7 months!

Miss Maddy James is 7 months old!! We can't believe how quickly these months have been flying by. She is still her happy, joyful, sparkly self; full of smiles, laughter, and flirty looks! She has been sitting up on her own, clapping one to two times in excitement, babbling, and she's enjoying throwing things and knocking them over (cause & effect!). She loves her chew beads, teething biscuits, and all of her baby purees (not a huge fan of avocado-which is crazy!). She loves to be held and talked to/sung to but can also play with her toys on her own for good amounts of time. She still love to watch big brother Micah more than anything else and gets super excited every time she sees him. Micah has been giving Maddy kisses and hugs and bringing her toys but he does not want her to touch HIS toys or books! Maddy is crazy ticklish and if you kiss her neck or sides she goes into fits of full on belly laughs. She is so laid back and it takes a  lot for her to get upset (unless she wakes up in the middle of the night-that's when she gets the loudest). She is always making people oooh and ahhh over her in the store because she will make eye contact with them and smile at them as they pass her. Certain people just don't it for her though, and as soon as she sees them she will make the saddest face and cry and cry. She love bath time-splishing and splashing and chewing on her duck and seahorse. If I go in the bathroom to set it up and then walk out with her in my arms to get something she starts crying like I am not going to give  her a bath. so cute.

Kiddo Update

5/17/17

Maddy is on the verge of crawling! She took one big crawl a couple of days ago but mostly just pops up on her knees and hands and rock back and forth. She is waving hi and bye and her first word is officially daddy, much to mama's chagrin! She sat on the floor and waved bye and said "byyyye dada" over and over today when daddy left for work. So stinkin cute. She is talking a lot more and it's so fun to see her personality emerging more and more. She feels her happy feelings and her sad feelings in such a powerful way and we just are so excited to learn more about her.

She is still as happy as can be most of the time but certainly lets us know when she is upset....especially at night! She does the cutest little snort-smile, where her gigantic smile gets even bigger and more of her gums show when she is super excited. We are loving her gummy smile and are still waiting for that first tooth to pop through. She seems as if she is teething but we haven't spotted anything as of yet.

Micah is just amazing us more and more everyday with his increasing vocabulary and ability to communicate in very adult-like, conversational ways. He uses words like "actually, eventually, and unfortunately" and remembers EVERYTHING. He is very sweet, intense, and expressive. He loves to dance, make up songs, and use rhyming words. He has been super creative lately in his rhyming, storytelling, and pretend play. He LOVES everything construction and any sort of truck (firetruck, garbage truck, "spit up" truck, etc." He has so many cute expressions that we can never remember all of them, though we want to burn them in our brain forever. One of my favorite is "for some reason." I wish I could record all of his little conversation and explanations because they melt our heart and we already know how much we are going to miss that little voice as he gets older. He already is looking so big and seems so independent. We are about to embark on the potty training journey so that he is ready for preschool in September (and summer camp in July). He loves to spend time with his whole family and will say as much "I love spending time with my family" "don't go do X, I want to spend time with you!" <3

Micah's 3rd Birthday!

Our baby boy turns three in the morning! How is that possible?!? We started our celebration early with a stay at the Anaheim Marriott and Disneyland! We checked in to the hotel on Sunday and had a fun and chilly afternoon swimming in the pool before walking to the Garden Walk for a yummy dinner at PF Chang's-they have a surprisingly tasty vegan selection!  Micah's favorite parts of the hotel were the phone (not sure how many times he got through to a real person but he kept saying-"I am talking to the guy!"  and the balcony where he could watch everyone in the pool.We all cuddled up in the hotel room (so sweet...one of those "burn in your brain memories") and woke up early to spend the day at Disneyland. We had so much fun and got to do so much! When we first got there it wasn't too busy and the weather was nice and cool so we were able to do a lot right away before it got busy. We did the Redwood Creek Trail, the Little Mermaid, the Zephyr, King Triton's carousel, Toy Story, a couple rides in Bug's Life (including the Ladybug Boogie which was Micah's favorite!), a cute interactive show with the Crusher the turtle from Finding Nemo, saw a band performance, the Dumbo ride, King Arthur's carousel, and the Tiki room! When Mama & Micah were on the Ladybug ride they giggled non-stop and Micah wanted to go on it again immediately. He was soooo brave! He didn't bat an eye at the rides flying in the air an spinning. He loved the Little Mermaid Ride and we were stoked we got on when the line was so short! Micah got his birthday button and had a special birthday song sung to him by the entire children's room! We decorated the downstairs with balloons, streamers, and other decorations for Micah to come down to in the morning.

