Monthiversaries Archive

Months in Double Digits and Almost a Single Year

by Alison Friedman in Amazing Arielle, Monthiversaries

Arielle got her big juicy recap and then even more time flew by. Seriously. Why does time do that? I am not capable of accepting this reality.

But here she is at 10 and 11 months and only a few days shy of turning ONE!

31 days and a zillion heart beats of love between these two photos.

31 days and a zillion heart beats of love between these two photos.

By 10 months, she had both her bottom teeth finally in and the Niagara Falls of drool told me that her top teeth were near.

Crawling became a regular thing, with unequal leg strength giving her a funny waddle to her scoot. But nothing stopped this rugrat from wanting to grab her favorite things like iPhones, uncapped tubes of diaper cream, and dirty shoes on the floor. The toys and other baby-approved items? Pish posh. If it didn’t have germs or danger or inconvenience all over it, she didn’t want it.

Ten months is also when she picked up on similar eating habits of high school football players or the guys at the Coney Island hot dog eating contest. Arielle has become a bottomless pit for food. She can go through puffs and bananas and blueberries and pancakes and yogurt and roasted sweet potatoes and steamed broccoli and scrambled eggs without even taking a breath. I am getting tendinitis from the constant mechanics of the feeding motions. If I don’t spoon something in fast enough, I see steam come out of her ears like she’s doing her best Donald Duck impression. I would say I have no idea where she gets this, but I’ve spent 10 years with her father, so I know where her love of food comes from (and who am I kidding? I have a strong, um, appreciation for food, too).

Arielle, 10 months

Arielle, 10 months

By 11 months, Arielle was mastering what she started to discover at 10 months.

Her crawling really finessed and her weaker leg seems to have caught up a little more so that her leg work is more balanced.

Diaper changes are officially wrestling matches. All she wants to do is roll over. Right now, she is small enough that I can hold her down with my one palm spread out on her belly to stabilize her, but if she keeps growing like a weed (all thanks to her eating frenzy), I’m going to need to call in for reinforcements. The absolute worst is when she has a diaper blowout situation and I have to manage her rolling while trying to avoid a mess. This is especially fun when we are on the go. I think that the evolution of man should include extra arms for moms. Ya hear, Darwin?

We are also now giving Arielle standing ovations for standing! She pulls herself up onto anything just to get a better view of her world around her. When she first started doing this, it was darling to see how proud she was of herself. I think her mastery of standing up has also helped to strengthen her legs for her expert crawling status. Developmental milestones working together for the win!

She also has her party tricks that are fun. In addition to doing “The Face” on command (when she wants to), she also loves to clap hands, wave hello and goodbye, and give kisses. Her wave is borderline Rose Parade Queen-worthy and her kisses are more like a mouth-to-mouth press (Dear Strangers: Please do not ask my child for a kiss), but with every new trick, I realize that she’s becoming more of her own little person.

Arielle 11 months

She’s almost 12 months old, and I’m having a hard time letting go of this “baby” stage. The problem is, is that I think she actually looks much younger than her other 12-month-old counterparts. Maybe she’ll enjoy looking young when she’s 45, but for now, I am tricked into thinking that she’s still only 8 or 9 months old. The calendar says she’s basically 1, my eyes say she is more like 8 months, and my heart says she’s forever my little baby.

She’s had quite a few adventures in recent months that I can’t wait to write about, and with the first birthday coming up this Friday, I am thankful for this special year as a mom. It was the fastest one ever, and bittersweet to boot. Everything this year was “the last” — the last first time trying new foods, the last time carrying an infant car seat, the last time a favorite hand-me-down from Madelyn gets worn. Everything with Madelyn was always about her firsts. Everything with Arielle has been all about our lasts. Her firsts are our lasts. These feelings parallel my feelings in the final days of what we knew would be my last pregnancy, so while it’s all happy things that we are fortunate and lucky to enjoy, they’re also fleeting. That’s hard for an emotional wreck gal like me.

