14 Months

Stats: I think she has an appointment coming up (kids have a 15 month well check, right?) but I know our little sweet pea is growing like a weed! She is sooo tall. I had her on my lap the other day, and she was being the usual little wiggly worm she is. My sister said, in shock: "She's about half as long as you are!" And it can't be far from the truth! She wears 18-24 month pants, but can still fit into some 6-12 month tee shirts and hoodies. Long and thin- like her dad!

Teeth: She recently cut her first pre-molar or molar. I can't get in there to see which one it actually is, because she will NOT let me mess around in her mouth. Its goes hand in hand with not letting me pick her boogers. What do you get when you have a strong willed, determined little girl with big crusty boogers and her strong-willed, determined mom who hates hearing those sticky rattlers? Red face, screaming, tears, and a determined mom trying to hold the girl down while delicately using her pinky nail to get the boog. She gets over it quickly.

Food/Schedule: Whole milk bottle upon waking (will probably switch to water and just give her milk with breakfast soon) breakfast around 9. Lunch around noon. Bottle before nap at 1-2pm; which usually is 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Then dinner, and warm bottle before bed. I'm working on scaling the bottle back so she pees less during the night. Just thinking ahead to potty training ;) She loves anything with tomato sauce, but it gives her a rash on her face. She loves avocado, but when it comes to other veggies, she puts up a fight. We need to sprinkle a little salt on them and feed them to her first when she's hungry. We have had some temper tantrums over this :( I hold my ground though. She loves cheese and shakes her fists with glee when she sees it. We have a video I hope to post soon of this! She is also a meat lover; especially chicken. I cut up chicken nuggets to give to her, and she tried to fit like 4-5 pieces in her mouth at one time.

Friends: She seems to along best with kids slightly older than her. She has had some really fun play time with Lilli, the daughter of some dear friends of Ross and I. Lilly is almost 3, I think, but her and Maddy played together for about 2 hours or more and I have never seen Maddy giggle so much! They even wrestled, which made my abs hurt from laughing so much. She recently started playing with Elliott, the cute little boy down the street.

Personality: Kind strangers in stores are always charmed and amazed with Madelyn. Many girls her age would be afraid or justifiably skeptical of strangers. Madelyn will often look at a nice lady/girl admiring her, smile back, and stretch out her arms to her. The woman always looks to me for approval, and then willingly scoops up Maddy, who then talks her ear off. She is very, very social and sweet. She spends most of the day smiling. She's not a big crier- just a WHINER when she doesn't get her way (remember the part about her being head-strong?). Over all, she is very easy going.

Okay, I'm getting bored with my own writing now. I just really wanted to make sure I document more as she is changing and growing every day; so fast that it scares me. When I look at her I cannot believe that just a year ago she was a sweet little 2 month old swaddled up meatloaf who nursed for 30-45 minutes at a time and puked every time we burped her (we were remembering this this morning; how we had to change our sheets 3 times a week from all her spit up) . I don't wish she was a baby again; because she is SO fun now. But I am scared she will grow up too fast.

Maddy- I love you so much, sweet pea. You are the brightest joy in your dad's and my life. Our days have more smiles, laughs, and kisses now that you're with us. You just make life better.

What a Difference a Day Makes

Tomorrow is my last "Stay at home mom" Thursday. My day to catch up on the weeks hectic goings on, do laundry, and spend the whole day; just me and my little girl (and husband if he was home). Thursday was the little break before Friday; which was always bearable, because it was only one more day of work before I had my weekend. Friends; I had THE best of both worlds as a part time working/stay at home mom.

Due to financial reasons and the fact that my husband hates every moment of being a car salesman; I am increasing my hours and working Tuesday-Friday now. Ross will be a stay at home dad. This idea was prompted by talks with my coworker that made me feel that it would be better for our clinic to have a nurse who is there more consistently. Since I have been there the longest and I live the closest, I felt that person could be me. I love my job (most of time) so a few more hours wouldn't kill me, and it would certainly benefit my family. I ran the idea by Ross and he instantly jumped at the chance to quit his job. We did the math and discovered that by me working just one more day a week, he could quit his part time job altogether. While it doesn't thrill him to be a stay at home dad (seriously...we could handle it if he were thrown a "job" bone any time now) he prefers it over working in that 'ell 'ole (Hell hole- thats a Waiting for Guffman joke for one of my few readers ;)

Honestly; the decision for me to work an extra day came flooding in and it felt like a lightbulb went on. I made this decision on Saturday. When I returned to work on Tuesday, I stopped in my manager's office before my day started, and the request was approved so fast my head spun. This literally fell into place so quickly, I know that it was meant to be (for now). I start next week. For a decision that has felt so right, and where all the details were worked out without single hiccup, I feel so ...sad.

I always had Thursday to recharge and get plenty of Sweet-Pea time after working Tuesday and Wednesday. I always thought I would be a semi-stay at home mom who worked 2 days a week; and just got to being really happy with working 3. Even though its only one more day; 9 more hours; 3 of which Madelyn is napping; it just feels like so much more. Its not being at work, its being away from my home and daughter. This makes me really sad.

Ross is an awesome dad, but he doesn't have the same patience and multitasking skills that I have. He doesn't delight in power cleaning and cooking to Grey's Anatomy while Madelyn naps like I do. I was created to be a housewife/mommy. I was also created to be a nurse and provide for my family, appearantly.

My selfish prayer: Lord- please show my family your plan. We need more wisdom and patience to be happy with where Your plan has us right now!

*for the record I am thankful for all of our blessings; we have always been taken care of. But tonight, I am complaining.*

Maddy Update: 14 months (almost)

Stats: 18-24 month size pants, 12-24 month onesies, and can still wear her 6-12 month sweatshirts. She's a long girl! She plays with the 2 year olds in our Bible study like its no big deal, and even pushed on of them for going for her toy. I've got to keep my eye on this sassy little one.

Milestones/random facts:
-Climbs down the stairs without incident (so far).
-She is a climber, just in general. She climbs on top of her activity table to play on it. She climbs on her rocking chair with her Curious George and rocks with him
-Separation Anxiety! She was never a clingy baby, but she is a clingy toddler. It makes me feel loved, though :)
-She loves animals
-She loves to dance to music. ANY music. Even if music plays on a commercial or computer for 10 seconds, you will find her rocking out; bobbing her head and swinging her arms.
-She knows what "no" means. She has learned not to throw the food she doesn't want on the floor, but to hand it to me. She really wants to please her mom and dad, and she gets upset when we discipline her (which at this point is a firm "no" and a finger flick on the back of the hand for repeated offense). As her parent, I know that I have to be careful about her punishments. My personality has always been the people pleaser, and I have always gotten really down on myself for making any mistakes- too much. I can see that Maddy is a pleaser, and that if she does something wrong, she honestly feels bad about it. But obviously she needs some direction. This parenting requires such delicate balance!

I know there are definitely challenging times ahead, but so far this is my favorite age. I was such a clueless parent of a newborn, and it was so hard to figure her out. She is so smart and sweet now that it is easier to parent her and spend time with her. She just bursts with personality, and is so sweet with other people. She has her moments where she gets shy, but for the most part she brings a smile to anyone's face who is within a 10 foot radius of her. I never thought being a mom could ever be this rewarding!