January

After spending almost all of December infected with one bug or another, it was wonderful to have a healthy Madeline for almost an entire month in January. And I can write this with no worries about tempting fate, because she fell ill with a virus just this weekend, ending about three solid weeks of healthiness.

In any case, it's been a quiet month, which is just what we were looking for after months of holiday hustle and the above-mentioned illnesses. We spent our free time playing at home and getting outside when the weather allowed.

Madeline has experienced some major changes in sleep patterns this month, perhaps as a result of the string of antibiotics she was on last month or, just maybe, because she's getting older. She has essentially stopped taking her afternoon nap, and we don't know if it's necessarily a good thing. She still sleeps the same amount at night, but gets pretty grumpy toward the end of the day. We wonder if she could still benefit from a shorter afternoon nap. But try telling that to an almost-3-year-old who wants no part of settling down in her bed.

And speaking of settling down in her bed, the second major change to her sleep pattern is her propensity to get up regularly through the night. When we first introduced her big-girl bed last year, she still seemed to not realize that she could easily get out on her own, and would call us to help her out. But suddenly she seems to have figured out that it's not that hard to get out, and she pops up several times a night - usually at bed time when she doesn't want to go down, but occasionally in the middle of the night when she wakes up for no apparent reason.

This all happened when she was ill at the beginning of the month - she would cry out in the night and then we could hear her feet pattering down the hallway to our room. She would come in, still crying, but calm immediately when someone got up and led her back to her room. And, generally, she would climb back in her bed and go to sleep without issue. I wonder if she's having bad dreams or just wants to make sure we're still there.

And, while we are physically present, I have actually slept through this process several times, completely surprised when Lacey mentions it the next morning. It seems to be a pattern I've developed.

Otherwise it's been a good month. Madeline loves preschool and is making friends there. She even passed her very first test - a simple evaluation of basic concepts and motor skills that she aced, except for the "standing on one foot" segment, which she refused to demonstrate because, well, she didn't want to.

Here are some pictures from this month:

Madeline tries out her new tricycle. She picked it up quickly, learning to pedal herself around in a matter of a few minutes.

Here's one of the few times we made it to a local park this month. The views of the foggy lake were wonderful, but the rain started only a few minutes after we arrived and sent us scrambling back home.


Madeline enjoys experimenting with static electricity.

Our second trip to a local park was more successful. Madeline hiked almost the entire 2.2-mile trail to and from the lake, talking the whole time.

Speaking of, um, speaking, I think Madeline likes to hear herself talk. She found the voice recording app on Lacey's iPod and spent a half-hour or more sitting by herself and recording various thoughts and observations.

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Here she is looking much older than what I would envision a 2-year-old to look like.

Another frigid January day, another morning spent inside, just hanging out with dad.

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This scene was not prompted - Madeline asked to sit at the piano and then, on her own, opened the Christmas songbook and started playing and singing to herself. She hardly seemed to notice when I got the camera and started recording her.

December

We crammed almost two months of activities into December this year, and I still feel like we left some out. It's been a satisfying, if exhausting, Christmas season, and Madeline was right in the middle of it. From family visits to holiday activities, we've been busy every day. And, unfortunately, Madeline was beset by several infections throughout the month. It was nothing too serious, but by the end of the month we were just ready for everyone to be healthy and to fall back into our normal routines.

Here are some pictures from this month:

The setup: Mom gets Madeline ready for her annual Christmas portrait. (See 2009 and 2008). Usually these sessions end up being about 20 minutes of frustration and sadness . . .

and about 10 seconds of "That's it!"

Madeline is growing to appreciate the byproducts of spending so much time cooking with Mommy.

We spent a fun weekend at Madeline's grandparents' house doing Christmasy things, like making gingerbread houses and decorating the tree.

Not too long after the Christmas decorations were out, we got our first snow of the season.

Madeline and I spent a fun weekday morning enjoying the Christmas sights at the Jefferson Hotel. We pulled up a bench near the huge tree and watched a performance by a girls choir singing holiday tunes.

