Too long

Oh it's been entirely too long since I've posted. Life has been crazy busy and passing us by so quickly. Every few weeks, I have every intention of updating our blog, but time slips by...so here I am making a ditch effort at catching up on the last 7 months! Here goes........

Madison, our darling little girl. Just a tiny peanut the last time I posted, now growing into such a "big" girl. She took her first steps in January at 10 months old. During this month, Madison attempted to stand up by herself, waved hi/bye to others, clapped her little hands and gave me a hug & kiss. She also cut another 2 teeth this month.

At 11 months, Madison began walking throughout the house with her little walker, she said "daddy" for the first time and waves hi with one hand and bye with both hands. This month, Madison added another 4 teeth this month!!! She weighed in at 18lbs 8 oz.

This month, I ventured back to work and Madison began Daycare, Feb. 13, 2007. It was definately an adjustment in the beginning for both of us. Then as the days went on, she quickly adjusted to her new surroundings and really enjoyed her new friends. :)

March was peanut's first birthday and boy, was it fun! We had a little party with family & friends and of course, lots of birthday cake! This month weighed in at 19lbs 2 oz 29" long and continued cutting more teeth. Madison said "mama" and "baby" for the first time this month. "Cruizing" around the furniture and attempting to chase the dogs was our daily entertainment! Madison was also learning to climb and stand on her tip toes to see items on higher shelves.

By Madison's 13 month, she was very mobile! By mid April, she was walking much better all by herself...beginning to explore the house! Her daycare teacher said Madison was becoming more independent and progressing very well :) What a proud mom I was! :)

In May, Madison weighed 20lbs 7.5 oz...she's getting to be a big girl now. She's eating well on her own and making great strides at using a baby spoon. When we ask her "who's Madison?", she points to herself :) She also began to shake her head...oh so cute! Out of nowhere one day, Madison said "Monday"....for the life of me I still can't figure this one out! LOL

Last month, our little monkey was born! Our child would attempt to climb on anything & everything she could! I would find her pulling magazines out of baskets and then sitting in them, pulling the kitchen table chairs away from the table to climb up to the table...when I say she'd climb on anything, I mean anything! LOL Madison was placing objects in & out of containers, stacking objects, pulling items out of the trashcan and flusing the toliet...who knew we could have so much fun!

Madison was making awesome progress in Daycare....she was now developmentally ready for the Pre-Toddler room. I can't begin to tell you how proud I was of our little girl!!! She was taking the next step 2 months ahead of their "normal" schedule by moving forward at 16 months.

July has been full of excitement so far, too :) We bought a boat and took Madison for her first boat ride on the 4th of July. We also went to her first birthday party, but Madison was a little shy with all the new faces. This month she's said "hi Chase", "bye bye" and "no". Madison also LOVES to smile and show her new teeth!

As for Darren & myself, well we stay busy & entertained, too. He's still instructing and I'm still managing the Thrift Store on Post. We hope to take a trip to the beach soon and maybe plan a Disneyworld trip for the winter/spring.

We miss everyone so very much!!

Moving, moving, gone!

Well, our little sweetpea turned 9 months and is on the go! She started crawling and we haven't been able to stop her since! Madison finally got her little belly off the ground and made her first few moves on Saturday. It took her a few days, but now she's really got the hang of it. It's so funny to watch her, she'll crawl around a bit, then stop and situp like she's soooo worn out! :)

Another recent milestone for her has been pulling herself up completely on her own. Yep, that's right, all by her big self! A few days ago, we were laying in bed and we hear a rattling in her room. Well, low and behold, guess who's sitting up in her crib! Yep, little Miss Smiley has sat up and is now making noises with the crib rails. She also loves to do this while she's standing up in her crib.

Her second tooth finally came in all the way. Now, we've got two little shining pearls :)

Not much new with us.....
Darren has been hunting quite a bit on his days off. When he's not in the woods, he's out in the yard working on removal of trees & brush from the yard, hanging Christmas lights, etc.

