Blizzard '09

Over the last two days we've had a couple feet of snow - the most snow we've had in about 7 years! We weren't prepared with a snowsuit for Maddie, so we borrowed one from our neighbors and it JUST fit. Barely. Maddie was pretty much immobilized.


We ventured out into the great white wilderness and Maddie seemed to have a blast!








...and Mommy had a pretty good time, too!

Santa Time!

Maddie visited Santa and she was so excited!  She was a little confused as to why she was sitting on a stranger's lap, but she got over that pretty quickly!

SnowFudge

We had our first snow of the year on December 5, 2009, and we began a new tradition! Each year on the first day of snow, we'll be making SnowFudge and topping it with white chocolate to the degree that it snowed! Since we just had a small smattering of snow, there's just a drizzle of white chocolate on top of the fudge. Yum!

A New York Thanksgiving

As Maddie already told you, we went to New York City for Thanksgiving to visit her amazing Aunt Jenny and Uncle Jeff (and cousin Sienna?).   While Jenny and Jeff were happy to see us, Sienna seemed a bit bummed:

But Maddie had a great time playing with all of us!  Jenny and Jeff have some cubes that made a very fun toy, and Maddie was sure to bring her own wooden spoon (though I think Jenny and Jeff would have shared one, I'm just not sure it would be the same as her own).

We went shopping in Brooklyn and got Maddie a cute ball that looks like a lady bug and her first baby doll...who turned out to be an anatomically correct little boy.  Excellent.

We had a great Thanksgiving meal with amazing food (and oh so much of it!) - but we were so focused on eating that we didn't snap any pictures.  Nom nom nom.  Maddie ate from her Totseat a lot, though!

The day after Thanksgiving we played a lot of Wii (wheeeee!) and Dakota traded Maddie for a Wii remote.  Jenny was pretty sure she got the better end of the deal.  When not Wii'ing, there was a lot of general lazing about.

When that got boring (for Maddie, not for us) we took her on a chilly walk to the park where she met her first swing.  They got along famously!

On the way home, we hit a bit of traffic.  

We got to meet those parked in the cars around us, and we had the pleasure of entertaining Miss Madeleine for two hours on the New Jersey Turnpike.  Good thing we left on Saturday to avoid the traffic!  I got bored and was playing with the camera...until it died.

All in all, it was a pretty wonderful Thanksgiving!  We hope yours was fabulous, too!

Road Trip

Eeeeeeeee!  I'm so excited.  First, Mommy's letting me write this post.  Yay! I looooooooove the keyboard...and the remote...and the phone...

But that's  not what I want to tell you!  I'm a Big Girl today.  I'm 8 months old!!!  And, and, I get to go to the Big Apple because I'm a Big Girl!   

Oh, Mommy says that's not why we're going there.  She says we're going for Thanksfullgiving or something?  Anyway, it's going to be awesome!  Here's me being excited!!!  Aren't I cute?

But I have to go now because Daddy needs to pack me in the car.  Happy Thanksfullgiving everyone!

Whatchou Lookin At?

Maddie is obsessed with this toy.  There are beads to play with, wires to chew, ducks and rhinos to move about, an alphabet to kick at, doors to open and slam shut - it's an amazing toy.  I should earn a commission for Parents toys.

Two Front Teeth

It took four months, but those two front teeth finally came through (not without a lot of tears and some sleepless nights for all of us).  We finally got a good shot, but you do have to look closely...

Can't see them?  Distracted by the uber-cuteness of those cheeks?  They're there...really.  Sharp little suckers, too.  How 'bout now?

Ah, yes.  Teeth.  I'd be cool with it if more didn't come in for a while!

Why We Eat Naked

Whatta Ride!

It was a dark, fussy night at the Bailey household, and the littlest Bailey was bored. B-O-R-E-D.  So we did what any parents would do; we stuck her in a nearby child containment device.  The results were...well, you'll see!

Wheeeee!

Today we went to Amelia's first birthday party at a farm (yeehaw!).  We had a great time seeing the birthday girl and her parents since they've (unwillingly) abondoned B'more for LA, but came back just for this special occasion!

After the super cute cake cutting (I can't wait for cake at Maddie's first birthday party!  She's gonna be such an adorable mess!) we went through a petting zoo, but Maddie wasn't too interested in the goats, chickens, rabbits, or horses.  I guess she prefers her cats to all of those silly animals.

But all was not lost, because Maddie found a slide.  At first, she was a bit hesitant... then she quickly realized she might be having fun...and wheeeeeee!The second time around she was a pro!

Happy Halloween!

For Halloween Madeleine was a kitten.  We felt this was completely appropriate, but she wasn't that thrilled with it.  We took a shot of her in part of the costume when we first got it, and really, this is the best picture.  Most of the real shots from Halloween show her as a very sad, tearful kitten.

Getting dressed for her first Halloween party, with the traditional kitten spoon accessory:

...amost dressed and still smiling...

now for those kitten paws and the kitten face...you'll see the problem with that...

and this is about as happy as she looked in that getup...mostly she was just crying or on the verge of crying...We did get some more photos the next weekend on Halloween...I safety pinned the face part so it didn't cover her eyes.  Less crying ensued, but she was still just pretty happy to get out of the costume!  Next year, we'll go with a princess theme.  We think she'll like that better.

Standing Room Only

As soon as we got home from Nebraska, Maddie began furiously working to stand up on her own.  And....ta da!

As soon as she got up she started cruising around the toy, only to fall dangerously close to the sharp endge of the tv stand.  And we've reached a whole new level of danger in our home.  

So then I discovered a wonderful use of our beautiful crib - it is both a child containment device AND a walking space.  Awesome.  Maddie was thrilled.

The Sky's the Limit

Madeleine went on her first plane ride to Omaha in September.  She did a pretty good job on the plan, if i do say so myself!  There were a few rough moments, but overall it wasn't as bad as we knew it could be.  I packed a bag full of toys - one for each hour - but she was thouroughly entertained with Jacques the Peacock, her car toy, the entire time.  No need for any other entertainment...he really fit the bill.  We almost lost him in St. Louis, but disaster was averted by Daddy, who asserts that Jacques almost lost himself.  When she wasn't playing with him or eating, she was fast asleep by the window. 

And yes, if you look closely, that is a drop of drool hanging off her chin.  Through trial and error, we've learned not to wipe Maddie's face if she's happy or asleep.  A little drool never hurt anyone.

Once in Omaha, Maddie was showered with attention and gifts!  She loves these blocks - they can entertain her for hours!

Maddie spent a good deal of time playing with Grandma and Grandpa Bailey - Grandma even bought Maddie a super pumpkin so she wouldn't miss her pumpkin at home!

Aunt Katrina played with Maddie at the bead table and boy did they have fun!  Madeleine desperately wanted to pull herself up to standing, but she was soooo tired she just couldn't quite make it up by herself.   

It was really cold in Omaha (compared to Baltimore!) so we had to go shopping for a coat and hat before we came to visit.  She looks so cute all dressed up for the cold weather!

The visit wasn't without drama for Miss Madeleine - sleeping was a bit rough what with being in a new place and all.  Much baby carrying was required - Maddie even helped Mommy brush her teeth while she was being carried!

Now we're back home and after a quick Thanksgiving trip up to New York, we plan to hibernate at home for the winter.