February

It's a good thing Madeline's officially 3 years old now, because it was becoming harder and harder for me to think of her as a 2-year-old. She's growing so quickly both physically and intellectually that it still surprises me some days.

It's been a month of ups and downs for us as we slogged our way through a couple weeks of sickness but then wrapped up the month with a wonderful birthday party. Madeline's big gift this year was a true big-girl bed and some other new furniture in her room. Now her little space looks much more like a kid's room than a baby's room. She's got a twin bed, a nightstand and even a vanity with a chair where she can spend all the time she wants checking herself out in the mirror (a favorite activity).

And speaking of her favorite activities, it's struck me recently how good she is at entertaining herself around the house. Maybe it's a function of being an only child or not spending a lot of time in preschool or daycare, but she can spend large parts of the day just playing alone - reading to her stuffed animals or taking care of her baby dolls or organizing the ponies in her My Little Pony stable (which belonged to her mother). I guess I should be happy that she's so self-sufficient, but sometimes I kind of miss playing with her as much as I once did. I guess that's part of growing up - she's more and more independent.

Except at bedtime, of course. Bedtime can become an elaborate dance and a test of wills, as Madeline thinks of every ploy in the book to prolong the exercise. She needs water, she needs to go to the potty for the fifth time, she needs kisses and hugs for her animals in the precise order - it goes on and on. I don't think this is anything that's uncommon, but it can be a struggle nonetheless.

Here are some pictures from the month:


Madeline is getting bigger and bigger - she can completely dress herself and loves seeing how high she can jump.

We took a trip to a (sort of) local park on a brisk day this month. It was chilly as we hiked around the lake. . .

but it was much warmer inside the park's nature center, where Madeline was entranced by the monstrous snapping turtle.

I got my little Valentine her very own rose on that special day.

A pony tail can hardly contain the effects of static electricity on the neighborhood playground slide.

Granddaddy joined us for a picnic at Maymont on one pleasant morning. We sat on a hill and watched the bison enjoy their lunch in the distance.

I will allow readers to concoct their own caption to this photo of Madeline and Uncle Ryan during a visit to a nearby park.

Here's Madeline's expression the moment she walked in her room on her birthday and noticed her present - an honest-to-goodness big-girl bed of her very own.

The shock quickly melted into excitement as she scampered into her new bed to test it out. (She then took a successful nap and, upon waking 90 minutes later, proclaimed "I slept very well!").

Here's this year's birthday cake - homemade by Lacey, of course. Banana cake with chocolate icing and cherries (which were a specific request by Madeline).

Madeline patiently waited for the guests to arrive to her birthday party. She was excited to put on her nice party dress for the occasion.

Someone loves being the center of attention!

Here's my annual collage of Madeline through the past year. Check out 2010's edition here and 2009's version here.