i'm here and i'm loud - get used to it!

i have mentioned before that maddie really loves the sound of her own voice... well now she has taken it to a whole new volume level! she sounds like she is stuck or angry half the time, but she is actually happy and enjoying the noises she can make. yesterday we went to the grocery store and she wanted everyone to know that maddie was in the house. i had read that when they go through this volume stage that you should call it "singing" when out in public because it makes people less annoyed by what sounds like screaming. she was really going at it after her mid-morning meal, so i got some of her noise on video but she had definitely settled down a little by the time i got the camera. enjoy...

i found some smaller cups for maddie to use. it was more difficult to find them than i thought it would be. everything is spill proof or too big. i found these at toys-r-us and they are old school with the snap-on lids with spouts like i had as a kid. she loves them! when we use a sippy cup she has no interest in holding it to drink, but the second a real cup comes out she is reaching for it and has her mouth open. i will admit that more of the water stays in her mouth with the sippy cup, but not much more. she was actually holding the cup with both hands and putting to her mouth on her own today but when it occurred to me to get some pictures or video of it she was done with eating and drinking for the time being. i did get one picture where you can see how she puts her mouth on the rim.

i am going to close with the one thing that i have been having a lot of trouble with...baby straps and buckles. every single thing we have for maddie that has a buckle i have caught my finger in and drawn blood! tonight it was her bouncy seat. in trying not to catch her belly or bare skin in the buckle i cover it with my own hand and catch a fingertip. i have done it on the bouncer, both strollers, and the baby carrier. its probably just me since i could hurt myself with just about anything, but, man, i am running out of bandaids!

that's all for tonight. love.