It's all about Mom.....

...at least that's what the guy at the store said today....don't worry, it was about his wife. Now I understand what he meant, because today was all about Mom and I was the "test subject."

I'm told there are "special firsts" for a baby. I think it's more special for the Mom who is just eager to take photos, much to the dismay of her child. Seriously, it was traumatic and I might never go to sleep now that I know the potential of scissors.

Today, I got my first hair cut. I call it a butch. Seriously, you remember my dark black hair I was born with that fell out a few months after I was born? Well, since then I have been working hard, really hard to grow my hair into a sandy brown/blondish color. All was going well, sure I had a few "crazy woman" hair dos but that is to be expected when you're finding your "style." I thought it was creative, but apparently Mom did not agree.

So, it started out okay. We went to Lollilocks...just for kids. There were all these awesome chairs; one looked like a dinosaur, another a car and one was for a princess. What did I get? A generic chair with booster on it!!!! Can you believe it?!



So, I tried to explain to the lady I wanted just a little snip here and maybe one there. What did she do? She cut off a big piece, I think she wanted to shave my head. To help express myself I pulled out the tears, yes I broke out the big ones. It helped a little.





Then, she had the nerve to put a bow in my hair!!! Yes, a pink one. Mom said it was adorable, Dad just smiled and I, yes I cried.....until Mom picked me up. Then the hair cut lady wanted to take my picture. Can you belive that?! So, I didn't smile. I was stubborn.




Here's my new "do." I'm now going to grow it to my rear. Mom says No, but we'll see who wins this battle.

Love -
Madeline




PS. On a side note, I now can climb all the way up the stairs by myself and really fast. Also, I can say MaMa. It's pretty cool, I feel like the big kid on the block.

PSS. There will be a 2 week break from the blog. We're going on vacation! Should be fun.

I don't like Dibs....

...he's not my friend anymore.

Last night I decided to pet him and then I thought I should inspect his teeth. It seemed like a good idea at the time.....but Dibs disagreed with me on that. He bit my hand and then went and hid under the end table by the couch.

Mom made us make-up but gosh, I'm not too sure about him. His teeth are sharp, just like mine. Dibs was shivering when mom helped me pet him and I kept crying because my pinky hurt, alot!!! I'm surprised I didn't lose it really.

Today I sort of forgot how mad I was with Dibs and decided to throw him my Cheerios. He likes me again, so I guess everything worked out fine.

Just so you know, I don't want to be a dentist anymore!!! If all my patients are going to bite my fingers off I want nothing to do with it.

Love - Madeline

I'm a mountain chick-a-dee....

well, I'm a mountain chick-a-dee!!!!!

It's sure has been busy, and yet fun around here.

Last weekend Grandma and Grandpa Kiefer came to play with me....I guess they had fun with mom and dad too, but the primary reason for their visit was to spoil ME! We kept busy when they were here. First, I supervised everyone with staining the fence in the backyard. It took a really long time and I only let them use 4 inch rollers for the 4 inch wide boards.....it took 2 days with 4 people working on it...can you believe they fell for the "only use a 4 inch roller line" versus a bigger roller?! ha ha....I sure fooled them!











We also got Daddy's jeep all cleaned up and posted it on Craigslist.....we had 4 people contact us withing 3 hours wanting to buy it....but then, Mom got this great idea to trade the Jeep for another Jeep, but a way better one....this one has 4-doors and only 60,000 miles (or so they thought)....anyway, that's all I can say about that "new" jeep for now....maybe later this week I can tell you more....but let me just say Mom and Dad bought another vehicle yesterday. 2 new cars in 1 week....I'm just as confused as you!







Anyway, life is great now. This weekend Mom, Dad and I went to the mountains. Can you believe I had never been there?! We went to Keystone for breakfast and then to the Continential Divide. That's 11,990 feet elevation! It sure was chilly up there, so we only stayed for a little bit. But we got to hike around the mountains some. It was a blast and a nice break from the city and our vehicle craziness!!!



Until later, Madeline!

I'm a busy bee...

