It's not going to be long...

Check out this video of my "pre-crawling". I get up into a push-up position (or for those of you who know yoga--downward dog position). I can move my hands and my legs, but just not in a coordinated way. For now, I still lurch and roll to get what I want, but it's not going to be long.....Hang on to your hats Mommy and Daddy!!!

My next post will be fun in the California sun!!!! Love to all and congratulations to Scott and Miriam who welcomed a new cousin...Emma Kathleen!

Evidence

Here is proof that we are still alive and kickin' even though we have been slacking on our blogging. Our most recent family photo...

Here I am being a big girl sitting alone in a high chair for the very first time!! You can't see it very well, but I am sitting in a high-chair cover called a "Floppy Seat." It can also cover a grocery cart seat and it helps keep the germs away! I love my new found freedom...no more having to lay in the car seat carrier.

Gap should pay me for the free advertising. I am cuter than any of their baby models!

My first set of blocks!

Mommy, Daddy and I babysat Jackson on Saturday night. He is my bud! Whenever I cry he comes running to see what is the problem. He has this trick for getting me to stop cyring....he pounds his fist on the top of his head and makes funny faces. It is called "the hammer!"

Phew, we survived

Well we survived another Daddy-less week...mainly in tact! I thought everything went great, and I have tons of energy, but for some reason Mommy is dragging a little bit. She said she needs more sleep at night and she is tired of wiping spit-up off the floor! Daddy was in Seattle this week and he got home after my bed time last night so I am really looking forward to spending some good quality time with him this weekend.


Here are some of the highlights of our week:


Monday we went to Vancouver to have dinner and carve pumpkins with Grandpa Randy, Robyn and Jackson. Dinner was a YUMMY squash soup (I know it was yummy because Mommy let me have a little taste!) After dinner, we carved some of the pumpkins and decorated the others with potato head parts. They turned out very well!

I think I might like the scoop more than the pumpkin!

Here is Robyn and Jackson's final product!

This is the pumpkin that Mommy carved. Looks good on our porch huh? For those of you who were at M & D's wedding, you will be pleased to know that the "battery operated" candles from the reception are getting new life!

(Apparently if you have rub Vaseline on the carved part of the pumpkin it helps it last longer. We didn't have any Vaseline, but Mommy used some of her left over nipple gel and it seemed to do the trick! )

My first golf bag...Daddy is so proud!

Tuesday we hosted something called "girls night". Mommy's friends came over and they had dinner, drank wine, and TALKED a lot. I think they may have even done some gossiping :) When Mommy was at the store getting the groceries for dinner she bought me a special treat....banana rice puff cereal! Check out the video of me eating it! (Unfortunately though it is doing bad things to my tummy. So as much as I love the taste, Mommy is putting it on the back shelf for now :(

Wednesday we didn't really leave the house, so by late afternoon Mommy was feeling a bit stir crazy. So we called up our friends The Budds and they invited us over. They have 3 kids that I love to play with. So, I was entertained and Mommy got some adult conversation with their Mommy, Sarah.



Thursday we ran some errands, including getting our oil changed. When we walked into the waiting room, there was a Daddy and a baby girl who had our same car seat. Mommy started talking to them, just to find out that the other girl, whose name was Eliotte, was born the EXACT same day as me (different hospitals though, we asked!) What are the odds?? We played together happily the whole time we were waiting for our car to be ready!



We are really looking forward to a fun, and relaxing weekend, spending good family time together! Plus the weather is supposed to be nice.



Hope everyone else has a great weekend!

Love,

Maddie

7 months and still growing strong!

Happy 7 month birthday to me!

Who me?

Yes me!

Sunday was my actual 7 month birthday. My day started out at 4:30 AM when I woke up and didn't want to go back to sleep. We were at Grammy's house because she had babysat me while M & D went to Eugene for the Duck's game. Grammy was really nice and got up with me in the morning so M & D could sleep in.

The rest of Sunday was mostly spent relaxing and recuperating at home (except Daddy had a lot of homework to do!) I did however, unveil a few new tricks in time for my 7 month birthday.

"the tongue"

"the tupperware drawer"

My other new trick is a really cute wave that I do mostly with my fingers opening and closing. Oh, and I only know how to wave to myself. Unfortunately it's not captured on camera yet! Neither is my "scooching". I am sooooooo close to crawling. I get up on my hands and knees and rock back and forth. Monday I did two arm-over-arm belly crawls. M & D, hold onto your hats. Once I learn to crawl there is no stopping me!!

Smile!

Here is a better picture of my teeth!!

Here is my new, squinty smile. Apparently avocados bring out the big smiles!! Maybe I will be like Mommy and Grandpa Randy and be a guacamole fiend!

Seaside Fun

We went to Seaside Beach for the weekend with Grandpa Randy, Robyn and Jackson. It was Robyn's birthday.

This was not my first trip to the beach (M & D took me way back in May when I was just a baby) but it was my first trip to the coast in the pouring down rain!! That did not stop us however from having a ton of fun!

We started off our journey in Cannon Beach for a family bucket o' chowder at Mo's. Then it was off to Seaside. It was perfect because I have a shirt that says "Seaside Fun" so I was dressed just right!

Some of the highlights include:

Watching the adults act like children in the arcade:

Dance, Dance Revolution!!

Bumper cars! Too bad I am not 44" tall yet!

My first carousel ride

My first amusement ride

Braving a walk on the beach in the pouring rain

Trip to the Seaside Aquarium. We fed the seals (see this one catch the fish in its mouth??)

We also saw a huge octopus,

and got to touch the sea anemones and starfish (Mommy's favorite)

Next time you are at the Seaside Aquarium, make sure to read the Oregonian article about the drunk man who broke into the aquarium and "crab-napped" Victor, the largest crab they ever had. The crab was somewhere between 80-100 years old and unfortunately died subsequent to the trauma. Stupid man, I mean who has a pot big enough to cook that crab in?!?

Lowlights of the trip include: Ducks, Seahawks, and Cubbies all having a losing weekend!

Mommy's top 10 list

10. When I eat my toes (what do you expect...everything goes in my mouth these days!)

9. The grunts and red face when I am going #2...ewww gross!

8. My babbling....can you say "mama"?

7. My panting--when I am real excited

6. My social cough--I use this when I think should be getting more attention than I am

5. My sneeze (achoo--ee)

4. When I blow raspberry kisses (better when I don't have peas in my mouth :)

3. When I pull something over my own eyes to incite a game of peek-a-boo

2. My infectious laugh

1. My new smile: it is so wide and big that I squint my eyes at the same time. Too precious!!




So far the only one we have captured on film is the raspberries...I refuse to perform for the camera when Mommy and Daddy want me to!