Madeline

Madeline is 11 months old now. Wow. There was a time when I wondered if Maddy would ever come home. And now she is about to turn a year old. Madeline has done so much good for our family. We appreciate the little things now, more than ever. We are thankful for everything we have, and we don't take things for granted. When Madeline was in the hospital, it tested everything we were. It was the hardest thing I have ever experienced and I know Jeff would say the same, but we made it through.

Madeline is the toughest little cookie we know. She amazes us everyday. She is crawling all over the place and pulling herself up to walk around the coffee table. She has stood up for a few seconds without holding on to anything. I think she will be walking before her birthday. She is doing so great eating solids. She loves chicken, cheese, crackers and noodles. She still doesn't drink large quantities of formula. She will drink about 5-6oz at a time. So she often gets hungry at night, around 3am she will drink a bottle and then go back to sleep until 630a or 7am. She is our early riser.

Madeline is different from Hailey in that she isn't super smiley and giggly. We have to work to get her to laugh. Her armpits and neck are ticklish, as well as her chubby thighs. Hailey is really good at tickling her neck and getting her to giggle. Maddy is also pretty needy and when you try to take something away from her that she isn't supposed to have, she screams and cries.

Maddy is going to the same daycare as Hailey, but just for 2 days a week. Hailey checks in on her frequently at school, much to Maddy's delight. Maddy likes watching the other babies and jumping in the jumperoo.

Madeline seems to like Elmo, and points him out in books. She is saying "Mama" and "Dada" and "yeah". We think we have heard her say "caesar," but we aren't sure. She likes to point at things and made noises. She loves her binkies, and she usually has 6 or so in her crib with her at any given time. She also has the rainforest crib toy, but doesn't show as much interest in it like Hailey did.

Madeline weighs about 17 lbs, but to me, she still looks like she is 6 months old. She goes back to Children's for a 1 year check up a week after her birthday. We can't wait to see her surgeon again, and show off how well Madeline is doing.

Hailey

Hailey turned 4 in July. We celebrated her special day at Whatcom Falls Park with a Hello Kitty themed party. It's hard to believe that next year we will have a kindergartner.

Hailey is still going to the Y for preschool 3 days a week. We have been happy with how much she learns at school, and she continues to blow us away with the thoughts she formulates and the things she picks up on. She can count to 15, she knows all of the days of the week, she knows her ABC's, and she can write her name (but sometimes the letters aren't in order).

She loves to laugh and have fun. Being outside makes her very happy. She is adventurous, and is pretty willing to try new things. She loves bugs, caterpillars, and anything else that lives in the ground. Although, she is scared of spiders but I think it's only because she knows that I don't like them. She does great at riding her tricycle and her scooter. She never gives us a hard time about wearing her helmet, infact, she likes to play on the playground with it on. She loves to swing and would stay on the swings for hours if we could push her that long. She is working on learning how to pump her legs on the swing because mommy's arm gets tired of pushing after awhile.

Hailey is a great eater and loves her fruits and veggies. She also loves her sweets. Often before she is done eating a meal, she is asking if there is a special treat she can have when she is done. Her favorite foods are spaghetti, turkey meatloaf, pizza and corn on the cob.

Hailey is a good sleeper and goes to bed at 8pm, and usually sleeps until 7am. Recently we have been letting her sleep in our bed as a special treat. She is a little snuggle bug, although it's hard to snuggle with her because her big hair is always tickling our faces! Her favorite stuffed animal is Gloria, a pink bunny rabbit that my parents got her for Christmas. She spotted Gloria in the gift shop at Children's Hospital and asked Santa for it. She also loves her pillow, and she sticks her hand in her pillow case when she sleeps. She still uses her Rainforest noisemaker that we used in her crib. She loves that thing and we still bring it with us when we travel.

Hailey is a great big sister. She loves to be the first to "get" Madeline in the morning when she wakes up and she loves to carry Maddy down to her room to play. Hailey is excellent at making sure that Maddy doesn't get her hands on anything small. They love to race up and down the hallway. Hailey is the person who can make Maddy laugh and smile the most.


Hailey has a huge heart and is so sweet about telling us that we are the best mommy and daddy. She loves to snuggle. She has the curliest red hair that I can't keep my hands off of. I love to unroll her curls and watch them spring back up.


Hailey tells us that she wants to be a nurse, and I wouldn't doubt if she is just that one day. She loves people and is a social butterfly. Her favorite cartoons right now are Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood and Peppa Pig. She loves to sing and dance, and just be silly.


Hailey just started doing Preschool 2 level swim classes. She really seems to like the water and she impresses us with how brave she is. After swim class, we may try gymnastics again and hopefully she will play soccer next fall.

Dress up

Puyallup Fair

Puyallup Fair

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Foam heads

Fun with photobooth

Lake Padden

Moving up to Preschool 2 class