We’re officially all settled in the new place, another month has flown by and I’m sad to say our little baby is now officially a Toddler.

She runs through the house, tells us what she wants, feeds herself, entertains herself and even throws a tantrum in from time to time when she doesn’t get what she wants.

We’ve had so much fun watching her figure out how things work. She loves her BuckleyBoo and is getting good at hooking the buckles. She’s also learned to use a fork and now insists on feeding herself. We try to help her, but it usually leads to one of the tantrums mentioned above.

Stats:

• Wearing size 4 diapers
• Wearing size 18 month clothes
• Wearing size 4 shoes
• Has added cow, moo and up to her vocabulary
• Loves yogurt, French toast, cereal bars, spaghetti and ALL fruit

Madison’s typical schedule:

• Wakes up between 6 – 7am
• Sippy cup of milk when she wakes up
• Get ready for school (during the week) and leave the house by 7am
• At school:
• Breakfast at 8am
• Playtime/storytime
• Lunch at 11:30am
• Naptime from 11:30-1:30
• Outdoor playtime
• Afternoon snack 3:30pm
• Pickup at 5:30pm

• Dinner at 6:00pm
• Bathtime at 6:30pm
• Quiet playtime in her room
• Read Goodnight Moon
• Bedtime at 7:00pm

The photos above were taken by the extremely talented Molly Feit

New Daycare

When we first moved, we had every intention of keeping Madison in her current daycare in Petaluma. She has friends there, she’s close to Mommy’s work, she’s been there since she was 12 weeks old, so she’s familiar with the teachers. Madison however had a different idea. She has decided she HATES the car. Since her daycare was in Northern Petaluma, our day consisted of a one-hour drive filled with Madison’s screaming, an upset baby at daycare, a one-hour drive filled with Madison’s screaming on the way home, and an upset baby who didn’t want to sleep or eat at home - Definitely not going to work.

So, I started my search for a daycare closer to the new place. Luckily, we drive by a daycare center everyday on our way to the freeway. We decided to call and schedule a tour and test day. Madison did great on her test day, so we decided to make the switch.

It was hard to leave her old daycare – We loved them so much, but seeing how much happier Madison (and Mommy) is without her two hours in the car everyday has let us know we made the right decision.

As an added bonus, Mommy now saves an hour a day in the car and the new center provides food and drinks for Mads, so Mommy doesn’t have to pack her lunch each night.

She’s still getting used to the new place, but I know she’s going to be very happy there.

13 months

Another month has flown by, even quicker than normal with all the chaos of the move.

Here are some quick stats:

• Wearing size 4 diapers
• Wearing mostly 18 month clothes
• Has added dog and kitty to her vocabulary
• Uses a spoon by herself
• Loves mac and cheese, cereal bars (Bah aka bar as she says)
• Loves playing musical instruments – Especially the drums
• Can throw a ball overhand
• Likes to paint/draw

The Big Move...

We made the big move to our new house gradually, but we’re finally settled. Matt and I started taking small loads of stuff to the new place after work every day, until only the essentials and big stuff was left.

We had lots of friends and family come to help us on moving day and were able to get everything moved in just a couple trips.

The house already feels like home. Jess’s dad painted for us (Thank you !!!), so we feel like we’ve already started to make it our own.

Madison has done well in the new place and has already mastered the stairs. Plus, she loves her new purple room. Matt and I were worried that she’d have trouble adjusting, but after a couple of days, she was back to her normal cheery self. And she’s completely in love with her new backyard – Especially since it now houses her super fun water table.

Here are a few updated pictures - I promise to update with the "final" pictures soon

Dining Room

Madison's Purple Room

Our Blue/Green Master Bedroom

The living room

The kitchen

Birthday Party!!!!

We had Madison’s first birthday party at the Community Center in Petaluma. We were lucky enough to have a beautiful sunny day (the few days before were pouring rain, so I was worried.)

The room was decorated with a mix of purple and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse – Two of Madison’s favorite things. Well, the purple is Mommy’s favorite, so I’m enjoying it until she can tell me otherwise.

Madison was surrounded by tons of family and friends – Thank you so much for all those who made the trip.

She wasn’t sure what to think of her cake, but she managed to eat a little bit of the frosting before smearing it all over herself.

We opened presents and Madison enjoyed playing with the boxes almost as much as the toys themselves.

The day flew by, but it was so much fun.

Madison's Future husband Landon aka Mel & Nick's adorable little boy

Giving Kisses to Ella

12 months!!

First, I'd like to apologize for slacking on the blog. Apparently moving takes much more time and effort than I'd anticipated. That being said...

Madison is ONE! I know I’ve said it every month, but I truly cannot believe how quickly time has flown. It’s hard to believe that one year ago I was (not so) patiently waiting for our little Bean to make her appearance and now here I am chasing her around the house.

We’re so blessed to get to be parents to this amazing, spunky, sometimes feisty, but always loving little girl. She’s learned and changed so much in the last year, and I can only imagine what the next year has in store.

Here are some of her stats:

• Getting increasingly steady while walking
• Saying hi, bye, ball, piggy, adduh (aka dada), muh (more)
• Wearing size 3 diapers
• Wearing 12 or 18 month clothes
• In the Toddler Room at daycare
• Down to one nap a day (Usually in the morning around 11)
• Her favorite foods are peas, cheese & pears