Some thoughts

Tonight I am flooded with emotions as I think of Madeline's 1st Birthday only being a couple hours away. I am happy, excited, and sad all at the same time. I can't believe how fast this year has flown by. Alan and I were watching videos of her tonight and it seems like it was just yesterday. It is also scary to think that there are things that she did that were so unbelievable cute that I completely forgot about! Good thing we have the technology we have. I am so excited for the next phase that she is about to enter and I am excited to watch her grow and learn even more! When we found out we were pregnant it was such a wonderful day. I remember it like it was yesterday. I knew I was going to love being a Mom and that it was going to be incredible. My expectations have been far exceeded. She makes life so much more fun!

The first time I laid eyes on her, it was love at first sight. I was filled with so much joy I thought my heart was going to burst into a million pieces. When she laid on me and looked at me with those big blue eyes I knew I was about to embark on one of the most amazing journeys. It has been incredible! I love her so much and I feel so blessed to be her Mother. She is so much fun and brings so much joy to our lives! 

11 months

Today Madeline turned 11 months old. I find myself getting extremely emotional to think that next month we will have a one year old. Where did the time go? Anyways, that is not for another month so I won't worry too much about it yet. Madeline is the happiest baby. She always just goes with the flow and is happy as long as people are paying attention to her. She loves to play and be social. She loves to giggle and smile. She brings so much joy to us and we just adore her.

Here are some things that Miss Madeline does at 11 months:

• She loves to clap her hands
• She gives kisses, she will put her lips to your cheek and make the cutest little noise.
• She can stand on her own for about 15 seconds takes a step and falls over.
• She loves to play pat-a-cake.
• She loves to eat but mostly when she can feed herself. She will stuff as much food as she can in her cheeks until she gags and has to spit it out.
• She loves to look at books. She will go over to her bookcase and pick a book and look through it.
• She loves to drink water and not out of a sippy cup but out of straw.
• She loves to hide and crawl through small spaces.
• She loves to crawl into the kitchen and pull down the dishtowels off the oven.
• She loves to run with her walker across the living room.
• She insists on standing up in the bathtub which makes it extremely difficult to bathe her.
• If she is playing with or doing something that she isn't suppose to and she gets removed she gets very upset and has a mini tantrum but most of the time she can be distracted with something new.
• She thinks other kids are hilarious. She will laugh hysterically at kids just running around because they are kids!
• She got her very first tooth on 10/29/2013
• She loves to hang upside down
• She does this new thing where she throws her head back and smiles or laughs. Its pretty cute!

Madeline has matured so much over the last couple months and I can slowly see her turning into a toddler. The only time she seems like a baby is when I hold her in my arms to nurse her. My heart burst every time she crawls over to me, looks at me with those bright blue eyes, and reaches up for me. I knew that I would love being a Mom but no one prepared me for how much I would love her and all those precious moments that come with it. Madeline is so much fun and keeps are lives busy and fun. She is such a blessing and truly brings us so much joy! Madeline We love you!

 Oh and if someone has a solution to slow time down please, send me a message!

10 Months!

Madeline Nicole has turned 10 months old! Double digits (Yikes!!!) I know I say this in every post but time has gone so unbelievably fast. I can't believe that in two short months I will have a one year old. Lets not even go there..... Madeline is so much fun! She is a firecracker! She loves to play and does not want to sit still for 30 seconds. She doesn't even want to sit and eat because she just wants to be on the go! She is so happy all the time and loves attention from anyone who will give it to her. She loves to play with other kids and doesn't want to be left out of anything. I have so much love for this little girl words can't even begin to express it. I feel so lucky to be her mom and that I get to spend all day everyday with her. She makes our lives so fun and busy and I don't know how we went so long without her.