....I've been a busy bee lately.
I'm not sure where to begin, so I'm going to make a highlight list for you.

1. Mom had her annual "Girl's Weekend" in Colorado this year....which meant I got to have a Daddy/Daughter weekend. I'm not sure who had more fun, Mom or Me?! Mom and her friends went to a Colorado Rockies game, White Water rafting (she said it was really cold since the water was only 38 degrees, whimp) and then they ran the Bolder Boulder! Dad and I went to the race to cheer on Melissa and Mom.....don't tell them but I really couldn't find them in the mass of 55,000+ runners. After the race we went to Morrison Inn and Melissa and Mom had a celebratory Margaritas...can you believe they wouldn't share?!




2. I was a big girl and had surgery on my ear. Heck, I didn't even cry when the nurses took me back for my surgery. I think Mom and Dad were surprised I was so brave. Someone had to be tough though since they were both nervous. Anyway, surgery went really well. I was lucky, since I'm so small (not quite 15 lbs) they didn't have to use all the medical procedures they thought might be necessary such as the IV or breathing tube....I'm not sure what either of those are but they don't sound like a ton of fun.



Since I had surgery Mom and Dad stayed home with me. It didn't take me long to bounce back to my regular self.....since I had so much quality time with Mom and Dad at home I decided to learn a new talent.....CRAWLING!!!!...yup, I'm fully mobile. Now I keep Mom and Dad on their toes. One second I'm here and the next second I'm over there. It's great. Did you know how many drawers and cupboards I can get into now? Dad is babyproofing like a mad-man....fun-hater. By the way, the dogs are having a tough time hiding from me now that I'm on all-fours like them....ha ha..

3. Grandma and Grandpa G came to visit me!!! It's tough being loved. I got plenty of lovin' while they were here. I had no idea they would like my toys so much!! They played with me and read books, it sure was fun! Grandpa and Daddy kept busy fixing the deck, the grill and the sprinkler. They worked so hard they had to go golfing on Sunday to relax. Since the boys did that, Grandma, Mom and I went shopping and out to lunch....gosh it was tough, not!






4. I'm moving up in the world. Before when I was thirsty I would "tip the bottle" and now that I'm a big girl I can drink from a cup. It's really fun and I think it's funny when it runs down my neck.

5. I like eating peas....the real deal, not the baby food. Because I'm a big girl I can feed myself and gosh, I can't shove them in fast enough.

6. Because I'm a big girl I'm in charge of watering the flowers and veggies/herbs....I must be pretty good at it because tonight Mom sent Daddy and I to pick the basil because it was growing TOO FAST. Who knew my first year managing the garden would be so effective. Watch out Bobby Flay....I'm taking cooking up next and am ready for a "Throw Down."

7. I went swimming for the first time....it was pretty much a bath outside with less water. Mom and Dad thought it was pretty exciting and took lots of pictures....I sure hope they take me to the real pool soon...



What are you up to now? Anything fun in your life?

Love - Madeline

Crawling....

Wow, this crawling thing sure let's me get around alot faster than sitting. Check me out....I can almost catch the dogs and I think they really like me now.

"F" in drivers education...

....Mom and Dad think I failed driver's education.
What do you think? Obviously I got a little stuck....well, really stuck. It took alot of talent to get this way. Does it remind you of a scene from Austin Powers?

Driving my car

First time parents...

....mom and dad have so much to learn!

We had a pretty good weekend. We sure were busy working around the house since it was nice outside on Sunday.

Dad was working on a deck seating area so I made myself the project manager. I offered to help cut the boards, but then I decided to take a nap and gosh, I missed out on all the building. Oh well, maybe next time.

Anyway, let's get to the point of this update. I decided the building environment was a perfect opportunity to see how Mom and Dad would react to an "emergency" situation. They failed.....

