Madison's Monthly Highlights

Weight: Well, our little Cinco de Mayo baby has officially made it to the one-year mark! I am a little late in writing this because one-year-olds are constantly on the move, y'all. And it has been a overwhelming, incredible, amazing, exhausting and wonderful 12 months and counting! Maddie weighs over 21 pounds now - right at 21 pounds, 7 ounces at her last doctor's appointment. Although she isn't growing at quite the same rate as she had been a few months ago, she just looks more grownup. I still see some of her babyness when I look at her and then other times, I get a glimpse of the beautiful girl the Lord is growing and shaping her into.

Clothing: We do a lot of little dresses/boxy tops with leggings or bloomers underneath. She is starting to try helping to put her clothes on - so sweet. Unfortunately, bows are something she is more adamant about helping to pull off these days. But we're not giving up hope yet! One day, when she has more hair, the bow thing will stick! Madison still really likes to try putting on her little silver sandals, too.

Because it is sprummer weather here in Columbia (that would be not quite just spring, and not quite summer yet), I can't get too advantageous with layering like I want to. We have to make it lightweight and breathable around here!

Sleep: Still hovering between 10.5 and 11 hours a night with two naps during the day. Some teething has interrupted her sleep. She has not one, but two teeth now! Which is a big deal since up until this point, she had zero teeth. Now she smiles more with her mouth open and you can see those little pearly whites popping through.

Eating: Fruits, veggies, a little protein, grains and dairy are on constant rotation in our home. Maddie still loves munching on oatmeal for breakfast, diced pears and bits of cheese during the day, baked/smashed sweet potato and veggies for lunch or dinner. Goldfish crackers and these veggie puffs are her go-to snacks for at home and when we're on the go. We often have midday smoothie with spinach and yummy fruit and she is all about some watermelon slices! Also, she maaay have heard her first lick of ice cream not too long ago. And she had too much energy afterwards! Just from a little lick!

Personality: Madison is a little bundle of energy and joy. She is constantly laughing, smiling, babbling and giving hugs. It's funny that she didn't seem to like cuddling much when she was littler but she enjoys snuggling a lot now. She loves dogs as much as ever and still really likes to move - scootching, walking with her push walker, clapping her hands, shaking her head, bopping to music.

She may seem a little shy in larger groups or when we're in a store and someone stops to say hi, but she quickly warms up to others. Madison is really silly and loves it when Daddy and I try to "get her" by chasing her and trying to tickle her as she scootches away. Her wants/dislikes are becoming more vocalized as she figures out how to express something she sees, wants or doesn't want.

Madison is still a true adventurer but is still really content to sit and flip through the pages of her books for the afternoon. She is repeating a lot of the words I say and will give a big open mouth smile when she's really happy. One of the cutest things she does is peak around the corner from her play room into the living room, or in the kitchen, as if to say, "Peekabo!" Just the sweetest.

Firsts: She went to her very first baseball game with Daddy while I was shooting a wedding. Though they only stayed for part of it, Dean said she really liked cruising around the railing near where their seats were.

She had her first birthday celebration! We did a big Mexican fiesta theme - plenty of photos of her party to share soon! With that, she also had her first (healthy) homemade birthday cake.

She also went to her first Rhythm and Blooms night at the zoo. She loved bopping along to the live music and playing with our friends' kiddos that we shared picnic blankets with.

Madison also cruised through the kitchen and opened one of the cabinets while standing! I guess you could say it is time to babyproof :)

Likes: Balloons! As if the photos above weren't enough of a give away :) I surprised Madison with a big pile of pink balloons to play with on the morning of her birthday. That girl had so much fun grabbing them and watching them bounce in the air. Oh and candles! When I light a candle in the bathroom or on the table, Madison will drop whatever she is doing and scootch over so she can see the flame.

Her second main attraction right now is standing up with assistance and using her Fisher Price walker to walk through the house. She is pretty close to standing/walking by herself!

When she isn't zooming from room to room, she likes pulling things off of shelves, putting her books back on the shelf, rocking her car seat back and forth (as well as when she's in the car seat!), reading her books, play with her musical stuffed dog toy, dancing, making cute little sounds, lots of babbling, trying to climb our stairs (!!!!), hanging out on the front porch, tickle time/hugs with Daddy, taking baths, clapping to sign for more food, getting snacks out of her snack catcher and throwing them on the ground (we're working on this), talking to DaDa on the phone, cruising around from chair to table in the house and holding out my debit card to help pay whenever we check out!

Dislikes: If Dean or I leave the room for a minute, being told no, laying down for naptime, itchy skin and having her nose cleaned out.

What I want to remember: All of the sweet in between moments. Not just the big, showstopping ones but how it feels to snuggle Madison at naptime, how she giggles when we're playing and how blessed we are by God's precious gift in our lives.