The thirty-fifth week

Madeline is learning to show her affection for mommy with a big kiss - but still working on the execution!

It's been a fun week, with several odds and ends to note here:

The gym: I finally joined a gym this week. It's something I've wanted to do for a couple years now but just hasn't been tenable. But I came across a good offer and discovered the gym also offers child care, so Madeline can socialize while I work out. It's the best of both worlds. In fact, it was the aspect of Madeline being able to play with other kids that sealed the deal. Now the challenge will be finding how to work gym visits into our weekly schedule!

Our living room: We finally reclaimed our living room. I recently wrote that baby furniture was giving way to baby toys around the house. Well, last weekend we bought a nice covered basket for those toys. Now, when the toys are put away, our living room looks like it did until about 8 months ago. Eventually Madeline will discover the basket full of toys, but for now we can pretend there's some sort of sanity and order to our lives.

The car seat: Madeline's growing into a big girl. This week we retired her infant carrier, which doubled as a car seat when snapped into a base in each of our cars. Madeline has gotten quite a bit heavier and we never toted her around in the carrier anymore, so we decided to get some fixed car seats. These seats will hold her until she's about 4 or 5 years old. The new seats also seem a bit more comfortable for Madeline.