"More"

Yesterday, in a pinch, I used my first sign language.

Madelyn has a new favorite play spot - the bottom step. It's the perfect height for her to cop-a-squat on and read Spot Bakes a Cake or Christmas Teddy or to lean against and play with the stair rungs. She and I were playing on the step and I thought I'd offer her a drink of water.

Quick side note: She's doing much better with the sippy cup now. It just took some reinforcement and practice but she's getting it. She even gets some actual nourishment out of it instead of just putting it in her mouth and smiling at you.

I offered her a drink and she gladly accepted. She took a few drinks actually. I said, "All done?" and she replied, "All done," so I put the cup on the table. Within a few moments, I noticed her doing a hand gesture. She kept repeating it. (I had a quick flashback to Grammy's friend's grandchild signing "Help!" in its crib and getting no response because no one could hear it signing for help.)

Thank goodness Google exists. I was able to find a website with pictures of children signing basic words with the word listed right below the picture. I quickly scrolled down and discovered she was saying, "More." Proud of myself for having figured this out, I said, "Madelyn, more?" while making the sign and she did it back. I gave her her water cup and we successfully communicated.

Apparently Mom needs to schedule a mini-conference with her teacher at school to make sure I know the rest of the signs they use. At least I now know "more" and "help".

Toddler room - Weeks 2 and 3

Weeks two and three were MUCH better in the toddler room. We still have the sippy cup blues but she's trying. And, she hasn't used her bottle at daycare so that means she's getting enough fluids from the cup. Hooray!

Yesterday afternoon, Madelyn's classroom had a Valentine's party during afternoon snack time. The Friday crew is pretty small and consists of five full-time kids one of whom had gone home sick earlier in the day. That's okay. We still had quite the party.

Griff and I attended along with Ethan's mother and enjoyed snack time and playing afterwards. It's funny to see Madelyn in her element with her buddies. By the way, she's (a) the youngest in the room and (b) the only girl on Fridays.

In honor of the party, they had more snacks than they would normally. Snacks included bananas, mini cupcakes, Cheetos puffs, cookies, and water. Our sweet, little girl wanted only the bananas. While the boys were more than happy to inhale their cupcakes, Madelyn was willing to eat everyone's bananas, and only bananas. I wonder how much longer that preference will last?

1st Birthday Bash

For our family and friends who couldn't make it, here are a couple of pictures from Madelyn's 1st birthday bash a few weeks ago. A swell time was had by all especially the star of the day...

Madelyn!

Sippy cup blues

We've got 'em.

Madelyn is not interested in the sippy cup. We've tried several different brands and styles and she still refuses them all. She'll put the spout of a few of them in her mouth and take very small sips but other than that, there isn't much happening in our house in terms of sippy cup usage.

We (Madelyn) started in the toddler room full-time this week so she's had a lot of change. She's exhausted and teething on top of it. I'm not completely surprised that she's regressing to the bottle but just hope that next week brings our sweet, little Madelyn back.

And the Moment We've All Been Waiting For...

Walking began a little befrore Christmas but -- with the help/influence on aunts, uncles, and grandparents -- really took off Christmas eve. Now that she's reached the one and walking milestone, she can transition at school from the infant to the toddler room. Look out, world! Here she comes!

Rainbow Brite

The wagon is one of Madelyn's favorite new things. She keeps her most prized possessions (Dusty-cat, Sophie the giraffe, her cell phone, Felix) in it and pushes it back and forth. The only down side is that she can't figure out how to take it up the steps with her. But, with her determination, I'm sure it's only a matter of time.

Thanks, Grandpa and Nany Judy!

Merry Christmas

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.