Her favorite accessory is not actually an article of clothing.  It’s this Y-shaped rubber thingy that I used to keep in the diaper bag.  It has 2 clips on the end and is meant to be used in case you’re out eating somewhere and have forgotten a bib – you can just clip a napkin to the ends and you’re all set for messy baby meals.  Anyway, at some point Maddie found it, and realized without our help that it belongs around her neck.  She now wears it like a necklace, putting it on over her head, smiling really big, then taking it off and starting all over again.  I give her credit for discerning its proper use, but I’m not sure it really works as jewelry:

The "necklace".

Maddie, demonstrating how the necklace works with a casual white tee.

Her second favorite wardrobe addition is anything from the winter clothes box.  If ever Maddie disappears from sight for a while, we can almost bet we’ll find her sitting in the hall closet trying on hats and mittens.  Occasionally she likes to combine them with her necklace.  The results are quite stunning:

No spring outfit is complete without a warm hat and mittens.

Today she opted for a matching winter set. And added the pants.

Of course she also occasionally adds some more traditional pieces, like oversized sunglasses:

Cool shades. (And holy cow I just realized that there is a Christmas wreath in the background of that picture taken in May. I'm stopping what I'm doing and taking that down right now...)

And like all good fashionistas she knows that no outfit is complete without great hair:

Bed head. Yikes.

Yes, I think Madeline may have quite the future in fashion.  She’s already way ahead of me. 

Now that the weather is warm, we have an almost daily routine of coming home from daycare and going for some sort of walk or run with her in the stroller before dinner.  She loves to be pushed around outside, pointing at everything she sees and talking crazily at everything she wants to touch.  In fact, to keep her from trying to break out of her stroller in the middle of  a trip we often have to give her something to hold on to and play with while we walk.  And of course she has to have something for each hand – 2 “pieces of nature” we call it.  Some of her favorite nature includes sticks, dandelions, pine cones, blooms from the flowering trees, and leaves.

Stick = nature!

Her favorite place for a walk or run is to the nearby duck pond.  Here, perched atop the hill in her stroller, she practices pointing out the ducks and watching them swim near the fountain.

Surveying the ducks on the pond.

At home she loves spending time out on our deck.  She giggles when she feels the breeze; smells and gently touches the flowers we’ve planted (thank goodness we were able to teach her to touch gently, or there wouldn’t be any flowers left…); tries to eat the dirt in which we have planted the flowers (naturally I try to discourage this habit but I think I’m being undermined by Will, who says a little bit is “good for her immune system”); watches the kids playing in the street; and makes “woof woof” noises as she sees dogs go by.  You know, the usual baby stuff.

Playing out on the balcony with daddy.

Checking out the potted plants.

Pretty flowers. Pretty little girl.

But springtime doesn’t arrive here in earnest until at least the end of April, and this year we decided that was too long to wait.  So we did what we had to do to get our fill of warm weather fun – we went on a trip to the waterpark capital of America (or at least the waterpark capital of places within driving distance of Minneapolis), the Wisconsin Dells.  For one long weekend it was nothing but good food, good friends, a big cabin for Maddie to explore and all the indoor water entertainment our little hearts could desire.  It was incredibly fun.

We were particularly excited about this trip, which was Maddie’s first real swimming experience, since we already knew how much she looooves water.  She loves splashing in the tub, washing her hands in the sink, turning the faucet on and off, even watching me wash dishes.  She loves it so much that she learned to say and sign the word “wash” (as in, “I want to wash my hands so that I have an excuse to play in the water”) before she learned “mommy” or “daddy”.  So we had absolutely no doubt this trip would be one she would enjoy.

And we were right.  We spent most of our time in the waterpark specially designed for little kids, and it was right up her alley.  She splashed in the shallow water, giggled when we walked through waterfalls, cheered wildly and shook with excitement when we took her down the water slides.  She was never scared of the water, and was upset only when we decided at long last it was time to take her back to the cabin, lest she pass out from excitement and exhaustion before we could get her back to her crib.

The whole weekend she was absolutely in heaven and so were we.  In fact, should we ever find ourselves living in Minnesota again I’m sure we’ll be making another trip back to the Dells.  It definitely beats March in Minneapolis.

