Getting the Hang of It

Every day Maddie gets better and better at eating off of a spoon. She has been on solids for almost a month now. We started with rice cereal and have worked our way up into carrots, squash, apples, sweet potatoes, pears and more. She loves the taste of food and she is really getting the hang this. However, now, I think she's over the whole "mommy feeding her" thing and now she wants to hold on to the spoon too while mommy is feeding her, which can be quite a challenge. She's a strong girl and you better not get in the way of her and food. Hmm, I think she gets it honest.

She's becoming much more vocal by squealing and making all kinds of new sounds. She also loves to laugh. She and Chester have become BFFs. She squeals at him while pulling on his ears and fur. He just sits back and takes it. Then, finally he will walk away and shake it off which tickles her so much. She laughs so hard. Lately, almost anything will make her laugh. She's so sweet and has the best personality.

Today, she has figured out how to pick up her pacifier and put it back in her mouth. This afternoon, after picking her from daycare, I saw her loose her pacifier out of her mouth and it dropped between her legs. She reached down and picked it up. I could see her in the rear-view mirror trying to get it in her mouth. She finally did, but then she couldn't figure out that she was supposed to let go of it. Then, tonight when she was getting her bath, she dropped her pacifier in the water. I sat back and decided to watch to see what she would do. She picked it up, got it in her mouth, and then let go of it - a proud moment. Next step... crawling. I'll keep you posted:)

6 Month Birthday!

Monday, January 25th, was Maddie's 6 month birthday! We celebrated it by going to the doctor for her 6 month checkup and a day of shopping with mommy. Unfortunately, she had to get 2 shots, which she was not happy about at all. The doctor gave her a clean bill of health and said that she's growing and developing right on track. She weighs 16 lbs and is 26.25'' long. We left the doctor's office and mommy decided to take Maddie shopping. We went to Bealls and got some great deals on clothes for Maddie. We got a jump start on winter clothes for next year. Mommy just couldn't resist the great buys. The whole time we were in the store, Maddie was so good; holding her own bottle, smiling, and flirting with everyone she met. Then, we headed off to Walmart to get some groceries for the house... and, of course, I found another adorable outfit that she just had to have for the spring and summer. We had such a good day. I wish I could spend every day like that with my Maddie. I don't think daddy or our bank account would like that very much!

Friends at Daycare

Madison really enjoys playing with her friends Koby (13 mths), Luke (14 mths), and Kate (3 mths) at daycare.

Here is a picture of the 4 of themA couple of weeks ago when I was dropping Maddie off at daycare, Koby was eating his breakfast before Luke or Kate got there. So, I put Maddie in the bumbo seat beside him. Madison starts to reach out for Koby. Koby sees her reaches out to hold her hand and then he looks up at me and grins. He continued to hold her hand even as I was leaving. All I can say is "Adorable". Of course, we can all imagine what daddy was saying :)

Here's one of just the girls

Happy 2010

The new year brought about some changes in the Davis household. Instead of being housebound with Maddie, we decided to go to a friend's house to ring in the new year. Maddie went to sleep at her normal bedtime, while Mommy and Daddy stayed up and actually interacted with other adults! We had a lot of fun hanging out with our church life group and playing games on the Wii. After midnight, we woke Madison up, welcomed her to 2010 and went home for the night. When we got home, another big change was in order. She actually slept in her own crib without the car seat. YAY!!! She had been sleeping in her car seat since she was about 4 weeks old due to her reflux. She has been sleeping in the crib ever since then. 2010 is sure to bring many more exciting changes.

Christmas Fun

We had a great Christmas this year. Since this was Madison's first Christmas, we decided to stay home instead of traveling, but we made sure to send a video to Gary's family wishing them a Merry Christmas. Mimi and Papa Hal (Becky's mom and step-dad) spent the night with us on Christmas Eve and in the morning we opened lots of presents. Madison helped, of course. She is such a good helper! We know she's going to be ready when her birthday gets here; she got lots of practice ripping off wrapping paper. Poppey Greg (Becky's dad) came over later in the day to see Maddie and bring gifts. On Sunday, Grandpa (Gary's dad) came up and we all went out for dinner. After dinner, we stopped by a house that had Christmas lights that twinkled and flashed in patterns to music. It was awesome. Maddie was able to be propped up in her carrier where she could see the lights. She was totally entranced. We can't wait for next year when Madison will be able to see and do so much more.

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.