We've noticed that Micah's brain has definitely been through a developmental leap as his thinking and speaking has grown increasingly complex over the last two weeks. Today he had us dying laughing by saying things like "I am a man" or in response to us trying to get him to leave the hotel "BUT I am celebrating my BIRTHDAY!!!," He is also telling very long, adorable stories and isn't afraid to tell his opinion to anyone who will listen. He is also quite the skilled negotiator.

At Micah's 3 year check-up he was in the 68th percentile for height and weight!

Madelyn 6 Month Update

Maddy gives big belly laughs when you give her light tickles, kiss her belly, or do something she deems funny. Micah is still number one but Mama gets her fair share of giggles these days too. She is still as happy and as laid back as can be but is moving more. She is sitting on her own for small periods of time in her little play nest, rolling onto her back and playing when she is supposed to be napping, and chewing on everything. On March 14th she had her first real food...avocado! We gave her a few slices in her tray to play with and she pushed them around a bit and then Mama gave her some mushed up on a spoon. The first few bites were huge hits she kept pulling the spoon back to her mouth and leaning in for more but then she was over it and started making funny little "yuck" faces and spitting it back out. Her tummy and diapers seemed a bit off after so we decided to hold off a couple more weeks before introducing anything else but she is definitely interested in everything we eat and drink an reaches for it every time. She is talking more and more when she in play mode but is still most likely just hanging out observing while sucking on her little fingers. She so rarely cries but when she does she MEANS it! Everybody loves to say hi to her because once they make eye contact she delights them with her big, bright smile. One of our favorite moments is when she wakes up from a nap and we go into get her. She will be laying tummy down with her face sideways on the mattress and as soon as we open the door she gets this huge adorable smile on her face before she even lift her head to look at us. We sometimes feel guilty that she doesn't get more individual attention (like all second children) but we noticed that when she does get attention when Micah is not around she is happy and playful for a few minutes but then seems bored like "where is that funny little guy I like to watch?"

She is talking and babbling more, and every so often, letting out a funny high pitched scream. When she gets excited she squeals and bounces! She loves to play hide and seek just like Micah did at this age it's so funny she literally does the exact same thing...pulls a lovey or blanket over face and then excitedly shakes her legs and arms until we or she pulls the blanket off and she has a giant smile on her face. Or we will say "uh oh where is Maddy?" and she peeks out. So cute.

4/5 Maddy had her 6 month check up today and is still a little peanut in the height department! 25 inches 13th percentile! he is 15.8 lbs in the 45th percentile! She has now tried avocado, banana, green beans, sweet potatoes, and peas. Her faves were definitely sweet potato and peas, she kept saying "mmmmmm" over and over again an leaning in with an open mouth for her next bite. SO CUTE!!!

5 Months

Maddy cakes is still as smiley and happy as ever. She is very laid back and is quite content with whatever we are doing, so long as she can suck on her two favorite fingers. She smiles at everyone and radiate joys, but NOBODY can make her laugh like Micah. She has only ever let out a full on belly laugh for him. He does goofy little dances and songs and she thinks it's the funniest thing in the world. Her favorite thing to do is watch him. She loves when we sing "Itsy Bitsy Spider," "Hello to Maddy," and "You Are My Sunshine." She still wakes up about a million times a night, but naps so easily during the day that we can't complain. Today (3/11/17) she had her first beach day and stuck her little toes in the ocean. It was a cold day and she shivered a bit when her feet hit the water, but had a huge smile on her face.

She talks, coos, and shrieks and has a very loud voice-we love to hear what she has to say! She loves tummy raspberries and kisses and giggles every time. She is super ticklish!

4 month update

1/22 Maddy rolled from her tummy to her back-and we missed it! Mama turned her back for one minute to set up the breast pump! Maddy has been very laid back & happy lately, she loves to make eye contact and smile and is content as long as she is in arms. She has gotten better at sitting in the car seat and is falling asleep on her own in the crib! We are shocked by this behavior and hoping it continues!

Maddy LOVES to make eye contact and gives the biggest, brightest smiles you have ever seen. She has the cutest giggle and loves to get kisses. She screams in the funniest little way (for joy) and sounds alternately like a baby elephant or a pterodactyl. We just can't get enough of her sweet personality. She falls asleep on her own if she is put down in her crib sleepy but mama can't help but nurse and rock her anyway. She is calm and content as can be as long as she is in arms.

At her 4 month well baby check she weighed in at 13 lbs 8.5 oz (32nd percentile) and was 24.5 inches long (46th percentile).

4 months

2/8 Maddy cakes has found her toes and just LOVES playing with them! She is reaching for and grabbing her toys and bringing them to her mouth.  Still loves to smile and giggle, cuddle and kiss. Loves watching Micah but is smart enough to look a bit alarmed when he gets too close. 😂 keeps me up All. Night. Love her to pieces anyway!