June

Summer has appeared with a vengeance, with this month being the hottest June on record in Richmond. Madeline spent much of her time focused on indoor pursuits - drawing, fingerpainting, cooking and watching lots of World Cup soccer with me. She also enjoyed spending quiet time with her stuffed friends, reading to them, taking them to the imaginary doctor or grocery store, or just taking them for a walk in the doll-size stroller.

There haven't been many major developments, other than her continued growth. She's actually starting to look tall now, and the latest bedroom-door marking sits nearly three-quarters of an inch above the last measurement, taken in May. Potty training is going well - she only wears diapers at night now, and has even made use of public facilities when the need arises while we're out and about. This makes us think about putting her in a kid bed now, but we're not quite ready for the secondary effects - the refusal to get in bed at bedtime and the midnight visits to our room. That time is coming soon, though.

Here are some pictures from this month:

We went camping early this month at Otter Creek on the Blue Ridge Parkway. When we set up camp on the first afternoon, a tired Madeline quickly settled into the tent with her books and her friends. This was not the case at bedtime later that night, when it took almost four hours to get her settled down.

Madeline's favorite part of the camping experience was playing with Mommy in Otter Creek, which trickled peacefully next to our campsite. Here she plays in the afternoon. . .

and it was her first order of business early the next morning.

With apple in hand, Madeline hiked most of the mile-long trail to Johnson Farm.

Madeline and Mommy surveyed the grounds from the window of the historic farmhouse.

Madeline even got to see the dolls that the girls who lived on the farm once played with.

We also hiked up a mountain - at the top, one of us was full of energy, and the other was not.

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
We were amazed when Madeline swept this paper off the kitchen counter and it landed as you see here - on its side.


Madeline enjoyed playing dress-up on a muggy, lazy afternoon at Grandma's house.


Madeline still gets plenty of enjoyment from her kitchen - a Christmas gift last year. She cooks stews and cookies using spices and kitchen supplies borrowed from Mommy.

When the weather returned to more seasonable temperatures later in the month, Madeline and I jumped at the chance to spend a morning hiking along the James River.

Here Madeline's thinking, "Hmmm, what can I throw into the water?"

We stopped at a shady bench to eat a snack and watch the water roll by.

May

Summer is approaching, and Madeline is prepared to live it up. We've had lots of fun outdoors this month, from helping me get prepared for my weeklong trek in the Grand Canyon to playing on the beach at Grandma's house.

Not much has changed with Madeline since last month, with the exception of her height. "Growing like a weed" is a common saying, but not far from the truth. We find dandelion stalks a foot tall in our yard just a day or two after mowing; likewise, Madeline's height markings on the back of her bedroom door show almost an inch of growth in about two months.

It also seems to me that her mood has mellowed in recent weeks, after last month's parent-draining bouts of "two-dom." She still has tantrums - mostly in the evenings around dinner and bathtime - but otherwise is often in great spirits and very loving. Maybe all of us - parents and child - are getting a better handle on how to deal with issues. Or, perhaps, she was in discomfort last month from the above-mentioned growth spurt. We are finding that there are so many gray areas in parenting - so many issues with no explanation or rational basis. Fevers, tantrums, fixations that arise out of nowhere and eventually pass, leaving us scratching our heads for lack of a clear answer.

Potty training: While Madeline has been wearing underwear around the house for a while, we have grown confident enough with her skills to actually run errands and let her take naps without a diaper. Her favorite part about the potty - the M&M's she gets as a treat afterwards (or "enemens," as she calls them).

Here are some pictures (and video) from this month:

Madeline was a big help in getting my camping supplies ready for my Grand Canyon trip.

Madeline enjoyed a pretty bouquet.

Madeline celebrated a Mothers Day lunch with Nana.

Madeline came down with a mystery illness for a couple days after I returned from my trip, so we just hung out around the house. I wish she hadn't been sick, but it was nice to spend some quiet time together after having been apart for so long.

Kickin' some tunes on mom's iPod.

Madeline loves being outside, and can usually be conscripted into some yardwork without too much trouble.

Daddy's little girl.

There isn't much that Madeline loves more than swimming in the river at Grandma's house. I see some swimmies in her future.

We also built some sandcastles and lighthouses on the pleasantly shady beach.

