birthday balloon belly laughs

these two were such a joy to listen to this morning playing with maddux' birthday balloons.  they were taking the turn towards fighting by the time i got to the camera but it is still cute.  love.

i promised this day would come...

..and they love that manning finally thinks they are funny!  love.

laughing baby

manning has started laughing at us.  and we like it!  if i tickle him or say "ha-ha", he will laugh.  he will also laugh at the kids if they don't move too fast and he can see them.  he is generally a pretty happy kid since getting to the three month mark.  it is such a nice change from the almost constant crying/screaming. (really, it wasn't that bad.  he wasn't colicy.  i don't know how people do it with a baby who truly cries all of the time!) love.

easy laugh

maddux is a very easy laughter (and smiler).  it takes almost no effort to make him laugh and he has a great laugh - except when there is a camera involved.  but i got some video of his belly laugh today.  i didn't realize how much i was shaking the camera until afterwards - sorry.  love.

dancing with maddux

madelyn likes to 'walk' maddux around the house.  i am not crazy about it, but he likes it and she supports him well.  today she was 'dancing' with him and he was just cracking up.  he thought that it was so much fun.  some of the novelty had worn off by the time i could get to the camera, but here are a few videos.  (it looks much rougher than it is and maddux laughed the entire time.  he actually looks for her when she stops.)  love.

touch my face!

madelyn loves to talk to maddux and cuddle with him (usually his head).  her enthusiasm, volume and speed usually result in maddux crying or a general startled expression.  i have been trying to help her understand that when she moves less and stays a little farther back, he can see her better and will smile/laugh more.

now that maddux has started reaching for objects (and my face), i knew that if she was patient he would reach for her.  and he did!  she was so very excited and pleased that she didn't move a hair while she was excited telling me, "he's touching my face!  he is touching my face!".

when she wanted him to do it again she held her head still but pointed to her face saying, "touch my face."  maddux found this hysterical and was belly laughing every time she said it while pointing.  she was getting a little too excited by the time i got the camera and he was moving towards startled/crying, but he gives one belly laugh/giggle.  love.

maddux pillow

for whatever reason, madelyn decided to use maddux as a pillow.  and, much to my surprise, he thought that it was hysterical. 

by the time it occurred to me to get the camera the novelty had started to wearing off and he didn't belly laugh like he had been but i think you can tell that he likes it.  love.

first laughs and 2-month check-up

i am so behind on posts!  where we have the computer set up isn't all that child-proofed so i am having a hard time getting my computer time in during the day.  that and madelyn is desperate for companionship while the boys are napping.  work is given priority for my after bedtime time - you know, cause they pay me.  so the next few posts might be picture with caption heavy to try and get caught up.

early last week i realized that mason was laughing.  i had heard him make happy noises that i thought were laughs, but i just thought that it was too early.  and then matt brought my "what to expect" book back from wisconsin and i realized that, no, i wasn't hearing things - he is laughing. 

so maddux had his first laugh about two weeks ago.  sorry that i didn't get the exact date, kiddo...

today i took him in for his two-month check-up with his new pediatrician.  i liked the doctor.  she was on the younger side and patiently listened to all of madelyn's explanations while we tried to talk about maddux (and mason) since the appointment was not for madelyn.  i like it when the doctor doesn't seem rushed - even though i know that she was in a hurry.

the appointment was at 9am and when i googled the office i guess i got an old address and had to reroute to the actual address.  it is a good thing that i always double travel time when i go somewhere for the first time to allow a 'getting lost' cushion.  what i don't understand is why they didn't mail me the 5-pages of information i needed to fill out for each boy ahead of time?  it isn't easy to recall dates and family history (and write it twice) while trying to watch small children who are exploring a new place - with a fish tank.  the kids really were well behaved and madelyn made a quick friend named "anna" that was about her age.  and there were crayons and color sheets to keep them busy too.  it just could have been easier.

i know i keep saying how huge maddux is and now i can prove it.  even by our family's standards, he is a very big boy!  here are his stats from today with madelyn and mason's at the same age for comparison:

height: 26-1/2 inches (madelyn - 25", mason - 25-3/4")
weight: 15-1/2 pounds (madelyn - 12# 5oz., mason - 14# 2 oz.)
head: 80th percentile

the nurse was rattling off the information so quickly i had to have her repeat it twice.  she just said "off the charts" for height and weight, no specific percentile.  given that mason has always been 97th and higher i can only guess that maddux must be in the 99th range.

the picture is from a few days ago.  that outfit is a size 9 months!  it is a little big but not by much.  he is pretty much wearing 6-9 months clothes and needs to move to a size 3 diaper (i am just trying to use up all the size 2 but he is blowing them out so regularly that i need to just cut my losses - maybe we will have a fourth...).  he has almost outgrown his "bundle me" on the carrier and has long since outgrown the miracle blanket for sleeping.  i think his size might have something to do with his still getting up once or twice a night (usually 1/2am and 5/6am on a two-timer).  although he did sleep 9 hours last night.  he just isn't very consistent and i can't figure out any obvious reason for the irregularity.  one thing that is consistent is his spitting up!  mason was such an easy baby because he could wear the same outfit all day.  maddux is like madelyn in that he blows out diapers and spits up so much that he wears about four outfits a day.

