Demolition

Maddie is going through the "clumsy" phase. Last week, she fell at the babysitter's house and still has a bruise on her cheek from that fall. She also put her right hand on their wood-burning stove and blistered her fingertips. She falls about 75 times (or more) per day. Between drying her tears and cleaning up behind the tornado that is Maddie, it's difficult to get anything else done.

In addition to the tumbling, we are working on alternatives to whining. Yes, the girl whines and it drives me just a little nutso! I know that is a phase most kids go through and am trying to be patient with that. I think this is probably God's revenge for my impatience with OPK's (other people's kids) who whine. :) We have been working very hard on turning her whines into "Please" and other more effective forms of communication (like pointing and showing me what she wants). We're making progress. Score so far today: Maddie - 3, Mom - 10!

Last week, Maddie's babysitter asked me, "So, is Maddie bossy at home too?!" Since she doesn't have other kids around most of the time at home, we hadn't noticed the bossiness. However, she has an independent streak a mile wide. She refuses to be fed by either Doug or me. She has to feed herself. As Doug says, she thinks she has to "drive" in pretty much any situation.

If it sounds like I'm complaining, please know that I am not. I love my little girl with all my heart and wouldn't change a thing. She is pushing me to grow beyond anything I ever imagined!

Yesterday, we finally knocked out the wall between our kitchen and living room. The demolition part is done, but we still have some wiring and drywalling to be done. Once that's done, there will be lots of cleaning and painting to take care of. Then, after the first of the year, we want to put new flooring in the kitchen.

Yes - that felt GOOD!

Dave, tearing down the walls.

Too late to turn back!

I'm glad Dave has to deal with this wiring maze.

It's still a work in progress, but we're getting there.

Thanks for checking in.

Much love,

Beth, Doug, & Maddie

Trick or Treat

For Halloween this year, Maddie dressed as a duck. We took her trick-or-treating in the pouring rain and howling wind at a couple of merchants in Downtown Goshen. Nice day for DUCKS!

Maddie still loves playing with the dog's collar when he's not wearing it. She snaps it shut every time and does so very quickly.

Uncle Dave confiscated this Harley from the neighbor's garbage. With the exception of one dead battery, it works perfectly. Maddie absolutely loves riding it. For now, it's in the basement. I'm sure by springtime she'll be flying up and down the road on her hog!

Dave's nieces, LuAnn and Grace, were here yesterday and spent the day playing with Maddie. They all had a great time!

Maddie was introduced to McDonald's Play Place for the first time with LuAnn and Grace. She wasn't too sure about the slide at first. LuAnn held her while sliding down the tube. Each time, Maddie had the most terrified look on her face until they stopped. Then she would break out into a huge grin and shrieks of glee. She jumped up, ran over to the entrance, and wanted to go up again.

Maddie's favorite book right now is a scratch 'n sniff book with a bunch of different fruits. This video is of her sniffing the fruits. She makes the funniest scrunchy face when she sniffs the book.

This week, Maddie found a step stool in our bedroom closet. It is one that we had when we were little kids growing up on the farm. It's wooden, red, and had painted on the top, "This little stool is mine, I use it all the time; to reach the things I couldn't, and lots of things I shouldn't." She quickly figured out how to use it!

I was making dinner one evening last week and I heard her toddling into the kitchen behind me, grunting. I turned around to see her carrying that stool. She brought it over and put it down beside me at the kitchen counter, and climbed up to see what I was doing. Ever since then, when I'm in the kitchen, she puts her little stool right next to me and wants to get in on the action.

Saturday, I was transferring laundry from the washer to the dryer. She brought in her little stool and put it between me and the washer and got up again to "help" me. She's still a little too short to be able to reach anything but she had to feel involved.

After I was done with the laundry, I hurried into the kitchen to prep a couple of dishes for a carry-in we went to that night. Maddie followed and put her stool next to me. I was working at three different stations around the kitchen and she was having a very difficult time keeping up - she couldn't move her stool fast enough. So, she pulled two chairs over from the dining room table and placed one at each place where I was working. Then she could quickly climb up wherever I was working. I was stunned! How can a 16-month-old come up with a solution like that??!

Maddie is becoming more and more independent. She eats with a fork, not a spoon. If we try to feed her anything, she shakes he head no and completely refuses. Once we put it down, she feeds herself. She has a stubborn streak that definitely takes after her father's side of the family!

Maddie likes to walk around the house with a pen and small pad of paper. She walks, stops and writes, then walks again. It looks like she's walking around taking notes about something. I told Doug that we're lucky that she is learning to write on paper and maybe we will be able to avoid her writing on walls, etc. Not five minutes later I saw that she wrote on her sheet on her bed, the linoleum in the kitchen, and the table cloth on the dining room table! When will I ever learn to keep my mouth shut!?

Maddie is also a very loving little girl. She frequently wants hugs, kisses, and to just wrap her arms around my neck or her daddy' neck. That is the best feeling in the whole wide world!

Thanks for checking in on us.

Much love,

Beth, Doug, & Maddie