H2 Oh So Cute!
Nothing is more refreshing than a little water play on a hot summer spring day! It’s been heating up here in Ventura County, so I bought this water table on a whim at Costco. It was a good deal! And I’ve read too many blogs and seen too many Pinterest boards about providing sensory experiences for toddlers. So, in order to be Mother of the Year, I bought this little sucker for my little pisher to enjoy.
I even managed to put it together all by myself. I have a rule. Things that don’t require screws or batteries are totally up my Ali Alley. Everything else is Daddy-Only. This is mostly because I can never remember the names of tools. So I snapped in the handful of plastic parts to stand this baby up and was pretty proud of my handy work. Basically, I’m an engineer.
I couldn’t wait. I set it up on our greenbelt and let her go to town. I had the fancy camera handy so I snapped a bunch of pics, capturing a progressively soaking t-shirt and droplets of water that supplemented her happiness. It was a great first encounter with the water table and even when she was finished with it, she was high on cuddles and giggles.
A few days later, I thought I’d try again, but go a little more pro. Madelyn was napping, so while she snoozed, I pushed the table outside, filled ‘er up on one side, and poured uncooked rice into the other side. When she woke up, I was so excited to put her in a bathing suit I’d received at my baby shower (Thanks, Sharona!) that finally fit her and snap photos of playtime at the new water table.
She got pretty into it. She mostly knocked down the waterfall feature and proceeded to mix the dry rice into the water, but it was all a welcome mess. This time, I got photos with my crappy iPhone and they were taken in harsh light in the worst angle, but it was really a picture-perfect vision to behold. My eyes savored the mental snapshot of my beautiful baby on a warm May day wobbling on her chubby legs as she danced with glee from water splashing her face and soaking her curls. Her shrieks of delight are forever engrained in my ears, and my cheeks hurt from smiling so hard as I watched her take it all in.
Gosh, motherhood is awesome.
Moments of Madelyn from the Last Few Months
I’ve slacked a little bit with blogging, so I’ll share some favorite photos from the last few weeks that have been living in my iPhone just dying to get out. They are either part of a bigger, more detailed post that is TBW (To Be Written) or they’re randoms that don’t really have a home, but are too cute to dump. So, this little nook of the Internet is where they shall live.
If there’s one thing I don’t understand, it’s how Madelyn can eat slimy, drippy foods and not have the instinct to want to wipe it away. It kills me! As she eats her yogurt, I want to take a napkin and go to town on her face. Doesn’t she feel that? Doesn’t it bug her? Kids are so weird.
Madelyn got her license!!
Just kidding. I had to put her down real quick while I moved some things in my car, so I stuck her in the driver’s seat. She really liked that. I did not have her chauffer me anywhere, but she did enjoy playing with the steering wheel.
We went to Denver (more on that later) and spent a day at a ski resort. It was Madelyn’s first time in the snow and was very confused by the whole thing. She was so good at walking through the snow in her new boots even though she was packed tight in her winter clothes. Since she didn’t totally hate it, I’m thinking ski lessons are a few years away.
I love this picture of Madelyn and her Grandpa “playing” chess. She likes to go to the chess table in Grandma and Grandpa’s house and rearrange all the pieces. I am never able to clean up after her because I don’t understand chess. I am really good, however, at checkers! Not the same thing?? Anyway, I love how they are both wearing their hoodies and jeans and playing so seriously. That’s what grandpas are for!
Madelyn spent a couple hours in the ER last month when she woke up at 4 a.m. with a 105 fever! Turns out she was suffering from a pretty bad double ear infection. She may have been running a super high fever, but she still took care of her baby at 4 a.m. just like I was taking care of mine. No sickness gets between a baby and her baby!
Madelyn was a flower girl again! Kevin and Lisa just got married on a beautiful, sunny day in April and Madelyn, decked out in a yellow dress, did such a good job walking down the aisle! I was so nervous that she wouldn’t cooperate, but she swung her yellow pomander aka “purse” over her arm and sauntered down the aisle and when she saw us at the end with the rest of the bridal party, she squealed with delight and ran toward us! The crowd loved it and it was a sweet way to start Kevin and Lisa’s lovely ceremony! Anyone need a flower girl? We can rent her out. She’s quiet a pro now.
\
Tiny Dancer
Madelyn is getting a bit of a reputation as a party girl. The minute she hears music – any music – she smiles and starts to dance. She’s been doing this virtually since the day she could stand up. It is really a thrilling sight to see. First of all, it is perhaps the cutest thing ever, but it also really gets my parental pride meter going. M’s not even two yet and I’m already thinking Juilliard – like Center Stage-style.
