Madison

Life has been slow lately but I really want to blog so I turn to my two favorite topics: Kelsey and Madison. I'm starting this with one idea in mind, but we'll see how it actually turns out. I just imagine a whole lot of "I love it when..." and "I can't believe they are so old." And with that lets just jump into this post I call Madison

15 months old today. FIFTEEN MONTHS!!! How, where, when, and WHAT! How is she that old. The other day I was holding her, and just staring at her when it hit me that she just isn't a baby anymore. You know when you are changing a baby and you lift their legs to switch the diapers and its just like lifting a big blob of weight? Well we've reached the point in our lives that changing Madison is like lifting actually legs. I don't know how to explain it and it doesn't really make any sense, but she has reached that point in life where she controls those long legs. Maybe its the sense of coordination or the strength that is building or quite honestly the fact that now her cute little legs aren't covered in those adorable rolls and rolls and rolls anymore, but her legs are just older. bigger, faster, stronger I guess is what I'm trying to poorly express.

And its not just the legs. Its everything. I'll look over and Madison will be pulling herself up onto a chair or the couch just to sit and read (or jump off or tackle someone!!! She is a firecracker if I've ever seen one). Or she will bring me her shoes when she knows we are leaving and wants to go outside. Or she will open the drawer, pull out a cup, and try to fill it with water. She will put pants on her legs thinking she is getting dressed, she will get out babies and push them in a stroller, and she will sit and watch TV. Not that watching TV is a huge step in our development as a human but its like she has hit that point in life where TV actually affects her.  I don't know when this happened, but its real. She just isn't a baby any more. I mean, she's even started wearing shoes. Not like baby shoes that you just throw on kids feet to look adorable as they totter around, but legitimate shoes that she has to wear as a form of function. I know it doesn't make sense, but doesn't it?!

All kids come with personality, but boy did Madison come with personality. Madison is a spit fire, a tease, and a drama queen in all the best ways. She lets NO ONE tell her what to do and do not doubt for a moment that she let you know if you have "wronged" her. My favorite of late is when she gets mad at me and the toddler melt down ensues complete with the "stomping" of feet, slow fall to the ground and finally crying into the carpet all while she is watching us to make sure we are watching. I seriously love it when she throws a fit. Ask me in 1 year how I feel about it.

Madison loves to tease. She will purposely take things away from you that she knows you are using and run away laughing. When we tell her no, she shakes her head, says "no, no, no" laughs and then keeps doing what we told her not to do. When I ask her to come get changed, she will run up to me pretend to sit and then run away, strategically making sure that she is without of arms length so I can't grab her. Man, the brains and cleverness of this one. She totally knows what she is doing.

I don't really know what else to write, but Madison really is one of my favorites. She runs to greet us when we get home from work, at dinner time we tell her to go sit down and she will run to her chair and start to climb up, if she is sitting before Kelsey, she will push out Kelsey's chair for her. She still can't really talk but says baby, mom, dad, and BAA for pretty much anything. She loves blueberries and has eaten two whole containers before I reached the checkout stand on more than one occasion. She sleeps better than any other baby I have ever met, loves her blankie, carries around a stuffed kitty, and wants to snuggle when she's upset. She loves to play in water, loves to be outside, hates to sit in her stroller and only really likes the car if Kelsey is there.

Madison tires to dance and sing with Kelsey, loves to read books, thinks Elmo is the best thing to happen in this life. She loves to "tackle" and does this by running up to your back when you are sitting or laying and jumping on top of you.  Madison  laughs at the drop of a hat and wants to be tickled. She makes faces at me when she disagrees with me or just to make me laugh, still can't really chew, LOVES shoes, comes and fake cries at me for every bump and bruise and runs better than she can walk. She says yes or no and really hates my cooking. She is a terrible teether and screaming is her form of communication and is a sympathy crier. If someone is crying, it doesnt take long for Maidson to make a sad face or come put her head against yours or cry right along with you. I wish I could capture every second of her adorable life becasue she truly is a gem. I love you Madison. I can't wait to see where your spunk and personality take you. You are going places and making people laugh when you get there.