Here are some pictures from the trip:

Dressed for the pool in her new swimsuit.

A little pre-swim hydration. Wait...

...that's more like it. A little pre-swim hydration, baby style.

Dipping her toes in the big-people wave pool.

Catching some rays.

The kiddie water park. Maddie's playground.

Happy, happy girl.

Couldn't get enough of the water slides. Literally.

Playing in the big pool. She thought the underwater jets were a riot.

Hanging out on the lily pad.

Drying off. She's smiling here, but she was very sad to leave. (So were we!)

—

Ok anyway, Maddie likes to dance.  And since her discovery of music a few weeks ago, her dancing has changed quite a bit.  It started out as just flailing her arms and legs to the sound of music:

Then she started bouncing up and down when she heard a tune:

And these days she prefers to shake her groove thing and move those hips from side to side.  By now she has learned the word “dance” and will show off her moves at just a mention of the word, with or without music.

Love it!

The second was the “real” party – with friends and family.  We had more presents, balloons, and cake!  She looooved the balloons and seemed to revel in the attention.  She was hesitant with the cake at first, but once we gave her a little help, and a fork, she dug in.  She even got to wear a special birthday girl hat!

The third was a party at daycare, the week following our celebrations.  Maddie got another cake and everyone wore party hats.  She also got an awesome present from Deb.

What a fun week of celebration!

* fyi, if you look at this post from facebook you won’t see the videos.  click the “view original post” link at the bottom of the page or go to www.madelinetisdale.com to see the post in its entirety.  enjoy!

FEBRUARY 2009

Feb 16. Age: about 5 hours

Feb 19. Age: 3 days

Feb 28. Age: 12 days

MARCH 2009

Mar 26. Age: 1 month, 10 days

APRIL 2009

Apr 22. Age: 2 months, 6 days

Apr 25. Age: 2 months, 9 days

MAY 2009

May 2. Age: 2 months, 16 days

May 22. Age: 3 months 6 days

JUNE 2009

Jun 16. Age: 4 months, 0 days

Jun 27. Age: 4 months, 11 days

Jun 28. Age: 4 months, 12 days

JULY 2009

Jul 1. Age: 4 months, 15 days

Jul 27. Age: 5 months, 11 days

AUGUST 2009

Aug 4. Age: 5 months, 19 days

Aug 23. Age: 6 months, 7 days

SEPTEMBER 2009

Sep 7. Age: 6 months, 22 days

Sep 13. Age: 6 months, 25 days

OCTOBER 2009

Oct 17. Age: 8 months, 1 day

Oct 24. Age: 8 months, 8 days

NOVEMBER 2009

Nov 9. Age: 8 months, 24 days

Nov 28. Age: 9 months, 12 days

DECEMBER 2009

Dec 9. Age: 9 months, 23 days

Dec 19. Age: 10 months, 3 days

Dec 25. Age: 10 months, 9 days

JANUARY 2010

Jan 9. Age: 10 months, 24 days

Jan 10. Age: 10 months, 25 days

FEBRUARY 2010

Feb 20. Age: 1 year, 4 days

Feb 22. Age: 1 year, 6 days

Naturally, I started reminiscing – thinking of where Will, Madeline and I were on that same day one year ago and all that has happened in the 365 days since.  I’ve loved watching this little girl grow and change and can’t wait to see all that is yet to come.

…..

A reflection on some of the more memorable things from her first year:

1.  The big day – Feb 16, 2009:  I am awakened at 2:30 am on my official due date with some strong cramps.  I lie in bed for about 15 minutes before realizing this is more than my usual pain so I wake Will with a cautious “don’t freak out because I can’t be sure, but I think I’m in labor.”  Less than 12 hours later, Madeline Leigh Tisdale is born!

