Sweet Summertime (15 Month Update)

My sweet girl is growing so fast. I fall more and more in love with her everyday. I know that all moms love their children, but for me to say I'm falling in love with her more and more triggers something deeper. Something more gratifying. There was once a time when I didn't know if I loved her. I didn't know if I even really liked her.

Now, she smiles at me, she kisses me, she hugs me. I love her love, and I love our relationship.
Madison is so much fun. She babbles constantly, but some of her favorite words are Dada, Hey, Dog, This, Bath, Uh oh, and go. Her favorite toys right now are a stuffed "cat cat" as she calls it, a little lap top, and anything that resembles a "daw dawg."

She has five teeth and still eats like a champ. She has only refused watermelon up until this day. She eats anything, seriously. She plays well on her own, and loves her bath time.

This girl is crazy in love with her dada.

She points to everything and can point to friends and family when asked "where's so and so?" She can identify her favorite characters of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Madison has taken 16 steps at once and is pretty much walking all over our living room. She is still unsure about her balance, but will be consistently walking soon.

We spent some time out in her new little pool this weekend, and she had a blast!

diez

Madison at ten months old.
My oh my, is she growing!
She is crawling EVERYWHERE, pulling up on EVERYTHING, and even trying to balance without holding on to ANYTHING! She is full of conversation, and talks a lot. If only we knew what she was saying!

She is clapping, making the motorboat noise with her lips, and she does this darling thing where she tilts her head back opens her mouth wide, and makes the "haaaaah" sound. It most often turns into a yawn, and it is darling!

She is getting four, yes four, teeth at the same time. The front four. The right top and bottom have poked through, and we are waiting on the other two to make their appearance.

She is preferring less of the pureed foods and is seriously interested in feeding herself. She is always interested in eating. She wants to eat whatever you're eating, and she gets seriously mad when all the food is gone. We are teaching her how to "push herself away from the table" so to speak. She would over eat every day if we let her. I'm so glad we have made healthy, organic choices for her - that way she can pretty much have a good serving of whatever she desires. We are starting our garden out back and are looking forward to feeding her from it this year.

We aren't over doing the sippy cup, but I know she will have no problem transitioning out of it. The kid would seriously lap milk out of a bucket if that was what was presented to her.

I told husband today that she is beginning to look more like a little girl than a "baby."

She is drinking whole milk during the day and nursing at night like a champ. She had her first bout of illness at 10 months and it only lasted for a little over 30 hours. Even when she is sick she is a very contented baby simply wanting someone to hold and snuggle her.

We love our baby.

Some of her favorite toys are her dolly, mom's iphone, her Wubbanub, the remote, diapers, wipes, and the remote :)

Big girl :)

nueve

Madison turned 9 months old this past Sunday.

The week before that she mastered crawling. She is all over the place now, and even followed us into the kitchen and her nursery. She can sit up on her own, get into the crawling position, and back to the sitting position. This new discovery of mobility has fast forwarded us into disciplining parents. Us telling her "no" or "we don't play with that" in addition to snapping or clapping our hands really gets her attention. Most of the time we just remove her from the situation and show her what is acceptable as a toy. On many occasions she has crawled to her diaper bag, found toys, diapers, puffs, etc and play contently with them for a while.

She is now pulling up to her knees on anything/body she can. We lowered the crib because it seems as if she will be pulling up to her feet any time now. She has really good balance on her feet, too. She thinks she can just take off sometimes while standing.

She does this really cute thing where she whispers "dada" over and over. It has evolved into more of a "ta" sound now. She squeaks and squeals loudly now. It seems as if everyday she discovers something new and shows us what life as a 9 month old is all about. She is no longer a teeny little thing that I can hold all the time. She seems to be rather independent lately. She wants to get down and explore and play on her own. She can even give herself a bottle! I don't get too many snuggles anymore (not that I ever did), but she has let me hold her for longer periods of time while she is sleepy. I love it and drop everything when she wants me to hold her.

Still no teeth. Just lots of drool.
BUT we are eating eggs and yogurt now! She seems to love eggs! She gets them every morning. We started the yogurt Monday, and she didn't take to it too well at first, but we've added some flavor and that seems to help!

