Food!

We started Madeleine on solid food a couple of weeks ago, and so far it's been a hit. Just like with Claire, we started with avocado. But, completely opposite of Claire, Madeleine really wasn't impressed. She barely touched the stuff, and when she did get a piece in her mouth she gave us a horrible look. She's becoming much more adept at sitting in her high chair with us at the table and feeding herself dinner. It's so nice to have our full family of four enjoying a meal together!

Here are some pictures of the first avocado:

And look at how well she can hold a banana:

Foods she's eaten so far:
Avocado
Apricots (a favorite)
Banana
Crackers
Graham crackers (another favorite)
Cooked carrots
Cream Cheese (a super favorite--She either licks it off a spoon or sucks it off of toast strips)
Cheddar cheese
Peaches (She ate an entire peach the other night. I halved it and she sucked the meat right off the skin)
Tortillas

Skinny Minnie

We're starting to get Madeleine's baptism organized, which prompted us to get out Claire's baptism dress. We were thinking that we'd need to have another one made for Moo because she's so much bigger than C was at this stage. We've definitely decided to go that route because, well, C's dress STILL fits her. She's going to get to wear hers to the baptism, and Mad will wear her own. So basically, Madeleine is bigger around at 6 months than Claire is at 3 YEARS. I don't think she needs to know that, though. :)

Bathtub Magic

One of Claire's favorite things is to play in the tub. She can easily spend an hour in there if we let her, just playing and pretending. She likes to wash her tea party dishes, play her bathtub basketball, and do magic. She tells Jason, "Have a seat for the show!" and he sits with Madeleine on the rug by the tub. Her specialty is making things appear. She sets out her magic washcloth on the side of the tub, waves her magic wand (a marker) and says the magic words ("Magic baby, magic baby make the shell appear!"). Just at that moment, Daddy notices something on the other side of the tub that takes her attention away from the washcloth for just a moment. And when she returns her attention to the show and lifts up the washcloth, a shell has appeared! It amazes her every time, and she honestly believes she's done magic. But don't call her a magician--she's afraid she'll accidentally make herself disappear and never come back!

6-Month Stats

Madeleine had her 6-month appointment this morning and, according to the doctor (and her mommy), she is "perfect". She was especially impressed with the amount she's grown since the 4-month check: 3 inches (up to 26 in, which is the 55th percentile) and 2.5 pounds (up to 16 lbs, the 49th percentile). Yay Miss Moo!

Playing at home

Madeleine is Six Months Old!

I absolutely cannot believe that six months ago today I was in the hospital, getting ready to deliver Madeleine. Time has gone by so quickly, and I couldn't have imagined then how amazing it has been watching her join our family.

One word comes to mind to describe this last month: CHANGE. Miss Moo started sitting, took her first airplane ride, ate her first solid food, and has figured out how to move during the last 30 days. Slow down!!!!

Madeleine is growing even faster than she has been. She started the month wearing 3-6 clothes, but scooted right by size 6 months, and is now fitting nicely into 9 month! Yikes! We'll go to the doctor next week for an official weight, but I'm guessing she's at least 16 pounds. (By way of comparison, Claire was only 18 pounds at 12 months.....) She's also in a size 3 diaper.
She is talking constantly, and has figured out different inflections depending on her mood. She giggles all the time at Big Sister, especially if she's jumping around or waving things in the air. Madeleine has also figured out that the drop-my-toy-and-make-it-bang-on-the-floor game can be quite hilarious. Claire does not agree.
Moo is sitting by herself most of the time, but is working out the balance issue. She's definitely getting there, but I don't feel comfortable leaving her sitting by herself on the floor yet.
Moving has been a top priority for Moodle. (I honestly can't tell you how these nicknames came to be.) She can roll where she wants to, which usually results in a leg stuck between the crib slats during the night. She's also inch worming and can slowly get to where she wants to go. And if she's on a soft surface, she'll push her tummy off the floor and start rocking. I'm definitely not ready for the crawling that appears to be coming soon. Here's some inching:
Madeleine took her first-ever plane ride this past weekend. Mommy and the girls took a short flight up to Dallas for Cousin Ben's high school graduation in Oklahoma. Everybody did great!
Miss Magoodle (ridiculous, I know) has slowly started her journey into solid food. She's tried avocado, accompanied with a horrible face that says, "You really want me to put that in my mouth?" The banana she tried this morning was much more agreeable, and she even took bites!
Whew, what a month it has been! Can't wait to see what excitement is in store for June!