Madeline spent Memorial Day afternoon in her new backyard pool. Here, she's making water pancakes for our guests.

And in the video Madeline regales us with two of her favorite pieces - "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" and the ABC song.

April

When it comes to being 2 years old, Madeline is definitely getting her game on. Last month I hedged a bit when describing Madeline's defiant attitudes, but this time around there's no denying that she's brimming with all-out 2-year-old glory. Combine that with a nasty virus that hung around for a good portion of the beginning of the month, and you have the formula for frustration.

Madeline's frequent displays of "oppositional behavior" range from yelling, screaming and crying to running away to completely ignoring us. While it's not unexpected from a toddler, it can still become trying at times, but we seem to make it through each day. And through the clouds there usually shines some sun. At her best, Madeline is a very sweet, loving and fun kid (we even have our own inside jokes - just mention the phrase "in the water" to her and she's bound to smile). She loves going to the gym day-care, story time at the local library and the grocery store. And she really loves playing outside in the yard.

Singing: Madeline knows all the words to several songs, and many a car trip is spent singing all of them in succession. Favorites include "Itsy-bitsy spider," "Monkeys on the bed," "Twinkle, twinkle, little star" and the alphabet song.

Potty: We're deeply into potty training now, and Madeline is getting very good at it. She even wears regular underwear around the house and has yet to make a mistake.

Here are some photos from this month:

Madeline had a great time hunting eggs on Easter. In fact, her basket became so heavy that she could hardly carry it as she scampered from tree to tree.

Many fun hours are spent in our backyard, playing with the soccer ball, checking out flowers, plants and bugs, and even helping mommy and daddy with yardwork. . .

and many a wish has been made with soft breath on a dandelion.

We made a trip to York River State Park, and Madeline had a great time. Here she checks out the wildlife display inside the park's nature center.

And here she sits with mommy on a small dock, watching people launch canoes into the river.

But the best part was Fossil Beach, where Madeline searched for shells, dug in the sand, and watched the waves roll in.

When we got home from the park, she was wiped out and needed a rest on the living room floor before dinner.

April went out on a beautiful note, as our little family spent a gorgeous morning together outside.

March

March is over, April is here and we've bid farewell to a winter that seemed like it wouldn't end. The past couple weeks have been beautiful - perfect, even - and we've taken advantage of it by being outside whenever we get the chance. Madeline loves walking outside and far prefers pushing the stroller to riding in it. We've spent many hours just checking out the buds and blooms in our new yard (it's our first spring in this house, so everything that blooms is a new surprise). Here's what Madeline's been up to:

Alphabet: In December's post, I mentioned that Madeline's new alphabet puzzle would be her challenge for 2010. Well, that didn't last long. She can assemble that puzzle with ease, rattling off the letters and their representations by rote ("A is for apple, B is for basket..."). Aside from the puzzle, she can identify most of the upper-case letters that she encounters in the world. And, with some minor guidance, she can sing the ABC song. Of course, the ABC song has little meaning for her in relation to the actual alphabet. She's just memorized the tune and the sounds - so "lmnop" is a single phrase and not five separate letters. But she's definitely getting the idea that letters make words. For instance, she knows that we're supposed to be reading the letters when we're looking at a book - when she realizes that we're not reading exactly the words printed in the book, she'll point to them and say "Read this!"

Defiance: As Madeline explores her newly gained "Two-dom," she's exhibits more and more traits associated with that age. While I certainly wouldn't describe her as "terrible," she definitely is more vocal about what she wants and what she doesn't want. This is nothing new, but it can seem more intense at times than it has in the past. Her new phrase, coined just this week, has been to yell "it's mine!" when we try to take something from her that she shouldn't have. It's funny to watch because she's not doing it in a selfish or particularly angry manner, but you can tell she's throwing that phrase out there to see what happens. She's testing limits, which is exactly what she should be doing.

Here are some pictures from the past month:
In early March we took Madeline on her first real hike - to Ragged Mountain near Charlottesville. We had been camping and hiking before, but for the first time Madeline walked much of the trail herself.

Madeline enjoys hiding in the bushes that line the front of our house.

Madeline checks out the first flowers of spring.