Mommy is struggling with being a working mommy recently.
I am always tired and don't have a ton of energy at night when I get home. I feel like I have 4 full time jobs... My day job, breastfeeding, being a mom, and being a wife. Of course with all of those, I have tons of joy and happiness. I am trying to let the small tasks go that I think need to be done, but aren't actual necessities. I do what has to be done (cook, prepare bottles, unpack/repack for the day) and sit down with my family.

We are also struggling a little bit financially. As I was telling my wonderful sister in law - all these new foods are much more expensive than breast milk. It is certainly an adjustment in our budget, but that's for another day.

RJ and I are full of joy with our bundle. She is not really our baby, she is like another person in our family. Not something we have to take care of, but someone we enjoy spending time with. She is our entertainment, and we love every second of parenting her.



tres
quatro
cinco
seis
siete
ocho

ocho.

Ok, sorry. I lied to you guys yesterday.

Today I am going to do Madison's extremely late 8 month update.

Where do I start? She's a mover and a shaker. She wiggles and she giggles. She is not crawling totally yet. She gets too mad to actually try. She kinda squirms around a little, but is not officially crawling. I get kinda concerned sometimes because that's the first thing people ask, "Is she crawling yet?" She's not... part of me does not care, but then another part wonders if I should be concerned.

Madison had a great time during Christmas, but I will not elaborate on that since it's technically not supposed to be in her 8 month update {from the 13th}.

She is such an eater. She will eat all day and all night long if we let her. We've had some complications with nursing lately. She arches her back and screams, not cries, screams, at me. It's just not fast enough for her. We are trying to work out way through this and help her to learn that it's different when mommy feeds her. She's done so good for so long, so I can't hold it against her. I won't force it on her if she doesn't want to continue nursing, but it will break my heart. It will also break the bank. We aren't ready for that financially. Nursing Madison exclusively on the weekends is what boosts my supply back up for the week, and if she decides not to nurse any more, it will be formula all the way.

She has become very social and loves children and babies! Unfortunately she shows her affection aggressively. She grabs and pulls other children to her. Some children soak it up and love her "baby love" others hate it and want her to get away. We hope it's just a phase and that it doesn't develop into biting, but if it does we will address it.

Madison does this thing where she goes "eh! eh! eh! heh! heh! eh!" And if someone does it back to her she will just keep the chain rolling with a mocking game. It's pretty cute. She loves mommy's iphone and wants to eat it constantly.

We tried a little more solid foods for her to pick up and eat herself, but she was not interested. She's lazy and wants someone else to feed her. Her pincher grasp is in full effect though - she will feed her self puffs by the handful if we let her!

Madison is an all around good baby. She can be taken pretty much any where - shopping, out to eat, church, long trips- and she is good to go!

That's all for this months very late update!
Mother of the year right here.
BUT... The outtakes from this month pretty much sum up my girl.

siete

Madison.

Where do I start.

She is a diva. Make that Diva.

Yet, she is so sweet and snuggly and cuddly. Well, not really. Actually she doesn't like to cuddle much. It's very rare that I get to hold her while she is sleeping or sleepy. She fusses when sleepy and just wants to be laid down. I have a love/hate relationship with this part of Madison. I love how easy it is for her to get to sleep. I love that I don't have to spend countless minutes (hours?) rocking her to sleep. I hate it for that very reason. She doesn't let me rock her. She doesn't let me snuggle her unless we are napping together laying down.

She is a good eater. Like whoa good. She will eat anything and everything we give her, and as much of it as you will give her. She'd eat the whole banana if I sat there and fed it to her. She only gets half, though.

She is really playing around with her voice. She does the "ma," "ba," "da," and "na" sounds. She plays with a lot of other sing songy sounds as well. She loves to sing, too! She's not quite crawling, but she does get up on all fours and rock back and forth.

As far as mobility goes, once she gets mobile, we're in trouble. The child cannot sit still. When you hold her in your arms, she is climbing, moving, wriggling, and wrestling you to get to what she wants. This baby is going to go crazy once she discovers she can get to something herself. I'm going to have to do some major "redecorating."

She has started to do what I call the "excited baby wings" where she just flaps her arms up and down when she gets really excited.

Madison is eating purees still with some of those puffs (dont get me started on these things, ugh). She likes pretty much anything - avocado, green beans, plums, pears, apples, sweet potatoes, bananas, etc.

She's still in size three diapers and a variety of clothes sizes - mostly 6-9 months.

