Gramm and Grandpa Lackey's Visit

Gramm and Grandpa Lackey came to visit July 17th and stayed for two weeks. We didn't get to go very many places because Grandpa is still in a cast from his foot surgery, but we had a GREAT time playing at home. Mommy took Madison to Grandpa early in the morning when Madison first woke up every morning to snuggle and play for a little while. Grandpa doesn't like waking up so early but he thinks snuggling with Madison is a super way to start the day. Gramm and Grandpa had a great time encouraging Madison to make her new pouty face and rock in her new rocking chair. Mommy got the rocking chair as a birthday present for Madison and plans to paint it. Madison had such a great time climbing in and out of it though, she got to have her present a little early. Now the question is: How will Mommy sneak it away to work on painting before her birthday? Hmmm

Gramm and Grandpa got to see Madison walk a little. She just toddles for a few steps then falls back on her fanny. We had a nice time watching the dolphins jump when we ate at Duke's in Malibu, Grandpa's favorite California restaurant; and visiting the Ronald Reagan library. Gramm thought it was funny that Mommy knows all the songs on the Disney morning cartoons. Madison loves to watch the Handy Manny, Doodlebops, Little Einsteins, and Higglytown Heroes in the morning. We just learned about Noggin too which is great to have on in the morning while Madison crawls and plays. She loves to dance when all the songs come on. Gramm laughs because Madison's 'dance' is flapping her arm like a chicken. Gramm calls it her chicken wing. It's pretty cute.

We were so sad when Gramm and Grandpa left. But we will see them again in the fall. Maybe even for Christmas!

Stoeber Wedding

Madison had so much fun at Aunt Kelly and Uncle Jason's big Wedding. Daddy was the best man so Mommy, Aunt Kristi, Uncle Chris, and Madison got to hang out together all day before the wedding. It was a beautiful ceremony and a super fun reception. We danced until Madison fell asleep. Then Sarah helped hold Madison so Mommy and Daddy could dance into the night with the happy bride and groom.
This photo was taken when Madison enjoyed her first Daddy/Daughter dance. Mommy got all teary eyed.

Aunt Kristi's Visit

Madison had a great time with Aunt Kristi. Madison learned to put her fingers in her ears, turn the pages of her books one page at a time (instead of cover to cover as she used to do), and started reaching from one piece of furniture to another without help. My favorite of her newest tricks is when she lays her head down on the sofa or floor when she is tired. She is so cute.

We took our first trip in the new RV to the Kern River with Aunt Kristi and Uncle Chris. Madison learned to drink from a camelback, Aunt Krisit's to be exact. We had a great time swimming in the cold Kern River and watching a movie in the RV. We only stayed one night but had a fun time in the 110 degree heat. Yikes! Thank goodness for a/c in the motorhome.

When we got back from the Kern Madison started handing her toys to us to share. She loves it- she hands us a toy and we say 'thank you'. She just smiles with excitement. She loves to take everything out of her toy bins and put it back..just not all of it back.

On July 11th she took her first 2 unassisted consecutive steps. By Friday she was up to 3-4 steps. Before long she will be a walking machine!

Aunt Kristi's trip ended with Aunt Kelly and Uncle Jason's wedding.

Madison's First 4th of July

Aunt Kristi came to town on the 3rd and we all headed over to Kelly and Chad's for swimming and fireworks on the 4th. She LOVED the fireworks!

Trip to FL and Ohio

For months Mommy and Daddy tried to figure out how we could go to Mommy's cousin's wedding in Ohio. Gramm solved the problem. She helped Mommy and Madison fly to Florida the Monday after Mommy's last day at work. We stayed for a day to visit with Grandpa, then Gramm, Mommy, and Madison flew from Florida to Ohio to visit family and go to Jocelyn's wedding. After the wedding the girls flew back to Florida where we stayed for another week to visit with more family and get to know Uncle Daniel's new fiance Abby better.
While in Ohio we stayed with Mommy's Great Aunt Lillian on her farm in Salem, Ohio. We threw a bridal luncheon for Cousin Jocelyn Friday before her wedding on June 23rd. During the trip Madison was just not herself at first. We found a local pediatrician in Salem who helped us learn Madison had her first ear infection. The antibiotics helped and within a couple days she was back to her smiley self.
We wrapped up our visit north by driving over to Pittsburgh to visit our Grammy and Poppy Luty. Madison had a great time swimming in the pool with the Luty's puppies. So much fun, in fact, that we got her the same pool to swim in at home. We also enjoyed a tour of the Homer Laughlin China Factory aka- the home of Mommy's favorite FIESTAWARE!
She picked up two new- not so great- habits on the trip. Madison now hits when she gets over tired and makes a funny pouty face when you tell her No. We still don't know where she picked up these habits, but the face is pretty funny.
We had a great time playing with Aunt Abby. She is so nice and really makes Madison smile. We think Madison likes Abby better than Uncle Daniel. tee hee
Abby helped Mommy re-design Mommy's old bedroom at Gramm and Grandpa's too. No more sunflowers, instead a fun and functional playroom for Madison and any other grandbabies to come. It is so fun with polka dots on the ceiling!
Madison also got to play with Ava, the baby that lives next door to Gramm and Grandpa. Mommy and Madison even got to swim with Ava, 14 months old, and her Mommy, Susan in the BIG pool. Madison just kicked and kicked like she'd been in the pool hundreds of times before. Ava is the baby who gives Madison all the fabulous hand me down hats and shoes. Madison also had a playdate with one of Mommy's high school friends, Linda Kelley and her daugther Reagan, 16 months.
We were sad Daddy couldn't come and missed him So much in the two weeks we were gone. It wasn't too sad to leave though since Gramm and Grandpa already had a trip planned to California for July.
Click for all our trip pics.