Seriously though, what’s cool about this, to me, is that it seems like Madelyn really is into dancing – or at least really into music. I think she must really love music if every time she hears it she gets all happy and breaks out her moves. I mean this is a kid who likes the Sesame Street theme song (the modern hip-hop-like version at least) more than Sesame Street itself. In her early dance days, we’d just loop the opening of Sesame Street and she’d dance around the living room.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4GtfGRFfu0
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgIz8KaaQnU
Sometimes we’ll put on Black Eyed Peas or Lady Gaga in our bedroom and she’ll dance away in front of the mirror with no regard for furniture or walls (or Princeton) and she just totally gets lost in it. I truly can’t wait to see how she evolves as a dancer and if it’s something she takes on as she gets older. You never know what your kid is really going to be into, so I’m wondering if this is our first glimpse of something.
The real fun has been at the two weddings where she was the flower girl. The pre-show was her walking down the aisle – twice! – without any issues. But the main event was her completely captivating the dance floor as she gets the party going with her awesome moves.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbgQUZlfn-A
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5-gSa5GDoI
As you can see, she clearly has a choreography that is all her own. In fact everyone has started calling what she does “The Madelyn” since she, of course, invented it. Here’s a quick tutorial:
How To Do “The Madelyn”
Below are all the moves you’ll need to successfully perform “The Madelyn” at parties. Start out by doing them in order, then you’re free to alternate between each at will. You’ll really impress your friends at parties and if you do it right, you’ll be in the center of the dance floor with all eyes on you.
1) “The Bounce” – Start by putting your arms out about 45 degrees and doing a slight knee bend, bouncing ever so slightly to the beat. It also helps if you flail your arms randomly at times. Make sure to look up while doing this since, of course, everybody is taller than you.
2) “The Sway” – Next, you have to transition into the side-to-side sway. This is a very exaggerated sway though – you have to be sure to actually lift your left leg and tilt right, then slowly switch, placing your left leg down again, lifting the right leg, and tilting left. Repeat this motion while making a very wide-eyed face and smiling big.
3) “The Spin” – At random moments during the dance, stop what your doing and spin in a circle one or two times before continuing. This is ballerina style, except keep your arms kind of half down and half out as if you can’t really decide. It also helps if you almost lose your balance here but then don’t.
4) “The Jump” – This is an exaggerated version of the bounce and only happens very infrequently during the dance. It is usually aided by holding the arms of somebody much taller than you and then hopping up and down uncontrollably. This is the one move that usually ends up completely off-beat from the music as a result of the sheer excitement you get from performing it.
5) “The Applause” – When you decide you’re done, make sure to give yourself a healthy round of applause at the end. In fact, random clapping in the middle of any of the above four steps is also encouraged.
Madelyn hopes to see you out on the dance floor sometime soon!
Leader of the Park
Once Madelyn became fairly mobile on two feet, I started to take her to the park. There’s a beautiful park down the street from our place that has big grassy fields, two play structures, and lots of picnic areas. It’s pretty near perfect, and I was always so excited to introduce this kind of outside play to Madelyn. But she wanted nothing to do with it. Taking after her parents’ Olympian-like athletic abilities (no), she was not at all comfortable with running and climbing and sliding on what other children seem to not get enough of!
I tried every few weeks to see if she’d decided yet to be a park kid, and nope. It wasn’t happening.
Until this week. Her squeals of delight were worth the wait! She has gained so much confidence and loves to go up and down the stairs, whiz down the slide, and explore the nooks and crannies. Watching her figure out how to go around an obstacle or manage the stairs that are still a little too steep for her short legs is fascinating. She is fearless when she scampers while every few steps, she looks back to make sure I’m still there.
Madelyn climbs, runs, and explores like an Ironbaby.
Madelyn’s new favorite event at the Park Olympics: The Slide
Watching her climb higher makes me simultaneously feel proud and nauseous. #MamaBear
I also love watching Madelyn interact with other kids. One sweet boy who was almost exactly her age sat down on the two-by-two slide next to her and held out his hand to take hers and she wasn’t giving it up! I suppose we should be glad about this and hope she keeps this up in 14 years.
However, my kid is also socially fearless! There was a group of boys who were older than Madelyn, maybe about four, who were eating a snack in the corner of the sandbox. Madelyn walked right up to them, squatted down, and pointed to their crackers. They guarded their crackers with their lives and said “SHE’S GONNA STEAL YOUR CWACKAS!!! TELL HUH TO GET A WAAAAAY.” Listen up, boys, she’s not going to steal your cwackas. She’s just curious and friendly. Be a mensch and don’t be so intimidated by a toddler who doesn’t even talk.