A splinter flew into my eye when mom was taking a picture of Dad and I by the new bench. Well, after a minute (can you believe it took that long???) mom looked at my eye because I kept trying to rub it. Anyway, there was a nice splinter floating in my eye and every now and then it was pointed directly outward. Mom and Dad FREAKED OUT (ha ha - you can start laughing now) because obviously I was going to rub it into my eye and do serious damage (still laughing, right?). Anyway, they brought me inside quickly and started stripping me down with the idea of setting me in the sink and starting to run water over my face/eye in hopes the splinter would come out.....
Failure #1 - FREAKING Out
Failure #2 - taking the time to strip me down, if it was that serious they should have started pouring the water over my face eye with clothes on....geez, they value my clothes more than me....

Anyway, in the midst of them stripping me down I continued blinking since mom pinned my arms down so I couldn't rub my eye (bonus point mom) and then the splinter came out enough that mom was able to get it. Wow, I missed out on a bath.....I should have kept them going for a little longer.

After all that Mom and Dad said I wasn't allowed to building the seating area anymore.

Oh well, I guess Mom and Dad have a lot to learn still. Oh well, the joys of first time parenting. ha ha

PS. It's apparent we do not have eye wash at the house for emergencies like this....give dad a few days and he'll probably pick some up.


That's all - Love Madeline

Life in the fast lane....

I have 2 speeds, stop and go....there is no inbetween. Really, life in a fast lane makes a girl my age super tired.

It's been awhile since I've updated. No reason for that really other than I've been busy as the weather has improved. I've been taking Mom, Dad, Elvis, Sadie and Dibs on lots of walks and I've also been teaching mom the art of pushing me on the swing...she's getting pretty good at it. She has mastered multi-tasking while I swing; she pushes me and then throws the ball for Sadie to fetch. We do this nightly unless the weather is bad.



I have been practicing driving my jeep. It's tough work really and I prefer looking over my shoulder and going backwards, mom claims I'm learning to parallel park early in life.



I finally got fed up of mom and dad shoving food in my mouth all the time and have taken control of the situation. My new favorite foods are, toast with grape jelly....I really like the jelly but mom says the toast comes with it....anyway, I also like my cheerios, puffs (banana, apple cinnamon and sweet potato flavored) and yogurt bites.....they're all pretty yummy! I still like my cereal (apple flavored of course) and pretty much everything else....with the exception of green beans.

I have two teeth! Mom and Dad call them my chompers......something about them being sharp. I'm pretty proud of them though and am now working on a third tooth. I know I mentioned my teeth before but I really am excited about them.

I've been practicing standing a ton and figuring out this walking thing. I like to look out the front window but I have a difficult time seeing over the ledge.....don't tell Mom but I put my fingers all over the window right after she washed them the other day....I thought they needed my personal touch.



I'm going to help Mom and Dad out with some projects pretty soon. Dad is definitely going to need my help fixing our deck and Mom will need my guidance when planting flowers.....speaking of flowers it's a good thing we have held off planting them so far because it's supposed to snow tonight.

A couple weeks ago I went to the airport....no I didn't go anywhere. I met Rita. We got to have breakfast together while she had a layover on her way to South Carolina.....I've never been there but Mom say's well go someday to visit Uncle Matt and his family.



Well, I gotta run. Mom says it's way past my bedtime.

Love - Madeline

I'm Free.....

We have a chomper!!!

It's been crazy around the house the past 2 weeks.

I've had mom and dad on the edge of their seat thinking I was getting a cold. Maybe I was...I mean, I did have a fever for 2 days and a stuffy nose. To top it off I've been extra fussy. Did I mention I've been drooling up a storm???.....heck, I've been able to drench a shirt in 2 min. with slobber (mom and dad love my wet kisses) Tonight, I finally showed mom why I had been on an emotional roller coaster the past 2 weeks....I GOT A TOOTH!!! It's a sharp little devil too....do you want to feel it? I'll clamp down and chew on your hand. I'm quite proud of it though.



In addition to my tooth I've been working on walking. Yes, that correct. Although crawling may be fun for some, I am opting to walk so I don't get my clothes dirty crawling on the floor. It's lots of hard work, but it sure is fun.

