold.

Still not crawling, but...

Yesterday, we received a video of our cousin, Emery, singing Take Me Out to the Ballgame. It was the sweetest video. We look forward to the day our Madelyn can sing her own version, root-root-rooting for the Rockies. (And, we're still sad Rocktober only lasted 13 days.)

At any rate, while this is no Take Me Out to the Ballgame, I thought it worth sharing and knew not only the grandparents but her aunts and uncles and Internet friends in Kansas would enjoy.

Baby, it's cold outside

The great pumpkin

Our inaugural visit to May Farms pumpkin patch in Byers, Colorado. We opted out of the hay ride and corn maze this year. How should we carve Madelyn's ghost pumpkin?

Goosebump

Madelyn has a small goosebump on her forehead today. Being 8-1/2 months old and wanting to pull up on everything has it downsides...those arms and legs don't always cooperate and do what you want them to!

Last night during bathtime, I was downstairs washing the dishes and enjoying all the conversation I could hear between Madelyn and Dad upstairs. Then I heard a thump followed by crying. Sadie went running up the stairs to check on Madelyn and see what was wrong. When I arrived with ice pack in-hand, my suspicion of what happened was confirmed.

Madelyn had tried to pull herself out of the infant bathtub and bonked her head on the edge of the normal bathtub. (Now that she's a good sitter and is pulling up on everything, the infant bathtub has become a launching pad for her. And, in case you don't remember, a wet baby is really hard to hold onto!) Fortunately, it's just a little bump and a small bruise and she seems to be just fine. Unfortunately for us, though, since she's decided that crawling isn't her thing and she's determined to go straight to walking, we're doomed with at least a few more goosebumps.

Do they make baby helmets? And, do I use the bunny ice pack directly on her skin? Or, do I put a wash cloth underneath? What is the proper first aid for a minor head wound? All these questions as we enter the next phase.

8-months old

I can...

* Sit up by myself

* Stand holding onto something (ie. my crib or playpen, the couch, Mom and Dad's hands)

* Get into a table top position and rock back-and-forth -- the next step is crawling!

* Wave

* Participate in a conversation even if no one else understands my language

* Grab and hold onto things with my hands and feet

Pic-a-nic basket

We had no pic-a-nic basket but rather a few coolers. To my knowledge, no pictures were taken. However, this evening, we had a date with The Dukes at our local park, Central Park. And boy, did we have fun.

The delightful two-some explored the playground and played on all the features. Madelyn sat on the ground while we ate and played with our empty sandwich container. She's getting so grabby lately and wants to hold on to anything within arm's reach. Gran (The Dukes' Grammy) and Grandad helped her swing on the bucket swing, and, later, she enjoyed her very first picnic meal -- carrots and a bottle.

Henry and Ian are the cutest two-and-a-half year olds around. Their exploration and amazement of all the different toys was so fun to be a part of and watch. We were lucky, too, that Ian took the wheels off our BOB and inspected them for us before left. He gave us a clean report. And, he taught Madelyn how to give a high five as we said good-bye for the walk home.

It's too bad they live in Lawrence and we only get to see them every so often. We like our friends from the east and look forward to seeing them again.

Happy birthday, Dad!

Our weekend travels were uneventful. Madelyn did well on the airplane and, both times, made friends with everyone sitting in the rows around us. We're lucky she's such a sweet, happy girl. And, I think next year she'll be more than happy to help blow out candles and indulge in a little birthday cake herself.

It's Miller Time!

One of the stops on Griff's 30th birthday trip? The Miller (Coors) brewery tour in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Although we didn't partake in the brewhaus part of the tour -- advertised as 56 steps and 105 degrees...who wouldn't want to partake?! -- we still enjoyed our trip and complimentary post-tour samples.