Madison's Monthly Highlights
Weight: Around 18 pounds. She is pretty long and lean! Although her sweet baby face has some roundness to it. At this rate, I doubt her weight will ever catch up, or pass, her height.
Clothing: Madison is still rocking her 18 month and 2T bottoms! We were blessed with lots of pretty dresses from her grandparents so I’m trying to make sure she wears them before they get too small. We do lots of onesies with leggings or a casual dress with a cardigan. Still trying to get her to wear shoes for more than 28 seconds. Madison, 1; shoes, 0.
Sleep: We’re back up to almost 11 hours :) And she’s still taking her 2 naps each day. It’s great to see her really getting comfy in her crib. Now that she’s just in footies + sleep sack, she takes advantage of the real estate and squirms to one side of the crib or will scooch until her head is resting up against the crib. Although she is a great sleeper, the hardest part is actually getting her to sleep at night. Instead of our 9 PM bedtime, she ended up actually getting to sleep around 9:30 or 10 PM on various nights.
Eating: She tried bits of a quesadilla and really liked it. Shredded cheese is apparently also one of her love languages :) And Cheerios. Madison is really getting the hang of her pincer grip and those little grabbers do a fantastic job of getting her finger foods in her mouth! Which is so fun because my grandma (Big Betty to our Little Betty) likes to mention how I wouldn’t go anywhere without my cereal snack bag when I was little. Like mother, like daughter!
In addition to purees, we have given her some squeezy pouches which she also seems to enjoy. Hello, talk about convenience! When we’re out running errands, I would much rather give her a pouch than try to spoon feed without making a mess, or Madison trying to grab the spoon, leaving trails of green peas or mashed squash in her wake. (Btw, while pouches can be expensive, Aldi has them for CHEAP! We’re talking a pack of 4 for $1.79! They are a tad bit smaller than the standard 3 oz. but a whole lot less expensive. Go – buy them now!)
Personality: She makes the most fun little sounds and movements. Saying “Ugh la la” while wiggling her tongue back in forth, or cupping her hand over her mouth and singing are just a couple of in her repertoire. She is giggly, loves dogs (I think it’s a growing fondness for them), likes to move (bounce, clap or wiggle) although she is also perfectly content just to sit (no crawling yet for us). Madison will be really expressive in a small setting, like in the car or at our house, and then will be more reserved or inquisitive in a larger setting, like in a restaurant or when we’re with a large group of people.
She is a true Southern belle – all ladylike in public almost all the time. She really doesn’t fuss unless it’s in private (aka in the car with me or Dean or at home). We didn’t really have too much of a separation anxiety phase (praise the Lord!) and she still does pretty well when we drop her off at church nursery and when our babysitter, who is incredible, comes over to watch her. She really enjoys other babies and is constantly chattering and trying to touch or wave to them. Such a people person :)
Firsts: Her first times riding around in our jogging stroller for a family jog. It was a little chilly the Saturday morning we ran through campus but we bundled Maddie up and she seemed to really enjoy the view from the front. Plus – snack tray for Cheerios and a cup holder for her sippy cup. Who wouldn’t like their own tray and holder for goodies?
February was also the month she laid in a hammock for the first time. Dean and I have been eyeing the Eno DoubleNest for quite some time and found it for a great price at a store in downtown Columbia. After Dean strategically hung it in our backyard, we all piled in for a swing. And actually, Madison was really the one swinging! She sat up on Dean’s stomach and rocked back and forth, moving the hammock for us.
Her first time playing peekaboo with a hat! She really seems to get the idea of taking off something (go figure!) and hiding her face.
And at bath time, Maddie figured out how to scooch around in her pink plastic tub to face the other way. It will only be a matter of days before she tries climbing out of it!
Our big girl also graduated to sitting in a grocery cart for the first time! She has been big enough to ride in the cart for a while but honestly, sometimes it’s still easier to bring her travel system and keep her in her car seat. During a trip to Aldi, I decided to give it a try. And she loooooved it. A little too much, perhaps, as she tried to twist around in every direction, figuring out what this new thing was that she was in, how she could reach everything we passed (!) and trying to get her legs out and up over the cart handle (talk about f-l-e-x-i-b-l-e!). So we now need to work on staying *in* the cart.
She has also discovered her headbands/bows and will pull them down L Trying to encourage her to keep them up! Otherwise I hear her crying as we’re driving because she now has an accidental blindfold on.
Likes: Riding in the jogging stroller, sitting in the hammock, clapping her hands, pulling her headbands off, feeding herself, petting doggies, blowing bubbles with her mouth, flipping through her books, hugging her daddy, being thrown up in the air, bath time, shaking our car keys, saying “mama” and “dada,” shaking things, scratching different textures, pointing with her little pointer finger, babbling, sticking out her tongue, grabbing her feet
Dislikes: Having her nose or face wiped off, sleeping well when we travel, being put down, waiting to eat
What I want to remember: Family hammock time, our trip to Florida for my dear friend Laura’s wedding and Madison meeting her twin sister Lynsey’s baby and rolling around with him, her daddy reading to her at bedtime.
You may also like: Madison’s 8-Month Highlights | Follow our daily adventures with #sweetmaddiegirlgram