Next time I update about my baby girl, it will be about her 12th month and a whole year that’s zoomed by. We say “this too shall pass” in regards to difficult phases and stages (“I’M SO TIRED OMGGG” — this too shall pass. “MY BOOBS ARE KILLING ME!” — this too shall pass. “SHE WON’T STOP THROWING FOOD ON THE FLOOR. STAAAAHP.” — this too shall pass.). But all the happy moments pass, too, before new happy moments happen, and they shall, but not without me being a little weepy and sentimental about it.

  1. 2/28/2016 5:44 PM

    I can’t believe she’s going to be one so soon!! Ahh our babies will be toddlers!

So, About That Baby…

Remember that time I had a second baby and I blogged about her all the time? No? Me neither.

Madelyn's serenades make Arielle fall in love with her big sister every time.

Madelyn’s serenades make Arielle fall in love with her big sister every time.

Here’s the thing. Arielle was born in March. Then I was in my little new mama-again cocoon for about 6 weeks. Then, that 6 weeks turned into 12 weeks because the struggle was real. Then, I wanted to report back that everything was super easy breezy, but it wasn’t because breastfeeding. And then at around 6 months when things were in their groove, it felt too late to start recapping Arielle. It’s kind of like dieting in December: why start now? May as well just keep eating.

But the guilt. Ooohhhhh, the guilt. The thing is, Arielle is now almost 10 months and she’s such a little delight. She’s just so sweet and cuddly and fun, but it wasn’t always that way. Through no fault of her own, she was actually born a little cranky. Well, her tummy was. After I finally started to get over the hump of the difficulties of breastfeeding, I noticed that she never really settled and got content after eating. I mean, after I devour a chocolate cake with fudge filling, I am happier than an ant at a picnic, so I couldn’t figure out why she would scream and writhe and scrunch after eating.

So then came the elimination diet. Goodbye pizza. Goodbye ice cream. Goodbye buttery mashed potatoes. If an ingredient ever came from a mooing female mammal, it was out. If it had any kind of soy in it, it was also out. That didn’t leave a lot of options for this picky eater. And after two weeks, wow, what a difference! Baby Arielle was a whole new woman. The elimination of soy and dairy from my diet completely changed her, and it was clear her tummy was much happier. Feeding times became relaxing — for both of us — and she no longer twisted in pain. My taste buds, however, longingly flooded for all my favorite foods.

I continued this diet for approximately three months for Arielle’s comfort and happiness. And through it all, I didn’t lose an ounce. Everyone told me that the upside of my deprivation/Arielle’s relief was that I’d get super skinny. Maniacal laugh. It’s not easy to blog about your baby when you’re just dyin’ for a hot fudge sundae, but you look like you ate one anyway. I never knew I could crave a Caesar salad until I couldn’t have a Caesar salad. Oh, and sleep wasn’t happening. All these feeding issues, boob drama, and multiple wake ups can really take a toll on a woman’s desire to get all warm and fuzzy. In this part of Arielle’s babyhood, I was just coasting. Getting through to the next step.

Arielle saw the Dodgers play 3 times in her first 6 months of life. That's pretty impressive (thank you Auntie Pattie & Uncle Barry) and she became a fangirl just like her sis and parents and, maybe even most importantly, her Poppa!

Arielle saw the Dodgers play 3 times in her first 6 months of life. That’s pretty impressive (thank you Auntie Pattie & Uncle Barry) and she became a fangirl just like her sis and parents and, maybe even most importantly, her Poppa!

In all honesty, that’s how her first half of her year was: Let’s just get through to the next step. The problem with being a second time parent is that you know what comes next. Everything with Madelyn was fresh and new. Every poop she made was so exciting, the next one better than the last. It’s not to say that Arielle’s poops are unexciting (they are! Yay poop!), but I now have a gauge for good/better/best, and having been through four years with Madelyn, in hindsight, every year is even better! So Arielle sitting in her high chair for the first time? Yeah, totally cool. Go Arielle. But I KNOW how great it is when a baby turns into a totally composed toddler with fine motor skills and how cool it is when she can sit in a chair. By herself. And eat with a fork.

