Eight Month Update

The days have been flying by. They seem to do that when the weather starts getting warmer and you want to savor those precious rays of sunshine on warm, summer-like evenings. We've been filling our afternoons with walks around the yard, listening to the wind chimes, swinging on the swing, and taking walks around the neighborhood. It's amazing how the warmer, longer days make such a difference in my mood, and it seems - everyone's moods. 

Madelyn is eight months old now...WHOA. I've been so busy I haven't even gotten the opportunity to take Madelyn's eight month picture. BUT, we did get a few good shots from this past weekend, when the weather was absolutely perfect, as was the company!

At eight months old, Madelyn is changing more and more every day, growing bigger, smarter, more precious. She continues to constantly gnaw at everything in sight, but has yet to pop a tooth. I keep thinking one will cut in any day, but we're still waiting. Today she picked up a cheerio and managed to put it in her mouth after she watched me do the same. Although she's eaten one before, she still doesn't quite seem sure about what to do with it once it's in her mouth, so she gums at it with a confused, worried look. Her hair is now medium blonde and growing thicker each day. Her short little rat tail is all that remains of the dark tresses she had at birth. Madelyn has two solid naps per day, usually an hour and a half - two hours per day. 

She absolutely loves hearing her father and I sing to her, and she gets so excited when we clap our hands excitedly, trying to have her do the same. We constantly wave "hello" and "goodbye" to her, and she opens her little fists open and closed constantly as a response. When her Daddy happens to put on the Disney channel (much to my protest!), it's wild how excited and tuned in she becomes - she just can't take her eyes off that screen. We like to watch her reaction and then turn off the TV soon afterwards. 

Baby girl loves her animal friends Bell and Sophie, and she smiles and kicks excitedly when they walk in the room. To sleep, Madelyn now prefers her stomach, and oftentimes, she won't fall asleep until she's rolled over on that little tummy. We are still working on tummy time and sitting up so that maybe she'll start crawling soon - although we aren't particularly looking forward to her being mobile!

Her personality is shining through, and she is growing up so much with each passing day. <3

Can we freeze time for a minute?!

    I've said it more than once this month..."Can we freeze time for a minute?" 

   

 I just LOVE Madelyn at 6 months. She's so content, so happy, and so FUN. 

It's no secret that little Missy was not the easiest baby, but these days, she has done a complete turn around, and I am enjoying every smiling, laughing moment.

She's not mobile yet, and as far as I can tell, she has not begun teething. She can sit up on her own, and unless she's hungry or tired, she doesn't make a fuss. 

Everyday I look at my little girl and she just keeps growing - bigger and bigger - and I just want to keep her this size and enjoy her for a little while. With each passing week, that personality comes out a little more, and her chubby face changes slightly. It's a daily struggle to remember, amidst everything else, not to take one single moment for granted, and to really BE THERE...

...which means capturing every moment I can. Including the following three minute video of her talking in the afternoon. For a wee little one, she has so much to say. 

Snow Day

     There's just something about a snow day that I love. The silence that falls around you and cuts out the noisy hustle and bustle of day to day, and lets you listen to the things that are truly important...the excuse to hunker down and snuggle in bed as long as possible as the snow piles up around you...

I especially love snow days when the hubby if off, which we know, doesn't happen often. It allows us time to just BE, the three of us, my loves.

    So, although I'm certainly ready for spring, I'll take one more day to just relax and put the rest of the world on hold, until tomorrow...when the rat race will continue!