Sleeping: Madeline made the transition from two naps to one early this month. We had tried earlier, with poor results. But this time she took right to it, and she started getting better sleep during the day and at night. With the two-nap schedule she never seemed to be tired, and getting her to go down was getting more and more difficult. But now she's tired at the right time and bedtime has mostly been smoother. One critical element to the new schedule has been . . .
Television: We finally introduced Madeline to television - she watches about 30 minutes of Sesame Street in the mid-mornings during quiet time (her former morning nap time). She loves Elmo and is getting to know some of the regular characters and features. She loses interest after about 30 minutes, so I'm happy that she's not becoming infatuated with it.
Skills: Madeline can count to five and is beginning to learn her letters. She can accurately count my fingers when I hold them up in different configurations. She knows her major colors and loves coloring with crayons and colored pencils at her table in the kitchen. She's also learning about written words and numbers.
Halloween? I am sorry to report that we missed Halloween this year. We never made it to the pumpkin patch and had no decorations other than the pumpkin Lacey's parents brought us. And Madeline stayed home on Halloween night. Every weekend was just so busy (or rainy) that we didn't find time for the seasonal activities I had hoped to accomplish. But I think Madeline is still young enough that missing Halloween won't leave a lasting scar, and we'll make sure to make the most out of the holiday season that now begins.
Potty: Without getting into too much detail, Madeline has commenced potty training. She's getting better at letting us know when she has to go, and has even "performed" in her toddler potty a few times.
Here are some photo highlights from this month:
Madeline has apparently inherited her mother's hatred of ants, as displayed by her cool, methodic stomping of them in the driveway.
Madeline was quite excited to hear a woodpecker in the backyard during a brief lull in the seemingly endless leafblower cacophony that envelops the suburbs.
Something I long dreaded to see - my daughter rendered expressionless by the television. But with the elimination of her morning nap, she now gets a few doses of the tube per week.
Madeline enjoys collecting acorns and rocks in the yard.
At some point she learned to climb the stars at the playground by herself. Next she'll be asking for the keys to the car.
Peek-a-boo!
Who knew the playground slide would offer an object lesson in static electricity?
Madeline begins to notice the changing of the seasons.
Too cool for school -Madeline has pockets and she knows how to use them.
Madeline enjoys helping around the house -here she's giving mommy a hand with some banana bread. She also enjoys helping with chores such as the laundry and the dishwasher. We'll see how long this lasts.
Madeline enjoyed visiting with the chickens and her other animal friends at the farmer's market.
What would autumn be without a big pile of freshly raked leaves to redistribute? I generally subscribe to the laissez-faire school of lawn care, so the only reason I have raked leaves this year is for Madeline to kick them.
Madeline attempts to lift a heavy jar of peanut butter.