Between the rough start, frustrating middle, and knowledge of what’s to come, it’s been difficult to put into words my experience as a second timer in the mom department. And through it all, I love her more than I could have imagined. That is definitely my greatest a-ha! of the whole journey. Arielle completed our family and it went from warm and cozy to bursting at the seams with trust and love and laughter and teamwork. We thought we had it so great with Madelyn — and we did! — but Arielle took us from all A+ grades in AP classes with valedictorian status to free ride to Harvard. Bryan and I have learned way more about each other as parents and teammates because Arielle has also taught us to divide and conquer, and also to come together in a two-brains-are-better-than-one kind of way.

Arielle was such an excellent traveler during her first vacation. She was great on both plane rides, dealt with a crazy no-schedule sleep schedule, and got carted around to meals and attractions like it was no big whoop. We can't wait to show her more and more!

Arielle was such an excellent traveler during her first vacation. She was great on both plane rides, dealt with a crazy no-schedule sleep schedule, and got carted around to meals and attractions like it was no big whoop. We can’t wait to show her more and more!

So, Arielle hasn’t been all challenges and uphill battles; No, she’s been perfect all along, but her presence is allowing us to experience more and learn additional roles as parents. And that can be hard. We know all the greatness to come because her big sister has paved such a wonderful path, and I have a sneak peek into the joys of toddlerhood, and language acquisition, and physical achievements, and the end of teething, and Sesame Street marathons, and walking shoes, and imagination, and goodnight stories, and potty success, and the returned cuddles and “I love you”s.

***

But for the sake of “better late than never…” here’s Arielle by the month!

One Month: Arielle ate every 2 to 3 hours like clockwork… including during the middle of the night! She liked to cuddle and sleep. She also snoozed a lot. Did I mention she liked to sleep? She wore size newborn diapers for an entire month and wore a lot of her sister’s newborn outfits.

One Month: Arielle ate every 2 to 3 hours like clockwork… including during the middle of the night! She liked to cuddle and sleep. She also snoozed a lot. Did I mention she liked to sleep? She wore size newborn diapers for an entire month and wore a lot of her sister’s newborn outfits.

2 Months: Arielle started to do more tummy time and tolerated it ... in a mediocre way. She wore size 1 diapers and 0-3 month clothes. She loved to look around by tracking everything with her eyes and was very alert. She discovered her big sister, Madelyn, and began to realize that she would soon become her most favorite person in the world.

2 Months: Arielle started to do more tummy time and tolerated it … in a mediocre way. She wore size 1 diapers and 0-3 month clothes. She loved to look around by tracking everything with her eyes and was very alert. She discovered her big sister, Madelyn, and began to realize that she would soon become her most favorite person in the world.

3 Months: Snoozing happened swaddle-free and we also went cold turkey on the pacifier. Both things were keeping her from sleeping and that was unacceptable, obv. She started to flirt with the idea of rolling and the smiles, though not completely out to play in this photo, were becoming a regular on her little punim.

3 Months: Snoozing happened swaddle-free and we also went cold turkey on the pacifier. Both things were keeping her from sleeping and that was unacceptable, obv. She started to flirt with the idea of rolling and the smiles, though not completely out to play in this photo, were becoming a regular on her little punim.

4 Months: Arielle celebrated America's Independence with all of her friends and a fireworks show on her 4th month with us. The smiles and rolling were in full force and she welcomed diaper changes (size 2) as opportunities to play and giggle with her mom and dad. She loved to explore textures and lights that she discovered in a baby class with baby pals.

4 Months: Arielle celebrated America’s Independence with all of her friends and a fireworks show on her 4th month with us. The smiles and rolling were in full force and she welcomed diaper changes (size 2) as opportunities to play and giggle with her mom and dad. She loved to explore textures and lights that she discovered in a baby class with baby pals.

