11 Months

11 Months

Posting this a little late…. But here it is!

 Our family is so busy getting ready for a big move. What move you ask? Well, we have decided that it is time to move back to Houston so that we can be closer to family. I was able to talk my work into transferring . We went down to Houston for Thanksgiving to look for a house and we found the perfect spot. It is in a neighborhood called Creekside Villiage in The Woodlands. It’s perfect for Madison because it is full of kids and has a small waterpark within the neighborhood. If everything goes smoothly, this may be the first home for the Perkins family.

While Mike and I have been diligently filling out paperwork for the house, Madison has no idea what is going on and is still having the time of her life. She loved seeing everyone at Thanksgiving and this time she was even able to take a few steps for them. She LOVED her cousins and even wrestled with them on the ground. Little does she know, these boys will soon be her protectors… no one will mess with her!

Madison still loves daycare. Natasha (her daycare teacher) tries to tell us that she says yellow, but I have not been able to get her to say it so I think the teacher might be hearing things! She kisses the little girl’s bye through the gate as she leaves.

At 11 months Madison is:

-         Walking about 7 steps and then stopping

-         Already acting like a big girl, pushing her doll in her swing

-         Has about 5 teeth

-         Eats big girl food such as Mac and Cheese and other finger foods

-         Waves hi and bye

-         Wears sizes 9-12 months

-         Wears size 1-2 shoe (she still has tiny feet like mamma)

-         Weighs about 18 pounds (she’s gonna be a flyer in cheerleading)

-         Cries when you say No

Madison at the airport....moving to Houston!

 

 

10 Months... A walker?

A few days before Maddie turned 10 months, her daycare teacher told me that she had been pushing things around in order to practice her walking. Now, the daycare teacher is super nice, but sometimes I wonder if she stretches the truth on how smart Maddie is :). I know my baby is smart, but the teacher continues to claim that Maddie is doing things that quite honestly a wonder baby would do.... and I have yet to see some of these actions at home. So.. when the teacher told me this, I nicely replied, "oh really?!" but somewhat dismissed it.

 

Despite disbelieving her, it did remind me that Maddie may be ready to practice her walking and have her walker converted (it was still a walker that you sit in like Fred Flintstone). So as soon as we got home I took it apart and made it into a walker. We have hardwood floors so I carefully put Maddie's hands on the walker and stood her at the end of the hall while I went to the front end of the walker to provide some resistance so she wouldn't fall. We started very slow, but Maddie was getting frustrated with the walker not going as fast as she wanted. I figured that I would let her try and she would probably take a few steps and sit down, which would teach her how to use the walker on her own.

 

I let go and stepped to the side. I'm sure you have already guessed it, Maddie took off with a mission. I had no idea this child already knew how to do this! Away she went, understanding how to move the walker in order to not hit an object... it was incredible!

It's so amazing at this age, she is mimicking everything I do. We have a pink bouncy ball that she loves and she used to just pick it up and try to eat it. Last night I sat down with her and was able to teach her to throw the ball. So cute!

 

She is also such a dare devil and has so much energy! There is a very calm and quiet little baby at daycare and we say that Maddie is literally the complete opposite. Maddie hates being restrained in her car seat or stroller. The last time I took Maddie to the mall I decided to pack her favorite stroller, the one where she sits straight up and down and has a tray in front of her to put toys on, etc. She likes this one the best because it is less restraining and she can see better, since it sits so far upright. While I am used to buckling Maddie in if I am jogging or walking fast outside, I did not buckle her in because I was walking slowly down the aisles of stores and taking her in and out of the stroller to see things so she would be entertained. At one time people were looking at me very strange and I was a little confused, looking down at my outfit, etc. After realizing there wasn't anything wrong with me, I looked over the shade of the stroller and saw Maddie hang-gliding from the tray!!! I didn't even realize she could do this! This seat is so upright, this child had to wiggle and fight her way down to hang like this!! She is such a crazy 10 month old!!

 

On another note, we are getting ready for Maddie's 1 year birthday party. Her outfit is just perfect and I am so excited. I can't wait to see everyone and share this special time with family and friends.

 

At 10 months:

- Maddie still has 2 front teeth at the bottom, but Dr. says the top should break any day now

- She is LOVING daycare and it was one of the best decisions we have made

- She can easily eat her puffs, baby mums, and other crunchy food.

- Push objects around the house, like a walker, etc.

