I'm a little delayed in getting this post up, mainly because I have been lazy about getting the pictures off of my camera. At any rate, though it seems like yesterday we were just bringing her home, I blinked and Maddie turned two! Her actual birthday, March 1st, fell on a Monday so we just did pizza (at Madelyn's request), a giant cookie cake (of which all that was eaten by Miss M was the frosting) and opened her presents from Justin and me. Here are a couple shots I snapped of that night:
Maddie blowing out her candle. She requested it be re-lit several times so she could blow it out again.
Stealing frosting...notice the drool this kid STILL puts out on her shirt!
Sit and Spin - I was surprised to see they still make this toy....and it's still as fun as it used to be!
Maddie is a little artist. She loves to draw on the chalkboard at my mom's house, so we knew this easel would be a hit. I think her exact words opening it were, "Oh, oh, oh! Wow!" Followed by, "Mom, where are the colors?" after we opened the box.
The following Saturday, we had a small gathering of family over to our house for a Mexican Fiesta, inspired by Maddie's favorite friends, Dora and Diego. Thanks to Grandma and Papa Hammes, Grandma and Opa Staebler, Uncle Chris, Jasmin, Aunt Molly, Owen, Drew, Aunt Rachel and Jonathan for helping us celebrate! Andrea, Dominique, Isabelle, Anna, Christine, Daniel and Adam were all missed! Next year we're going to have to go off-site to celebrate #3, our house is getting too small.
The party was fun, even if Winston did try to swipe the cake before it even got started. Too bad I didn't get a picture until AFTER he helped himself to a taste!
These life-size balloons are still floating and being played with daily. Glad they were a hit!
Maddie was spoiled with lots of very thoughtful gifts, which Owen and Jonathan graciously helped open. Here are just a few:
A toy vacuum and play food from Aunt Molly, Uncle Adam, Owen and Drew. Adam also created a fund for Maddie's first Wando's Fishbowl, which I'm sure she will appreciate in college:) Thanks guys!
A jumping horse from Grandma and Opa Staebler. She had a ton of fun helping Daddy and Opa put it together and has had continued fun riding it.
A new bike from Grandma and Papa Hammes! She hasn't quite gotten the pedaling down yet, but she loves to try and we're confident she'll be a speed demon in the driveway in no time!
She also got a Dora coloring book and stickers from Uncle Chris and Jasmin, which she loved SO much she had to take it to day care to show all of her friends...two days in a row...and a savings bond that is greatly appreciated and will be put to good use in the future. Andrea, Dominique and the girls sent a fun play cake set that she loves to serve to Justin and me, and sometimes Winston, almost every day. From Rachel, an adorable pink and white dress that will likely be her Easter dress - I just hope we have some sunshine to enjoy too! And she got a Dora phone, a purse and two pairs of sunglasses from Patty, her day care provider.
We are so blessed to have such great and generous people in our lives. By far the best gift was having everyone there, whether in person or in thought, to celebrate two fun-filled years of Madelyn Kaye Staebler. It's been quite a ride!
Here are a few things to note about Maddie at age two:
She is very tall - 95th percentile at 35.5 inches
She has a big head...for all her brains! The doctor doesn't even tell me about it anymore because it's always off the charts. I think she thinks I'll feel bad, haha.
She does not go far without her lovey - a pink bunny/blanket that she started sleeping with around 9 months and slowly started making its way out of her bedroom and traveling to Grandma's house and Patty's house. She may still have it when she gets married.
She still has not tried to get out of her crib. Not once. Not even at my mom's house where the mattress is up high enough that she could easily hop right out if she wanted. We are happy about this for now:)
As evidenced by her party theme, her favorite thing to watch on tv is Dora and Diego. Until recently, she had no interest in Dora, being quite partial to Diego and Baby Jaguar. Now, she doesn't discriminate.
She can count to ten, with some help, but if left to do it on her own it comes out, "One, Two, One, Two, Nine, Two, Ten!"
She can sing her ABC's, but I will admit that outsiders will probably only recognize a handful of letters. It's progress though!
She likes the light on when she is falling asleep and gets quite mad if you try to turn it off before she is ready.
She is very opinionated and is not afraid to tell you what she thinks. She actually said to me as I was singing to her one night, "Mom, stop. That's bad." Bless her heart.
She HATES bugs. A lady bug flew at us one night and she screamed bloody murder, started sobbing and shaking until Justin "got rid of it". This may be interesting (troublesome) this summer.
She likes to sit on the big girl potty, but has no interest in actually using it.
She loves to read books and tries to stall bedtime every night by saying, "No, just one more book."
She knows a few colors, but usually reverts to blue or red if she is unsure of what the actual color is.
We're past the biting stage, but now she's a pusher and a hitter. This is very frustrating, but we just try to be patient knowing it's just a phase.
She loves to go to Grandma's house on Mondays and Patty's the rest of the week. This makes having to work a little easier, though I do have to say it does sting a little when I go to pick her up and she says, "Hi Mom! I want to stay at Patty's." I can't really blame her though, sometimes I'd like to stay at Grandma's or Patty's too:)
She is starting to remind me a lot of Owen at this age. I can't really put my finger on why, but some of her facial expressions and the way words come out are so similar to him. I guess some stuff really is in the genes!
She loves Winston and any animals that will come near her. The old man is really good with her, though he will let her know when he's had enough. Every morning she wakes up and says to him, "Hi buddy!" then proceeds to scratch his ears or neck and say, "Good boy Winston!"
She will not let me put so much as a barrette in her hair, let alone pig tails or a pony tail. The longest time I can usually get out of her is 30 minutes. This may result in her getting bangs soon, as much as I'd like to avoid doing that.
She wears a size 7 shoe and 2T/3T clothes, depending on the brand. She typically can't get away with 3T on the bottom, but almost always needs it on top because she seems to have a long torso. She does not get that from me, though the short legs are all Mommy.
Speaking of Mommy, she is starting to look more like me as she gets older. I haven't dug any pictures out lately, but I remember a picture of me sitting on my dad's lap with my second birthday cake in front of me (I let my mom put pig tails in though) and I bet if I pull that out I will see a striking resemblance.
That's all for now. Looking forward to year 3 of living with Maddie:)
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