5 Months: Frequent Flyer miles collection began -- Arielle took her first plane ride to Seattle and loved exploring the suburbs and the city. She also attended her first birthday party -- her sister's 4th! She fit into 3-6 month clothes and size 2 diapers, rolling all over and working on balanced sitting.

5 Months: Frequent Flyer miles collection began — Arielle took her first plane ride to Seattle and loved exploring the suburbs and the city. She also attended her first birthday party — her sister’s 4th! She fit into 3-6 month clothes and size 2 diapers, rolling all over and working on balanced sitting.

6 Months:  Half a year down, and Arielle mastered sitting up in September. Along with sitting up, her spitting up was becoming a little less regular, and she began to consume dairy again with no trouble. Hooray for pizza!  (for Mom). She also had her first non-milk foods like purees and cereal. Eating is a favorite pasttime, which explains her 6-9 month clothing size and size 3 diapers.

6 Months: Half a year down, and Arielle mastered sitting up in September. Along with sitting up, her spitting up was becoming a little less regular, and she began to consume dairy again with no trouble. Hooray for pizza! (for Mom). She also had her first non-milk foods like purees and cereal. Eating is a favorite pasttime, which explains her 6-9 month clothing size and size 3 diapers.

7 Months: No crawling yet, but Arielle loved to sprawl out on her tummy and flip her limbs around, perhaps thinking about the idea of maybe considering the possibility of one day potentially crawling... in the future. Oh, and no big deal, but sleep happened. Like, no more nighttime feedings (her idea) and 12 hours of solid sleep (also her idea). Mama was in heaven during month seven!

7 Months: No crawling yet, but Arielle loved to sprawl out on her tummy and flip her limbs around, perhaps thinking about the idea of maybe considering the possibility of one day potentially crawling… in the future. Oh, and no big deal, but sleep happened. Like, no more nighttime feedings (her idea) and 12 hours of solid sleep (also her idea). Mama was in heaven during month seven!

8 Months: One tooth in and another on the way changed this little girl's gummy smile and she suddenly looks older! She also got really vocal all of a sudden, babbling lots of stories and opinions that only she understands. Size 3 diapers and 6-12 month clothing keep her warm as we head into winter.

8 Months: One tooth in and another on the way changed this little girl’s gummy smile and she suddenly looks older! She also got really vocal all of a sudden, babbling lots of stories and opinions that only she understands. Size 3 diapers and 6-12 month clothing keep her warm as we head into winter.

9 Months: As evidenced by the photo, Arielle is not interested in laying down and staying still. At 9 months, toys and books are her favorite non-Madelyn objects and a special flavor of crawling is in progress: No tushie up in the air, but the girl gets around with her arms and push-offs from her feet. But really, she is perfectly content to sit like a lady and play quietly with her toys or munch on Puffs.

9 Months: As evidenced by the photo, Arielle is not interested in laying down and staying still. At 9 months, toys and books are her favorite non-Madelyn objects and a special flavor of crawling is in progress: No tushie up in the air, but the girl gets around with her arms and push-offs from her feet. But really, she is perfectly content to sit like a lady and play quietly with her toys or munch on Puffs.

Eighteen Months!

A year-and-a-half! Madelyn is 18 months old and my mind is officially blown. I remember 18 months sounded like an eternity away when she was just born. I received some clothes for her that were size 18-24 months and for so long, they lived in the top and back part of the closet, almost unreachable. It seemed like it would be an eternity until she’d get to wear them, and now, here we are, with those same pieces rotating through the laundry. It’s so Alison of me to mark time based on clothing.

Taking Madelyn’s growing photos is becoming more work. Girlfriend doesn’t want to stay seated in her pink chair. She just wants to go! go! go!