2.  Her looks:  They aren’t like mine.  I have dark hair, dark brown eyes, and olive-ish skin color, which I thought were pretty dominant traits compared to Will’s light-colored, sun-sensitive skin, blond hair and very blue eyes.  We never actually said so but I think both Will and I imagined our daughter looking like a mini version of me.  Though she came out with dark brown hair she promptly lost it in favor of wispy, blond locks; and her gray-blue eyes of infancy lightened to a beautiful, clear color of blue that looks just like her daddy’s.  She’s nothing like what I pictured, but better.  Besides, maybe our next one will look more like me…

3.  Her appetite:  Maddie came out with a big appetite and it hasn’t stopped since.  During the first few days of Maddie’s life, before my body had gotten around to making milk to feed her, she cried almost non-stop because she was hungry.  We, of course, didn’t know hunger was her problem, and thought perhaps that was just life with a newborn, until at our 3 day checkup the pediatrician commented that Maddie had lost too much weight.  She gave us a bottle of formula and told us to try supplementing nursing with a few ounces every few hours but Maddie drank the whole damn thing right there in the doctor’s office!  Then she drank another one and then she slept for like 3 days straight.  Twelve months later, her appetite hasn’t waned much at all.  At her checkup last week she was still in the 97th percentile for height and 95th for weight.  The first impression she has made on everyone who babysits her is how much food she can pack away at a meal, and Deb consistently tells us that Maddie eats as much as the 5 year olds at daycare.    That’s my girl.

4.  Torticollis:  This was a not-so-fun, but nevertheless crucial part of Maddie’s first year.  After being diagnosed with this fairly common, “minor” neck muscle condition at 2 months of age we had no way of knowing the road ahead would be fraught with worry, unusually slow progress, tortuous daily home exercises, a CranioCap, monthly, then weekly, then twice weekly visits to physical therapy and eventually surgery, followed again by weekly therapy.  It was exhausting, and all 3 of us hated every minute of it.  That being said, I’m so glad we pushed through it, as Maddie’s LAST PHYSICAL THERAPY APPOINTMENT EVER is coming up next week!  All her recent measurements have shown no measurable tilt, and even to my very critical eye she looks pretty darn close to perfect.  Maddie will have no lasting effects except a tiny scar on her neck from the surgery.  WOOHOO!!

5.  The milestones:  My favorites so far have been laughing, saying “uh oh”, pointing and babbling constantly, hugging, and kissing.  Ones I could live without include standing up (I must have to lay that girl down in her crib a dozen times at bed time, and I can’t keep anything out of her reach anymore), the development of food preference (how can you love sweet potatoes one day and absolutely refuse them the next?  and what’s not to like about sweet potatoes, anyway?  weird.) and liking splashing in the bathtub (it’s cute, sure, but it makes an ungodly mess every time).

6.  Daycare and the massive cat allergy:  This was unreal.  The take-home lesson?  Will+prolonged second-hand exposure to cats=massive hives, swollen hands and lips and a serious need for medicine.  It was terribly stressful to have to suddenly switch day care to a place without cats, but it worked out for the best.  Will can now hold Maddie without worrying that his throat might swell up from the dander on her clothes and I don’t have to bathe that child and wash her clothes every single night before she can touch anything in the house.  Plus, Deb runs an awesome daycare and Maddie positively loves being there.

7.  Family visits:  We have been fortunate enough to be able to spend a good bit of time with our families who all live on the east coast.  We see Grammy Nora most frequently of all, but everyone has at least gotten to meet Madeline during her first year, most people on multiple occasions.  We were lucky enough to be with family during many major events and holidays including Uncle Frank’s wedding, her baptism, Easter, Christmas and her birthday party.  Maddie has been on 7 different plane rides so far, has slept in hotels, guest bedrooms, airplanes and carseats and is quite the little traveler.  In just a few weeks we’ll be going on a mini vacation with friends to the Wisconsin Dells and this summer we hope to take the first family vacation of our own – just the 3 of us.

8.  Little miss expressive:  Between her facial expressions, her vocalizations and her body language, Maddie has always had no trouble communicating.  One way or another, she can almost always let you know what she is thinking. From way early on she loved listening to voices – her blue eyes wide as saucers when you spoke or sang to her – and you could just tell she was trying to work out how to make sounds of her own.  She has a face for everything – from, “yuck, get that food away from me” to “aha! the baby gate is down and i have an unobstructed path to the steps – catch me if you can!” to “help! the vacuum cleaner is loud and it scares me” to “i’m about to touch something i know i shouldn’t but i’m looking at you to see if i think you’ll notice if i do it anyway.”  These days when she sees an object she wants, she unleashes a vigorous stream of babbling and points so enthusiastically at it I’m afraid she might pull a muscle.  And when she’s excited, she literally shakes with anticipation for a few seconds, as though so overcome by anticipation that she has temporarily forgotten how to control her body.  It seems like every day she has a new way of letting us know how she feels and it’s unbelievably cute to see.

