Grandma, The Wiggles, and Lucy

We went to Terre Haute to visit Grandma Patrick last weekend. They just got back from NM and bought Maddie this adorable hat.

Grandma's friend sent Maddie a bunch of play pots & pans, a tea set, and made her an apron. Maddie played with those toys all weekend.

Monday evening we took Maddie to see The Wiggles (a.k.a. WEE-WEE in Maddie-speak) live at the Morris Civic Auditorium in South Bend. What a show! It was enjoyable even for adults... what little I saw of it anyway. Most of my evening was spent staring at Maddie's backside as she stood on my lap and danced, jumped, clapped, and got all caught up in the show. The show lasted for an hour and 45 minutes and she was into it the entire time. I was afraid that she would lose interest, but no... she LOVES those guys! In one of their songs, they sing, "Bow to your partner," then pause and bow. Maddie bowed right along with them. I didn't even know she knew the song but it became evident that she knew almost everything they sang.

Maddie and her mommy enjoying the show.

Yes, Daddy adores his daughter!

Spectacular show!

When we were in Terre Haute last weekend, we met Lucy and her family for lunch before we headed home. Lucy was in the same orphanage as Maddie and we got to spend lots of time with them when we were in China. It was so cool to see how much little Lucy has grown and changed. She is a trip! She is a month younger than Maddie and is doing pretty much everything Maddie is doing. It did my heart good to see another mama darting after her daughter as she tried to make a run for it when we were getting ready to leave the restaurant! This photo is Lucy's daddy and the girls.

This is Lucy's beautiful mama and oh-so-sweet big sister, Anna.

Maddie is doing new things every single day. She knows animal sounds for cow, horse, chicken, pig, dog, and kitty. She loves to play with Legos. She can sit on the floor, taking them apart and putting them together for hours on end. She is also learning her numbers. The other night on the way home from the babysitters I was counting telephone poles... one, two, three, four, five... and she said six. I thought it was a fluke so I did it again and again she said six! The next count, after I said six, she said seven. She continues to amaze us with all the new things she is absorbing. Of course, along with the good comes the bad... she has learned her first 4-letter word and loves to spew it out... s##t. Hmmm... wonder where she picked that up!

This video is a great representation of Maddie's dancing throughout the entire Wiggles show. It's a little dark but you'll get the gist.

It's time to sign off for now. Thanks for checking in with us.

Much love,

Beth, Doug & Maddie

16 Months Photos

Maddie continues to grow and change before our eyes. Since she figured out how to clasp the dog's collar, she has to close all clasps she encounters... on her high chair, on her carseat, and even on her changing pad. She's getting quite adept at all of them.

Maddie loves to sing and play the piano. She also loves to play football with her babysitter's 4-year-old and 7-year-old boys. She runs, then drops and rolls just like the boys. She even tries to hike the ball! Yesterday we went shoppig at E&S Sales in Shipshewana. When she saw the tractors in the toy aisle, she got so excited that she almost jumped out of the shopping cart. She has become quite a tomboy. She loves to build things with her Legos. Everything she builds becomes a truck or tractor and she purses her lips and goes "brrrrrrrrrrr" as she pushes it across the floor.

We never thought it was possible, but every day we are more in love with our little girl. Every day she is more fun and more beautiful than the day before. We are truly blessed to have Maddie in our lives.

Enjoy the photos...

Much love,

Beth, Doug, & Maddie

Growing So Fast!

Little Miss Bed-Head getting her morning dose of The Wiggles.

This week we had Maddie's 15-month checkup. She has caught up in every way and is a healthy little girl. Since we have brought her home, she has gained 6 pounds and grew 6 inches. With her vocabulary, she is ahead of other kids her age. According to Dr. Chris, 4 words is the expectation by this age. Maddie's vocabulary consists of 15-20 words.

When we walked into the doctor's office on Monday, she immediately spotted the aquarium in the corner and pointed and yelled, "Fish!" I didn't even know she knew that word. She amazes us with new things like that every day.

Last night, Maddie spotted the dog's collar on the back of a living room chair. She climbed up, picked up the collar and studied it for a bit, then snapped the two ends together (it has one of those plastic interlocking clasps). She then brought it to me to separate, then worked at it a little bit and snapped it together again. She did that over and over until she had it down pat and could do it without hesitation.

At bedtime last night, once again doing everything she could to fight sleep, she handed me the TV remote and said, "Wee-wee!" (That's how she says Wiggles.) Our girl LOVES The Wiggles!

This was a tough week for Maddie's mama. I went to TN on a business trip for two days and had to leave Maddie at home with her daddy and grandmas. It was a great opportunity for Doug and Maddie to deepen their bond and they did! She is Daddy's girl like never before. When I first got back, she didn't want to have anything to do with me. That was hard. However, the next morning things were back to normal and she loves her mama once again.

While I was gone, we discovered that she likes raisin bran for breakfast! She picks out all the raisins and then eats the bran.

I have a very demanding toddler wanting my attention so this entry is done. Thanks for checking in.

Much love,

Beth, Doug & Maddie