18m1

At 18 months, Madelyn…

  • Is signing to bridge her communication with us. She’s still behind in speaking which is why we visit speech therapy once a week. The therapy is actually like one big play time and it’s really fun! We look at animals and make sounds, play in a ball pit, create noises while we do sensory activities, and learn sign language! Madelyn is the Mistress of More — she loves to put her hands together and ask for “more” or tell us she’s “all done.” Her “all done” sign looks like she’s flipping gang signs. Ah, our little gangster. So sweet. At first I doubted the significance of sign language. Why talk with our hands when we’re supposed to talk with our voices? But then I learned that the sign language is supposed to bridge the gap of communication and ease up any frustration we all have when Madelyn can’t tell us what she wants. Eventually, she’ll put words with the signs and she’ll be chatting away. We’ve been going for about two months and the therapist has seen lots of improvement already! Just this week, Madelyn said “go,” “Poppa,” “boo!” “baa-aa” like a sheep, and “moo” like a cow, in addition to some other animal sounds she has learned like “dah!” for duck/quack, “ccchhhh” for a pig (instead of snorting in, she snorts out like she’s speaking Hebrew), and “grrr” for lion.
  • Understands way too much! Just because the girl isn’t talking doesn’t mean she isn’t understanding. I could be in a conversation with an adult that has nothing to do with her, but if I say the sentence, “… so I decided I could do some more shopping…” Madelyn will sign “more” because she hears it. A few weeks ago, I told Bryan something outrageous while she was in the room minding what I thought was her own business and I said, “Seriously, Bryan! I’m not even lyin’!” and out of nowhere she roared. Lyin’ = lion to Madelyn’s ears. If I give her commands, she takes them, which will be awesome once she is strong enough to run the vacuum. Hmm…
  • Has discovered Minnie and Mickey Mouse! She’s still very loyal to her Sesame Street friends, but she now recognizes and gushes over Minnie especially. We took her to Disneyland the week she turned 18 months (more on that later!) and she was completely star struck. She has two Minnie dolls that she loves to carry around with her, and whenever I wear my Mickey PJ top, she doesn’t let go of me (it’s a sneaky way to get cuddles out of her!).
  • Finally suffered through her first illness of a fever, respiratory thing, and an ear infection. We got through a week’s worth of icky, but she proved to be a total champ through the whole ordeal. She’s much braver than I am!
  • Still loves books and reading to herself and her stuffed animals. She also enjoys sorting her toys and making piles out of everything. She walks to an area, moves what’s there, one piece at a time, to a whole new area, and then starts the process over. There’s a method to her madness, I just wish I understood what it was!
  • Has excellent dance skills. She keeps rhythm by clapping or bouncing and has a few different signature moves. One is sort of Frankenstein-like where she takes big steps side to side and holds her arms straight out like she’s balancing. Another Madelyn classic is standing in place and bouncing at her knees while flapping her arms at the elbow like a bird. She dances to a capella singing, live music, Sesame Street songs, anything with a melody! Bryan and I think she has some musical talents budding deep down. Can’t wait to see them develop!
  • Wears her hair in a few different hairstyles. She finally has enough for pig tails and that style is my personal favorite! She also pulls off a mean Pebbles Flintstone with a pom on top of her head. Her curls are coming in so with enough detangler and a good air dry, the back of her head usually has some good fluff. She won’t allow bows or headbands to stay in her hair very long, but we manage with itty bitty elastics. I should probably learn how to do other fun hair styles. This girl never learned how to French braid! Gasp!

18m2

18m3

And what’s a Madelyn photo shoot without a little Princeton? More proof that Madelyn’s arrival 18 months ago didn’t take away from our fur baby!

18m4

Oh you know, just drinking and reading to my baby like a big girl.

Oh you know, just drinking and reading to my baby like a big girl.

  1. 2/12/2013 6:57 AM

    She is precious! Growing like a weed (a beautiful flowery like weed). 🙂
    When I was working with infants and toddlers we taught them sign language. It was the best and truly helped them get to language faster and easier. There were also far less tears because they could communicate with us what they needed through sign. Good to hear she’s doing so well with it!

Fifteen Months!

Our little not-so-little, on-the-cusp-of-her-Bat-Mitzvah, basically-an-AARP subscriber baby is 15 months today and I can’t believe how fast time flies. I literally can’t keep up (as evidenced by the silence on BornFriedman) and have lots to share and will unravel some stories in the coming days!