i am hoping that he learns to sit up early because this boy is going to need more calories!  the other two started solids around 4-months because they stopped sleeping through the night.  and not just that, but the carrier is already getting super heavy (and his feet are hanging off the end); i am going to be ready to ditch that thing the second he can sit up to ride in a cart.

so there is a little info on maddux.  he is the definition of "happy spitter" and couldn't be a sweeter baby - thank goodness!  love.

fun in the car

madelyn has been making mason laugh in the car by shrieking at him. last week he started to answer her shrieks with one of his own to make her laugh too. since i am usually driving, the opportunity for video isn't really there. this weekend though i was able to get a different version of the same game. love.

"mason has spots"

and you can imagine how excited the packed waiting room at the doctor's office was to hear madelyn call that out to the nurse when they called mason back. madelyn and i took mason to the doctor so that i could show them his dry skin at his worst. i have been going back and forth about whether i should bring him in but when i took off his pajamas this morning i knew that today was the day.

the dry skin patches are red and about the size of a quarter. this morning they were covering his entire chest and most of his belly. they don't really look like dry skin, more like raw skin. it doesn't seem to bother mason in the slightest, but i have been worried that it might leave scars. he does grab at his chest in a way that looks like scratching when his shirt is off. the doctor prescribed a steroid cream that should have him cleared up by saturday or she wants us to come back.

and here he is just being happy mason (and saying "ma-ma"). love.

family photos

we didn't have any luck with a family photo while we were in florida so i made an appointment to try again. plus, we haven't had any pictures of mason done yet and we had some taken of madelyn at 3 months. the photographer was so great and both kids were in great, cooperative moods. unfortunately mason feel asleep by the time we got to his individual shots.

mason was letting me tickle him today and this is just a taste since we was getting tired of laughing by the time i thought to get a camera.

i am heading off on my first business trip since having mason tomorrow. i am only going to be gone for 26 hours, but that is going to be long enough for all of us. matt will be home with the kids by himself for the first time. we will see how much i am missed... love.

sound of the day

today's sound of the day is...brooom. all-day-long.

she also claps her hands really well now. real, open-palmed, sound making clapping. she also does it every (some) time we say "yea"! or just for her own amusement. or when we go to get her out of her crib. actually, she does it a lot now. she was more interested in her toys than clapping, but you get the idea. i also like how she gets herself all excited and starts choking on the spit she sucked down.

lastly, i have another laughing video. for some reason she just thinks that it is hysterical for us to flip her toys at her like that. love.

miller time

yesterday we took the girls for a highly appropriate tour of the miller brewery. actually it was a very nice tour and madelyn laughed practically the entire time! "miller valley" is actually pretty with some great architecture and it is perpetually "miller time". here is a picture of maddie enjoying her free coaster at the end of the tour while the grown-ups enjoyed tasting the "champagne of beers".

she has finally come around to embracing the cold wind and seems to be invigorated by it. she used to gasp over and over again, but now she squeals, laughs and wiggles with delight.

but the day didn't start there, earlier that morning madelyn continued her work on improving her climbing skills (or as i call it "up-and-over") and got stuck under the kitchen table. here is a front and rear view for your enjoyment.













today's time with uncle brad, aunt abby, and cousin annabell was pretty brief but we took a few more pictures of the girls together before we left for breakfast on their way to the airport. here they are playing this morning at the house in matching outfits from grandma.

and then here they are with the deep snow while we were waiting for our turn to be seated at the restaurant. (don't worry - we were just outside for the picture. afterwards we went back inside.) we sat them on their changing pads so that they wouldn't cry from the cold on their bottoms. like i mentioned earlier, maddie loves the cold!

we officially had 16 inches of snow on wednesday and there are probably 20 or so behind them in the picture. the cold air is coming back tonight and with wind chill they are saying it will be -28 or 30 tomorrow. burrr!

let it snow, let it snow, let it snow

we got over 12 inches of snow today. it is still coming down so i will have to tell you the official total tomorrow. the malls were closed for the first time in over 20 years. and every thing else closed between 1 and 2 pm. so we stayed in all day. brad was nice enough to keep the driveway clear for matt today. then he and abby went and played in snow for a while and sledded down the side yard. tomorrow we are going to let the girls outside to 'play' in the snow too.

madelyn was extra giggly after her afternoon nap, but needed a little encouragement for me to catch it on film.



then the girls spent the afternoon playing together. the picture is of them playing in maddie's room with her noah's ark animals. annabell is really eager to keep up with madelyn. she is getting really good at standing up and getting up on all fours. she even said "da-da" for the first time tonight! brad (and abby) were really excited!

