11 Months

Madeline Claire you are ALMOST one year old! Where has the time gone? I feel like I remember exactly how it felt to be *patiently* awaiting your arrival this time last year. And oh how you made us wait. You have become such a wonderful little person. Every day with you is a new adventure and we are loving every moment!

At 11 months you...

• Wear a size 3 diaper
• Wear 9-12 months clothes
• Eat a breakfast of cereal, a snack of a banana shortly after, for lunch you will have a fruit and cereal plus whatever else we are eating, and for dinner you have a vegetable, cereal, and yogurt 
• Are known to eat off of our plates. You like spaghetti and quesadillas. 
• Walk behind all of your toys, you even push those that don't roll across the room, you will cruise down the furniture, but you have no interest in walking on your own. 
• Have 4 teeth now, your top 2 FINALLY came through
• Say Mama, Dada, and the beginning of Dog, you sign for more, and are starting to sign for milk and water
• Really like to point at everything, it is this cute point where your thumb sticks out... you look kind of ghetto!
• Dance along to music, you bounce up and down and shake your head left to right
• Sleep 12 hours still, with an afternoon nap thrown in as well
• Love to watch and laugh at bigger dogs, I think you think they are a super sized version of Turner
• Chase Turner and grab him now, luckily he just lets you
• Are now home with Daddy more, yay for new schedules!
• Do NOT like it if someone leaves the room, you just cry and cry
• Also don't like for us to get out of the car, even though we are coming around to get you out of your seat, it is not like you have ever been left in there so I don't really understand that one...
• Are SUCH a big girl now, but I love it when you will still snuggle in close to me and hold on tight... melts my heart every time

Maddie says, "I am super cool."

Meeting Friends, Old and New

When I went to Indiana University I made some wonderful friends! Unfortunately they all live a little too far away to see all the time. My friend Katie, also a teacher, lives in Columbus, OH, and had a daughter in February. My friend Holly, a nurse, lives in Indianapolis and is about to leave to become a travel nurse. Her first location looks to be Wyoming.

In December Madeline and I headed up to Columbus to go to Katie's baby shower and for them to be able to meet little miss. Now that Holly is leaving we all wanted to get together so she could meet the girls and I really wanted to meet Paige. We decided to meet in Cincinnati last Friday because it was about a 2 hour drive for everyone.

We originally planned to go to the Newport Aquarium, but they have a stupid stroller schedule and we weren't allowed to bring strollers in that day until after 4pm. So we decided to visit the Cincinnati Children's Museum first, and then head over to Newport for lunch. The museum was ok, it would definitely be better for big kids. Madeline had a place to crawl around and push things so she was happy. But we were inside in the air conditioning on a hot day so that was good.

A Surprise for Daddy!

On Saturday, July 30th I decided to have a surprise party for Brad honoring his accomplishment of making the Jeffersonville Fire Department. Luckily it was a success! He was surprised. I arranged with the guys he usually goes golfing with for an afternoon of golf and an arrival time back at our house sometime around 6:15. I alerted out family and friends and had everyone here around 6. Around 6:30 the boys arrived back and his words to me were "You did something." Yes, he was right, I sure did! We had about 50+ people stuffed into our house and backyard, it was packed! My Dad cooked out on the grill and we enjoyed cake and corn hole to round out the evening.

 Maddie has a special outfit just for the day!

 Cake table (the cake had an edible picture of a true Jeffersonville Fire Truck on it)!

 Surprise!

Good luck Daddy!

10 Months Old

 Madeline Clarie you reached DOUBLE digits!
You are just growing and changing everyday, here is what you are up to at 10 months old:

• Eat three "meals" a day and have a cup of milk after nap... no more bottles :-(
• Wear a size 3 diaper
• Say Mama  for everything and just recently added Dada into the mix
• Point at everything, we tell you what it is and then you move your mouth like you are trying to repeat what we said
• Sleep around 12 hours each night, with a 2 hour afternoon nap thrown in
• Cruise around furniture and are starting to really travel long distances walking behind a push toy
• Visited the beach for the first time and loved every minute of it
• Dance with your music table, you bounce up and down and shake your head side to side, ADORABLE
• Screech at things when you are trying to talk to them
• Follow us through the house
• Have a different crawl for different types of surfaces, if it is carpet then you are on your knees... if there is a bump, rug, tile, hardwood, cement, or sand your do a bear walk on all fours
• Love on Turner, you like to pet him which means you smack him... we frequently remind you to be nice

This picture is just so random I couldn't resist adding it, love the face!