Here are something Miss Madeline does at 10 months:

• She loves to wave. She waves at anyone and everyone!
• She still loves to point, I am pretty sure she wont learn to talk because she will just point.
• She loves to play the game: Cut the Pickle. She cuts the pickle with her mouth and then giggles uncontrollably when we tickle her. It melts my heart every time.
• She loves to hide from us. She loves to crawl in the smallest spaces until she gets stuck and can't get out.
• Her favorite finger foods are Gerber Lil Crunchies. She could eat the whole can in one sitting.
• She has several different smiles. Her newest smile is where she smiles with her mouth open and squints her eyes. Alan and I will do this back to her and it can on for several minutes.
• She loves to scream, most of the time it is a happy scream or I am so excited scream.
• She doesn't like when we take something away from her, she instantly throws a temper tantrum but can move on quickly.
• She hates getting dress, she cries,crawls, or rolls away. It takes a very long time to get her ready for anything.
• She also hates getting her diaper changed.
• She loves to empty boxes or bins until there is nothing left inside them.
• Her favorite places to play are the kitchen and the bathroom. We keep the bathroom doors closed but occasionally she will sneak into the bathroom and likes to unroll all of the toilet paper off the roll.
• She loves to play with the door stoppers. They keep her entertained for a long period of time.

I could go on forever! She is so much fun! Watching her learn and grow everyday is amazing. Madeline truly is such a blessing to our family. We absolutely adore her and can't imagine life without her! We love you Madeline!

9 Months

Getting a picture of her holding still is very difficult lately!

I can't believe Miss Madeline turned 9 months old a few days ago. It seems like just yesterday she was still in my tummy. I don't know what is harder for me the fact that she is 9 months old and always on the go or the fact that in 3 short months she will be a year old. Words cannot describe how precious this little girl is. She is so sweet and cute but she is also so curious and into everything, and when I say everything I mean EVERYTHING! She definitely keeps us on our toes! She loves to explore the world and around her. She is very methodical and strategic when she moves and always thinks things through. 

Here are some things that Madeline does at 9 months:

• She loves to laugh. Sometimes She will start hysterically laughing out of nowhere.
• She has started to point. It will be at something she wants or at people's faces. She also just likes to point for fun!
• She has gotten really good at picking up finger foods. She is still sometimes unsure about the texture and if she likes it.
• She has no teeth yet!
• She loves to talk and babble. She says things like Da da, La La, and Ya ya. 
• She loves to dance. She likes to bounce up and down.
• She has gotten so good and crawling! 
• She pulls herself up onto the furniture and is getting stronger and faster at it. Her favorite place is the T.V. stand, she tries to crawl up into the shelves.
• She is starting to cruise along the furniture. It terrifies me!
• She is growing out of her "baby" toys and wanting to play with things more advance.
• She gets into everything, you name it and she finds it. She is so tiny that she can fit into the tiniest little spaces. She is very sneaky.
• She is a great baby. While my parents were here she missed a lot of naps and was happy to go along for the ride and was hardly ever cranky. We took her everywhere, even restaurants and she was so well behaved.
• She is so good at just going with the flow. We love it!
• She does have a little bit of a feisty personality. She has a good set of lungs and is not afraid to use them. But she recovers quickly and moves on to the next thing.
• She loves the beach. She crawls in the sand. She loves to pick it up and get it everywhere. She has just discovered seashells and loves to put them in her mouth. She loves the ocean, she loves to just sit in the surf and let the little waves hit her. 

 These are just a few things, I could seriously sit here all day and write about all the adorable things she does but instead I am going to go play with her.

Madeline we love you! Thank you for bringing such joy to our lives every single day! 

Miss Madeline's 6 months photos

Before we left Utah I asked Alan's sister Shayla if she would take some photos of Madi. She did an A-mazing job! We absolutely love them! I couldn't have asked for anything more. She was able to capture some pretty adorable faces and moments! I L.O.V.E them!

I do also have to give some of the credit to the Model! She is also amazing and pretty dang cute!

8 Months

It happened again. Madeline keeps growing up even though I keep begging her to stop. Miss Madeline is 8 months old this week. Time is just flying by. She has grown up a lot in this last month. She is so much fun! Alan and I can't get enough of her, we absolutely adore her! 