I've been doing a lot of project inside the house. We finally finished painting the living room, kitchen & Madison's playroom. I picked a sweet marzipan (yellow) for the lv room & kitchen. Madison's playroom is a soft lavender/gray mixture, Tunnel of Love. How approriate! Now, I'm working on getting everything back on the walls...re-arranging some. My next set of projects will be the bathrooms...they desperately need some color, too.
Recently, I joined a mom's group for Ft. Benning/Columbus moms. Madison & I went to our first playgroup today and met some really nice gals and their kiddos! It's so nice to finally get out of the house and meet some new people! :) And you should've seen Madison with the other kids...she's a little social butterfly already !!!

We are heading out in a few weeks for the holidays to visit our families. We'll be in IL first, then venture down to IN. We hope to see everyone on our trips. :)

We wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and prosperous New Year!

Slobbers & all...

<~Our little sleepy shopper (before Strawberry Shortcake, we had to entertain her with a pillow)


Madison Michelle turned 8 months old last week and acting like such a "big" girl :)
She's jabbering in her own little language so much more now. She's even added a few real words...Dada and Mama. We hear Dada most often and Mama when she's upset.
Her first little tooth is pocking it's sharp little head up through her gums. We just noticed a second one right beside it. So you can imagine we've had some good days and some cranky ones. She has discovered it with her tongue and it's so cute to watch her wiggle it around. :)

Madison still hasn't crawled but has learned to scoot herself around the living room on her bum. When we lay her on her tummy, she scoots herself backwards. She does love to stand up (still with our help), but she loves seeing the world in a different view.

Speaking of different views, you should see her when we go shopping! Madison is now able to sit up in the shopping cart and thinks she is the little queen bee! We bought a cute Strawberry Shortcake shopping cart cover with attachments for her toys, so she is stylish and having fun!
No matter where we venture, this child attracts the attention! Everyone loves to stop and talk to her....she "talks" back and offers her big smile! :) Most people comment how beautiful her eyes are and ask if she's always this happy. I eagerly respond, yes! We're such lucky parents to have little girl with such a great disposition!!

Fall is in the air and pumpkin patches awaiting..

Fall has finally hit us in the deep South. We love it!!! Madison is getting her first taste of cooler weather and doesn't seem to mind at all :) We're determined to turn her into a snow bunny yet!

This has to be my favorite time of year, when I believe Mother Nature is truly at her best! The leaves begin to turn, the air is crisp, the smell of neighborhood fireplaces. Then of course, the local Oktoberfest, Halloween, and Thanksgiving! If we're lucky we may see a bit a snow this year, but it's unlikely :( Another favorite of mine...playing in the snow! That first snow fall is absolutely wonderful....my mind begins to think about Christmas, family and sharing. This year we'll have a lot more sharing and more to be thankful for...our little girl :) What a blessing!

We ventured out last night and went to Madison & Darren's first Oktoberfest. The MWR at Ft. Benning organized it on Post and it was nice....small, but nice. Growing up in a predominately German area, Oktoberfest is a big annual event for our family. I remember the excitement and anticipation of this wonderful weekend. You get to wear your new fall clothes, walk around with your family & friends to discover all the great crafts & gifts, taste wonderful foods (yes, I always overate!), and ride the carnival type rides. Well, when I got older the carnival rides stopped and we discovered the beergarten..hehe ;) Now, my friends & I make this our annual reunion weekend. We all meet back in Seymour for a weekend of fun & catching up! Unfortunately, since Darren & I have been married, we haven't made it back for the 'Fest. BUT I'm going to make it happen next year :)

Madison picked out her first "baby" pumpkin last night...well, I scouped up the prettiest, brightest little guy, and we took him home. She didn't have a clue, but continued to smile at all the kids running around picking out their little treasures.

7 months old and growing fast

Madison is now 7 months old and growing up so fast! She's such a happy little girl, always wearing her beautiful smile with those bright, blue eyes shining :) Well except of course, when she's hungry or tired, then she's quite cranky...shh, I think she gets that from me ;)

Madison is so curious about everything..she's always "studying" things, people, etc. Oh and now the big thing for her is anything she gets her little chubby hands on, goes straight for her mouth.
So, you can imagine our job of parenting, just got a bit more difficult! LOL Besides trying to "eat" everything in site, Madison loves to sit up (completely by herself now) and is beginning to stand (with mommy or daddy right behind her). Those chubby little legs are pretty strong and she loves to give them a good workout. Oh you should see her on the bouncy swing!

