new signs

maddie has started signing "story" back to us (excitedly) when we ask her if she is ready for a "story". that one might be my favorite. she also added "eat" to the rotation this morning. she was signing to ask me for "more" to "eat" as a way to say that she was ready for breakfast. of course her signs aren't perfect, but they are easily identifiable.

she also started walking more with her lion over the weekend. the cute (or not so cute) part is that when she hits the end of her straight line of walking (a wall, the couch, or some other immovable object blocking her forward movement), she tries to turn it for a minute and then sits down to cry until we help her out by turning it around so that she can go back the other way. she really likes this walking upright thing!

i think that she is hitting another growth spurt. she has been sleeping more lately. last night she slept almost 12 hours, took a 3 hour morning nap, and then a 2-1/2 hour afternoon nap! we will just have to see how much she shoots up. the only thing is that her appetite hasn't increased like it has with other growth spurts. in fact, the funny thing is that she is more interested in nursing lately! everyday is a surprise... love.

caught on tape - sort of

you have seen maddie's lion walker in other videos and pictures, but this is the first video where you will actually see her walking with it! previously the face of the lion had been more interesting than getting around with it. she went back and forth between the kitchen and fireplace, but decided to finish out on her knees when i finally got the camera.

then matt got home early tonight and he was able to film one of our favorite games "freestanding" that has now turned into "walk to mommy" (or "leap to mommy"). see how good she is getting?! (matt didn't know that orientation of the camera mattered so you'll have to tilt your head on the last two.)

that's it for tonight. love.

leaps and bounds

madelyn has learned several new skills over the past two days - not all of them are 'cute' either...

she has started to intentionally take steps from item to item. it is fun to watch the excitement in her face as she takes her wobbly steps from the couch, to the coffee table, to mommy - you get the idea. she also started to do something else intentionally today - drop her food on the floor!

besides breakfast she refused to eat anything on a spoon today. so i pulled out a variety of finger foods instead. she had deli chicken, beans, cheerios, cubed mozzarella, mandarin oranges, mango, and veggie/rice noodles. she would eat what she wanted and then drop the rest on the floor. then she would sign for "more". as long as it was chicken or cheerios. those are the only foods that didn't end up on the floor. she would eat everything else, it was just when she was getting full that she would start dropping it on the floor. (daddy was having a hard time not laughing at her - oops.)

she can now open all of the cabinets and drawers in the house. she will just take off for the kitchen and open the first cabinet she comes to and starts pulling things out. it's amazing how quickly she can get into the cabinets! we are hoping that we can teach her not to open them like we were able to do with the fireplace doors.

after coming up from playing with the dogs i decided to let maddie try the stairs. she crawled up the entire flight of stairs all by herself. when she got high enough to see the baby gate at the top she stopped and sat on the stair she was on. it was if she needed to take another look at where she was because she wasn't used to being on that side of the gate. she has climbed stairs before but never this many.

i can't wait to see what tomorrow will bring! love.

home sweet home

we made it home, safe and sound. maddie slept the first 4 hours and woke up just before we got to ikea (outside chicago). we spent about 2-1/2 hours there and then maddie slept the rest of the drive home (about 2 hours). she even went to bed early! we got maddie the bead "roller coaster" pictured and a stuffed ostrich (ikea has the most random stuffed animals).

madelyn was really excited to be back home! it was so cute how excited she was to see each and every one of her toys. she was all over the place today happily playing by herself. you can get an idea about her enthusiasm in this video (she has some trouble standing up and walking because of a stuffed animal on the ground).

today maddie had her 9-month check-up and here are the stats - height-30-3/4 inches (99.83 percentile), weight-20lbs. 10oz. (79.57 percentile). luckily, there were no shots today! maddie also got a clean bill of health which was a relief. the fever and slight crankiness are just from teething - yeah!

one more quick story. madelyn has pulled her hair bows out of her hair for a while now, but on saturday she tried to put them back in. isn't that so cute?! she just kept trying to put it back in where she pulled it out.