As for mom and dad..
We're doing great! We are enjoying this stage in Madison's life. She is so much fun and so eager to learn. We love watching her discover and play. Just this past Thursday night, she flapped her fat little hand on her daddy's arm and said "da-da" with a big ole smile. We both got tears in our eyes, it just melted our hearts to lava. Mommy is still breastfeeding. She is in this for the long haul. every 4th week is a challenge, and I want to throw in the towel, but then is reminded of the escalating formula costs. We're all committed to this lifestyle! Daddy is such a big help for mom encouraging her and even helping around the house. The days of a working mom are so jam packed, there is no time for house cleaning!

sies.

We're now 6 months in to this gig, and it's pretty rad. I love being a mother. I love being special in the heard of this little girl. I love her smile that lights up the room. I love her laugh, I love her toes. I love her hair, and I love her belly button nose.

I love that she loves me, I love that she needs me.  I love that she loves her daddy. I love that she has brought out the best in us. I love that she is the spitting image of her father.

I'm still battling with a few struggles in my life. I struggle with leaving her every morning. She is what drives me and what motivates me. I know my passion to be her mother, and everything else (besides being a wife) seems rather insignificant right now. I often times find it hard to get motivated at my desk job because I'm not passionate about it. I have to push through, and I do, for her. I know that she needs me to be a working mother right now. I know that our family needs my income for our future. I just am not as passionate about my desk job than I am a mommy, and I don't think anyone can blame me for that.

Madison is now eating avocado, sweet potatoes, bananas, carrots, green beans, and peas. She is not a finicky eater, and usually finishes all her food. She is still nursing well, but is often distracted by, well, everything. She is usually more interested in what's going on in the room than nursing. We often have to wrestle to keep her still for feedings. She has become very efficient, though and usually only takes 10 minutes tops.

She weighs 16 pounds and is healthy as everything. I truly count that up to breastfeeding. It truly does help keep children healthy. We've not really had any troubles with her health. We had one little cold, but I think she caught that at the doctor's office. Breastfeeding is certainly challenging, and a full time commitment from the mommy, but it is so worth it.

We are able to be pretty "on the go" now, settling into a routine. We've figured out that when we walk out the door as long as we have diapers, wipes, a toy, and mommy, we're good to go. She doesn't need much.

Madison is over all a genuinely happy baby. She is now sitting completely unassisted and will rock back and forth almost scooting when placed on her hands and knees. She still loves her hands, but mostly chews on one finger at a time.

She cries "mamamama" a lot.

Madison is a doll, and pretty much a delight to all of those she comes in contact with. She's such a flirt :)

We have all come such a long way in six months. My depression has subsided, but rears its ugly head on bad days. I just have to talk it out with my husband and I'm usually ok. I've had a lot of stress/anxiety here lately, but that's from a busy schedule and a leaky home. More on that later though!

Thanks for reading :)

cinco

I'm a little late getting this up, but Madison recently turned 5 months old.

Things are starting to turn really fun around these parts. Our baby girl's personality is developing more and more each day. She babbles a lot - mostly to her daddy - and screeches really high pitched squeals. She is now laughing, though you have to be REALLY silly in order to get one. She doesn't just throw them away. She sucks and gnaws on her pointer finger often - with lots of drool in tow.

We are now eating cereal twice a day, and she is getting really chunky. We are trying to integrate vegetables slowly - Madison is not a fan. She can almost sit up unassisted; it's so cute when she topples over (#momoftheyear)!! She is reaching for our faces when we hold her or crouch over her when she's lying down. It is one of my most favorite skills she has learned recently.

The nickname that has made it's mark is "Madisony" and sometimes the shortened version "Sony." We're awesome parents, I know.

She sleeps rather well only waking up for her pacifier 2-3 times a night. She loves sleeping on her side. Even if I lay her down on her back, she swings her leg over to get on her side for sleep. She can roll from her back to her stomach, but apparently only in her crib in a sleepy state.

We are on the brink of size 3 diapers since her little belly is growing! She still nurses like a champ, but often gets distracted by her daddy, so we have to go into a quiet dark place. Gone are the days of still, peaceful nursing sessions- and nursing covers. Those are no longer practical for us. I love that she is maturing, though because when she is finished she will "let go" and try and sit up like "Ok, I'm done! Time to play!"

Her hair is really growing. She almost  has enough for a nice clip (that will stay).

