Words

The time has come for censorship.  We've always watched what we say around Madelyn from the beginning.  Not that our language is that horrible but it's just easier to start early.  A friend of mine used to joke that her daughter was likely going to be the first child kicked out of pre-school for bad language due to her husband's lack of censorship.

At any rate, Madelyn is now repeating sounds and words.

Last night we read Love & Kisses before bed.  It's one of my bedtime favorites.  In the book, the little girl kisses her cat and then the cat kisses a frog, etc etc, until the kisses all come back to her.  At one point, a red-winged bird kisses a cow who laughs a great big "Moo!"  When we got to that part, I did the obligatory "Moo!" and Madelyn repeated.  She "Moo!-ed" a few more times until the book was done. It was really pretty sweet.

This afternoon, she and I were leaving the house to run errands.  We were at the steps putting on shoes when Felix hopped up on to the buffet in the dining room.  I yelled at him from across the room, "Felix, get down!" and Madelyn promptly followed up, "Get down."  I tried to get her to say it again but she wouldn't repeat it a second or third time.

I'm happy to have her mimic cow moo's and Felix disciplining.  Let's hope we continue down this path instead of the alternative.

On a side note, Madelyn's few words, that she says on her own, right now include: kitty, daddy, dog, all done, hi, and bye bye.  Dr Noah was pleased with her vocabulary at Thursday's 15-month check up.

Spoon

Did you know the correct way to use a spoon is to place the food on it with your thumb and forefinger and then put the spoon and food in your mouth?  Sweet Madelyn has found that to be quite an efficient way of using the spoon.  Of course, sometimes it's just easier to forgo the spoon and put the food directly in the mouth.

It's important to have options.  You never know when you might dine with the Queen.

Happy St Patrick's Day

"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