- Bear crawls.... crawls on her feet and hands, no knees

9 months going on 21....

9 Months going on 21.....

 

 

My baby is turning 10 months old tomorrow. I still find myself telling people I just had a baby. Then they ask me when and I realize as I am answering that I actually didn't just have a baby. But really, I swear it was yesterday!

 

Maddie is beyond adorable, there are no words to describe this little lady. She truly has a little personality on her and there is no doubt she will be the little girl that waits for a crowd to form so she can dance in the middle and create a show. When it's getting hard to get ready in the morning, what do we do? Put Maddie in a mirror and she'll entertain herself for hours. Doesn't sound like anyone I know does it? ;) 

 

To top it off, she is a little dare devil. Maddie will stand up and let go of everything. Her body will balance for about 3 seconds and then she comes plummeting down! It's a matter of time before she takes off!

 

But really... the absolutely funniest part of Maddie's developments. She tells you no for pretty much everything. You ask her or try to give her something and she will shake her head profusely in the "no" direction. The only problem is, she thinks she is supposed to do this when you ask her anything. We joke with her and we'll say... "Maddie, do you want to live in San Francisco?" We'll pause and she will start shaking her head no. I have no idea where she got this from!

 

 

Maddie Loves:

- Chicken Soup (at daycare)

- Crawling as fast as she can

- Standing up

- Looking at herself in the mirror

- Music - real people music, not lullabies

 

 

Maddie can:

- High five

- Wave bye bye

- Repeat some words (sounds like she has said hi and dog)

- Shake her head no

- GIVE KISSES!!! My favorite!!! Sweet girl :)

 

 



Smart and Goofy Girl!

Madison had her 9 month doctors appointment yesterday, in which she had to get a flu shot. In the past these shots have been nothing short of a painful experience, where mom has to hold down baby and doctor gives shots in baby's leg.... then baby screams and is fussy all night. I expected nothing less. To add to the mix, I had to wake Maddie up from a nap to get this shot!

At this appointment, Madison weighed slightly over 18 pounds and was just short of 27 inches. This puts her in the 25th percentile for height and around the 25-30th for weight. The only exception is her head.... which is in the 50th percentile. This girl is either super duper smart, or she has a big head..... I'm going with the first one! Nevertheless, we have a little petite cutie who seems to grow at the same pace each visit, which is good!

This time when Madison got the shot she was sitting up. Now that she is very mobile, she hates when you constrict her or make her lie on her back. The doctor gave the shot. Madison's face went down as if she were about to cry.... but very quickly..... mama started dancing. And what did Maddie do? Not a peep came out of the child's mouth. Instead, she started dancing, bouncing up and down! Total diva I tell you. Everyone was so surprised that she didn't cry at all. She is such a big girl, but more so, loves to draw attention to herself! My mom would say she gets this from me, but I know better.... her dad is just like that too! Ok - maybe this baby doesn't stand a chance. WATCH OUT WORLD.... A new actress is in town!

That evening, wanted to test out Maddie's big head, so I tried to see if she could learn to high five. Turns out - easy as pie for Madison... she looks at me like.... "and what else would you like for me to do."

Last but not least, a huge milestone happened this week. Madison can hold her own bottle! I handed her the bottle in the car because she was upset and I thought she would just play with it. Then I looked back in the rear view mirror and she had propped it up to her mouth and was chugging it. How long has she known how to do this is what I want to know :)

MAMA

So she said it! It only took two months of babbling "mamamama" to her during her every waking moment, but she said it! It's such a great feeling hearing those words come out of my little girls mouth.

This past weekend Madison also had the opportunity to have her first train ride and bouncy bounce experience. We took her to a Goblin festival for little kids at the Discovery Museum in Saulsilito. She dressed up as a bumble bee. I'm not sure how excited she was when she first put on her costume, but once we got there and she saw that she was the cutest kid there, she was a happy camper! She was such a good girl. She liked the train, but truly her favorite was sitting with the kids in the bouncy bounce watching them jump up and down. She kept laughing and screaming. She just LOVES other kids.

Another thing Maddie loves is animals. There is no doubt that growing up with two 60 pound boxers has contributed to this. Maddie just loves her doggies, and so she thinks every animal she sees is a doggy.. even a goat. There was a small petting zoo at the festival and I took Maddie inside. I bent down so that she could nicely pet the goat. I slowly leaned in and Maddie had her hand out. She slowly began to touch the goat.... and then she grabbed a hand full of hair! The goat jumped up and so did I! I then realized that every animal was her doggy.

