Just a normal day

And, no emergency clothes were required today either.

Emergency clothes

Today is the first day Madelyn's emergency clothes at day care were called into use. Almost three weeks without a diaper malfunction is pretty good!

When I arrived this afternoon to pick her up, I thought, "That's not the outfit she had on this morning. Oh..."

Fortunately, it wasn't even a Class 1 blow out and her fancy little jeans are salvageable.

ABC's Make Me Giggle

Honey and Poppie, this one's for you. Hopefully you have sound...and this is posted before you make it to the liberry!

Heaven on Earth

Who wouldn't be happy about sitting in the Boppy recliner surrounded by all your favorite toys?!

Easter

Daycare

Thank you to all for your kind thoughts and words last week as we embarked upon the next stage in our development as a family. To answer your thoughts, daycare (and work) is going well.

Every day the instructors jot down notes on Madelyn's daily sheet to let us know how and what she did. Her daily sheets have all had very nice things to say, including -

"I was a little shy at first but all my new friends & teachers just loved me!" (Day 1 - Last Thursday)

"...I was such a sweet girl." (Day 4 - Yesterday)

"...loved 'talking' and laughing for my teachers!! I loved my naps and ate a lot. I had such a great day!" (Today)

Clearly, she's doing well and we made a great decision in choosing her daycare. She even has a friend named Ethan. He's about four weeks older than Madelyn and helped show her the ropes these last few days. His parents have be-friended us, too, which really makes the daycare seem like an extension of our neighborhood.

The only downside is that she's exhausted in the evenings but she's still sleeping through the night. If that's our only complaint then we really have it pretty good.

Happy 3-Month Birthday!

Where did the last three months go?!

I know I've said this numerous times already but I have no idea how it's gone by so quickly. I think back about the 8th of each month and what we were doing at each point --

February 8 - Honey and Poppie had just left to return home to Chicago after a wonderful two-and-a-half week visit. Now Griff and I were on our own to figure out our new life together.

March 8 - We were getting this parenting-thing down a little more and were adjusting well. Both bedtime and bathtime were becoming easier for everyone. I was cleared for exercise and Madelyn and I were pros at running errands and visiting with friends. We even made a trip to the Museum of Nature & Science!

April 8 - Madelyn lights up when she sees her dad. And, she's discovered her hands and keeps us laughing and smiling with her excited squeals and coos. She's napping on a quasi-schedule and getting into a routine which not only helps me but will help in her transition to daycare.

It's amazing to look at how much she's changed in such a short time. Back when she was only 5 weeks old and wouldn't let me put her down during the day, it seemed like time stood still. Then one day I remember thinking to myself how I needed to appreciate this because she won't always be this little and/or willing to be held. Yes, she's still a little girl but not that tiny little baby that Grammy and I brought home from the hospital in January.

Today is the last day of my maternity leave. Tomorrow morning, Team Anderson will leave home a little before 7 a.m. to drop Madelyn off for her first day of daycare. I'm not sure who will have more separation anxiety -- me or her...probably me.

I had no idea 12 weeks could go by so quickly. I'm in awe of our little girl and can't wait to watch her grow even more.

Happy girl

Tell me about your day.

Griff: How are you? What did you do today?

Madelyn: I had a nap and I went to Dr Brandon's and got weighed. And I stopped by daycare and I went to SuperTarget. I learned how to use my right arm and grabbed my caterpillar. I set off the music-star all by myself and I went for a walk and I took another nap.

Felix, NO!

We're still a long way off from Madelyn's first words but there's a good possibility her first words may be, "Felix, NO!" He really means no harm. And, generally, he's a good boy but sometimes he just can't help himself.

Lately at night when Madelyn goes to bed, he'll sneak in behind Griff or me and run under the crib. Without knowing he's in her room, we shut the door only to hear "Meow!" several minutes later through the baby monitor. She has my sleeping genes though which is good. Once she's starting to doze off, noises like the washer/dryer or a cat walking along the railing of her crib typically don't disturb her.

The fun thing about Felix will be to watch their relationship grow as Madelyn gets older and he really becomes her cat. He may eventually grow tired of this toddler chasing him around but I don't think so. He's got as much energy as a two-year old and I'm sure they'll be a good match. For now, we'll keep checking under the bed for the Felix monster before tucking Madelyn in at night.