Big Snow 2011!

Unfortunately we were all sick the day it snowed. We got about 7-8 inches, which of course is huge around here! It was so beautiful outside, but we didn't get to get outside to enjoy it until the next day. We tried to go sledding, but the snow was just not the same as the day before. We were a little bummed, but Maddie still enjoyed getting outside and walking around in the snow and OUT of the house. The roads were so bad that Gabe didn't go to work Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday, so it was nice having him around (even though I think he was ready to get back to work). It is a hard job being a stay at home parent and I think he realized that even more after spending 5 days at home with me! The snow is almost melted. It is pretty, but I am glad to see it go!

Maddie watching the snow fall (obviously the squirrels didn't mind it)

The BOB stroller even comes in handy on ice!
Attempting to sled down the hill (didn't work out too much)
Our snow bunny

Sharing lots of germs lately...

We have had a rough few days to say the least in our house! Maddie woke up screaming last Saturday and we found her covered in throw up. It was everywhere! We thought maybe it was a one time thing, but she threw up for about 2 hours until she finally went back to sleep until 5 am. Thank goodness for my mom, because Maddie only wanted her. Maddie felt better in the morning, but she was definitely sick. She started having diarrea as well, so we went through quite a few outfits, blankets, and sheets all day.
We thought we had bypassed getting sick ourselves, but on Sunday afternoon all hell broke loose. Gabe started first and then me and my mom followed a few hours later. It was horrible. What made it even worse we still had to take care of Maddie. We were all snowed in, so nobody could help us!

So nasty, horrible, no-good virus, please GO AWAY AND NEVER COME BACK TO THIS HOUSE AGAIN!

11 Months old!

This is the last of the month signs before the big ONE year old! Our big girl is doing SO many new things these days. Maddie took her first steps on December 22nd (so she was actually 10 1/2 months old). At 10 months I wrote that she didn't seem interested in walking, but oh I was wrong! Once we started making a huge deal when she would attempt to walk she decided that she would show off for us! We stood real close for a few days and let her just fall into our arms...we clapped and cheered and she would get so riled up and excited that she just started wanting to do it on her own. One night, we decided to play the game and she all of the sudden just started taking steps on her own. She did about 3-5 before falling, but now she has balanced herself pretty well and just takes off unannounced now! After a couple of weeks of practice, she is officially walking (although she still crawls to places more than walks) Oh goodness, just imagine the things this child will get into now....

At 11 months she is:

• walking
• standing alone for short periods of time (this came after her taking her first steps)
• nodding head for "yes"
  
• shaking head for "no" (sometimes she gets confused on which is which)
• rocking her babies
• giving kisses & hugs...also knows how to give "eskimo kiss" with her nose
• interested in feeding herself with a fork/spoon
• eating lots of table food now...we let her try whatever we are eating for the most part
• points to a ball in a book on command
• will smack her lips when she sees a picture of someone eating or if you say "what is the doggie doing?" (in this book she has it is a picture of a dog eating) and she will smack her lips
• attempts to throw a ball

White Christmas!

It started snowing on Christmas day and by the end of the night we had about two inches on the ground (which qualifies for a white Christmas). It is the first one in Greenville since 1962, so it was a BIG deal! It kept snowing throughout the night and we woke up to about 5 inches of snow! We bundled Maddie up in one of my old snowsuits from over 26 years ago and took her out to play. We even were able to find our old sledding disc and pulled Maddie around on it. She LOVED it!

Baby's 1st Christmas!

Now that the hustle and bustle of the holiday season is almost over, I can finally sit down and blog about what a wonderful first Christmas Madison had! I knew it would be so much fun to have a little one at Christmas, but I didn't know that it would be THIS much fun! I can only imagine what next year will be like with an almost two year old!

Our fun began when Omi & Pop-Pop came a couple of days before Christmas. They have spent the past couple of years at our house and we just love having them! Maddie just loves them so much...she pretty much started ignoring everyone else when Pop-Pop came around because he lets Maddie get away with anything (but hey that is what grandparents are for, right?)