When I can get a free minute, I've been trying to work on some projects around the house. I want to do some redecorating and put a little spice in our home! First things first, Madison's playroom needs some updating. I'm in the process of stripping the wallpaper (horrible 1980's design), then I will paint with a new fresh color. Our living room along with the rest of the house (except our bedroom & Madison's) is a plain eggshell color.....trim, walls, baseboard and all. It's a nice, conservative color, but dang, its' a little bland on all the walls! A little paint and this will look like a different house!
b gnnnnnnnb jx zjkds.k <~Madison's work, she loves to help mommy!

Darren is doing well with the exception of a little cold this week. His job is going well and he seems to really like it. Since his schedule is crazy, he's not fishing as much as he'd like. But the good thing about GA, it's warm most of the year, so he'll have more time to "throw the line".

Chunky Monkey

Our little chunkey monkey (Darren's nickname for Madison) has gained another pound in 2 short weeks!! We had to go back to the peditrician for a follow-up last week, and I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the scale hit 16lbs & 5 oz. It must be all the solid food that she's eating. LOL Madison loves prunes, carrots, pears, applesauce & bananas. Oh, you should see her face with the prunes! :) Since I'm still nursing too, she has to take a vitamin D supplement until she's able to drink cow's milk....12 months old. So, now we're all set on the dr's visits & shots until she turns 9 months...I'm sure she'll be happy about that!

Darren & I took a stroll through the toy department yesterday at the PX to get our little brains thinking about Christmas. It seems unreal that it's September and we're thinking Christmas! But WOW, there are so many little toys & games for her age!! We both got so excited looking at the things we could surprise her with...what fun!! We love to give gifts especially at Christmas, but this year will be different. Since we both have large families, we're used to buying toys for kiddos. I can't wait to see the look on her little chubby face when she begins to ripe through those wrapped packages!! :)

Growing up fast

Wow, I can't believe how much time has passed since my last post. Well, to say the very least, we've been a bit busy the last month. First things, first...I know you're all dying to hear about our little sweetpea :)

Madison is incredible! She has grown and changed so much just in the last month! We had her 6 month well baby visit last week, and as always she's progressing very well. Her weight & height have blossomed to a whole 15lbs 5oz and 25.5" long. She's mostly still wearing 3/6 month clothing...we know she'll be a petite little girl :)

We now feed her "solid" foods 3-4 times a day. By solids I mean, pureed foods..bananas, squash, applesauce and oatmeal. She seems to love it all except the sweet potatoes...I think she takes after daddy on that one! LOL;) We'll sit her in her little highchair and she knows it's feeding time. If I don't feed her fast enough, she grabs for the spoon.

Within the last month, Madison has turned over on her own several times. She's wiggling her legs like she wants to crawl, but she hasn't figured out what to do with those little chubby arms.
She's doing very well at sitting up..still with a little help. Madison loves to sit up and look around...such curiousity!

Madison's latest love (besides her beloved butterfly) is the bouncy seat. She has figured out how to use her legs to bounce up and down. When she gets going, watch out!!!

Darren & I are doing well, we're just exhausted at this point. We've had a lot of fun the last few weeks with our families visiting and our trip to Indiana. We miss everyone so much and it's such a pleasure when we finally to get visit (or be visited by) our family & friends. :) Now, it's time to do some much needed housework...oh, let's not forget about the yardwork, too.

At the end of August, Darren passed the certification boards. He's now offically a Ranger School Instructor!!! YIPPPEEEE!!! As soon as he passed, they put him right to work. While a class is in session, the R.I.'s (Ranger Instructor) work crazy schedules....super long days. But despite the long days, little sleep and missing us, Darren seems to be enjoying his new job :)

Nothing new with me...same ol' same ol'. Which believe me, I don't mind a bit. Madison always seems to keep me on my toes. :) I absolutely adore her and love being a mommy!!!