Here are some things Madeline does at 8 months:

• She officially started crawling last week, and has been on the go ever since.
• She loves to hide from us, she loves to go under tables and chairs.
• She loves to go where she isn't suppose to, she loves to get into things she is not suppose to. Her favorite toys are remotes, cell phones, paper, cords, and shoes. 
• She is trying to stand up on her own. She has not figure out how to get close enough to the furniture to pull herself up yet.
• She loves to roll around in her crib. She sticks her arms and legs through the bars and then cries when she gets stuck.
• She is very curious, she loves to explore all that is around her.
• She loves the water. She loves to go to the pool and slash around. She is also fascinated by the ocean.
• She loves to eat food! She loves everything she has tried. She use to love peas but now she gags when we give them to her. She is starting to eat finger foods, she is not quite sure about those yet.
• She loves her play dates with Levi. They are seriously so cute together! I know they are going to be the best buds!
• She loves to jump up and down in her bouncer. She giggles and sequels the whole time!

We love you Madeline! You are so special and you bring us happiness everyday!  

7 months

Miss Madeline is 7 months! She is just getting more and more fun each months she grows up! I will say that there are days where I miss her sweet little newborn moments but to watch her grow up is incredible! Madeline has definitely had her little world rocked these past couple months with moving clear across the country and all but she has just showed us how strong and resilient she is! She has taken all of these changes like a champ! I am so proud of her!

Here are some things that Madeline does at 7 months:

• She loves to chew and suck on tags. They can be on clothes, blankets, toys, whatever. She finds them and enjoys herself.
• She can sit up all by herself. She has gotten so strong.
• She reaches for us, it makes my heart burst! I just can't refuse when she opens those cute little arms for me.
• On our long road trip whenever we would stop and go to get her out, she would get so excited to see the door open and see us. She would kick her legs and arms and sequel with excitement! Now this is a regular thing for her, it doesn't matter if we have only been in the car 10 minutes!
• She has traveled to 11 states! 
• She is starting to show signs of crawling, she gets in the position and rocks back and forth.
• She has her daddy's voice box. She looses her voice very easily. She loves to talk!
• She is now starting to sleep unswaddled. (yes we swaddled our child for 7 months, and she loved every minute of it!) she wakes her self up a lot. This has been a very hard transition for her. It breaks my heart. I am not excited to break the habit of the paci. 
• She loves to eat food. Her favorite food is still peas.
• She loves to pull hair, sometimes it is even her own.
• She has just discovered her tongue, She loves to stick it out. A few nights ago it took her an hour to get to sleep cause she kept sticking her tongue out, her paci just kept falling out. She thought it was hilarious until she got too tired and couldn't understand what the heck was going on. 
• She likes to sit up in the bath tub, she now plays with bath toys and loves to splash around. 

Madeline I can't imagine what life would be like without you, and I don't want to! You bring us joy, love, and happiness everyday! We love you!! oh and if you could please stop growing up, we would really appreciate it!

6 months

I can't believe Madeline is already 6 months old! I know I say this all the time but it is so true.... Time goes by way too fast! It is so fun to watch her change and grow every month. I feel like she has changed a lot from 5-6 months. Her cute little personality is coming out more and more and we absolutely adore her! She is so social. She loves attention and will show off. If you aren't watching her she will just get louder until you pay attention to her. To say this child is spoiled would be an understatement. She is extremely spoiled by everyone and she loves it! 

Here are some things that Madeline does at 6 months:

• She has started to eat solid foods. She has tried bananas, apples, sweet potatoes, carrots, and pears. Pears are definitely her favorite so far. 
• She loves to get messy when she eats, she has to hold her spoon herself and stick her fingers in her mouth. 
• She is very good at rolling over, tummy time does not exist at our house anymore. Once she is on her belly she just flips right over. She is starting to roll from her back to her tummy but then she remembers she doesn't like her tummy so she stops herself :)
• She is sitting up all by herself. She loves to play this game where she sits on our bed and then falls backwards. She thinks it is so funny, it wont be funny when its not something soft!
• She loves little kids, she loves to "talk" to them and laugh at them. She adores the little girls I nanny for. 
• She loves to play! Her toys, stuff animals, or anything she can find around the house are her favorite things!
• She is the tiniest little baby, she is only in the 2%. Her ped says it doesn't matter she looks great and healthy!
• She is so easy going. We are so lucky! She will sleep and eat anywhere. She always goes with the flow and is happy as long as we are all together.
• She loves to sing. Whenever we sing to her she hums along or just smiles at us.
• She has discovered her feet. She loves to play with her toes and feet. On occasion she has also been seen putting her toes in her mouth!

