Week 90: September 30 – October 6

BEDTIME UPDATE:
STILL AMAZING! We are averaging 20 minutes. It feels kind of nice to discover that I was right in my gut when I thought it wasn't normal for her to take SO LONG to fall asleep. I heard other moms say to just get used to it, plan for it, not worry about it, etc., but I saw the effects it was having on her attitude/demeanor/temper, and didn't accept it. She is doing so much better! We've even been able to adjust bed times a bit, so that she's up a little later, since she's falling asleep well. We may even try 7pm next week! :)

SATURDAY
We've been having some awesome Saturdays lately. Matt read that Saturday, October 1, was supposed to be "a perfect fall day," so we planned a trip to Roswell Mill. We'd visited there the year before and really liked it. There's a big river, a covered bridge, mountain/hill to climb. Beautiful place. Last time, we climbed up and walked around. This time, we walked along the river in an attempt to reach the dam. There wasn't a clear trail, and we didn't make it all the way, but it was just fabulous. The pictures will probably help--whenever I get those up...

Probably my favorite thing was going out into the middle of the river on some rocks and sitting down with Madeleine. We watched the river go by, and Matt threw in big leaves and things for us to watch go by. It was beautiful, peaceful, fantastic. Baby really seemed to enjoy it as well. Plus, she got to walk on some rocks, a big sewer pipe (yay?), the regular trail, and the covered bridge. She also got her foot wet in the river, accidentally dunking it in the water, shoe, sock and all. So we took off both her shoes and socks, and she walked a little bit in some sand and on the bridge. Barefoot outside! So luxurious. :)

WORDS AND SUCH
Most of my notes from this week involve words, so I needed a whole section for it.

~ To start, baby learned "walk," which sounds an awful lot like "rock." She uses "rock" for when she wants to rock in a rocker and for rocks outside.

~ I put a lemon in her little toy colander, and she said, "lemon bowl." "Lemon" is quite new, bowl not so much. But she knew what was going on!

~ BIG: Madeleine understands more than one of something. She may see a book and say "book," then she'll see another book and say, "more book." She does this for all kinds of things. It's super cool.

~ She is saying longer sentences, 3-4 words. She's also saying a LOT more words that we don't know yet. She'll put together a string of words, and I just have to scratch my head and try to get her to repeat it. This rarely works. I hope she doesn't get too frustrated and that we figure out what she's saying quickly!

~ I'm almost certain that she said, "don't want to" this week!

~ A not-new word but one I don't think I've recorded yet: she says and knows "umbrella."

~ She has a word for a teddy bear. It's something like "eh-ee" I think? She uses this for my bear, a little bear on one of the pictures in her room (she usually kisses this bear before bed each night), and the teddy bears on the sides of U-haul boxes (they also get kisses).

~ Tied for my favorite for the week: Madeleine says "hold mama" when she wants me to pick her up or hold her. &hearts

~ Also tied for favorite: This one requires a little background. Some of the ladies at my church have a weekly Bible study, and we alternate homes. One of the other women is a mom with a little girl about 8 months younger than Madeleine named Emmeline. This week, it was at my house. Madeleine usually naps through the first 2/3 of the time they are here. She woke, and I went to get her. Usually after naps, she likes to play for up to 10 minutes in her crib before getting out. This time though, I wanted her up quickly so I could get back to my guests. I told her, "Let's get your sleep sack off. There's someone here to play with you." Madeleine looked at me, then looked very thoughtful. Then she laid down on her crib and said, "Emmy?" I about DIED. I grinned so big and said, "Yeah, that's right, Madeleine. Emmeline is here to play!"

It was the first time she's used a name for someone. "Layla" means Layla, but also most other dogs (although, she calls Lelu "Lelu," but she called another dog who looked like Lelu "Lelu" too, so.... anyway.....). No one else had a name before Emmeline. And Madeleine continued to call her "Emmy" all day. SO ADORABLE AND WHEN DID SHE GET SO BIG?????

NOTES FROM THE WEEK:
~ Madeleine wore some pants with pockets this week, and Matt showed her that she could put things in her pockets. SO CUTE. Especially when she took the cardboard flap out of her pocket to show me!

~ Baby has been hopping really well in her crib. One day, on the monitor, I saw her hopping. She holds on to the rail and bounces as best she can. She gets some air sometimes. Anyway, she'd hop, then stop, and say, "More. More." And then hop again. Remember, no one is in the room with her. She's telling herself "more" the same way she does whenever she wants Matt or I to keep doing something. So anyway, she hopped some more, then stopped to pick up Lamby for some more hopping, and then of course Blankie had to join the fun. All of this, all on her own

~ Leaning against things (walls, windows, doors, etc.) is making a comeback in baby's life. It was in vogue around 18 months, then she stopped doing it, but it's back. And this time, she wants mama and dada in on the action! We happily oblige her.

~ Maybe my fave this week? Madeleine has been doing "where is it" with her hands for a long time. Walk into a room, hands up, looking for something. Peek-a-boo is also really big right now. She'll hide something behind her blanket, put her hands up. We say "where is (fill-in-the-blank)?" And she finds it by removing the blanket. Well. One day this week, baby, Matt, me and Layla were standing in the hallway. Madeleine turned her back on Layla, put her hands up, and said, "Layla." Like, "where's Layla?" Then she turned around and went "ooohhhh" when she saw the dog. She then proceeded to do this with Matt and I, just turned her back to him or me and saying "mama?" or "dada?" Hilarious! She cracks us up, she's so funny.

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