Maddy is 16 months old

Maddy's last molar on the upper right section of her mouth came through on 3/27/2010. Her canines are also looking ready to make an appearance. She is doing really well through this teething process, but needs a little Tylenol now and then. She is still 30 3/4 inches tall, but gained a pound bringing her to 24 lbs total. She is a very good "eater" and will try new things which is wonderful. On St Patrick's Day, she ate corned beef, potatoes & green beans (emphasis on the corned beef). In March, she took her 1st 4 wheeler ride and has wanted more ever since. She is outgrowing her "baby toys" so we have been trying to update her inventory. She has become interested in scribbling. She has an Aqua Doodle, Magna Doodle & crayons to get creative with her artwork. Matt won father of the year by putting together a new kitchenette that Debbie purchased. It came in a very small box with 200+ pieces. "Some assembly required" was an understatement. Maddy spends a lot of time playing with it so that is reward enough. We also decorated a washing machine box, cut windows and a door into it and call it Maddy's playhouse. Who needs fancy things when boxes are sooo much fun? The best and newest toy is springtime outside. During a recent walk, Maddy was amazed by 2 geese on the ice. She was even more astounded when they started to make noise and fly. The new outside world is so unknown. We love watching her explore it!


St Patrick's Day

Pjs are the best.

Playhouse & scrunchy face

Kitchen - Aqua Doodle

Bubble beard & stomach surfer

1st 4 wheeler ride

We hope you have an "eggcellent" Easter!

Madeline is 15 months old

LOOK OUT!!! Maddy's molars are coming through! We noticed her 1st molar on the bottom left side had arrived on Feb. 13th and the 2nd molar on the bottom right side is peeking through now too. In February, Madeline took her first swim in a pool. She absolutely loved it. As a matter of fact, she cried when we had to leave. She also had her first pudding pop. It was an adventure in messy eating. Matt took her on her first snowmobile ride too. She liked it for a while, but then wanted to play in the snow instead. She is now 30 3/4 inches tall and is 23 lbs of mean, lean toddler machine. She is using walking as a means of transportation exclusively now. We are still not actively potty training, but get her on the potty chair about 4 times per day. She is usually "productive" most days so we feel that we are moving in the right direction.


Maddy has started to notice accessories. She loves sunglasses, beads in necklaces & bracelets and being a true girl, loves shoes! We put different pairs of shoes on her feet and she prances around like she is a model. Her current ultimate fun activity is playing on our bed. She puts her behind in the air, tucks her chin to her chest and waits for someone to help her do a summersault. No fear!


Maddy is becoming a great little helper. She will give Sadie treats, help put away dishes by handing them to Debbie or Matt and even puts her bath toys in their bin during "clean up". Her real "favorites" are still Elmo & Barney, but nothing excites her more than seeing Daddy walk through the door at the end of the day. Still no "word" from Maddy, but she is trying to repeat them without success yet.


We hope Maddy doesn't dislike Corned Beef and Cabbage. She is Irish and that fare is standard on St Pat's Day in our home. We'll try our luck. ;-)


1st snowmobile ride on 2/20/10. Sledding fun


1st dip in a pool. First taste of frozen pudding pop. Yum!


Valentine's Day 2010 - If you double click on the first photo and look closely you can see my molar.


Maddy likes Sadie's bed.



TV trance. When Cookie Monster talks, Maddy listens.


She likes to "change" the settings on the dishwasher for us.


Helping feed Sadie. What should I write on first?


Daddy's shoes. The future is so bright...

Maddy is 14 months old

Happy New Year!!! January seemed to go by in the blink of an eye. Maddy seems to surprise us with new skills all the time. If you ask Maddy how big she is her arms will go up in the air as we say, "Soooo Big". Maddy has spent the past month building on existing skills. Her walking has improved. She even runs laps around the dining room table. She was very good at knocking down block towers in the past. We used to call her "Madzilla due to her expertise, but this month she has started to stack blocks. The Stacking Rings Toy has been a favorite at playtime, but this month instead of just removing the rings, she has begun putting the rings on the post. Maddy can now put shapes in her shape sorter with help. Also, if you ask Maddy how old she is, she will hold up one finger proudly with a big grin. If you enjoy a beverage at our house, Maddy will be sure to offer "Cheers" before you drink and clink glasses with you too. Her growth has stabilized so no changes in weight or height this month.
Maddy doesn't do that well with change. It takes her a while to "warm up" to new things. With that fact in mind, Santa brought Maddy a potty chair for Christmas. Since then she has been getting used to sitting on the potty. We are not actively potty training, just becoming familiar with the potty. By sheer luck, she has gone potty in the chair twice this month so hopefully we can build on the positive potty experiences in the future.
Madeline is slowly transitioning from making noises to real babbling. She is really trying to say something, but the words aren't quite there yet. She is very good at letting you know what she wants (And sometimes what she doesn't want), but her first word hasn't been said. We often wonder what will be that almighty first communication. Only time will tell.

We wish you all the things that bring you happiness this Valentine's Day.


Toothy grin. How big is Maddy? She's soooo big!

Closing my bedroom door is a great way to get attention.

Reading books and watching us play on the computer are a couple favorite activities.

Fashion statement. Hi Sadie!

1st experience with Rediwhip. Budding artist.

Maddy loves snuggling with her big bear.

A beach ball? Baby it's cold outside.

Madeline likes to eat apples right off the core.

XOXO's until next month.

Maddy is 13 months old

Maddy is walking! She started taking tenative steps in November (Her first steps happened on Nov. 17th), but gets around pretty well now. She still drops/falls down a lot. When she gets frustrated and wants to get somewhere quickly, crawling is preferred, but the walking milestone has been achieved. On Dec. 7th she saw the doctor for her 1 year wellness check. At that time, she was poked 5 times. Poor Maddy :-( It was quick, but definitely not painless. She also made it through getting 2 new top teeth this month. The 7th tooth popped through on Dec. 10th and the 8th toothed appeared on Dec. 19th. With 4 teeth on top and 4 teeth on the bottom, her smile is beautifully toothy. She weighs 22 lbs and is 30" tall according to "home measurements". Her bedroom is finally finished. The new baseboards and carpet were completed right before Christmas.

Christmas was extremely challenging due to a major winter storm that blew through our area. We enjoyed a Christmas Eve supper and opened gifts with just the 3 of us. Then, we spent Christmas day with Debbie's family (Mom, Dad, John, Renee & BlakeLynn) at her parent's house. We spent the night there due to the storm which provided more time to visit. Too many gifts and too much food made for a contented bunch. Matt's family celebration was postponed to Sunday instead of Christmas day; again due to the storm. The food, company & gifts were all wonderful. We were so lucky to be surrounded by loved ones this season while many travelers were stranded. Instead of posting all the gift-opening photos, we posted a video. Our space is limited on this site so we had to choose between a bunch of photos or a few photos and a video. We love her "special talents" and wanted to share this particular video.

We are so thankful to our family and friends for your support and unconditional love in 2009. We wish you all a happy, healthy & prosperous year in 2010.


All ready to go sledding for the first time.



Minnesota native to the core.



All smiles



Maddy is making silly faces like Grandpa makes. She is starting to copy actions more.



Santa Baby

Opening presents was a skill learned this Christmas.

Sadie turned 15 yrs old on Jan 4, 2010

Sadie the Reindeer hopes Santa brought you everything you wanted.

*Video: Maddy has a toy called the "Ball Popper". This toy uses air to pop balls out. She LOVES catching the breeze. Her antics with this toy are hilarious to us. We hope you enjoy them too.