indoor fun

we are having a really nice time visiting with everyone here in indiana. we have spent the last two days visiting with matt's grandma and visiting with his dad's side of the family in the evenings. tonight we had an easter dinner with most of the g. clan. great uncle dennis and great aunt joy have lots of things set up for their grand kids to play with when the weather isn't ideal for playing outside. first we tried the "jumping johnny" (sp?). madelyn was probably a little old for it because she kept trying to walk away and ended up just turning in circles most of the time. we decided that since she doesn't have the 'pushing off' reflex any more that she just didn't get it. this was the only time she really tried to "bounce".

then great uncle dennis hung up the swing and madelyn had some help swinging. this was a big hit! (as you will hear.)

then they have their garage heated as an extended playroom. the older kids enjoyed pulling madelyn in a wagon behind the toy pedal tractor that was built by grandpa wendell and has been enjoyed by many generations on the farm. (dennis added the wheel covers to protect little hands.) madelyn was have a great time and only tried to get out in this video. and don't worry - dennis spotted her the whole time and there were not any injuries! :)

madelyn has her 9 month check up on monday morning, so i probably won't post again until after that. we think that she might have another ear infection. she has been pretty clingy, a little fever-ish, and pulling on her right ear. that is the same ear that she had the last infection in. i hope that is not it and that it is just teething. we'll see. she has had lots of smiles and laughs for everyone so that gives me hope for a clear check-up.

i think that we are all ready to head home tomorrow though. good night. love.

good signs

madelyn is getting pretty good at signing. well, maybe "pretty good" is being generous, but at least i can understand some of her gestures. she can sign "milk", "more" (her version that is just holding her hands), and tonight she added a "drink" sign. and she waves "hi" too - very enthusiastically.

i have added beans to her morning porridge to make a 'complete protein' and round out a healthy vegetarian diet. we intend to add meat, but the food plan we are following does not include meat. plus, our doctor asked us to wait until she was at least 9 months old (its just her preference). we will probably add it after our next appointment on monday. other than beans lately we have added spinach, cucumber, flax seed, cheddar and feta cheeses, whole wheat pitas (buttered with tahini), and beets are next.

matt and nana took maddie to "lotza fun" today and she had the whole place to herself! i guess someone else was there when they arrived, but didn't stay much longer. i don't think that they were as impressed with "lotza fun" as i was, but then again, they don't spend as much time stuck at home with a crawler either.


maddie did try the "gerbil" tunnel with them today. i hadn't taken her over to that part of the room on our previous visits. it looks like she liked it! i think it helped that she has had a lot of practice crawling under our coffee table when the baskets are pulled out.

so now i have to finish packing. i have all of maddie's clothes, toiletries, and food packed but i need to get myself ready for our morning departure. love.

the nana visit

madelyn is having a great time with her nana. nana has learned that maddie has an insatiable appetite for her books! i keep joking that maddie is being spoiled because nana will read to her way longer than i will/can (i usually draw the line at 5 books per sit down).

madelyn is funny about being out and about running errands. sometimes she is just into taking everything in and doesn't really smile or 'talk' and sometimes she is just waving at everyone walking by and telling them "hi". i just never know when she is going to turn it on.
the first time we went to "lotza fun" madelyn was all over the place and tried to play with the other kids, the last time we went she just sort of stayed in one spot and played by herself. today she is going with dad and nana, so we will have to see what they report. i have to stay home and work today.

madelyn continues to amaze us with her fascination with climbing - over, under, in, out, on, ... you get the idea. here she is trying to climb up the middle of our bar stools. she has only gotten stuck enough to cry a handful of times. she can usually figure her way back out, even if it means literally backing up. and then she was smiling and basking in the glow of her paparazzi's (nana and dad) camera flashes trying to capture the moment.