Last but not least, things came to a head with the sleeping arrangements. Madison had been waking up two times a night and it became obvious that we had to do something. She wasn't hungry, did not need a diaper change, and would fall right back asleep as soon as we picked her up. BUT.... the moment we left the room she would start back up again. Mike and I decided that we would give the sleep training thing a whirl. We still had no clue whether it would work or not, I'm a softy and I hate hearing my little one cry. However, even Madison was miserable during the day from lack of sleep, so we had to do something. The first night we put her down, kissed her, and then walked away. She immediately started crying and standing up in her crib. Mike watched the monitor and I tried to occupy my mind. She only cried for 10 minutes and then she laid down and put herself to sleep. Mike and I both looked at each other in amazement.... was this literally all it would take? Why didn't we do this sooner, this little girl was obviously begging for someone to teach her to sleep!

 

 

9 Month Diva

So, Madison recently decided that she no longer wanted to be with just a nanny during the day. She wanted to be at a daycare where she had lots of other kids to play and laugh with. Well, she didn't necessarily tell us this, but I gathered it from her actions. Madison not only attends the kids club at the gym, but also plays in the middle of the circle at baby boot camp with all the other babies. She always has the best time and when I pick her up to take her home, she throws a fit (until I'm strolling her along the coast in her stroller of course) - what a DIVA!

So, based on our observations, we felt like our social butterfly was ready to be in a group setting. We found a little infant daycare close to our house and on the way to work. We went one afternoon to check it out and allowed Maddie to play on the floor with the other little girls. The moment Maddie was on the floor my heart melted. The little girls were acting as her big sister, teaching her how to ride in a fire truck and ring the bell, etc. It was the cutest thing! Then when Maddie left, they wanted to kiss her goodbye. I just knew it was the perfect place for her.

It was really hard saying goodbye to our current nanny Edis, and our amazing nanny share partners. They all saved us from a horrible nanny experience the first time, and Edis had been an amazing caregiver to our little girl. We truly will miss Edis, but felt this was the best thing for Maddie.

On Maddie's first day, she was the happiest that afternoon that she had ever been, she is thriving so far!

Also at 9 months, we got to take our first mommy and daddy trip. We had the best time together and it was great to get some alone time. Of course I had my moments where I freaked out, but I also had an amazing time with my hubby and we got to share a beautiful place together, Honolulu, Hawaii. My mom came to watch Maddie for us and from the sounds of it, they had a blast as well. We are so thankful that she is so good with Maddie. During their trip, my mom took Maddie to the zoo and rented her a wagon. Maddie loved it. My mom said everyone was commenting on how good she was sitting up in the wagon and just watching everything - I swear that girl already thinks she is 16! Seriously, such a diva! Towards the tail end of my moms trip, Aunt Tonia came to visit too... and after hearing the wagon story.... bought Maddie a wagon without taking no for an answer. This little lady is so blessed with amazing friends and family. So..... at 9 months.... Maddie officially has her first radio flyer wagon (of course my budget friendly husband made me get a unisex colored one - I totally wanted pink)!!

Last but not least, I am currently planning Maddie's first birthday party, Winter ONEderland. It's such a special time for Maddie and I hope she gets to make some new friends down in Texas :). I cannot believe it is almost here!

What Happens in a Month When you Blink

I closed my eyes for a second...... and it was October! My baby girl has grown so much... we can barely keep up with her!

At the very tail end of 7 months, all this little lady wanted to say was dadadadadadadadada. It would have melted Mike's heart, except for Maddie thinks that every object in sight is her dadadadada. :). However, you can't deny the fact that Mike still wanted to pretend she really knew what she was saying. AND.... you can't deny that I secretly said mamamamama nonstop every time I was alone with her.

Also at the tail end of 7 months-beginning of 8 months, Maddie took off crawling forward. This lady acts like she is racing someone... she is so fast! There is no sitting in our house anymore. By the time I go to bed, I feel like I went running when I was at home the entire time!

Towards the end of 8 months, Madison learned to pull herself up to standing position using different objects.... and not just a normal pull up.... one handed! I honestly think she is showing off (go figure when you have two babies of the family get married and have a baby!).

Swim lessons are still going great, we just love our little talented peanut!

P.S..... Still no mamma. I swear I have heard MA on numerous occasions, but nothing consistent!