Month Ten

Madison crawls all the time and has learned she can pull up on things. She pulls up on the back of the dining room chairs and walks along the sofas. Every once in a while she gets brave enough to let go for a second to stand by herself. She is such a dainty girl though. When she wants to sit down she carefully lowers her bottom down to the floor before letting go of the furniture.

She also said her first real word- doggie. Everytime she sees Sierra she says doggie and points. So exciting!

As the month began we saw three of her top teeth trying to poke thru. By the end of this month all three of those were in plus another. She is up to 6 teeth now! She's learning how to use them too. She loves to chew on the end of a carrot to soothe those new teeth. Our little explorer also uses her teeth to bite Mommy's chest. Luckily she still knows not to use the teeth when nursing-which is still one of her favorite things to do.

Memorial Day weekend Madison helped Mommy and Daddy plant the vegetable garden. She had a great time playing in her pack and play under the umbrella while Mommy and Daddy worked.

We ended the month with Mommy's last day of work. Yes, you read correctly. With Daddy's new job and Mommy's Pampered Chef business- Mommy gets to stay home and play with Madison full-time instead of sending her off to daycare. We all have mixed emotions about narrowing down to one salary, but are excited aboout our new adventure.

Pics from this month.

Month Nine

Daddy started his new job at Aerovironment on April 16th so Madison started her new daycare. Another in home daycare here in Simi Valley. She gets to play with 4 other babies ranging from her age to 2 1/2 yrs old.

Madison is starting to figure out how to pull up on things so Mommy and Daddy dropped her bed for the first time this month. We also moved to size 3 diapers and started wearing her 9 month clothes. As of May 9th, Madison weighs 18lbs 2 oz. She learned she can put her mouth on Mommy's leg and blow to make a funny noise (and get slobber everywhere!) and figured out how to click her tongue. She also learned to put her hand to her mouth back and forth and make a sound like an Indian. Seems everyday she learns a new trick. This month also marks the first time she took juice out of a bottle and not just breastmilk.

Madison had her first real babysitter, Uncle Chris Whalley the night Mommy and Daddy went to dinner with Daddy's new company. She went to sleep shortly after he got to the house. We think he wore her out! She had her second babysitter on May 5th when we went out to Mommy's friend Peter's Cinco de Mayo party in West Hollywood. Mommy was a little anxious about being so far away so we put Madison to bed before we left. She did great with Alyssa, Mommy's friend Darcy's daughter.

Good thing we dropped the bed, one week after we dropped it she learned to stand up in bed. I went to get her out of bed one morning and found her standing there bouncing while waiting for me- with a HUGE smile on her face. She is so proud of herself. Shortly there after we removed the bumper from the outside side of her crib as she tries to use it as a step to climb out. Oh, and we dropped the bed again for peace of mind.

Such a great sharer. Madison had her first bitter biscuit this month too. She thought Sierra should have some, so Madison would take a bite then put her arm out for Sierra to take a lick. They say a dog's mouth is cleaner....no use justifying. Sierra is just happy Madison is so generous.

This month she came into her own with crawling too. She crawls constantly now! We have entered the world of mobility.

Click for this month's photos.

Gramm's Visit

Gramm flew in March 31st to visit Miss Madison. Daddy went camping for the weekend so Mommy, Gramm, and Madison scooted down to Anaheim to see someone Mommy used to babysit for, Amber. Amber, her Mom, Shelley, and 'Mimi' Mary Helen flew in to Anaheim for a volleyball tournament. When Shelley was in high school Gramm was her teacher while Gramm was pregnant with Mommy. Then Mommy babysat for Amber. All the girls had a great time meeting/playing with Madison.

Tuesday, April 3rd Mommy, Daddy, Gramm, and Madison loaded up and drove to Neptune's Net. Madison was unsure how she felt about the sand and water on her first trip to the beach. We took lots of photos to commemorate the occasion.

