Potty Training

I have been teaching Madeline to go potty in her little toilet for a few months now. So far...nothing. She is very smart though. Maddy tells me "pee" or "poop" but after she has already gone in her diaper. She likes to go pee pee in her diaper then run and sit on her potty. We just need to get her timing straighten out!

We had an appointment with her pediatrician today to get her first round of immunizations. Kevin and I opted out of all shots when she was born and today would be the very first time to get any kind of vaccination.

I chickened out at the last minute. We did not go to the appointment because I still was not convinced that the shots are safe or that she really needs them. I have been struggling with this decision for a while now because I am worried about Madeline catching some kind of disease that could harm her but I also have fears of the vaccinations themselves. I guess for now we will continue to play at the parks and other places that are not filled with large groups of kids.

Phoenix Zoo

Kevin and I renewed our wedding vows and exchanged new rings in Las Vegas on February 17th to celebrate our 5 year anniversary.

Madeline and I had some fun at Desert Ridge Marketplace today. She is getting very strong and loves to hang onto the handrails and swing back and forth. The other moms couldn't believe that she is strong enough to hold her own weight like that. Madeline is also learning to count. She can count from 1 to 6 and likes to count all the balls on the playground. Her favorite number is 6 as she likes to repeat it over and over.

After playing outside for a while Madeline ran over to Barnes and Noble and we read books and she played with the train. Since she was such a good girl, I treated her to chicken nuggets from Chick Fillet for lunch.

We had to go home after that because a big sand storm came in and it was so windy and dusty that we couldn't even see the mountains as we drove home.

Madeline picked out and bought Hello Kitty sunglasses from Wal-Mart today. She loves them so much that she wore them all evening in the house.

Madeline and I spent the morning and early afternoon together since Kevin had to go to work for a bit. I pulled Madeline in the wagon all the way to the park. The weather is really nice, over 80 degrees today! She loaded up the wagon with her buckets and shovels, a snack and juice and off we went for the 1 mile walk. She wore her hat for part of the day and then her Hello Kitty glasses for a while too.

The park was packed with kids and moms today so Maddy was able to share her toys and play with the other kids stuff as well. She really likes playing with other children and had fun going up and down the slides. Madeline is almost old enough to go on the playground equipment alone but for now I still hold her hand up the steps and go down the slides right next to her! We had to go straight to the bath when we got home because she was covered head to toe in sand and dirt. We had a great time today!

Checking on Mac

First Piggy Tails

Madeline's hair is getting pretty long now and I finally got it pulled into piggy tails! She likes having bows and headbands in her hair as she is a girly girl!

20 Months Old

Madeline is 20 months old this month. She is getting to be tall like her daddy. She had a growth spurt a few weeks ago and she grew a few inches and is starting to thin out. She is now as tall as her friend Lauren who is 2 years old.

She outgrew all of her 18 month size pants and shirts and her feet have grown into a size 6 already!

Madeline is very independent these days. She will refuse to eat food unless she can feed herself. She uses a fork and spoon and will not let anyone even try to feed her.

Maddy loves Cheerios or Chex cereal with milk for breakfast and she really loves peanut butter sandwiches and Cheetos.

Madeline has been teaching herself to drink from a cup. And of course she only wants to use cups that are as big as her head. She does pretty well and doesn't spill much.

Madeline's vocabulary is growing and she can pretty much tell me anything she needs. She will make me follow her into the kitchen and will open the pantry and tell me exactly what she wants to eat or she will tell me what cartoon she wants to watch. This month we will signing up for swim lessons again and taking some music classes at the library and of course going to the zoo several times.

First vacation away...

Kevin and I went to Las Vegas for a long weekend. We celebrated Valentines day, my 30th birthday and we even renewed our wedding vows. Since we celebrated our 5 year wedding anniversary this year, we decided it would be a great idea to renew our wedding vows so Madeline can see how we are committed to raising her together as a family.

This was my first time leaving Madeline behind. Luckily Madeline's Grandpa Doug and Grandma Jill were able to come to our house and take care Maddy for 3 nights and 4 whole days! Maddy quickly warmed up to grandma and grandpa and was a very good girl for them. Of course she slept in bed right next to grandma and grandpa and totally wore them out playing. But all in all this was a great time for them all to bond and have some fun. Grandpa even spoiled Maddy by letter her pick out a stuffed turtle from Barnes and Noble ( her favorite animals are turtles). They had a great time going to the park, shopping, and to Barnes and Noble. Maddy wouldn't go to bed last night with out her turtle from Grandpa!

Happy Valentine's Day

We celebrated Valentine's Day at home as a family. We ordered Carraba's carry out for dinner. Madeline enjoyed cheese ravioli while Kevin an I had steak and calamari. Madeline ate her ravioli so fast that she threw it all up before she got out of her high chair!

Grandpa Jeff sent Maddy this cute Valentine's Bear and she loves it so much that she carried it around all day and kept pushing the button for it to say "I love you". Thanks Grandpa!

Mommy and Madeline

Madeline and I spent the evening cleaning and getting ready for Grandpa Doug and Grandma Jill to arrive.

Madeline has learned to give kisses, hugs and say I love you. She is getting very smart and she can say multiple words together such as "Goodbye Mom" or
"Take a bath". This is a great achievement as I have read that putting words together like that should be accomplished by age 2.

Madeline has also been able to tell me she needs to potty and then goes and sits on her little potty after she has already peed in her diaper. She hasn't yet actually gone potty in it though but she at least is kind of getting the idea :)

Madeline and I spent a special day with our best gals, Allison and Lauren. We met them at the Train Park to celebrate Laurens 2nd Birthday! Lauren and I have a special bond because our birthdays are both on February 16Th!!

We decided to have a celebration with just the 4 of us today because I will be out of town and wont be able to spend the 16th with them.

To kick off the day, we met the girls at the park and Maddy and Lauren ran around collecting pine cones. We then took a fun ride around the park on the train. After the ride, Lauren and Madeline spent lots of time going down slides, climbing the rocks, playing with the soccer ball and digging in the dirt. After an hour and a half of playtime they both needed a snack and scarfed down strawberries and blueberry muffins.

To finish the celebration, we went went back to Allison's house where she made us a yummy lunch and we opened birthday gifts. We all had cupcakes and played and then home for a long nap. This was a great way to spend any birthday and we had a great time with our favorite gal pals.

Maddy and the Giant Bunny

Madeline loves to bounce and jump on the giant bunny her daddy gave her last year. Even though the bunny is 2 times her size, she drags it all around the house. She even watches Cartoons from the bunny's back.