On Christmas Eve, Grandma McCoy came from Charleston to our house to be with us for Christmas as well. Natalie and Ryan were with us all day, too! We first had a wonderful dinner and Maddie even enjoyed all the food, too! She ate macaroni, cornbread dressing, and green bean casserole! We then exchanged presents with Nat and Ryan since they would not be at the house for Christmas day. Maddie enjoyed opening up and discovering new toys. The hit of the night was her new "Laugh and Learn Puppy" from Aunt Nat and Uncle Ryan. She also loves her poodle Pillow pal from Cousin Lauren and Andrew! She gave them hugs and kisses right away. Just look at these pictures to see just how much Maddie loves her new friends!


On Christmas day, Maddie actually "slept-in" until almost 7 am! When she got up she first drank her bottle and then she knew something was up. She crawled into the living room and saw that Santa had come and visited our house!!! Santa left Maddie lots of fun new toys! She went straight for her new house and started playing with it. She loves it so much. Santa did a great job :) She also got some new books, an activity table, and some of her favorite snacks were in her stocking! She also got lots of great things from the grandparents including new clothes, shoes, puzzles, a drum/instrument set, a portable DVD player for the car, a leapfrog game, and "Baby you can Read" set. Maddie had a great time opening all of her presents and playing with all her new things! She is one blessed baby!

Cookies & milk for Santa

Santa came!

Maddie and Brady sharing the rest of the cookies


Around my Dad's tractor :)

10 Months old!

Maddie is now 10 months old. Only two more months until her first birthday! The planning has been underway for about three weeks now. I'm excited for the big day, but at the same time I am sad that my baby is growing up so fast.

I'm getting slack again about blogging. The days just go by so quickly and I hardly get any time for myself. The holidays are among us and days are even more chaotic than usual. We had a great Thanksgiving (and Maddie's first) in Georgetown. Our whole family was there...most haven't seen Maddie since July...so it was fun catching up and seeing her interact with everyone. On Sunday we drove to Charleston to see Grandma McCoy for a few hours since she couldn't make it up to Georgetown for Thanksgiving. After a very fun-filled and exhausting weekend it was back to the daily grind...

This past week we have all been sick with nasty colds. Maddie started on Monday night with congestion and both Gabe and I got sick on Wednesday. For three nights she screamed at bedtime because her nose was so congested. All week Maddie would not take naps and was fussy all day. I finally decided to take her in to see the doctor just to make sure she didn't have any chest congestion or an ear infection. All was clear. The doctor said that it was just a cold and we would just have to let it run its course. We are on day 9 of the cold and it is finally starting to get better. Maddie was weighed and at 10 months old she weighed in at a whopping 23 lbs 4 oz. She is steadily gaining a pound a month now! No wonder my back hurts nonstop!

Maddie is not walking and doesn't seem to have any real interest in it. Last week she started walking behind her walker toy, but until just recently she decided to not do it anymore (probably because she took a little tumble when she was going too fast behind it). Oh well, for now she is an expert crawler and cruiser. She will walk when she wants to, I guess!

At 10 months old, Maddie is:

• waving bye-bye
• eating lots of new table foods everyday (tonight she ate macaroni & cheese, green beans, and yams. Her favorite lunch is grilled cheese and bananas.
  
• interested in feeding herself with a spoon
• offering food to us
• clucking her tongue
• saying more consonants (dada, tata, rara)
• loves to play games...her favorite is playing "chase" with Daddy when he comes home from work
• entertains herself for long periods of time...loves to empty out drawers and cabinets!
• gives kisses to us and her baby dolls (when she is in the mood)
  
• will occasionally "dance" to music...just a little sway side to side, but hey it is cute :)

Our baby is getting to be such a big girl. Oh time goes by too quickly....

We are looking forward to celebrating Maddie's first Christmas in just a few short weeks. It should be fun! Here are just a few pictures of the past couple of weeks...