Madeline enjoys playing the piano and the guitars. Who knows - will she be a musician? It intrigues me to think about the interests and hobbies she'll pick up along the way.

Stomping in an early-spring puddle.

One of the last times we had to put on the winter coat and hat.

Madeline's been eating with us in her booster seat at the big table for a few weeks now (and, yes, she's reaching for her vegetables!).

Madeline gives the blooming daffodils in our yard a good sniff.

Under mom's tutelage, and drawing some inspiration from her pink tutu, Madeline practices her ballet moves.

The cutest ballerina I've ever seen.


On a gorgeous spring day we went to Maymont to visit the animals and enjoy the weather. Madeline enjoyed the eager, friendly goats - from a safe distance.

2-year check-in

Today we took Madeline for her 2-year check-in with the pediatrician. She weighed in at 28 pounds and is 34.5 inches tall. She's grown more than 2 inches since her last check-in, which was six months ago. But this was no surprise to us - we've been keeping tabs on her height with marks on her bedroom door, and there are already a few inches between measurements even though we've only lived here less than six months.

The doctor was happy with Madeline's progress. She didn't bother finishing the developmental checklist because Madeline is so obviously ahead of the game. Three-word sentences? Madeline reads entire books by herself. She frequently asks me 9- and 10-word questions. The doctor described her as "so smart" and "precocious."

But then she turned it against us. Since Madeline already "talks like a 5-year-old," she might end up being more devious and wily when it comes to disregarding her parents (she is still a 2-year-old, after all). So, while we sometimes feel like we've been experiencing the "terrible twos" for 8 months already, things could get much worse.

Note: Yesterday we stopped the pacifier. She had only used them at naptime and bedtime, but she had gotten to the point where she needed two to get to sleep - one for her mouth and the other to hold. A few weeks ago we stopped giving her the second one in anticipation of altogether ceasing after she turned 2. Yesterday we went cold-turkey. As it turned out, I think she was ready to give them up. On the first day she was acquiescent, today was a little more touchy. Hopefully things will smooth out over the next few days.

February

February has come and gone, with little news to share other than the fact that Madeline is now 2 years old. This year we celebrated her Leap Year birth on the 28th, both because it fell on a Sunday (the easiest day to get family together) and because she's our February baby - even if the 29th doesn't come every year, she arrived in February and that seems to be what feels right.

We celebrated another family member's birthday earlier in the month, and that gave us an entry to explain the concept to Madeline. She now happily tells people her birthday is February 29 and that she'll be 2 years old. She was also excited for weeks about the party and the cake - and blowing out the candles. And the day did not disappoint - her first birthday was somewhat dampened by teething issues, but this year Madeline had just gotten over a(nother) cold and was in great spirits.

Generally in these monthly posts I wrap up major themes or developments, but there doesn't seem to be much new to report this month. Of course, every day I am amazed at the thoughts she expresses - both the complexity of her ideas and the way she expresses them. She seems to have an uncanny command of her vocabulary. Her sense of humor seems to be expanding and deepening as well. It's fun to talk about imaginary, unrealistic situations and watch her process the visual in her mind and then laugh at the silliness (and sometimes throw in a "silly daddy!").

Here are some pictures from this month:

Remember last month? And the month before? Richmond's record-setting snow continued in February, and Madeline became more accustomed to the ice and snow blanketing the yard.


She also grew more accustomed to the refreshing mug of hot cocoa after a romp in the snow.


Last year we met Cousin Ozzy. This year Madeline got to hang out with Ozzy and his new little sister, Scarlet.

Madeline enjoys a book with Nana.

.

After more than a winter's worth of snow, we welcomed a springlike weekend by spending most of it outside.

One of Madeline's favorite pastimes these days is pushing the stroller around the driveway. And when she gets tired? Well, there just happens to be a stroller for daddy to push her around in!

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Madeline loved all of the gifts she received for her birthday and, not wanting to seem ungrateful, spent lots of time with each gift. Lots of time. Like reading-the-entire-book-twice time. . .

and walking-in-circles-around-the house-for-20-minutes time with her new baby-doll stroller.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Finally it was time for the main event - blowing out the candles on her cake (homemade carrot cake by mommy, with icing/decoration assistance from Aunt Hannah). It took a couple tries but she got the job done. And she's not telling what she wished for!