The Faces of Madelyn McCoy

Maddy and the Big Girl Bed

I don't know if anyone was aware or not, but for the last few weeks, my all-too-grown-up daughter has been sleeping in her brand new BIG GIRL BED! That's right...we have a new head pillow and a new Dora and Boots pillow and the large blue Sleepy Time Care Bear sleeps with her so the "monters" don't get her.

For the time being, after our usual Wiggles or Spongebob adventure and after I, in stealing a tradition from my sister and her kids, "charge" the stars in her room, I take her in and lay her down, put her little sheet and blanket on her, and sit down by her side and sing her some songs until she's asleep. At first, she names the songs she wants to hear...Twinkle Twinkle, Spider (as in "Itsy Bitsy"), ABCs...but when she gets sleepier, she just keeps saying "more, Daddy" and then she's gone.

We're (me and myself) currently looking for some kind of little lamp so I can lay with her and start reading some real bedtime stories (which I can't tell you all how excited I am). As my sister will probable only know, in the same tradition as the Gloops, Gurgi, and The Hobbit, I hope I can instill the same kind of magical wonder for those books that my parents instilled in my sister and I, all the while hearing "one more chapter" and then "one more page" and then, finally, defeat.

She's been such a good girl and stays in her bed all night. Even after she wakes up and starts calling for me (and the Blitz), we find her sitting up in the middle of her sheet and blanket, hair spiking every which way, and her little smile looking forward to the new day with "her guys" (as she calls them) at school.

Maddy's Waker Upper

I know you all have eagerly been awaiting new pictures of the cute one. I will get to those. First I just wanted to post a little story about Maddy's new waker upper.

Generally, I am awake before my daughter. I think my mother would find that hard to believe considering my track record as a teenager, but its true. So, I go in and take a shower and get dressed and then usually she is up and calling from her bedroom. Well, if he's not sitting right next to her door already, this is enough to get Blitz into a frenzy...whining and circling her door begging to be let in. Usually I just tease him a little bit and open the door just a little bit but he will already have pushed his big nose through the door and, tail wagging...no swishing, aim directly for the delighted two year old, tongue first.

You would think they hadn't seen each other in years the way she giggles and he sniffs to make sure she's OK.

Well, the other day, she wasn't here and there's Blitz standing outside her door ready to deliver the wake up call. So, I tell him she's not in there but for some reason he acts like I'm speaking some foreign tongue. So I let him in and you would think I had shot his...well...dog. Poor thing was looking all over for her and then looking at me like I hid her somewhere. Poor Blitz. Such is the life of Maddy's best friend.