tomorrow we are off on our first car trip with maddie. we are driving to indiana so that she can meet some more of her family. it should take us 4 - 5 hours depending on chicago traffic and how many times maddie needs to eat.

easter has come early for madelyn. her nana brought her this neat bunny that plays hide-and-seek (and many other gifts of clothes and books). you turn the bunny on, fold its hat brim over its eyes, and hide it. then it calls out for her to come and find it. she did a great job looking for it and then when she finds it, you flip the brim up and the bunny gives a "whoo-hoo". madelyn really likes it. (it is yellow with a while hat that you can sort of see in the picture and is from hallmark if you want one of your own.)

then she got a package from her grandma z. (and big pop) with some more easter goodies. one was a plastic carrot bat and ball. maddie really liked the ball, but later discovered that the bat could be fun too - seen in the picture. notice that she is 'free' standing with both hands on the bat and not leaning with her belly. before my camera battery died, i got some video of her playing with a big flower they sent too (she was making happy giggles/yells, but i missed that part).



in case i don't get another post up this weekend - happy easter! remember the remarkable power of God and be humbled by his love for us all. love.

doggie(s) in the window

madelyn loves her dogs! she spends a good part of her time at the glass sliding doors 'talking' to them. and if she is eating in her high chair - the meal is over when she can see the dogs (or at least there is an intermission in the meal). she races over to the door and bangs on them and 'calls' the dogs until they come up on the deck where she can see them.

she was doing this really high-pitched, squealing laugh at them today, but i missed it every time. so here is a video of her laughing at them in between sliding the door stop back and forth on the track (another favorite pastime).


she has also learned how to get her toys out for playing (see video). although she is more interested in the container's lid than the toys. she can also open the kitchen cabinets to get whatever might be inside them. fortunately she understands the word "no" and will stop in her tracks when i say it.


and here she is dressed for church this morning. nothing says spring in wisconsin like a bright colored dress over a long sleeve t-shirt and snow boots! what can i say? it's a look. what you can't tell from the picture is that she was waving her arm around wildly and loudly talking to her daddy.

we are getting ready to go out to the airport and pick up nana. we are meeting up with papa and some extended family in indiana on friday for easter weekend. it will be the first time that the indiana crew is meeting maddie, so we are really looking forward to the visit. ta-ta for now. love.

free standing

madelyn is getting really good at 'free standing'. she does best when she is holding something else in her hand(s) because it tricks her into thinking that what she is holding is keeping her upright. here she is this morning standing next to her highchair and playing with the straps. she would drop them and reach out and pick them up again. she must have stood like this for close to 3 minutes!

and then later in the day she would let go of the coffee table, look at me, and then take a step to the couch. she was so excited each time she went back and forth that i tried to get a video of her. unfortunately, she fell down at the end of this clip, but you can see how excited she was about her last successful pass. (note that the 'walking' was possible because she is holding her little dog.)




i took some pictures yesterday with my phone at playgroup and just uploaded them today. dylan (who just turned one this week) was trying to kiss madelyn. he was trying to balance on her which is why they both ended up on the ground 'making out'. let's just say that there was a lot of saliva involved! what will her father think?

matt finally comes home tomorrow and maddie and i can't wait to pick him up! love.

sleep update

madelyn is now sleeping like an angel. i came back up and trying nursing again. she ate great and is now sleeping peacefully. it must be the time change and she wasn't hungry enough yet or just didn't want to go to bed. who knows.

she has also started to cry when i stop reading to her. she gives me enough time to set the book we finished down, but if i don't pick up another book immediately then the waterworks start. she just can't get enough stories! i guess that it is a good thing, but these little fits are not cute.

good night. love.

crying break

this morning was great. we got matt off to the airport and maddie did great at playing and being her happy self while i worked. then she took a two hour nap from 11 to 1 and that was the end of normalcy.