Madelyn has also begun to have commercial recognition because we’ve chosen not to raise her under a rock. There’s TV and Target, so she knows about characters. We already know that she’s a die-hard Elmo fan, but she also has taken a major liking to Minnie Mouse. I think she likes Mickey, too, because of his mouse persuasion, but it’s really all about the bow and lashes (such a GIRL!). So when she saw another little girl with a giant Minnie on her t-shirt, Madelyn gasped, went “Ooooooo!” and pointed. The other little girl looked at her like she was nuts, and I decided to bridge the confusion gap and say “Oh, Madelyn likes your Minnie shirt! Do you like Minnie Mouse, too?” and the other little girl stared at me blankly while I suddenly got very self conscious around a preschooler. Madelyn couldn’t get it together and she was fangirling out over this t-shirt and got closer, bent down, and went nose-to-Minnie’s-nose. Yes, my daughter’s face was millimeters away from this other little girl’s bellybutton area. Her caretaker, thankfully, thought this was just as hysterical as I did, while the girl patiently waited for Madelyn to get a hold of herself who was shrieking with utter glee. Finally, for one more zinger, Madelyn blew an air kiss — “mmmmm-ah!” — to this girl’s t-shirt and then continued to point. I decided enough was enough, and scooted her toward the slide for another ride. Toddlerworld is so much different than adult world. Thank goodness this little girl was tolerant enough of Madelyn’s obsession. What if adults walked around pointing to things they loved on other peoples’ t-shirts? What if I walked up to a grown up wearing a t-shirt with a bottle of wine on it and kissed it? Not OK.
Madelyn spots Minnie Mouse on a t-shirt from across the park. It was the gasp heard ’round the world.
Madelyn’s new park antics are definitely entertaining for everyone. Can’t wait to take her again and see how she continues abolish social graces.
Visiting My Old Chomping Grounds
And the circle of life continues. I took Madelyn to my childhood dentist for her first check-up and it was a total trip to be back at the office I visited twice a year until I was in my teens. It seemed much smaller and less clinical, and I’m sure nothing’s actually changed except my own size.
As soon as we walked in, the friendly receptionist greeted us and it was so nice to be reunited! She totally remembered me and gushed over meeting Madelyn. Madelyn, though, had no interest in salutations and bee-lined her way toward the play kitchen. Guess we know what she needs for her 2nd birthday. She whipped up a whole smorgasbord until it was time to go back for the real appointment.
Madelyn takes in the kid-friendly surroundings in the waiting room.
Chef Madelyn competes on “Chopped,” or, as known in the dentist’s office, “Chomped.”
I wasn’t sure what to expect, but the hygienist took us back to a consult room which is where we would stay. These peek-a-boo visits, as they call them, don’t require the hard core bells and whistles of the dentist chair and all the mechanics. In fact, Madelyn had little to do with the appointment until the end.
We sat in what was essentially a toy room while Madelyn kept herself busy with a giant Elmo that served as a speaking chair. The hygienist asked me questions about our teeth brushing routine and foods that she eats. Based on my answers, we passed with flying colors with accolades for using straw cups instead of sippy cups, avoiding juice and sticky foods and candies, and brushing at least once a day with a regular routine. This mama still has never had a cavity, so I intend to make sure Madelyn goes through life the same way!
Then the dentist made her grand entrance and even though the practice that she started has expanded to additional offices and a rotation of dentists, I was so glad that we would be seeing her and that she’d get to meet Madelyn’s teeth, too! Then it was time for the actual check-up so we sat Madelyn on my lap facing me and then leaned her back onto the dentist’s lap. This is when Madelyn, who’d been so happy and cooperative the whole time, wailed like Elmo’s life depended on it. At first I tried to console and shush her, but the dentist actually said it’s a good thing: her open, screaming mouth made it easier to see all of her teeth! I like dental logic.
So while Madelyn screamed, the dentist examined and cleaned her teeth. It was all over in minutes, and we sat Pissed-Off Madelyn back up and Cheerful Madelyn returned. It may have had something to do with the toy and Elmo sticker she immediately received from the hygienist, but she happily jumped off my lap and continued playing, with her sparkly, pearly whites shining through her smile.
Madelyn gets tortured, I mean, examined, by the dentist.
The moment finally came that would put my mind at ease: the dentist has a grading scale of 1 through 5 for the quality of brushing, with 1 being the best. My whole life, I received ones every time except one instance when I got a two and nearly had a meltdown about it. If you get ten 1-scores, you get a ticket to Disneyland! If that’s not incentive to brush, brush, brush, I don’t know what is! So, naturally, as a child who was obsessed with earning ones, I was curious to know if Madelyn would start her collection at this early age and sure enough, her 1-streak began! “Proud mama” doesn’t say enough about how I felt! I know, I am totally neurotic, but there could be worse things I obsess over, right?
After our exam was over, we schmoozed in the hallway with the friendly receptionist and other hygienists who were having fun playing with Madelyn. They brought out the treasure box so Madelyn could pick out more toys and she chose, no surprise, a duck, her favorite animal to date.
The office staff treats Madelyn like a princess!
The receptionist introduced me to everyone, saying that I am alumni of the office, and we all joked about how different it is to be there as a grown up! They told me that they’re starting to see a lot of their former patients come back to bring their kids.
It’s times like these that I’m glad I chose to stay in the area and raise Madelyn in my home town. Most kids don’t like going to the dentist, but I guess I was a weird kid and I always did. I hope to instill that same appreciation in Madelyn, and replicating these parts of my own childhood make me so happy.