We also spent a weekend visiting family in Roanoke, where Madeline found her cousins (and their toys) to be fascinating.

Mommy and Madeline read a book before bedtime at DeeDee's house.

After talking about Noah almost every day since his family's visit to our house this summer, Madeline finally got to spend some quality time with him during our stay at their house in Roanoke.

Madeline helps Mommy bake some Christmas bread.

Christmas morning was fun for everyone. Madeline got the yoga mat she had been asking for. . .

and some things she didn't expect, like this tricycle and helmet.

Later that day, the Christmas fun continued at Grandma Vera's house.

We wrapped up the month with another blanket of snow. Madeline's new snow hobby is making snowballs and throwing them at Daddy.

As a post-Christmas treat, the three of us went to the Children's Museum of Richmond. Madeline was blown away by the variety of fun diversions there, and by the other kids that swarmed the displays. I have a feeling we'll be going there more often in the coming year.

November

While we had a lovely Thanksgiving, and have spent lots of time over the past few weeks engaged in fun activities, the big story from this month was Madeline starting preschool. She's going twice a week and has loved it so far. Her teachers are impressed with her, too. She seems to like the other kids in her class, although they're all still a bit young to be making friends. However, she does have a way with the young boys in class, persuading them to fetch her book bag and jacket with nary but a soft word and a touch on the shoulder.

Holidays: After a fun Christmas last year, Madeline is really getting into the holiday spirit this time around. She loves checking out the store displays, listening to Christmas music, and preparing our house for the season. As we unpacked the decorations from the attic, she clasped her hands together and yelled, "I LOVE Christmas!" It's a great time to start family traditions, such as seeing the Christmas tree at the Jefferson Hotel, opening our advent calendars, hiding the Christmas elf every day, and stringing lights and decorations all over the house and yard.

Senses: It occurred to me that Madeline might not be familiar with the purpose behind some of the appendages on her face, and I quizzed her to get a baseline of her knowledge. After we discovered that ears were for hearing, we moved on to the nose. Here is the actual exchange:
Me: What is your nose for?
Madeline: To put your finger in!
Me: That's funny, but no. What's your nose for?
Madeline: It's where boogers live!
Me: (shaking head) It's for smelling, Madeline. Smelling.

Here are some pictures from the past month:

This is Madeline's preschool picture, which is posted in her classrom to help identify her personal backpack and coat hooks.


Madeline eagerly anticipates going to preschool twice a week. Here she's packed and ready to go, lunchbox and supplies tucked into her backpack.

Madeline spent a lot of time "helping" with the leaves in our heavily wooded yard this year. Although she spent a good amount of time sitting in the piles and kicking them around. . .

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she also helped with the actual raking, both with my rake and her own, smaller version.

We spent a lot of time outdoors enjoying the cooler temperatures. Here Madeline reacts to hearing a duck nearby as we played by the James River.

Madeline is becoming quite a hiker. This month we took hikes of up to a mile in distance, and she walked the entire way, navigating roots and rocks like an old pro.

Madeline shows off her pigtails while Mommy gets her jacket zipped. Sometimes she likes having her hair fixed up, but mostly we're lucky to get a hairband on her while she's running around in the morning.

Madeline mugged for the camera while we waited for our dinner to finish grilling one evening.

Madeline and I headed to a local park when the fall leaves were in full descent. She was happy to find this colorful specimen. . .

and she loved sitting on the bench and watching the leaves rain down. She especially loved it when one would land next to her or on her lap.

Madeline participated in her first pageant when her preschool put on its annual Thanksgiving presentation. The kids dressed as turkeys and sang songs. Madeline seemed a little shocked to see such a large audience, but she made sure to clap politely after every number.

Madeline was an active participant in decorating the tree this year. I had fun letting her decorate, but I now have to explain to our guests why all of the ornaments are on the bottom third of the tree.

In addition to our two full-size Christmas trees, Madeline also got to decorate a small tree for her room. Let the holidays begin!

