Madeline--2 months

Madeline turned 2 months old this weekend, and we visited the doctor yesterday. Here are her 2 month stats:

Head 14.5 inches 2nd percentile
Height 22.75 inches 65th percentile
Weight 9 lbs 9th percentile

*Maddie learned how to smile a couple of weeks ago, and is keen to smiling broadly. We have yet to catch this on camera, though.
*Maddie's head continues to be freakishly strong. She likes to look around and will only rest her head on my shoulder if she is really tired.
*Maddie recognizes her big sister and stares at her in wonder whenever Emma is around.
*Madeline is starting to play with her toys. She kicks at and tries to hit the stuffed animals and rattles above her play gym.
*Maddie is enthralled with her swing. She will swing and stare at the mobile for hours.
*She continues to be an excellent sleeper. She wakes up once a night, though about half the time she will sleep through it!
*Maddie likes to be held facing out so she can see everything that is going on.
*We sing a special song to Madeline, and she perks up whenever she hears it. "Gonna give her hugs all day, Miss Maddie Lou. Gonna give her kisses too, Miss Maddie Lou. Oh Miss Maddie, Miss Maddie Lou. Oh, Miss Maddie, Miss Maddie Lou." It is sung to the tune of "Eliza Jane," and older song Emma learned this past spring in her music class.
*Maddie actually likes tummy time and won't cry until it has been several minutes. (Her head is strong, but she's still a newbie, after all).

Memorial Day Visit

In May we were lucky enough to be visited by Dave's family. At first it was only supposed to be Grandmacita (Dave's mom), but Grandpoppy was invited by an organization to speak in the Dallas area, and of course they couldn't leave Uncle Matt behind! Though it was a quick visit, much fun was had by all. Here are some pictures:

Emma, Madeline, and Grandmacita

Matt and Emma at a playground at the Dallas Arboretum

Emma playing in the fountains at the Arboretum. (Excuse the nudity--I knew she's have a conniption if her shirt got wet.)

Emma and Matt peeking out the window of a model frontier home in Texas Town, at the Arboretum

Emma and Madeline with Grandpoppy

First Bath

On Thursday, May 21st, Madeline took her first bath, and also her first bath with Emma. (I remember the exact date because it was the morning that Grandmacita came to visit--you have to be clean when your grandma comes!) Madeline loved the water. She was totally entranced, in quiet contemplation. She didn't mind at all when Emma splashed her. The only problem is that whatever part of her is out of the water gets really cold, really fast--usually her arms. Within 3 minutes of being in the tub they turn blue, so we take fast baths!

Haircut

I took Emma for a haircut today. In some ways it was her first. Though she's had her bangs cut many times, today I finally cut the back. It had been looking a little scraggly and mullet-like, and since the sides are finally getting long enough, I thought I'd even it out a little.
Before:


After:

The Musical Stylings of Emma

In the last nine months or so, Emma has become quite the little songbird. Last fall I signed her up for Kindermusik classes, partly to get us out of our temporary apartment once a week, and partly because I cannot carry a tune to save my life, and I did not want her to be destined to my fate (hence the musical education provided by someone other than myself). She sings all day long: when she first wakes up, in the car, in the bath, when I put her down for bed. We have finally caught many of her songs on video, and will be posting them throughout the coming weeks so as to not overload those of you who are not her grandparents. :) I now present: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

Close Ups

These pictures were taken back in May, when Maddie was about 4 weeks old. With thanks to my friend Rachel, who took them!

A Beginning...

About 3 weeks ago, Emma successfully used one of these:

Which led to an impromptu trip to Baskin Robbins:

She is nowhere near being actually potty trained, but it's a baby step, right? Hopefully later this summer (after traveling is done), we can make some real progress.

RIP Nelson 1995-2009

Imagine a clear, sunny Friday morning. You are driving to work on the interstate, cruising along at a good clip in the lefthand lane. Suddenly, some jerk in the middle lane tries to get past you and into the HOV lane on your left. In the process he smacks the front corner of your car, sending you into a spin as you frantically steer to try to avoid smashing into the wall. While you are spinning out of control, two more cars hit you. You eventually come to a stop; the jerk has driven away, but you and the other two cars are blocking the entire interstate. How would you fare?

We are extremely grateful to report that Dave walked away, to the disbelief of the police and paramedics who arrived on site.

Sadly, Nelson, our car, did not fare as well.

Front passenger side, where the jerk who caused the accident hit.

Front driver's side, hit by a large SUV. However, Nelson lived up to his namesake and went down fighting, taking out the SUV's driver's side. (Luckily, that driver was okay too.)

Minimal damage to the back, though the car that hit the back sustained some considerable damage.

Admittedly, Nelson was a bit of a jalopy, but we loved him just the same. The real kick in the pants is that we just put $2K into him to keep him going for another year or two, and he was running better than he has in years. We will miss his quirks: his anti-theft device (a tape player); the passenger side window that would never quite close after you accidentally opened it; the broken key stuck in the trunk lock that would thereafter open with anything but the actual key; the radio antenna that wouldn't go all the way down, which led us to paying double at the automated carwash; and the fact that Dave's little brother always threw up whenever he rode in it...ALWAYS. Dave, who drove Nelson in high school, is especially sad to see him go, as it was his last link to the good ol' days.

So, can anyone recommend a good car that seats at least six? Preferably an SUV? I don't want to do a minivan yet...

One Month

Miss Maddie turned one month old last week, and we took some pictures to commemorate the occasion. She wore a Carter's size "newborn" outfit, which is pretty much the only thing that fits her really well. Most of her size 0-3 months clothes are still too big. We posed her with a 4x6" card and a bear that's as big as she is to give you some perspective on her growth (or it will when we do the same thing in upcoming months). Here are some things about Madeline:
*She has been an excellent eater from about 15 minutes after she was born. She nurses and takes the occasional bottle.
*She is an equally excellent sleeper. Like all newborns, she gets up to eat, but she goes right back down afterwards. She also (randomly) slept 9 hours in a row once or twice.
*She's a sucker! The first week I was nursing her quite often until I figured out that she just really loves to suck. She is my first pacifier baby.
*She has been practicing holding her head up. Like her sister Emma before her, Maddie's neck is freakishly strong for a newborn. She doesn't completely despise tummy time as a result.
*She loves her big sister! Or at least isn't scared of the sometimes overly-zealous hugs and kisses she receives from Emma.
Here are some more pictures, especially for the grandmas!