Busy Baby

It seems the older Mady gets the more active she becomes!  This is especially true this month!  She wants to play with so many things and gets bored easily.  Since she is not crawling yet, this requires mommy:-)  (Sidenote: About Mady's crawling: she is not easily motivated to move on her own for toys...she'll just find another one to play with if hers gets out of her reach.  However, I did stumble on a motivation that may be effective...Toddler Puffs.  Yep that's right, we will be giving her "treats" as motivation.  I think I'm having deja vu about training a certain American Eskimo dog....)  Anyway, here are a few things we've been doing lately.  

We can't crawl yet but we LOVE to stand and hold on to furniture.  Here's my attempt at taking a standing-by-the-couch picture.

We love the xylophone...it was the best 2 bucks I've spent.  I got it at a garage sale.

Mady has her own drawer with cups and things for her to play with.

Mady has loved sitting by the sliding glass door looking outside.  Sadly though, this picture was taken right before she fell hard on the floor.  We weren't too happy after that.

Another great garage sale find!  This toy is awesome and plays music that's not annoying. 

Mady has a stuffed giraffe and her small blankie and several pacifiers that she sleeps with in her crib.  They always end up all over the place in the morning or after naps. 

          

New Hair Styles...

We've been experimenting with different hairstyles around here!

We have the pigtails which are adorable:

 We have the hair in our eyes look. 

 And Daddy's all time favorite, the 80's Punk Rock Look.

       

When Daddy comes home...

One of my favorite times of the day is when Jeremy comes home.  (Obviously since I'm a stay-at-home mom and social interaction is at a minimum.)  But I absolutely LOVE seeing Mady with her wonderful Daddy.  They always spend time "wrestling" and getting into tickle wars.  Mady is very ticklish and I LOVE hearing her laugh.  One of these days I will get it caught on video but right now, you'll just have to enjoy these pictures of Mady and Daddy together.  

(Sidenote: please excuse Mady's dirty face and the fact she's half dressed.  This was right before our bath.)

     

Bath Time

For Mady's entire 8 1/2 months of life, the one thing I haven't really enjoyed is bath time.   Before I had Mady, I thought this would be something fun.   Maybe the reason I haven't enjoyed it is because it started out like this:

I wish there was sound on this picture...seriously the girl wasn't happy.

But since Mady is able to sit up now (and not slip slide around on the bottom of the tub) I've actually enjoyed giving her a bath.  She also is able to play with some of her toys and splash in the water.   Here are a few pictures.  
WARNING: CUTE NAKED BABY ALERT!!

Getting Ready for our Bath!

Cutie Pie!

This picture makes me laugh!  The flash was too bright I guess but I love her face!

   

Our Polar Bear Dog

Lexi, Mady, and I went for a 2 mile walk this morning to enjoy the beautiful COOL weather!  I am so looking forward to fall, my favorite time of the year! 

Anyway, on our walk we past by a dad and two young boys.  One of them was an infant and the other must have been 3.  I overheard the 3 year old excitedly say "Look Dad, it's a polar bear dog!"

 
The kid had a point.  Especially when you look at these pictures of when she was a puppy.  

SO cute but sure don't miss the puppy stage!

But times are indeed changing around the Olsen house.  
Instead of "Lexi stop licking Mady"s face" or "Stop licking her ______ (fill in the blank with any body part)" or "Lexi stop begging for food" when she's staring at Mady in her high chair, it will be "Mady please be nice to the dog and stop pulling her hair, riding her like a horse, or hitting her in the face."  

Side note:  I don't just LET Lexi lick Mady's face but the girl is sneaky and quick...sometimes I just can't stop it in time!

Yes indeed things are changing.  An example of this is yesterday, Mady was in her jumper playing.  Lexi immediately goes over to lick the face because it's just so convenient... I look over and before I can do anything, Mady grabs Lexi's ear and face hair and pulls hard!  Lexi yelps and then comes running to me.  Needless to say that Lexi was a little cautious when approaching Mady the rest of the day.  Not that I mind or anything...I think it will be a nice relief when Lexi finally realizes that Mady will indeed fight back:-)  

  

Cutie Pie

Mady was dressed so cute the other day, I just couldn't help but take her picture! 

