Maddy 16 Months

16 months is a great age for Ms. Maddy. She's becoming more and more independent, telling us exactly what she wants... and when she wants it! She really loves to sit and "read" her books. Her favorite toys right now are her Elmo sketch, shape sorter, pink ball and toy car. Our big girl weighs 21 lbs, 9 oz and is 31 3/4" tall. Here she is in action at sweet 16 months...

It's a Wrap: Happy Holidays for 2010

Now that the cookies are eaten, the decorations are down and the presents are all unpacked, we finally (FINALLY) have time to update Maddy's blog on her holiday extravaganza for 2010.

It all started the week before Christmas with a trip to Buffalo. Once again, Maddy entertained everyone with all of her new tricks. She is also getting better at keeping up with all of her cousins--running, laughing and screaming with the best of 'em! Maddy was spoiled with lots of cool presents... a singing/dancing Micky Mouse, a play house, a baby bike, a music station and lots of clothes/books/DVDs.

After our trip, we got ready for the big Christmas day, which included a visit from Grandma and Pappy on Christmas Eve. Maddy got dressed in her pretty dress and was a perfect angel throughout the children's choir Christmas Eve mass. After church, Grandma fried up big batches of shrimp and we ate, drank and celebrated with Maddy.

The next morning... Santa came! Tons more presents were left under the tree from Santa along with a note just for Maddy on what a good girl she was all year. We got to relax on Christmas Day, enjoying good food and company. Maddy loved all the special attention and playing with even more new toys--including her very own car!

She's still figuring out all of her new gadgets but one thing's for sure: This girl had a very Merry Christmas!

Click here to see all photos from Christmas!
Buffalo Christmas 2010
Home Christmas 2010

Maddy 15 Months

15 MONTHS


9 MONTHS
'

6 MONTHS


3 MONTHS



Happy 15-month birthday, Maddy!
You are really developing into your own little girl a lot these past few weeks.
Maddy basically understanding everything you say to her (when you say it on "her level") and is becoming much more communicative lately. Here are some new developments for our big, 15 month-old-girl:

9 MONTHS
1. No longer walks... she runs!
2. Dances and spins in circles
3. Eats strictly table food
4. No more ba-bas (bottles)
5. Goes down by herself for nap & bed time
6. Understands simple instructions, like "Bring the book to Mommy"
7. Can point to and identify her favorite stuffed animals (Cookie, Elmo, Sponge Bob, Pooh)
8. Can do the Itsy-Bitsy-Spider song with gestures
9. Tells you when she's thirsty (cries in front of fridge), when she "wants more" at dinner and when she's "all done"
10. Understands "up" and occasionally asks (this request is going to snowball very soon, we're sure).
11. Climbs like a monkey on steps and furniture
12. High-fives
13. And, the best of all... gives big, sloppy, wet kisses!!!

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas...

Everywhere we go! And, we are really feeling the hustle and bustle of the season between all the shopping, wrapping, decorating, cooking and running around lately. This past weekend, we stopped by Penn State's Centre Furnace Mansion's holiday tour in between running errands and putting the finishing touches on the indoor holiday decorations. Saturday night we turned down the lights, turned up the Christmas classics and decorated our first real family Christmas tree! Maddy is absolutely awestruck, always pointing, looking and carefully pawing at the tree. Sunday we had a lunch visit from Pittsburgh friends Laura, Jeremy and Daisy (Daisy was just a pup the last time we saw her when they visited us back in East Stroudsburg--this time she came back all grown up and showed Lucy who was boss!). Maddy loved watching the doggies play and, as usual, also loved having a new audience to entertain. The weekend wrapped up with Maddy down to bed early and Sunday night Steelers. Not bad!

Bring on the Turkey!

Although a stomach flu almost got the best of us, Thanksgiving 2010 turned out to be wonderful! Maddy enjoyed Turkey Day at home with a visit from Grandma, Pappy, Uncle Mike, Aunt Alysia, and Talia plus "Saints" Gordon and Bella! Maddy loved having Talia around for a partner in crime to run, play and take baths with all weekend. She also enjoyed the weekend-long attention, kisses and squeezes. Our little girl is really getting spoiled as her Turkey Day extravaganza comes just after a long weekend in Buffalo where she got hang with the big kids (all her cousins) while we stayed with Poppy and Grandma Joy. She loves all of her cousins, but is definitely most curious about Jack ("Hey, he's almost my size but a little bigger!"). It's great to see Maddy get so much love, having a blast while we enjoy great food & company! We're looking forward to Christmas already...

To see more pictures from Thanksgiving 2010, click here.

Happy Halloween!

Wow, what a fun Halloween Ms. Maddy had! She got to dress up like Tinkerbell and go to a kid-filled party in town. Maddy loved running across the gym floor and hugging her orange balloon. She was wide-eyed and quiet the entire time, soaking in any and every last detail. The hit of the party was no doubt the big surprise visit from none other than... the Penn State Nittany Lion! He did lots of flips, tricks and dances for all the kids. Maddy's neighborhood girlfriends Leah and Sofia were there, too (dressed as a giraffe and a duck). Together, they danced, laughed and chased around the Lion like little Penn State groupies! It's no wonder our sweet Tinkerbell was sound asleep by the time we got home. Click here for more pictures from the weekend. Trick or Treat!

Loving Fall!

Last weekend, Maddy was once again a busy girl. She headed to Pittsburgh with Mommy for a visit to Grandma and Pappy's. She was a wild woman all weekend, running all over the place, chasing doggies and giggling at her own silliness.

Some of her newer developments include:
Hugging- Loves to hug her stuffed animals, pillows, parents, friends and pets!
Sitting- She likes to sit on laps and on pillows while she plays toys
Gesturing- Maddy now points to things she wants and recognizes. She even pats the glider at night when she's ready for her bed-time bottle!
Running- Those slow, Frankenstein steps are no longer. Maddy now runs like the wind!

Her favorite foods are tater tots, fruit cups, chicken nuggets, cheese, pasta and she LOVES meat! Milk still the #1 beverage of choice.

As of last Friday, she weighs in at 21 pounds. Still just a peanut, even will all that good eating.

See more pictures from this past weekend/week here.