Maddy's Bed

I think a lot of you know that I got Maddy's bed at IKEA. I thought it would be a fun bed that would last her quite a while. When she was younger, the bed was pretty low to the ground. Even with that, every once in a while I would hear a little thump and have to put her back in the bed.
Well, one of the cool things I love about this particular bed is that it can flip over for a bunk bed feel with a little play area underneath. So I decided that this weekend would be it. Under the questioning gaze of my three year old, I flipped her bed. It was not until I put the mattress on top that she realized what was going on. After that it was pure excitement.
Last night was the first night she was able to sleep with the new configuration. I was a little nervous about the ladder and her falling off and this and that. And even after all the excitement from the weekend, she STILL wanted to lay down in my bed. I stood my ground and after a little fussing and whining, she finally climbed the ladder to the top.

I decided that I would check on her right before I went to bed just in case she was in a precarious spot. I found her with no covers, shivering and tucked up against the outer barrier with her leg thrown over the top. We'll see where she ends up tonight.

Artistic Expression

With apologies for my long hiatus, I give you some of Maddy's artistic expressions. This is a study of the human form with concentrations on the smiling face of her subject. Purchase inquiries can be made to Sotheby's auction house.

Clean Those Ears!

So, I called to talk to my daughter last night (as I sometimes do) and she happened to be in the bath. Mommy was going to let her talk anyway (a risk in itself considering the bath water), but all she could yell was "No! My ears aren't clean!"

Get those ears clean baby, and I will talk to you later.

Movie Star

Now generally I would say that these glasses appear to be something cheap...something that you would get out of...say...a happy meal. But on Maddy, they take on a new life. Could she be following in the footsteps of Bono? Who knows. What I do know is that she's destined for great things...even if destiny is going to need a little help along the way.

My super star:

The Dimensions of a King Sized Bed

According to About.com's Guide to Bed Sizes (here), the measurements for a standard king sized bed (like the one I happen to have in my bedroom) are 76 inches by 80 inches. Now, let's talk about that for a second. I'm a single guy...a king is plenty for me. I could even get by with anything bigger than a full and you would think a California King would be just plain overkill. You would think...

I admit. Blitz occasionally (OK...every night) hops up on the bed and lays down. But that lasts for MAYBE 10 minutes and then he's off patrolling the house and finding his spot on the cool tile of the kitchen. But even when my 100 pound baby boy is plopping his lanky body down on the bed, I always seem to have plenty of room.

And then there's the other member of the household. She's blond, blue eyed, and has captured the hearts of millions...maybe even BILLIONS. Yes...I'm talking about my baby girl, Madelyn Delaney McCoy. The heart of my heart, the finger of which I am wrapped, and the WORST BED STEALER I'VE EVER MET. Let me put it this way...if there were a professional sport for bed stealing, Maddy would be the MVP of the championship game. If bed stealing were an art, Maddy would have every gallery in the Louvre AND the Guggenheim filled with her paintings.

Now let's remember that the dimensions for a standard king sized bed are 76 inches by 80 inches and let's say the dimensions for my (almost) three year old are approximately 30 inches by 15 inches.

Taking all this into account, why then do I end up fighting the edge of the bed on one side and my sleeping angel on the other side when my baby decides to sneak into bed with me?

Sunset...Based on a True Story

The mommy and the little girl are traveling home together one October evening when the mommy turns to the little girl and says "Isn't that a pretty sunset Maddy?"

The little girl looks and says "Yes, mommy. My daddy make that for me."

Isn't that the sweetest thing? Plus the fact that the mommy actually told the daddy all this. :)

Adventures in Kansas

As some of you may know, Maddy and I were recently in Kansas for a Hermsen family reunion (although some of the McCoy's showed up too). Here are some of the adventures:

Paparazzi - Thought I would get this on the internet before it just started appearing. We were checking out of one of the thousands of Topeka WalMarts and my lovely daughter decides she is going to play with the "Wet Floor" sign. Well, everyone just thought it was SO cute and SO funny. All of a sudden, Maddy had a little crowd around her with their cell phone cameras out. Can't the press just LEAVE HER ALONE?!

Bouncy Thing - Now, I've taken Maddy to Chuck Cheese (as she says it) and Kangaroo Joe's, but nothing, it seems, compared to the filthy, mouse chewed bouncy thing that was available to her in my Mother's back yard. Cousin Stan's bouncy thing had been in storage for quite a while and it could barely stay up from all the holes (forget about TWO people bouncing), but every morning was "I jump now, Daddy? I jump now?"

Baby Goats - I had suggested to my mother that we spend the day in Kansas City when we arrived, so she did some research and found the Deanna Rose Children's Farmstead. It is an operational farm that is supported entirely by donations. We spent nearly four hours there just wandering around petting sheep and GIANT cows, feeding baby goats, and looking at the huge Koi the had in one of the ponds. I was going to send her on a pony ride, but I couldn't walk with her and I don't know if she realizes how far down it is from the top of a pony. The highlight of the jouney was when Grandpa Joe grabbed a rooster and tossed it back into its pen. Talk about exciting!

New Socks - Maddy, being the brilliant and imaginative little girl that she is, decided to take Grandpa Joe's new bag of socks and make a toy. So, with Daddy's help, we got socks all the way up to her shoulders and to about halfway up her leg (over her PJs) and she danced around for about 20 minutes.

Coming Home - I think the trip really wore her out. As soon as the plane took off, my daughter's head was drifting down...down...down. I had to find a blanket to put on the arm rest because she kept bumping her head (even though she never really woke up).