Week 51: December 30 - January 5

Wait, does that say week 51? But there are only 52 weeks in a year. My baby CANNOT be almost 1 year old!! :D

This was quite a week. We were in Deland until Monday. My parents drove over from Tampa to spend part of New Year's Day with us and Matt's family. It was fabulous.

The drive home was as good as it could have been. We ended up only stopping once, to feed Madeleine and ourselves and get gas. We made good time, but baby was ready to eat when we finally did get to Atlanta!

Nursing
It seems I am doomed to simply never have it be normal. It's good for a day or so, then something goes wrong and it hurts for a few more days. Then good, then bad. Ehh. I would love to not have to even think about nursing, for it to just be something we do 4 times a day and that's that.

Sleeping
Baby is doing really well, considering we're out of town. And back in town, at the end of week 51. Baby had a few super good nights of sleep while we were in FL, a few short ones (closer to 10 hours), and she averaged around 11 I'd guess without looking or doing any math. I can't ask for much more!

Solids/Food
On Wednesday, I gave Madeleine some applesauce in a little bowl. I think she was a little excited to have her own dish on her tray. I showed her how to dip a cracker in the applesauce to get some on it, and she did it on the first attempt. SMART BABY.

After a while, she stuck a hand in the bowl and decided that was good. She left it there the rest of the meal! She ate the entire serving I'd given her, plus all the crackers to go with it. Awesome.

However, it completely baffles me how this smart baby, who can figure out dipping, CANNOT DRINK. She still just bites the spout of the sippy cup and looks at me like "WHAT?"

Foods she LOVES: biscuits, apples, cantaloupe, peaches, tomatoes, blueberries
Foods she likes: zucchini, green beans, chicken, carrots, asparagus
Foods she doesn't love: bananas, cucumber.
Potential problem foods: cheese, yogurt (dairy??)

By the book...
According to "Your Baby's First Year, Week by Week," during this week, Madeleine:
1. Climbs up and down stairs (no opportunity)
2. May get to standing position by pushing up from a squatting position (haven't seen this yet)
3. Is learning correct use of a toy, such as pegboard and hammer, telephone (er.... she knows to kick a ball?)
4. Searches for hidden object if she hasn't seen it but remembers last location (haven't noticed this yet)
5. Resists napping (um... it's safe to say she resists. lol. but she goes down anyway! she's skipped naps recently, but not in over a week)
6. May demand more help from others than is necessary because it is easier (I think she's doing this with walking. It's easier to use both her hands than just one)
7. Gives affection to humans and objects (oh definitely. she kisses stuffed animals, mommy and daddy...)
8. May undress herself (i've noticed her try to get her shirt off while I'm undressing her, but nothing else)

New Things
1. Madeleine has started using BOTH hands to wave bye-bye now!

2. I've noticed her taking things out of a container and, more significantly, putting them back IN the container. This is big girl stuff. Still no building towers (the unmaker lives on!), but she put the animals into the ark this week. Actually, on Wednesday, I thought I saw her trying to put two blocks together. She was holding them both, but she'd just taken them off a tower and clicked them together in a meaningful way.

3. She's also started throwing things. Food off the high chair, blocks, leaves... anything she can get ahold of, she'll toss. She has a decent little throw, too.

4. This week, Madeleine has started letting go of my hand. If she was only holding one, she would stop at something about her height and let go. She's stood for up to 10 seconds once!

5. She's discovered her hair, which is really growing longer now. It was just a single, brief encounter, but it was important. LOL...

NEW WORDS
I'm starting a new section! This little girl is starting to talk, and I'll be documenting them until it gets mundane.

Saturday, she said Poppi. Some of us were sitting around, talking about how we aren't sure Poppi fits my dad, trying to think of something else, when Madeleine said, clear as day, "Poppi." I guess that debate is settled!

Also on Saturday, Madeleine said "ball" for the first time. We were outside with Daddy, Uncle Wes, Poppi, Mimi, and Lola. The big guys were throwing the football, and there was a tiny one that Madeleine tried to pick up and throw. She called it a ball. Ever since, it is her favorite word. She's got a few balls at home, and she LOVES TO RUN AFTER THEM AND SAY "BALL!" And we love to hear it.

Word tally: Layla, Dog, Mama, Poppi (once), ball.

Misc
1. Madeleine can ZOOM with just one hand! She is growing more and more confident every day. I know I keep saying that, but it's true! Every day it seems like she can do a little more.

2. While in FL, it seemed as though Madeleine could go for longer periods playing by herself. Maybe she was just happy to have some new toys? Not sure. We need to work on Independent Play for her...

3. Madeleine must get pumped with all the walking and learning she's doing because she enjoys walking through the house and screeching. It is reminiscent of our friend Manning when he was little. It's totally fun, but it can get loud!

4. This week, maybe because she's getting a bunch of new teeth, Madeleine's been sticking her tongue out A LOT. It's slightly forked, too, so it's just hilarious.

5. Baby's favorite book right now is "Pat the Bunny." I have a theory about why she likes this book. The pages are easy to turn, but there have been other books with easy to turn pages that haven't captivated her as much (Zoo Babies and Little Hands Love). What sets Pat the Bunny apart is the activities on every page. She especially loves the "peekaboo" page and mummy's ring.

6. I got a HUGE surprise on Tuesday while walking around with Madeleine. She was chasing her ball, and it rolled under the dining room table. She tried to follow it, but she hit her head! She used to be able to just scoot right under the edge, and now her head comes a full 3 inches above the bottom of the table. I couldn't believe it. I knew she was growing, all babies do, but this was huge, tangible evidence. It was about a month ago, when my mom visited last, that she could walk under the table with no problem. !!!!!!!

Slideshow

Video of the week!