Maddy at the Zoo

I know the grandparents have been waiting for this one for a week or so. Here are pictures of my daughter's very first trip to the zoo. She really enjoyed the elephants (although there are no pictures of them) and she also liked looking at the monkeys and the buudies (birdies, for those who don't know). Not SO excited for the petting zoo, but it seems like she's that way with all animals...she'll go right up to a 100 pound German Shepherd, but freaks out about a little orange tabby kitty.

The smiling goat just keeps me in the zone...this is how I think boys are going to be looking at my daughter in about 12 years. My head sinks in to my hands at the thought.

Just click on the teenager...err goat...to see the pics.

Spinning and the Phone

Here's a new video of one of Maddy's favorite things to do at Daddy's house. I think she could do it all day, but I'm not willing to test the stomach capacity of a 1 1/2 year old at this point. Well, I'm at least not going to force it.

Maddy Spinning

Here is another one of her on the computer. Notice anything about her telephone? I'm sure this is what anyone gets if they've ever talked to her on a REAL phone. At least its what I get.

Maddy and Her Phone

They're both really cute and worth the click.

Sleepy Girl

It is unusual that I have to wake my daughter up. Usually I have to sneak into the shower so I don't wake her. By the time I'm out, she's looking for "mommy" (apparently MY nickname as well as her mother's). So this morning, had I not heard the little teeny tiny snores coming from her bed, I might have been a little worried.

I believe its beginning to be somewhat of an irrational fear for me, but real nonetheless. I go in to check on her and just make sure she's breathing. I can't hear her just by opening the door, so I have to traverse the minefield of cracks and creaks in her bedroom floor that I have mapped in my brain over countless missions to her bedside. I've also had to ensure (several times) that the IEDs that are her toys have been cleared as well. The ball that I have tripped over, the bouncy horse that begins clippety clopping along, or the Devil Dog that awakens at the slightest touch and tells you of its undying love and need for a hug as you approach its perimeter. For those who don't believe me, it's the one toy I don't ever put in her bed. And then I'm there...hearing her deep sleep breaths and her little snores and know that my mission has been accomplished. No one else feels this way do they?

So this morning as I'm rubbing her back trying to gently awaken the little princess that is my daughter, I'm amazed at how much she's grown even in just the past month. Looking at pictures from three months ago, I can see some really big physical changes and hearing her new words every day makes me proud that she is my little genius. Knowing that she'll wake, give me her toothy grin and say "Daddy. I love you."

As we all know, reality is a harsh mistress. She comes slamming back just in time to smash dreams and curdle our hopes into an impassable mass. My daughter, the love of my life and the apple of my eye, stirs and looks up at me with a somewhat bewildered and tired look and says...

"Where's Blitz?"

Maddy Vitals

I took my baby daughter to the doctor the other day, so just wanted to report on her vital statistics. She is now 23 pounds (yes...that's right...19mos and 23 pounds). That puts her in the 25th percentile for weight which is where she's always been. Her head, however is in the 75th percentile so her big brain is progressing just fine (I've put a new picture of her on the right).

I also made a mistake and told the doctor that she didn't know her body parts yet. I told her we really hadn't focused on that but rather other words. She proved me wrong while we were having our bath / "what's this" time. She loves splashing (is anyone shocked?) and always grabs my hands and puts them in the water wanting me to splash with her. This time she yelled "ans" (hands) as well. So over the course of "The Pruning" (my word...the time it takes for a child to become completely wrinkled in the bath), I learned that she knows eyes, ears, nose and mouth (not so much).

She loves saying "monkey" and yells it showing her teeth in a big grin. She also knows that Wiggles are the people on the weewee (TV) and that "wiggle wiggle" is what she does with her toes in the bathtub.