It is amazing to me how much I love this precious little girl. My love for her grows every single day. She has also made me love Alan more too for giving me this sweet little girl. I cannot imagine life without her. She melts my heart every day with her bright blue eyes, crazy hair, and her sweet little smile. I just can't get enough of her! We adore her so much and love how she completes our family. 

Miss Madeline we love you! 

5 months old

Miss Madeline turned 5 months old on Tuesday. I can't believe how fast she is growing up and how much she changes from month to month. It is such a joy to watch her grow and discover new things. I wish time would slow down a bit, I feel like the last 5 months have flown by with a blink of an eye. Our time with her is so precious and we absolutely adore her!

Here are some things Madeline does at 5 months:

• She loves to smile and giggle. Every time I hear her sweet little giggle it makes my heart burst into a million pieces.
• She is so loud. She loves to babble and scream. She has just discovered that she can also scream really loud while crying.
• She loves to suck and chew on everything.
• Her favorite toy is Sophie. She loves to chew and suck on the squeaky Giraffe. We can't leave the house with it.
• She likes to chew on her paci, she has also learned how to pull it out of her mouth and throw it across the room but she loves it at nap time and while going to sleep.
• She loves to pick up her toys and hold them all by herself. She is such a big girl now.
• She always gives Alan the biggest smile when he gets home from work. It melts my heart.
• She loves to touch your face, she reaches up to grabs your lips or your nose or just to give you a little love.
• She has rolled over a few times but hasn't really figured it out. She is trying more now to roll from her back to her tummy.
• She still HATES tummy time. It is so hard because all she does is scream.
• She loves to stand, she is no longer content just sitting in your lap she wants to stand.
• She loves to sit up in her bumbo or on the couch
• She loves to hold your finger and has the tightest grip ever.
• She loves to drool and blow spit bubbles.

Oh how we love this little girl. She amazes me each and everyday. I love how perfectly she fits into our lives and completes our family. I just can't get enough of her! We love you Madi!

4 Months Old

Yesterday Madeline turned 4 months old. I can't believe I have a 4 month old baby. It feels like just yesterday we were in the hospital and she was so tiny and new. I love everything about this girl! It amazes me everyday how much my love for her grows. I just can't get enough of her! I feel so lucky that she is mine forever! Her little firecracker of a personality is coming out more and more each day and I just love it!

Here are some things that Madeline does at 4 months:

• She loves to play! She is the happiest when she is laying on her "gym" baby Eisenstein mat. She loves to grab the toys and links hanging above her. She gets so excited and kicks her legs when she makes the music go off.
• She loves to grab her toys and hold them.
• She laughs and giggles! It is the cutest sound ever.
• We have started taking her on walks now that the weather is a little nicer, we can't tell if she likes them or hates them. She has the same blank expression on her face the whole time.
• She sleeps all night! We are very lucky!
• She has major attachment issues. She loves me and her dad and won't go to anyone else unless she can see us. 
• She loves to be at home, she has tantrums if we leave the house.
• She loves to put her toys, burp cloths, and hands in her mouth. 
• She is trying so hard to roll over, she hasn't mastered it yet but hopefully soon.
• She hates tummy time, she will cry and cry until someone rolls her over.
• She loves bath time, she has learned how to kick her legs and splash all over!
• She loves to babble and scream. She is so loud!
• She loves to be swaddled!
• She loves her bedtime routine. She nurses, gets swaddled, has her vitamins, say our prayers, kiss her goodnight, turn her mobile on and leave her lamp on until the mobile is done. Once we turn her lamp off, BAM she is asleep within 30 seconds!
• She smiles all the time but as soon as you try to capture it with a photograph she gives you a straight face!

We are in love with this beautiful little girl! We feel like the luckiest parents in the world! We love you Madeline, Thank you for making our lives so complete!