The little lady is down for a rather long nap and I found myself wanting to write. Usually when she is down for a nap or for the night I am too tired to make my way to the computer, but today I feel like I need to. She is growing SO fast lately and I feel like I am doing such a poor job at capturing it. It hit me like a ton of bricks yesterday. We were sitting in the living room and she had covered herself (and me) in Elmo stickers. She picked up her new bubble maker (it is battery operated and fans out bubbles) and started putting it up to my face. I would yell "wow!" and she would collapse into a fit of giggles. It.was.ridiculous.
This eventually developed into her chasing poor Macie. Luckily, I did get this on video. :)
Don't feel too sorry for Macie. She is just paying for her raising.
I don't want this time to pass by too quickly. I want to appreciate every moment and remember it. This time with her is going to be a memory soon. My heart aches at the thought of that. I know that we weren't meant to stand still and that many more joys await us, but I can't help but love where she is right now and want time to slow down a bit.
M has really developed a love for books for the past 6 months. I know lots of toddlers play with books, and I know this will sound crazy to some, but I think it is different for her. I think she wants to read...because it's not just books. She picks up anything with text on it and tries to 'read' it! She will sit for long periods of time with her books and read them. I could watch her all day....and I do sometimes. :)
One of her absolute favorites is Click Clack Moo, Cows that Type. We actually caught her 'reading' this book and throwing in random "mooooosss". Could that be any cuter?? We didn't think so! So of course, we attempted to get it on video!
I have recently started taking her to the library every week to pick out new books to bring home. I want to teach her how fun and adventurous reading can be. I can't wait to read all my childhood favorites with her! Most of the time I chase her around the aisles and we play with the toys in the kid corner. It is a good break up of our day and it is always great to get out of the house!
Madeline had just turned 11 months on our first family
vacation. We flew into Nashville, TN, and drove to FallCreekFallsNational Park.
It was the perfect first vacation for our little family. We stayed in a sweet
little cabin in the woods with one of our favorite families! We took turns
cooking each night and the guys enjoyed a couple of rounds of golf.
We explored a local cavern with the girls…and the leaky
sippy cup. This thing was a thorn in our side the whole trip. We couldn’t let
it get sideways, so Jeff was stuck holding it for the entire tour…which was a
couple of hours. Madeline did great, as long as I was holding her. Thank
goodness for baby carriers!
A water feature park and aquarium was next on the list. We
had a blast watching Dillan play! She has such a fun and sweet personality. To
see the world through a child’s eyes. Madeline had fun sticking her feet in the
water, but wasn’t big enough to play along beside D yet. My mind couldn’t help
but wonder to the future and think about all the vacations ahead of us and how
much I look forward to showing our babies the world. What a precious gift God
has entrusted to us. Madeline is a hater of naps and fought like a champ that
day. She FINALLY fell asleep in the darkness of the aquarium….10 minutes before
it was over. Story.Of.Our.Life. Jeff found an amazing little pizza place…and if
there is anything that the Goodmans love, it’s pizza. We got a little lost
trying to find it, but luckily our travel partners are a cool bunch and didn’t
mind the detour. I told Jeff, you know…it’s moments like these that you look
back and laugh at. The (wretched) sippy cup…getting lost. When I keep that in
mind, it doesn’t bother me so much when things don’t go exactly as planned.
We were so worried about traveling with an 11 month old, but I have to say, Madeline was SUCH a trooper! She slept most of the plane ride and played peek a boo with surrounding passengers when she was awake. That girl can charm pretty much anyone. And if she sees that her inital attempts of attention-getting isn't working on someone, she feels the need to kick up the cuteness to dangerous levels. Strangers don't have a chance. :)
You have become so much more interested in books and pretend
that you are reading them!
I love, love how you “chatter” in the back seat when we are
driving. I can’t help but smile.
You are finally sleeping through the night! Praise the Lord!
I was beginning to wonder if you ever would. If only we had known
that a box fan was the key!
You nap 2 times a day.
You have begun to point at things and to communicate in
different ways. When you are unhappy, you will sometimes grunt or growl (so it
seems).
You weaned from nursing 2 days after your birthday and have
done AMAZING with it!
You have started to push things around and walk behind them!
I couldn’t believe it when I saw you moving across the floor with the laundry
basket. It won’t be long now!
You love to hold our hands and walk and are pretty insistent
on doing this a LOT.
We celebrated your first birthday with a Winnie the Pooh
theme, since you have become our “Pooh Bear”. I wanted it to be more girly and
unique, so I went for a vintage style. I decorated with pink ribbon, yellow
polka dots, and burlap. It turned out perfect! You wore the prettiest antique
yellow dress with a matching hair bow. I had your cake made by Catering 4 You,
the same place that made our wedding cake. I had tried to make it myself, but
it didn't turn out at all! I called everywhere trying to find a place to air up
your balloons. I finally found someone that would do it, but they could only do
a few since they were almost out of helium. Your Pawpaw and I made a wooden
sign for the front entry that was theme oriented. I know you won’t remember
this party, but your Daddy and I considered it to be VERY special and wanted to
celebrate you in a big way!
Daddy spent MONTHS putting together this very sweet
and amazing video of your first year of life.
A few pictures from your party!
Happy Birthday sweet Madeline Rose. You are the love of our lives!
You have 6 teeth now! You absolutely HATE when I try to look
in your mouth. You even stick out your tongue so that I can’t see in.
You can clap your hands and LOVE to do so. I can prompt you
by saying “Yay!!!” or by clapping myself. You happily join in and give me that
adorable toothy grin!
We have cut another feeding and are down to TWO nursings a
day!
You pull up on everything these days and LOVE to walk
holding onto something. It scares me to death sometimes. With this new
mobility, comes a lot more boo boo’s.
You wave bye bye when prompted now and can even say “bye
bye”.
You drink as much whole milk as you want now.
You take 2-3 naps a day, depending on how long they are.
You love to hit balls (or anything that rolls) and chase
them around the house.
You have discovered how fun it is to climb and have become
quite adventurous.
Daddy has taught you a new game! You cover your face with
something and pull it down (only after we have searched for you saying,
“where’s Madeline?”), then you give us the biggest grin! You have quite the
appetite for this game!
You charm EVERYONE. I can’t go anywhere without you leaning
over and smiling at the next person in line or looking over the pews at church
members and waving. You capture everyone’s attention and hearts. People are
drawn to you. I realize that this may come across as an overly proud Mama, but
I don’t care, because I am. J
You have the sweetest little personality. I still
can’t believe you are ours!