Madison is very generous with her smiles. She is a happy baby 90% of the time, which is why it is getting harder and harder for me to leave her each morning. She's just so much fun! The other day I had a major meltdown about leaving her, and wrote this about being caught. I long so much to spend all of my time with her.

When I'm not with Madison, it's like a piece of me is missing. I'm not whole without her. I know she needs me, but I believe that I need her more. She is something constant in this crazy world of ups and downs. Yes, she's ever changing and teaching me new things. Yes, she sometimes drives me mad, but she will always have my love. She is teaching me about Jesus' love for me and how it is unconditional.

quatro.

Madison is now four months old and more fun than ever.

She has the most beautiful smile and loves to share it. Madison is very much a chatter box in the mornings while watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse while mommy cooks breakfast and prepares for the day. Sometimes she makes it very hard for her mommy to leave for work since she just gazes at her mommy and tells her all about her dreams.

Madison is still not consistently rolling over, but she does it randomly. Mommy has a hard time making Madison do tummy time at night because all she wants to do is snuggle.

Madison is now laughing, especially when mommy nibbles on her cheeks and neck. You'd be surprised how high pitched mommy's voice can go!

Madison is now squeezing into the remainder of her size one diapers and will be in size 2 when those run out. She wears a range of sizes. She can wear newborn pants because she is so slender. They are just "capris." She can wear some 0-3 month clothes, but mostly 3-6. She weighs 13 pounds and 11.5 ounces, is average height, and has a big ole head.

Madison enjoys her Nursery at church, and supposedly behaves really well for the nursery workers.

She is enamored by her daddy. She loves him so much. She follows him around the room when he gets home from work, and she loves how silly he is with her. Madison will talk with her daddy and they share lots of secrets with each other. Madison thinks her dad is rad.

She loves to suck on her hands and gnaw on Mommy and Daddy's hands. She is learning to grab things and take them to her mouth, but still doesn't have complete control over her arms/hands.

Madison loves sitting in her bumbo seat (safely).

There is enough hair on the top of her head to clip a bow!

Madison takes all her baths with her mommy. She splishes and splashes like a champ.

At four months, Madison is consistently sleeping through the night with a random "paci cry" every now and again. She's been a great sleeper. She actually takes a really good nap at night, wakes up for about an hour, and then will go back to bed around 9:30.

Madison has acquired some new nicknames, most of them with the root of "booger."
Booger Bear
Boogie Head
Boog
Mommy has also been calling her "Madisony Smithsony" "Smithsony," or "Madisony."

We will be trying a little bit of oatmeal soon :)

Mommy has officially become content with this season of life. Sometimes comparison sneaks in, but things are going really well. Mommy's got the hang of being a working, nursing, pumping mommy. God is good :).

tres.

We're three months into this gig, and we've come a long way.

Madison is actively smiling, talking, squealing, putting things (hands, hers, mine, and daddy's) in her mouth, and content with hanging out.

She loves to stand up and is so proud of herself while standing. Her little birdy legs aren't too strong yet, but she does great standing. She's not quite sitting up on her own, but once she gets it down she won't be immobile long. She is wearing 0-3 month clothes and still in size one diapers. She plays well with her cousin, Mary Alice

Madison's eyebrows have a mind of their own.

She's gathered quite a few nick names...

Madisony
Lyric
Lou Who
Maddie Lou Who
Booger Bear
Princess
Beautiful
Nanny girl
Miss Priss
Diva Head
Diva Girl
Diva Diva

Though mommy has been back at work for quite some time now, I'm still adjusting. There is so much to be done while I'm at home, yet all I want to do is play with Madison. I'm still successfully breastfeeding... which is extremely challenging for a working mom. I beat myself up too often for not keeping a spotless house, for not cooking divine meals, and for not doing my own laundry more times than not....

Each day is a new adjustment... Each day presents a new challenge, but God has equipped His children. Mommies are stronger than the world may think.

Wow... I'm rambling.

Geeze do I want to get that shop up and running again, but I'm not sure that will ever happen. I'm not sure I have it in me. I'm contemplating selling all my hard gathered craft supplies and selling my cute desk and throwing in the white towel. Will that be giving up, though? Does it make me weak? I've watched so many of my bloggy friends come up from nothing and now their online stores are booming. Am I good enough? Am I even slightly talented? I long so bad to be creative and to express myself, there are just not enough hours in the day....

So mommy isn't back to normal at 3 months, but i'll get there.