But for now, we celebrate 15 months of Madelyn. She has definitely gone from baby to little girl status. She’s longer, leaner, and the hair — oh the hair! It’s finally growing like a weed and the curls are taking shape. This is going to be fun!

At 15 months, Madelyn…

  • Has about 10 teeth. Her molars are almost finished cutting through and if I had my act together, I’d have created Splash Zone signs for her to carry around her body. Anyone who gets near her is bound to get wet. She’s pretty juicy with the drooling, so I’m pretty much over the teething just for that reason alone! Thankfully, she’s not a terrible teether. She doesn’t complain much and she acts pretty normal. No fevers, no weird poops. Just drool. Like, she basically makes a basset hound look as dry as a raisin.
  • Runs and trips and gets back up again. Nothing fazes her. Falling is seriously no big whoop. She trips over her own feet all the time and if a toy or a shoe stops her saunter and she takes a dive, she doesn’t even blink. Isn’t it funny how babies are hardly cry babies at all? She’s a tough kid. I’m curious to know where she got that…
  • Knows parts of her face! Ask her where her ears are. She’ll be glad to slap them with her hand. Ask her where her head is. She’ll pat it enthusiastically. Ask her where her eyes are. She’ll blink really slow and with determination. Ask her where her mouth is. She usually makes politically incorrect Native American tribal sounds. We’re still working on the nose. She still dones’t know nose. I’m sure her Poppa will have a dirty way to teach her that one. Ahem.
  • Enjoys throwing food. Please tell me this is a stage. My dog is going to become obese and my housekeepers are going to become very rich because I seem to be calling them more and more. So, win-win for everyone except mommy. As soon as she starts to throw her food, we take it away, remove her from the high chair, and tell her that eating time is over. We don’t make a big deal, but we don’t ignore this behavior entirely either. However, the absolute lack of remorse and apathy she shows about this consequence makes me very, very, very fearful of her years to come. When does the food throwing stop? Any pieces of advice to share? And why does she not want to eat delicious food that I wish I could eat, but can’t because she made me fat? Oh, the irony!
  • Is almost 30 inches tall. I know this because I had to take her to the Van Nuys Entertainment Work Permit office to renew her show biz card (which basically sits dormant, thankyouvermuch casting directors. So all you who ask me how to get your kid to make a million bucks, I don’t know). I had to give her measurements (her bust is still not even pushing 30 and her hips, forget it. Nothin’ there.) and there was a juvenile-looking measuring stick on the wall. She absolutely loved standing against it and looking at the numbers and the colors. She then proceeded to prance around the dreary, institutional-like office waiting area and made sure that everyone paid attention to her. She’d walk up to a dad on his iPhone or a mom tending to her kids and literally do schtick until they gave her the satisfaction of a smile or a “hello.” This kid doesn’t work because she’s not friendly? Please! Anyway, this is what she does everywhere we go. I can’t run in and out of Trader Joe’s because she’s holding me up and putting on a show like she’s queen of the Catskills and our fellow TJ shoppers are old Jewish ladies eating borscht and smoking cigarettes. It’s criminal how much she steals attention. And they give it to her, too! They stop and the coo and they play peek-a-boo and all she needs is a harmonica and tap shoes and she’d be a complete traveling act. Then they eventually walk away and she looks at me with her deep, dark coffee See’s chocolate eyes and bats her Jessica Rabbit eyelashes as if to say, “See, Ma? I got it. Now, take me to the frozen pizzas.”

She fell out of her chair. Anddidn’tevencare…

She just keeps on keepin’ on.

Twelve months! ONE YEAR!

Hi. My name is Alison. I am a mother to a ONE-YEAR-OLD! Holy 12 months, where did the year go?

It went a little something like this:

Madelyn is officially out of infancy and our toddlerhood begins. She is definitely toddling, though not on a regular basis. She’s taken steps and is still building her confidence, so crawling is still her preferred method of transportation.