  

8 Months!

Dear Miss Mady Grace,
Happy 8 months sweet girl!  MOm and Dad love you so much and are so proud of you!  We love everything about you and recognize that you are "fearfully and wonderfully made" by our loving God.  

We love you from your head down to your toes.  We love your big blue eyes that sparkle when you smile at us, and the crazy things you can do with your toes!  

We love how you sit up so tall with your legs sticking straight out, and the way you get so excited when Lexi is around.  We love your smile, your giggle, and the way you're beginning to say "mama".  (I know you don't know what it means yet, but it still makes my heart smile!) 

We love that you love to jump, even when sitting on our laps, and the way that Dad can tickle you like no one else can.  We love that you still like to snuggle.  

Miss Mady we are so proud of all you're learning!  We can't believe it's been 8 months since you've changed our lives for the better.  
Love, 
Mom and Dad

Reading

We've been doing a lot of reading around here!  Ever since I got my Kindle at the beginning of July, I've been reading like crazy.  This is good and bad.  Good for my brain, bad for the wallet.  Anyway, here are some excellent books that I highly recommend.

1. Choosing Gratitude by Nancy Leigh DeMoss

Amazing!  She seriously challenges you in so many ways about being grateful for even the small things we have!  My favorite quote: "I have learned along the way that, regardless of how I may feel, anything that makes me need God is (ultimately, in the truest sense) a blessing."

2. Choosing to SEE: A Journey of Struggle and Hope by Mary Beth Chapman 

You all remember the story of Steven Curtis Chapman's little girl Maria dying in a terrible accident a few years ago...well this is a book written by his wife that not only talks about that tragedy but also about her life journey and how God is working in her and through her.  It is simply a must read!  I can't put it down!  

3. A Stolen Life by Jaycee Dugard

There are no words to describe what this girl went through when she was abducted at age 11.  My heart aches for what she went through...

Mady has also been doing some reading.  

She's been reading:

Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss

Touch and Feel Wild Animals Book

Touch and Feel Farm Book

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?  By Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle

Look at the Animals!  By Peter Linenthal    

We're also taking our weekly trip to the library today for more fun books to read!  Happy Reading!

A is for August...

Usually January is by far the toughest month for me...what with the cold weather, ice, snow, and the winter blues that usually set in.  
Ever since last year, another month has recently tried to take top honors of the worst month of the year for me and that's August.  
No it's not because it's the beginning of the end of summer.  It's not because it's blazing hot outside everyday.  It's simply because the rows and rows of wonderfully smelling new school supplies are a constant reminder of the job and profession that I love and miss.  
Don't get me wrong, I absolutely LOVE being a stay-at-home mom.  And who wouldn't when you get to see this face everyday?

It's that August was always my favorite time of the year when I was teaching.  Most teachers hate setting up their classroom, I LOVE it!  The plastic bins just waiting for my label maker, the smell of a clean room, new floor plans that I've drawn on a sketch pad on ways to "maximize space" and make my room "more efficient"...
I loved getting 3 Really Good Stuff magazines in the mail and dreaming about all the wonderful things I can add to my classroom.   I still get them, but they go straight to the trash...I just can't look at them without getting excited about setting up a classroom I don't have.  
And it's not so much just the setting up of my classroom...it's the anticipation of the new year.  Who's going to be in my class?  What new lesson plans am I going to implement?  How can I teach this standard better?  What challenges am I going to have?  I miss those things.  And now August just seems like another month in the calendar...
I know that as soon as school gets into the swing of things and I see the stress on my teacher friend's faces, and it gets closer to state testing time, it'll be easier not to miss teaching.  But for now, it's hard and I miss it. 
I know I made the right decision and I love spending my days with my little girl.  I am blessed and thankful to be able to be with her each day.  
And to ease the sadness, I sometimes, just sometimes go down the school supply isle, take in the smell of new school supplies, and buy a little, even though we won't need them for 5 more years.