Christmas is Coming

Sunday we had Christmas with Becky's mom's family. Madison had lots of presents to open, with Mommy and Daddy's help of course. She actually tore off some of the wrapping paper, then she just stuck it in her mouth.Madison is making so many changes so quickly. It seems like something new or different is happening every other day. Monday, mommy picked her up from daycare and she started making sounds unlike any of the sounds she had ever made. It almost sounded like she was actually starting to talk. She also is starting to hold her own bottle, she never has liked being a baby. We can tell she's going to cause us a lot of trouble trying to be so independent. Tuesday, she "gave us our Christmas present that she had made". It was ornaments with her picture on them. They were adorable. The ornaments are now all over our tree. Today, Madison and Daddy had a father/daughter day where they met mommy at work for lunch then went Christmas shopping because Madison had a few things she still wanted to pick up for mommy. We can't wait for Christmas! This year we will be staying in Tallahassee.

Catching Up!

It has been a while since we made our last post so we have a lot to catch up on.

Becky went back to work in October while Madison started daycare full time. We have all been adjusting well. Madison continues to sleep through the night and Mommy and Daddy are really thankful for that. She still sleeps swaddled and in her car seat in her crib, although she works her hand out of the swaddle. The reflux is much better but we're still not ready to lay her down flat. She's definitely a morning baby. She wakes up so happy and smiley. She stretches out as soon as you release her from the swaddle blanket. Mommy wishes she woke up happy like her every day.

For Halloween, Maddie dressed up as a flower, mommy was a flower pot, and daddy was a packet of Maddie Flower seeds. We went to a Halloween party hosted by our friends Chris and Eureka. Madison made it to 2 houses and then decided she needed to go to bed. We all had a great night. Madison got her bath and went to bed easily that night.

Daddy kept Madison for the first time by himself for a whole day on Veteran's Day. Mommy had to work, so Daddy brought Madison by to visit and have lunch. It was a wonderful surprise. Daddy made it through the day without pulling his hair out. He enjoyed the Father/Daughter time together but was not looking forward to another day with her by himself.

Mommy and Daddy had their first night out since Maddie was born. Mimi had gotten tickets to the FSU/Georgia Tech game and had given them to us to use and she was going keep Madison for the night. That night ended up being a very rainy night and we gave our tickets away; however, Madison still went to Mimi's for the night. We made it through the night without feeling the need to drive to Perry and get her. We went and picked her up the next day. We missed her but we enjoyed sleeping in for the first time in months.

Thanksgiving was very busy for us this year. We travelled to Madison with Madison and Chester and had lunch with Becky's family. After our brief visit, we got back on the road and went to Port Charlotte to visit Gary's family. Surprisingly, Madison only slept for about 30 minutes on the road but remained fairly entertained and pleasant until we were 30 minutes away from Gram and Pa's. Also, she stayed on schedule with her sleeping and naps. We were so happy for that. Saturday night we headed back home and she slept for a longer period in the car, of course Mommy had to hold her arms down because she kept waking herself up. We enjoyed our visit and got to see Gram, Pa, Grandpa Gary, and Aunt Jess.

Madison had her 4 month checkup at the beginning of December. She is growing right on track. She weighed 13lbs, 1oz and measured 24.5'' long. The pediatrician recommended that we start giving her rice cereal at night before bed. So we started her on rice cereal on the 5th. She is starting to get the hang of it. I think she just wants us to get it in her mouth faster. She doesn't like to wait on her food. Hmmm, where does she get that from? She loves to laugh and smile at everyone and everything. She is so sweet and has such a great disposition. We can't imagine our lives without her.