I'm an offical Jeep owner now. Since I like walking so much, mom and dad finally bought me a Jeep walker. I spend a ton of time walking and looking at myself in the side mirrors....don't I look pretty in my photo below...heck, yesterday I was in it for almost 1 hour straight.....Look out boys, I'm a girl on the run now and have a set of wheels to drive you around (dad says no passengers for now, but it will be our little secret)



Other than that not alot has changed. I love vegetables and prunes. Prunes really are my favorite food. Mom and Dad say they really "get things moving"....I'm not sure what they are talking about.

Have a great week!

Love - Madeline Rose

Look at me....

...I sure am growing fast. Yesterday was Easter and it sure was fun. We went to church, came home a played and then we went to some friend's house for dinner....they also have a little boy, Colin, who I like to flirt with but shhh, don't tell mom and dad.

I've been a busy girl lately. I can crawl....mom and dad call it a modified crawl since I only go in circles, but that allows me to reach what I want. Going forward and backwards would be like meeting societies expectations so I'm doing it my own way and being slightly stubborn. ha ha...

Here are a few video clips of me in action. I thinking of becoming a professional actress since mom and dad like to video record me in action so much.

Enjoy!!!

Love - Madeline

World Traveler...

It's been pretty busy around here.

I think it's important that we acknowledge I'm officially a world traveler.....I went to Ohio. I guess it's a popular travel destination......however, it was my understanding most people travel someplace warm, like FLORIDA or HAWAII when it's cold and snowy out.....but apparently, Ohio is equally as fun. I got to fly on my first plane and it was so fun and overstimulating, that I took a nap to pass the time.....so I really don't remember much of the flight.

We had a good trip. Mom had to work a little bit, but dad and I tagged along to see some relatives. I actually met my Great Grandpa......and you know what, he was pretty great. I think that's why they call him Great Grandpa. I also hung out with Grandma and Grandpa G, plus I got to meet some new aunts, uncles and cousins. It was a fast trip but it went well.

Let's focus on me now.....

Sitting - I have perfected the art of sitting up by myself for extended periods of time. It's rather fun and exciting....now I can see things from higher than 4 inches off the ground since I'm not stuck on my tummy anymore. Usually after 15 min I get a little tired and "face plant" on the floor. Mom and Dad say it's all part of the growing process, I think it kind of hurt when that happens. (I can almost stand by myself)

Food - I prefer my dairy diet, but mom and dad say I have to eat rice cereal. Let's get your vote on this topic....why would I want to eat rice cereal when mom and dad are eating steak? Rice cereal, really! Have you tried it?! Mom and Dad haven't even tried it because it is that unappealing. Don't you think they should give me something more exciting.....like OREOS (hint, hint)...if you don't mind, please drop a hint to my parents.

I'll be 6 months old this week. That's practically old enough to drive a car! Look out world, here I come! ............well, maybe I'll take up walking first.

That's all for now....

Love - Madeline

Possible Careers....

Since I just reached my 5 month old birthday I decided it's time I start considering possible careers. You can never start thinking about these things too early. Below is my list so far.

Option 1 - Night Guard

I thought this might be a good fit for me since I'm good at staying up late. I've tried to teach Mom and Dad, but they really aren't fans of the Night Guard option. I don't know though, I think with a few more months of training they'll be pretty good at it and we could start a family business

Option 2 - Veterinarian

Since we have 3 dogs it only makes sense for me to be a veterinarian. I've been practicing petting the dogs lately and mom is teaching me how to tell Dibs NO when he gives me a mean look. She says there is a no return policy with me and not on him.....I'm not sure what she's talking about, but I think that means I get to stay.

Option 3 - Chef

I don't let Mom and Dad cook dinner anymore without sitting in my blue chair on the counter. I have to be a part of the action and also, I'm giving instructions on what ingredients to add and how much. The meal always looks yummy but for some reason they won't let me sample....maybe someday I can try the big-kid food, because this Rice Formula they shoved in my mouth the other day tasted pretty bland. How come they get all the good stuff?!

Option 4 - Teacher

I sure love reading books so I think I might be a good teacher. I don't think it matters if I eat the books as well. Some people say they learn from osmosis, well I learn from chewing on the book. Anyway, I have a few favorites now and we read them every night.