here is an activity that had them both in hysterics tonight. brad is hanging annabell upside down and raising her up and down while madelyn watches with excitement. very cute.



maddie has her first runny nose ever. hopefully it will be better tomorrow instead of worse. she doesn't have a fever so i think i am still going to have the playgroup over, but we'll see what the morning brings... love.

mommy's home

sorry to have not posted sooner (especially since matt didn't post while i was gone) but i had a lot to take care of when i got home and maddie had some cold (or teething) symptoms. she threw-up for the first time on wednesday and had a slight fever on thrusday. not to mention that her cough has gotten 'juicier'. i think that all of this is from her molars coming in and not from a bug.

as with every trip i take, she changed so much while i was gone! she waves 'hi' and brings her hands together when someone claps. she has also figured out the "daddy" sign. i am not sure that she knows what it means, but she will do it when we do it so that's something. right? she has become a regular chatter-box! she babbles pretty much all day from the moment she wakes up to the moment she goes to sleep. at least while we are at home. when we ran errands today she didn't say very much. i think that there is just so much to take in that she forgets everything else.

here is a video of us playing peek-a-boo around her cup after lunch yesterday. she is just so giggly. she is also starting to laugh when tickled. her neck, right armpit, and feet are her ticklish spots.



the picture at the top is one matt took of her climbing under the coffee table when i was gone. and this picture is one he caught of her 'carrying' her toys while she is crawling.

tomorrow her uncle brad, aunt abby, and cousin annabell are coming to visit for the week. we are really excited to see them! i will do my best to keep you up on all the action! love.

grandma has landed

as you can see grandma is here! and she brought a late Christmas with her. she is spoiling us all rotten and madelyn doesn't know what to do with herself she has so many new toys to look at and play with.

we spent all afternoon shopping today. i am exhausted! maddie did really fantastic. we were out from 12:30 until around 7:30 without any really crying from her. she ate two meals and snacks on the road. napped a little in her stroller, in the car, and in grandma's arms.

i love these disposable place mats for dining out. it is so great to just stick them on the table and maddie can eat her finger foods by herself, just like at home. i had a whole lunch box to carry around with all her yogurt, bananas, avocado, snacks, and water today. it actually worked out better than i thought. i think it helped that it was pretty cold today so the car itself was like a refrigerator as we ran around.

grandma is having fun feeding maddie:



grandma is also really having fun making maddie laugh! here is some video of them playing in maddie's room while i was working. i could hear them laughing so i went to see what was up. later grandma told me that she was teaching maddie to dance.



in un-grandma news maddie was grinding her teeth yesterday! i checked my "what to expect the first year" book immediately to see what i should do about it (because i am that sort of spaz). i guess it was just a new fun trick for her. she did it off and on during the day, but didn't do it at all today so maybe she is already over it. i hope so - that noise makes me crazy.

maddie continues to sleep pretty soundly for 10+ hours so i think we might be out of the bad trend i had created of feeding at night. cross your fingers for another good night tonight!

love.

happy birthday, Jesus!

while we all spend the day giving gifts to each other, we need to make sure and remember that God gave us the ultimate gift - the humble birth of his only son in a manger. my wish for maddie is that she grows to appreciate the sacrifice that would have been made even if it was only for her. God is so wonderful to love us all that much!

we were unbelievably blessed today! not only were we spoiled by matt's parents (aka santa), but we had a wonderful day of family togetherness and maddie had an eventful first Christmas.

daddy and uncle derek spent the afternoon playing with a wii they got for Christmas (they each got their own to take home with them) and i got a great new digital camera that takes a much higher quality picture than my old one. hopefully, this will improve your viewing pleasure in the future...

here is a video of maddie and nana playing before we started opening presents this morning. she has had so much fun with nana, papa, uncle derek, and max this week!



here is a picture of max and maddie sharing some fun in the high chair. every time we put her in for a meal, she starts to look around for her buddy max and when she sees him she starts to laugh. it finally paid off for max when we gave maddie a teething biscuit to chew on while we ate dinner. she dropped it once and he didn't touch it. she dropped it twice and he didn't touch it. but the third time and it was his! and she didn't mind one bit sharing her snack with her pal.

daddy gave her a bath tonight in the kitchen sink after she had her biscuit and got a little overzealous with rinsing her hair...

from our family to yours, merry christmas and to all a good night! love.

late night laughing

we were getting ready to put madelyn to bed tonight and i started bouncing her little bunny rattle on the ground which she found to be hysterical! i lightened the video as much as possible, but pretty much any video taken after 2pm is just going to be too dark. so enjoy the sound-track of her giggles. (she was just extra giggle-y today.) what is really amazing is how hard she can laugh without falling over (well until the end of the video anyway...)

and this picture just makes me laugh because of her hand on her hip. it looks like she wants to tell you a juicy secret.

good night. love.