she has just been off all afternoon and evening. she refused to go down for an afternoon nap even though she was exhausted. so it was a mix of laughing and crying all afternoon. after work i went to the grocery store to pick up a few things and she slept for a few minutes in her car seat on the way home. she even let me transfer her to her crib for another 30 to 40 minutes of sleep.

here is a video of her happy after that short nap. she really likes crawling behind our curtains and playing peekaboo although the camera distracted her a little. sometimes she peaks from the side and sometimes she lifts it over her head. this is one of our favorite after dinner games.

right now she is up in her room crying. she won't nurse, she won't feed from a bottle, nothing. she just wants to cry. so i am taking a break and blogging. she is starting to settle down so we will see if she goes down for the night or not.

i am hoping that this is just an adjustment to the time change and not a prolonged new phase. only time will tell...

i am heading back up to check on her and maybe trying feeding her again now. before i leave i had to take this picture of her sleeping last night. isn't she sweet snuggled up with her teddy bear? love.

the blur

maddie has a new super hero name - "the blur". i have been having the most difficult time getting a picture of her lately! even with the action setting on the camera with rapid shutter speed a hand or something is a blur in the picture. not to mention the very sight of the camera sends her racing towards me to grab it. this was the best shot out of like 20 and even here the comb is blurry. please notice her new hairdo. i figured that it was appropriate for her overalls.

she has discovered that she can stand on her own. she has been testing this ability off and on for the past day or two. it sort of surprises her at first and then she gets excited and sits down to come get me. she will take a step here and there, from the coffee table to the couch, from the coffee table to me, etc. but no major walking yet. i think that she will be there within the next month, but we'll see.

she also took her climbing to the next level today - literally! she used her entertainment/activity table to climb herself up onto the ottoman. she was so proud of herself and kept clapping and squealing. she was even able to back herself off feet first without falling!

as promised here is some video of her intentionally shaking the water out of her sippy cup. if i give her the sign for "drink" she will stop and drink it instead - or if not, the cup goes away.



we take matt to the airport tomorrow morning so it will just be us girls until saturday night when matt gets home. and then nana (matt's mom) is getting here on sunday. so while i will be busy over the next few days, my nights will be free so i shouldn't miss many posts. thanks to all of you who read about maddie's day-to-day activites. love.

quick tricks

i only have a few minutes tonight because i need to continue preparing for my work week. matt was nice enough to help me out by watching maddie for a few hours this afternoon so that i could spend some time in my office - alone.

madelyn has taught herself two new tricks today. first, she has learned how to lay herself down slowly on her back. its like a really slow reverse sit up. and then she just lays on her back for a minute as if enjoying a job well done. its the only time in a long time that i have seen her lay so still while on her back without being asleep (and even then she never really stayed on her back for very long).

next, she has learned how to make it 'rain' in her highchair. we don't use spill-proof cups while at home, just the old school snap on sippy lids. well maddie has learned that if she lifts her cup towards her head quickly she can make the water splash out and fall like rain. what's even funnier is that she tilts her head down and closes her eyes when she does it so that it doesn't get in her eyes. at least it is only water...

okay. i have to run now. i am trying to come up with some more interesting topics/themes for my entries this week since i feel that my writing has lost its enthusiasm over the past couple of weeks. until tomorrow. love.

so how's this thing work any way?

one of the things i enjoy most about madelyn is that she is so inquisitive. it is just part of her active nature - she wants to see and do everything. if she can reach it she wants to touch it, hold it, taste it, climb over it, climb on it, etc.

although, it does have it's downsides too. for instance she was standing near my printer and like a ninja reached out and pulled a cord loose inside it so that it doesn't work any more! i think i have come up with a way to fix it, but still. she definitely keeps me on my toes!

sometimes she is so serious when we are out and about because she is concentrating so hard on everything going on around her. she is so happy and excited while playing, but when out and about (and strapped down) she isn't always as free with her smiles.

not to say that she doesn't smile and carry-on, believe me she giggles and screams just not always on demand. love.