Option 5 - Podiatrist

I am fascinated by my feet. I almost got one in my mouth the other day, but I got distracted by a toy so I stopped trying. They are great to grab onto and roll around with on the floor. I'm not sure where they came from, but they appeared in the last month and are good friends of mine. I think I could be really good podiatrist......especially if I get to play with other peoples feet.

Option 6 - Audiologist

The last career I am currently considering is an audiologist. For an obvious reason, I work with them all time with my Microtia. My audiologist is really cool and I think it would be fun to work with other kids with hearing problems when I grow up. I might be able to relate to them and help them hear better.

So those are my current career ambitions. I was going to say I want to be a dancer because I like to wiggle all over the floor and am becoming very mobile, but mom and dad said they like the options above more.

Speaking of wiggling, I'm almost mobile. I can roll all around and get the toys I want. I still prefer to stand and hold onto the couch, but this rolling thing is great because I am becoming independent. I talk to all my toy friends when playing on the ground now too......Dad says he has no idea where all my talking comes from and then looks at Mom (I think it's because she likes to talk as well).

I have a busy weekend coming up. I'm flying on a big plane....remember the thing that is like a bird and flys through the sky....yep, that. Anyway, I'm flying on a plane to Ohio...yes, I'm taking Mom and Dad with me. Mom has to work on Saturday, but other than that I get to meet lots of new relatives. I hope I remember all their names. Mom and Dad hope I take my nap on the plane....I'll let you know how that goes after the trip.

Peace - Love - Happiness -

Madeline

See - I can sit up all by myself!

Splish-Splash....

....I was taking a bath......

Yes, I was taking a bath the other day and figured out I can splash the water. It was rather fun because mom was trying to get me clean and I was kicking the water and wiggling around. I sure like my bath. I like it so much I accidently tinkled in it when mom set me in....mom said it defeated the purpose of the bath. Oh well, at least there was nothing floating so she should be happy.

I really enjoy swinging now too. It was 50 degrees over the weekend so mom and dad let me go outside and play on my swingset. It's REALLY fun! I smiled and giggled while swinging when mom played the "Blast-off" game with me....she says, "1, 2, 3, BLASTOFF" and I would swing real high!

I'm a real mover and shaker now. Mom and Dad lay me on the ground to play in my jungle and I twist and turn around to get the toys I want. I don't really need to roll over to get them when I can just turn in circles. The other day Mom was playing with me and looked away for a second (maybe two) and I rolled over.....again, when she didn't have the camera out to record it....ha ha ha...I'm sneaky!

I found my feet the other day....I have 2 of them....it's crazy! They move all over the place and I can't figure out how. I've been concentrating on them alot lately. I'm not sure when they appeared but they sure move alot.

Last week I gave mom and dad a flashback to life when I was first born. Now that I'm almost 5 months old they had almost forgotten. So, I decided to get up multiple times during the night....mom and dad loved the extra time with me I think. I made sure to catch some extra naps at daycare to help me power through the nights with mom and dad.

I met the plastic surgeon, Dr. McDowell, today. Sounds like I will have my first surgery in June to remove the skin tag on my right ear. Although there was talk about other surgeries when I am around 7 years old, Mom and Dad are thinking of not doing them unless I think it's important at some point in life. If God thinks I'm special enough to have a special ear, then why get rid of it or try to hide it.

I think Dad really wants a new car. He wants one so bad he let someone hit his Jeep again last week. Mom said there are other things to do for fun then let people hit your car. It was the second time in 5 months someone has hit him. Both times he was sitting at the stoplight, what are the odds?!! Dad's okay....he got a little whiplash, but his Jeep has an owie. So Saturday I took Mom and Dad car shopping. They found one they like, a Jeep Commander. It's a little bigger than the Wrangler and hopefully a little safer and HOPEFULLY NOT A BUMPER CAR MAGNET! (that's the goal) Maybe they'll finally buy one versus just talk about it.

Well, that's all for now. I'm tired and should go to bed.

Love - Madeline