…..

To commemorate these events and the many, many other memorable ones of Maddie’s first year of life we had a small party for her at our place the weekend after her birthday (post soon to come).  With some close friends and my mother, who flew in from Baltimore for the occasion, we celebrated all the good, the bad, the new, the frightening, the stressful, the funny and the joyful moments we have experienced this last year.  There are too many to count, but I’m going to remember them forever.

Happy Birthday, Madeline.  We love you.

…and this is us momentarily thinking Maddie is a baby genius

…and this is Maddie waving goodbye!

……

It started just last week (on Tuesday Jan. 12) when out of nowhere our little girl just started crawling.

Maddie was almost 11 months old at this point, so we had been looking for the crawling milestone for some time.  But despite her age we were convinced that crawling was still a ways off based on how she was (or wasn’t) moving around at that point.  She hadn’t seemed at all ready to crawl – she wasn’t even really getting up onto her hands and knees yet – and she was so in love with sitting up that we couldn’t even keep her on her tummy long enough to practice her crawling skills.  Then, right when we had we resigned ourselves to not worrying about it and letting her go at her own pace, she literally just got up and started crawling across the room.

It happened a few minutes before her bedtime, while playing in our living room.  She was sitting and playing at my feet when I felt something pulling at my leg.  I looked down and realized she was up on her hands and knees playing with the cuff of my pants.  It was the most crawling-like, four-point position I had ever seen her in, so I took a step backwards out of her reach and she just crawled forward to get me!

I ran to tell Will (who, king of great timing, was currently in the bathroom) and he was shocked.  After relaying the news, I peeked back down the hall toward the living room where I had left her and Maddie had already moved a few feet down the hall toward me.  By the time Will came to look Maddie had navigated the length of the hall and captured a toy she had been eyeing from the living room.  She had perfected her technique by the end of the next day and now gets around with ease.

And her new locomotive skills don’t stop there.  Not 10 days after she started crawling she was already showing an intense interest in walking.  She takes eager steps while holding on to our hands, and almost prefers this assisted walking to crawling.  Her form, though incredibly cute, could use some work – her hips wobble all over the place and she steps on her own feet a lot – but she surely is having fun getting around.  She is pulling up on objects all around the house and I’m sure she’ll be cruising in no time.

Go, baby, go!

We first noticed her big appetite a few months back, and we’ve had confirmation of our observations from everyone who has ever fed her a meal.  Deb tells us that at daycare Maddie eats everything the big kids eat and that she eats more of it.  Friends who have babysat Maddie and fed her dinner have been impressed at how much her belly will hold.  And when a substitute took care of the daycare kids one afternoon, the first thing she reported to Deb about Maddie’s day was “wow, that girl can eat!”

And thus far, her appetite isn’t very discriminating.  In addition to her standard milk and cereal, Maddie enjoys pretty much any fruit or vegetable, meats, dairy, beans, pastas, and so on.  She likes kielbasa as much as she likes chicken, cottage cheese as much as cheddar, kiwis and mangoes as well as apples and bananas.  And if you let her, she would live off of bread.

Yes, Maddie can eat entire bananas straight from the peel, have a whole waffle with her breakfast, and down the meat off of at least 3 chicken wings.  It’s impressive.  And though she is content to sit and wait for bites if being fed from a spoon (using utensils is not a skill she has mastered yet), the experience is different entirely when she feeds herself with her hands.  This she does with gusto.  She leans forward in her high chair, reaches for food with both hands, jams it in her mouth and then goes back for more without ever taking her eyes off of her tray.

Yet the funniest part of all is that she often seems just as content not to eat.  She has learned the sign for “all done” (or at least her version of the sign) but she never uses it unless you ask her if she is all done.  And whenever you do, whether it’s at the beginning of the meal or the 7th course, she gives you a big smile and the “all done” sign.  And no matter when you take the tray away she is content to go back to playing as usual.

Maybe that’s because she knows the next meal is always right around the corner…