shape sorter fun

i was telling matt about how i built a tower out of maddie's shape sorter blocks today and she thought that it was really funny. i don't know why she thought that it was funny, but she did. she would giggle while i was stacking the blocks but then had no reaction when the fell (which is when most kids laugh). matt and i tried stacking the blocks to make her laugh after dinner tonight. that didn't work. so matt was just playing with the round ones getting them to pop up in the air and one hit maddie. well that was hysterical! she liked it when they hit her. here is a little video towards the end of our fun so she was starting to loose steam from laughing so long. love.

higher and higher

madelyn continues her training for mount everest by finding new ways to climb higher and higher. (matt is just off camera so don't worry about her falling. by the way she didn't fall, she got herself down safe and sound.) she tried to climb even higher after the picture, but couldn't get her foot to the window.

she has also realized that she can reach the water/ice dispenser part of the refrigerator. luckily she isn't quite tall enough to reach the controls - yet.

since she has learned that she can't open the fireplace doors, she looks for other ways that she can interact with the fireplace. today she tried scratching, climbing (pulling up on), and biting the stones. i think that she really loves the texture and cool feeling of the fireplace stones. i did add a blanket to cover the corners so that we don't have any more bloodshed. although, really, with madelyn i have the feeling there will be more in my future!

speaking of bloodshed... as you can see, even with her busted lip, madelyn is still a "pretty girl". she had a great night's sleep and a really great day! i was able to get a lot of work done because she is learning not to touch the things in my office that she shouldn't. plus, she played nicely in her crib while i had a video conference this afternoon. i was actually surprised that she did so well. this was the longest that she played in her crib without crying about being alone (and contained).

what can i say? madelyn was so good to me today! love.

fat lip

just as i was about to complete my post today, madelyn did a nose dive (or rather a mouth dive) trying to climb over a container in the basement office. opps! that lead to some tears, blood, and one swollen upper lip.

all is well now, but she was not a happy girl...

i have to run to an hoa meeting now. i am very late! love.

new skills

madelyn has a few new skills since my last post. the first is captured in this video.

yes, she can open the fireplace doors now. luckily she hadn't gotten into the ash (until today that is). if i tell her "no" when she grabs a handle she will slowly let go and move on to something else.

Here is a list of her other new skills:

1. turning in a circle - she figured out how to turn herself in a circle over and over as a way to move across the room on sunday. she really thought that it was funny. and kept doing it again and again. she would basically sit, turn to crawl, and sit again - or something like that.

2. climbing over and under the same object - her climbing is getting a little out of control. she will not crawl under one side of a chair and then over the other side. or she got stuck with her hands and feet off the ground trying to climb over a shelf, under a little table. but she was able to get herself unstuck without getting too upset about it.

3. palming a volleyball - okay so the ball is about a third the size of a real ball, but still. she has taken a real interest in rolling balls lately. it started when we went to the "lotsa fun room" on friday with the ball pit and an oversized exercise ball they had. the video doesn't really show how well she can palm her volleyball because it doesn't usually take her so many tries. (she is also holding one of the newest items in her box of kitchen wares - the wisk. again, she likes to watch it roll and the rubber handle is a gum pleaser.




4. holding things in both hands - she really takes more of an interest in what she is holding and will hold something while she is crawling (instead of just carrying it in her mouth). she also likes to bang both objects together for extra noise and fun.

she is definitely a handful! and a new napping pattern has immerged. she now takes one nap from 10 - 1 and maybe a small half-hour nap at 3. this has made for a cranky girl at the end of the day and an earlier bedtime. she has been so ready for bed that she just folds over in my lap and starts sucking her thumb, no books and no nursing. i have to remind her to eat before going to sleep for the night! i guess it is just the nap transition.

one last note. i always jokingly call her "giant baby" but when i went to the doctor on monday he asked how old she was. when i said 8 months he did a double take and asked how tall her dad is because he was going to guess that she was 15 months! love.