Gramm had lots of fun playing with Madison during her visit. She even brought Madison her first Longaberger Easter basket! We were so sad to see Gramm leave.

Click for photos of the trip.

Month Eight (a little late)

This month Mommy and Daddy learned that paper is not just for playing. Madison loves to eat it too! Needless to say she is no longer allowed to play with paper in her carseat. The girls played outside in the front yard under our table umbrella while Daddy worked in the yard. Madison had a great time rolling her tongue around in her mouth. She just found this new built in toy at the end of March.
Gramm came to California to play this month too. More on those adventures later.

We enjoyed Madison's first Easter while Gramm was here too. Madison started saying Ya-ya-ya and Da-da-da. She started a new daycare this month too since Daddy's paternity leave was up. Gramm went down in the books as Madison's first babysitter so Mommy and Daddy could go out to dinner at a Tepan grille to celebrate Daddy's last day at Vortech.

Daddy, Madison, and Sierra had so much fun Daddy's last week home- taking walks daily. Not sure who had more fun, Daddy watching his girls or the girls watching each other. Madison pulled herself up on the side of the bath tub too.

She spent an afternoon playing at baby Noah's house with Mommy and Daddy, sampled her first lemonade, and started smacking her food when she eats. Whew, busy month!

Click for this months photos

Happy Easter

Seventh Month

She just keeps growing. We started this month with her six month birthday check up with Dr Pattan. The doctor and her nurse were quite impressed at how advanced Miss Madison is with her motor skills. She sits up by herself, reaches with both hands for toys, (although she favors her left- we think she's a lefty!) rolls all over the living room, pushes up to all fours and wiggles. They say the next step is crawling, but she seems to like just rocking. She gets up, moves her knees forward a bit, but can't seem to get her hands to move. This month was particularly exciting for Daddy because he started his 7 week paternity leave. He is having such a great time playing with Madison. Bath time is a favorite for both of them. Lots of splashing and playing with all Madison's duckies. She loves most of her toys, but her favorites still seem to be her toes and whatever paper Mommy and Daddy are holding. Everything goes to the mouth now. It seems to help soothe the TWO teeth that poked through on the bottom. They are tough to photograph because if you push down her front lip to see them she sticks out her tongue!

Mommy was pretty slow about introducing solid foods to Madison. Before this month began she'd tasted single grain cereals, bananas, applesauce and sweet potatoes. Dr Pattan said Madison needed protein via meaty baby foods by her 7 month birthday. We stepped it up, and now Madison eats all Gerber 1st foods and some 2nd foods too. She even tried some spicy bean dip at Los Toros at dinner with Mommy and Daddy and the Snee family. Madison was very interested in her friend Spencer Snee, who is one month younger than she is. They were so big in their high chairs across the table from each other.

This month Madison had fun camping at the Kern River, hanging out with Mommy on President's Day, playing at home with Daddy, going to her friend Caroline's 1st Birthday party, and playing with her first Balloon on Uncle Chris's birthday! She LOVES rolling around the room to find her friend Sierra and play with her. Sierra is very tolerant of Madison's exploratory hands.

This month's photos.

Rock and Roll!

Madison is rolling all over the house, but her newest trick is rocking. Can you believe it? She is up on all fours rocking. No video of this new trick yet, but lots of photos. She'll be crawling before too long. Daddy says by the weekend. Mommy hopes she waits so I won't miss it!

Happy St Patrick's Day!

Here are a couple of Mommy's favorite photos from our recent shoot. Gramm sent this outfit in honor of Nana's (Mommy's Grandma) birthday March 17th!

New Bath Tricks

Saturday Madison showed Mommy and Daddy some new bath tricks. She can splash the water with her hands and kick with her feet like she's swimming! She loves to splash Mommy and Daddy. We knew it wouldn't be long before she figured it out.

Camping at the Kern River

We took a short family trip to the Kern to camp with some friends. Kelly and Jason let us stay with them in their trailer so we didn't have to pitch a tent. The weather was beautiful. Just a few clouds in the sky and a nice breeze. Madison had a great time hiking on rocks with Mommy and Daddy and watching the boys fish. She even got to hold her first fishing worm! Sean helped Mommy make sure the worm didn't go into Madison's mouth like so many other new toys. Last time we went to the Kern Madison was still in Mommy's belly. This time she decided camping is hard work. Just before we left Madison fell asleep on Mommy's shoulder, mouth wide open. Check out all Madison's weekend adventures.

