We've had a very busy couple of months! The most significant happenings have been...
- we are officially BACK on whole cow's milk. In my last post, I thought she may have been lactose intolerant and went through all kinds of drama between Lactaid and Soy Milk, each of which seemed to ease her gas but caused her to poop so much she was constantly having bad diaper rash problems! We finally made the switch back to milk when we took a week off in August so I could closely monitor her reactions and it's been 1000x better ever since! I guess it was that darn piece of watermelon that started it all...
- She's doing well in her new class at day care. She's sleeping a bit better (better than I thought she would in a cot) but still doesn't sleep great at day care. We went through about 1 month of awful crankiness and tantrums until I realized I needed to start putting her to bed earlier. So, she usually goes down between 7-7:30pm now and has been much happier and easier ever since.
- She's still a picky eater...you never know what her mood will fancy or hate! She tends to eat better at day care (probably because she sees other kids eating the same thing) but she almost always loves some sort of carb (and who can blame her) or something sweet! I've given in to giving her the occasional V8 Fusion drink if I can't get her to take in any other veggies in a day. She loves it! She also figured out how to use a "snack trap" while we were in SA and she's obsessed with it. I have to be careful not to put too many snacks in there (and to keep them healthy) because she won't give it back until it's empty! She would also prefer to take her calories in through a straw - will take her milk over just about any type of food you offer! Some of the sneaky foods I've discovered in the past few months have been pumpkin butter, sweet potato pancakes, veggie burgers, and spinach nuggets.
- She still has NO TEETH but that hasn't really stopped her from consuming just about anything (that she really wants), even a tortilla chip. I finally gave in last week and gave her a chip after she wouldn't stop whining and pointing at them, thinking she would realize she couldn't eat it and give up after trying. Well she proceeded to take little bitty nibbles and suck on them until they were soggy enough to get down, lol!
- Speaking of pointing - she has certainly mastered that along with walking to (and then pointing at) the fridge when she wants milk or the pantry when she wants something to eat. She doesn't verbally say much related to most of her needs, but she certainly knows what she wants and can convey those desires physically to anyone!
- She babbles and squeals quite often, most of it doesn't make any sense, but she does have several words that she says on a regular basis:
- that (along with pointing at whatever she's referring to)
- cat (directed at the cat but sometimes hard to distinguish "that" and "cat")
- mama and dada (mama was her first word but dada is her favorite)
- HI! (along with waving)
- she pretty much has "dog" although it sometimes sounds like Homer Simpson's "DOH!
- "night, night."
- "Uh, oh!"
- "NO!" - at first I thought it was more random but there have been several incidences where it's been clear she knew what she said and directed it at someone/thing specific (usually the dogs)
- She has mastered walking and is now at the point of running, which resulted in a fall on to a toy at day care this week that caused a cut and swelling on the outside edge of her eye yesterday. She apparently didn't even cry though!! She's also much more willing (and eager) to walk out in public - i.e. restaurants, stores, sidewalks; etc. Which is nice because she is getting HEAVY!
- Her hair is finally coming in, although it's super blonde so it's kind of hard to see in pictures unless it's wet
- Kisses!! They usually happen when mama or dada is lying on the floor and she's standing over us, and have just in the past week been happening more frequently. It's so sweet! :)
- She LOVES her shoes!!! Any shoes really, but we have a few recently acquired pairs that are her fav. I think she's fearless when she's wearing them, which is both good and bad, LOL!
- She's now officially part of the "biting" age group - but she's been the victim (obviously, since she has no teeth). She's been bit twice in the past 2 weeks at day care, which is frustrating. The 2nd one was very, very minor, but I'm not sure what to do about it. I know the DC talks to the parents of the biter, but they won't tell me which kid is biting her (same or different each time?). I just hope she doesn't start biting once she gets teeth!
We've had a fun filled summer! I recently uploaded a BUNCH of pics to Flickr but here's a few:
- Several trips to various Splash Pads (though our neighborhood's pad seems to be a little too intimidating - and cold - to her, so she usually insists on mama or dada carrying her through that one)
- Houston Children's Museum - they have a great "Tot Spot" for toddlers only
- The Zoo (I think she finally really enjoyed our most recent trip - she seemed more aware of the animals)
- San Antonio (including Sea World, San Marcos Outlet Mall, and german food in New Braunfels)
- Kemah Boardwalk
- Anything OUTSIDE! She loves being outdoors so I have not been able to avoid the Texas summer heat like I have in the past, but it's been fun :) This is the most tan I've ever been I think (which isn't much - I'm just thankful I've avoided sunburns so far) and Madison is darker than I am. I think she got her Daddy's skin, which I am also thankful for! We spend many weekends with her in the baby pool outside or running through the back yard sprinklers - au natural - like last weekend!
- Her Uncle Eric was in town all summer working at a local law firm. Although he didn't stay with us, we saw him at least once/week. I kick myself for not taking any pictures of that, but I'm happy they got to spend more time together.
- Mary has also come to visit us many times this summer, which is always fun!
- We've also had more opportunities to catch up with old friends! In fact, one of my best friends from childhood - Mandy - will be in Texas from Colorado tomorrow and we are meeting her in Bastrop for lunch. This will be her first time meeting Madison! And we saw her sister (and her 2 kids), who live in Kansas City, last weekend!
It's been such a great summer! Madison is at such a fun age and it amazes me every day how she has transformed in to a little GIRL so quickly! The changes in her awareness, understanding, and personality in the last month alone are drastic. She will always be our "baby" but she has definitely outgrown the baby stage. There are always new challenges, but the positives definitely outweigh the negatives. The feeling you get when she runs to you with open arms, giggling, with a huge grin when she sees you walk in the room is amazing! I just LOVE being that little girl's mommy :)