It’s no secret that I’d been pretty emotional about her turning one. I still can’t really articulate why, but the feelings of nostalgia were in full force, pulsing lots of awe and amazement for what we’ve all experienced in the past year. The night before her birthday, I rocked her in her dark room as we always do when she takes her bedtime bottle. I played with her hair and stared at her lips and eyes as she calmed herself for sleepy time. The diva that she is pushed the bottle as if to say “take it away, Jeeves! I just simply canNOT be bothered with it anymore!”, wiped her eyes, and scrunched her face in her poodle lovey. She does this every time she is finished with her milk and ready for her crib. So I stood up with her, gave her a kiss on the forehead, and slowly lowered her into her crib, whispering to her, “Goodnight my little 11-month-old for the last time. When you wake up in the morning, you’ll be one.” She turned over, stuck her tushie up in the air, and drifted off to Dreamland in no time. I, on the other hand, ran out the door and into Bryan’s shoulder where I sobbed that I just put to bed our little baby and when I go to her in the morning, she won’t be a little baby anymore. And I guess that’s what got to me. That time moves on. Ready or not. She’s ready. And I will be ready. I will.

This month, Madelyn…

  • Took her first steps! It was very random and totally sans prompting from us. She just… did it. There is absolutely no consistency to this so-called walking and I wouldn’t even say she’s walking. More like, well, she HAS walked. But she improves each time she does it. We have to place her, balance her, and then she’ll put one foot in front of the other, which, if performed in sequence, I guess equals walking. I think she’ll be doing it on her own soon, but there’s still a ways to go. Still, it’s pretty exciting. I think I’m ready for her to be a little more independent and so I can be a little more hands free! A walking child is like baby bluetooth.
  • Continued to eat anything and everything. This child has not shown any kind of disgust over certain foods and will pretty much eat all food we give her. I’ve never seen a small person eat so much broccoli. And enjoy it. However, she is not the neatest eater so her brother Princeton likes to hang out under her high chair and wait. He inevitably gets fed and Madelyn thinks it’s hilarious. She’s begun to deliberately feed him taking a bite of her own, then handing off a bite to P. She alternates this practice and I glow with joy and pride over the sharing that’s going on between siblings. If only he’d remember her kindness when she reaches for his tail.
  • Said “ma” “ma,” or, as I prefer to hear it, “mama.” She started spewing off the “ma” sound all throughout TJ Maxx during one random shopping spree. The whole store witnessed this new phonemic discovery, and I smiled to myself with utter glee. She clapped for herself and repeated “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma” “ma”
  • Danced and clapped while pushing her new walker! The walker is adorable and plays cute songs when it moves, so she’ll push, hear music, and bounce-and-clap. Then the song will run out so she’ll push, hear music, and bounce-and-clap. She’s like a sorority girl during rush. And she really has great rhythm! The walker plays a Japanese-synth-style “Rockin’ Robin” and she goes nuts like a 1960s teenager over Paul McCartney. I think her new walker is also helping give her confidence to get more comfortable with independent walking. I just hope when she starts walking for real, she claps and bounces then, too. The happy girl should have a little pep in her step, right?

OMG it’s SHE’LL BE COMIN’ AROUND THE MOUTAIN! GET OUT! AHHHHHHH

You GUYS! I’m ONE! My curfew is, like, 7 p.m. now!

Whoooaaaa… I think I celebrated and drank too much milk! I really need to lay off the bottle!! Wheee!

Girls just wanna have fuuu-uuu-uuun!!!

  1. 8/20/2012 5:31 PM

    Be still my heart! She is simply PRESH. These pictures are so cute – but honestly, Alison, your writing is what makes this whole thing so poignant and exciting. Mazel on Miss M’s big 1st bday! xoxo

  2. KZ
    8/12/2012 3:21 PM

    Happy Birthday Madelyn!

  3. Mimi
    8/11/2012 8:18 AM

    Happy First Birthday, Madelyn! And I hope to share many many many more birthdays and firsts with you. This year has been fun & flown by, but we have more fun experiences to conquer! I Loooove you!
    XOXOX Mimi