Madison's Sixth Month

Happy Half Birthday! We realized as the date approached, Madison shares her half birthday with Uncle Matthew's actual birthday. Unfortunately Uncle Matthew lives in Florida so they weren't able to share the day together. He sent her a Steelers teddy bear with her name on it to celebrate the occassion. Check out Madison and her new bear. This month we learned Madison loves to stick her hands in Daddy's coffee cup. She is quite the little explorer. Her hands grab everything (and send most things straight to the mouth!) Madison started eating fruit too. Just bananas and applesauce so far. She learned to push up to her knees and scoot around more. This little rolly polly bug is too active to lay on the sofa for naps now. She sticks her fanny up in the air while sleeping and rolls from front to back. This new sleeping manuever keeps Mommy and Daddy on their toes! Madison mastered sitting up. She can't get to the sit up position by herself, but when we sit her up she stays and plays or watches her favorite cartoons- Handy Manny and Little Einsteins. She'll sit up until a toy is just out of reach, then she lays down to scoot and reach.
Madison enjoyed camping in the Mojave desert this month. She loves being outside and playing. Her peach fuzz is growing, but we still like to make sure her little bald head is covered outside. No sunburns for this kiddo! She looks too cute in her hats. Madison learned to say 'MaMaMa' this month. She still doesn't know what it means, but she uses it all the time. She talks ALL the time now, but MaMa is the only recognizable word. Her changing table seems to bring out her voice. Everytime we lay her down she chats up a storm. She's also learned to grab her feet during changes. Makes our job a little more difficult, but it's so cute to see her toe touches.

Madison enjoyed Valentine's Day too. She wore a cute red and white gingham dress and red sweater to daycare. Madison loves her maryjane socks from Gramm. She wears them all the time since most of her shoes are too big or too small now. She is wearing mostly 6-9 month clothes now and has graduated to 9 month sleepers. We go to the doctor February 20th for her 6 month check up. Check out some more photos of our favorite little girl.

Happy Valentine's Day

Look who's sitting up like a Big Girl!

Madison started sitting up all by herself this weekend. Our amazing little girl is so big. Sitting up by herself and trying so hard to crawl. She'll be mobile before long!

Aunt Kristi's Birthday in the Desert

Aunt Kristi, one of Mommy's best friends, came to town from Georgia to celebrate her birthday. Uncle Chris Whalley planned a camping trip to Dove Springs in the desert to celebrate the occasion. Madison had so much fun getting to know Aunt Kristi better. Dana and Brian Woronec let Madison and Mommy stay with them in their new trailer since overnight temperatures were in the low 30s! Daddy had the flu with a high fever so it was good for Madison and Mommy to get out of the house for a couple days. Unfortunately Madison did get a runny nose and developed a bright red rash between her nose and lips. Luckily its all better now. Take a look at some photos of our adventures in the sand.

Month Five

My how time flies! We can hardly believe our little girl is 5 months old. She's turning into quite the little lady. Madison has learned how to pull her pacifier out and put it back in again, although she usually plays with it and tries to put it in backwards first. She loves her baby Emily's crinkly dress. It makes a great noise! This month Madison met some of Grandma and Grandpa Shemenski's friends, including the Cottriel's. They've known Daddy since he was a little boy!

She graduated to size 2 diapers this month and is still wearing 3-6 month clothes (for the most part). Madison is SO tall she's wearing 6 month sleepers. She weighed 16lbs when she went to the doctor January 8th with congestion in her nose, throat, and chest. 10 days of Amoxicillin and she is all better.

Madison learned to take a bottle since Mommy had to go back to work on January 2nd. It was harder on Mommy than Madison, she's having fun with her friends Carson and Kamryn Daub at daycare. Mommy only cried the first two mornings (ok and the entire day before she had to go back). Mommy and Daddy are so happy to have Madison in a home, rather than a big commercial place. She loves watching the older pre-schoolers play, and they are enamored by such a little person. Madison is increasing her diet to single grain cereals. We've tried Rice, Oatmeal, and Barley. Rice seems to be her favorite (and makes her toot the least) so we're sticking to that, but she still loves Mommy's milk best.

She now rolls from front to back and back to front. Madison figured out who Sierra is and they are great friends. She smiles and laughs when she sees her four legged friend, and Sierra is learning to tolerate Madison's explorations of her snout and floppy ears. Mommy and Daddy are also subject to Madison's curiosity as she grabs at our noses, lips, glasses and ears! She seems very interested in everything around her, including all the food Mommy and Daddy eat. It won't be long before she's crawling. She kicks like crazy, loves her tummy time, and reaches for everything around her. More often than not she rolls or scoots off her floor blanket when she is playing. Daddy's favorite trick is holding Madison's fingers and letting her take steps. Yes, you read correctly-steps. Madison walks with assistance, much to Mommy's dismay. She's anxious to get up and go! She wants to skip crawling and go straight to walking. She's working on sitting up too, although being still isn't her favorite. She's working on sitting up on her own. It helps that she has built in toys (her feet) to keep her occupied while sitting up! Take a look at this month's pictures.