September/October

October is ending and I wonder where the two months since our last post have gone. It's been a blur of activity, ranging from vacation at the beach to fall mornings at the park to an illness that circulated around the house and hobbled us all for about a week. Madeline continues to grow at an astounding rate, having already filled the shoes we bought her a couple months ago with the intention of them being her winter shoes. Silly us.
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Preschool: The big development hasn't actually happened yet. We've been shopping for a preschool for Madeline. We started looking late - most schools begin in September with the regular school year, but we started our search in late October - and many of the programs were full. But we scheduled some informational visits so we could have a basis on which to judge schools. We were surprised when our favorite school called us a couple hours after our visit and said they would like to make an exception and include Madeline in their 2-year-old class. We readily accepted and she begins this coming Friday.

Madeline seems to be excited about the idea of preschool. She's not clingy - she hardly noticed during our visits when Lacey and I would leave the room to speak with the preschool directors. I think I will be more sad to let her go than she will! I have been lucky to be at home with her during the day for almost her entire life, so to send her off, even for a few hours two days a week, will be quite an adjustment for me.

Sickness: Madeline did not fall ill with her monthly sickness in October, although she did catch a sinus infection shortly after I was ill for a few days. We'll keep our fingers crossed for November - she's been sick every month for almost a year and I think she deserves a break.

Halloween: After missing Halloween last year, I wanted to make sure we made it up this time around. I came up with the idea of a pumpkin party, and we invited a few folks over to carve pumpkins and wear silly costumes. We decorated the house and had tasty desserts. Madeline had a great time (and maybe a little too much sugar) and we are all set to make the most of the holiday season that now awaits.

Here are some pictures from the past two months:


We spent a week in September at the beach - our first weeklong family vacation since our last trip to the beach two years ago. Madeline again got sick the day before our departure, but it was nowhere near as bad as last time, and we ended up having a wonderful trip. Madeline spent most of her time digging in the sand, since her small stature rendered her at a disadvantage when playing in the crashing surf.

Madeline found a hermit crab and was not shy about checking him out.

Every night after dinner we took a walk on the beach. Well, Lacey and I walked while Madeline sprinted madly across the sand. She ran and ran, using up her last bits of energy before bath and bedtime.

Occasionally she allowed herself to be caught long enough for a hug during her sprinting sessions.

Looking for pretty seashells with Mommy.

Sunrise walks on the beach were an invigorating way to start our days.

Madeline helped me wash my car on a pleasant fall weekend.

Madeline got her first real instrument - a ukulele from Molly and Bruce. She enjoys strumming it and singing "Buffalo Gals."

We spent a weekend on the bay during our annual trip to the boat festival at St. Michaels. Madeline and Lacey crewed a wee Punkin on a gorgeous morning. At 2 years old, it looks like Madeline already has an appreciation for relaxing on a sailboat.

On a beautiful fall day, Madeline shows off her injury from an unfortunate tumble.

Madeline has a silly sense of humor, as she displayed when she marched around the house under this "umbrella" - which originated as a plastic cupcake decoration.

Madeline, pointing at something that was probably very interesting, wore glasses on the afternoon after her pediatric eye exam. (Turns out her vision is just about perfect.)

As part of my "make up for missing last Halloween" effort, we went to an orchard in the mountains this year to find apples and pumpkins. Lacey and Madeline made an amazing apple pie and the pumpkin later became "Mr. Pumpkin," whom we greeted every morning on the front steps when we left the house.

Madeline loved exploring the rows between apple trees at the orchard.

We even took a hayride during our orchard visit.

Madeline and Mr. Pumpkin.

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Madeline helps mom in the kitchen. One of my favorite things about fall and winter weekends is waking up to whatever delicious aromas the two of them conjure up.

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The results of our Halloween pumpkin party. Mr. Pumpkin is the big one at center-left.

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Madeline dressed as Tinkerbell for Halloween. . .

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and even went trick-or-treating at a few houses before coming home and handing out candy to the other neighborhood kids.