18 months

Maddie is 18 months old! Here are some of the new things she is learning:

She cruises in her crib and along the coffee table and has gotten a lot quicker at crawling!
She says "mmm" when I ask what a cow says or when she sees a cow,
She knows about 15 signs,
She still LOVES her Baby Signing Time DVD and will throw a fit when I turn it off,
She can turn and then slide down to get down from the couch,
She can climb 4 stairs,
She hides her face when she sees any man besides her daddy,
She loves to eat pancakes and says "mmm" when she really likes something she is eating,
She gives lots of kisses to her mommy and daddy!
She laughs when her daddy holds her upside down, and
She loves listening to music and dancing!

17 Months

So it has been awhile since my last post. We have been staying pretty busy! Madelyn is 17 months old. She is growing up so fast, and her personality is starting to show more and more. She has learned so many new things since the last update! Last month, Madelyn started crawling on all 4s. She has gotten much quicker and crawls all the time now. She also pulls to stand at the coffee table, in her crib, and her toy table on her own. She knows the signs for: more, ball, baby, dog, diaper, all done, mommy, daddy, grandma, book, milk, horse. Today I showed her a picture of a baby and asked, "What is it?" and she signed "baby"! Then she did the same for dog and ball. I am so proud of how well she is beginning to use sign language to communicate. Maddie says, "mama", "dada", "mmmmm" (for "more" and "milk"), and imitates some sounds. Maddie knows how to "put in" and "give me one", which were some of her OT goals. Now she is working on learning to stack blocks, which is still hard for her. She also works with her OT on putting pegs into holes to work on her grasp.

Here are some things that Maddie loves... One of Madelyn's favorite toys is her horse she got for her birthday. She would ride on the horse all day if she could. She has worn out the music button in the ear already from playing it so much. Maddie loves any toys with buttons and music and she LOVES to swing. She also points at things at the time and enjoys opening and closing doors. She always wants to turn off the light or shut the garage door too. She likes dancing with her mommy and daddy. Her new favorite thing to do is get under a blanket. We call it making a "tent" and she just laughs and laughs every time I put the blanket over our heads. She is becoming obsessed with her "Baby Signing Time" DVD and requests it by signing "baby" or trying to climb on the TV. She gets very mad and throws a little fit if I turn it off early. She has also done some "coloring" with a magnadoodle and with crayons, which she learned from her cousin, Dane. Richard and I are really excited about Christmas this year. It will be so fun now that Madelyn is a little older.. maybe she won't sleep through most of the festivities like she did last year!
Last month we participated in the Buddy Walk, which raises money for the Down Syndrome Society of Wichita. It was a great event and Maddie's Marchers had about 30 walkers and raised over $800. It started pouring shortly after the actual walk, so we didn't have much time to do all the fun activities. We look forward to the Buddy Walk every year, and we are so appreciative of all the support our friends and family show for people with Down syndrome. Maddie was a 50's girl for Halloween and looked so cute in her costume! She even went trick or treating to a few houses on our block. She LOVED the candy too.

13 months

Here is what Madelyn is up to lately! Madelyn..
is army crawling a few inches at a time
is walking a few steps when someone holds her hands
transitions from sitting to her tummy independently
transitions from all 4s to sitting with some support
has really improved with drinking from her straw cup
drinks a bottle in the morning, a small bottle after lunch, and one before bedtime
sleeps about 3-4 hours during the day (one or two naps) and 11 hours at night
loves books and music
does some motions to "Patty Cake" and "Baby Fishy" using mommy's hands
is really picky about what she eats but still loves grilled cheese sandwiches
loves dancing with mommy
gives kisses when asked and turns on/off the light switch when I ask
gives 'high-fives'
imitates "blah blah blah" and says "mamama" a lot
is begining to imitate the sign for "more"
is very attached to her mommy



Madelyn is seeing her Occupational Therapist at Wesley every other week and her Physical Therapist once a month. She has a Rainbows teacher who comes out twice a month to work on a variety of skills. In about a week, mommy will be going back to work, and Madelyn will go to Grandma Zoo's house 4 days a week. I know they will do so many fun things together!

Summer

We have been busy this summer! Lots of swimming, parties, playing, therapy, walks, story time at the library, and hanging out with family. Aunt Katie brought Maddie this t-shirt from Chicago! And she spilt water on it within a few minutes. Maddie loves her cousin, Dane. She is trying to give him a kiss! Playing with Talia at Grandma Debbie's house. Ready for the Fourth of July party! Maddie likes to hold Bella's leash while we are on a walk.

One

Madelyn turned one on Wednesday last week. That evening, we went to her Grandma's house for a small birthday party. She got to eat cake and icecream and open a few presents. Party #2 is on Sunday afternoon, and it is a ladybug party. I can't believe how fast this year has gone! I have been a little tearful this week when I think about my baby growing up so fast, but I know we have so much to look forward to with our big girl. She brings so much joy to our lives and makes me smile and laugh every day. I love her more than I ever thought I could love another person. Happy first birthday, Madelyn!

Mama

Last weekend, Madelyn, Richard, and I went to the lake house on Tablerock Lake. The water was really high, but we still had a fun time. We went to the pool, but it was really cold so Maddie didn't really like it. We went shopping in Branson and hung out with Grandma and Grandpa.

Grandma couldn't find the bibs, so she used a towel. :)


On Friday, Madelyn and I went to her first water-therapy class. The water was really warm and she had fun. She cried a few times and was a little fussy when she had to do some "work". Maddie has also started throwing a few tantrums this last week. Next week, we are going to song/story time at the library, to a Kindermusik class, and maybe swimming in Aunt Katie's pool. Madelyn is getting her 1 year pictures taken and we might go to Hutchinson to visit our friends, Lindsay, Allisa and Landyn. It will be a busy week!

The other night, Maddie started crying so I went into her room and picked her up and started rocking her. She whispered, "mama" as she started to fall back asleep. It made me smile. :)

Splish Splash

We bought Madelyn a pool this weekend. The water was really cold, and she cried when her daddy put her legs in the water. But she did look super cute in her bathing suit and sun hat! Maddie and I plan on doing a lot of swimming this summer.


Madelyn has been working on drinking from a straw cup, since these are better for oral development than sippy cups. She has been pretty inconsistent since we started with the straw cup but in the last few days she has really improved. I am hoping to have her off of the bottle completely by 12 - 13 months. I am so proud of her when she masters something new!

Little Miss Attitude

Madelyn is 11 months old! She recently has started showing a little attitude and personality, which is really fun to see. She loves to wave her arms back and forth- she does it when she is happy or excited, when she is waving to someone, when she is clapping, and when she wants "more". She has also started screaming when she wants more food (usually when it's something yummy like grilled cheese and not baby food)- even when she has a bite in her mouth still. We have been working on "mmmm" for "more" instead of screaming, and she is starting to get the hang of it. She has been babbling a lot and really likes saying "bababa" (I think she is trying to say Bella). Maddie gets mad if I cradle her like a baby and when someone takes away a toy she really likes. Up until a week or so ago, she was really laid back and never gave us any "attitude". I can't help but laugh when she gets mad because it is so cute! Maddie is doing really well with rolling onto her tummy. She likes rolling around her crib and even sleeps on her tummy sometimes. This summer we are planning to do some water therapy at the YMCA and maybe some play dates with Madelyn's new friend, Easton. Madelyn will be taking her first "vacation" to the lake house for Memorial Day weekend. She has never ridden that long in a car before. We are starting to plan a birthday party for next month! I can't believe Madelyn is almost a year old.

Easter!

Madelyn celebrated her first Easter a few weeks ago. It started with a party on Saturday night to celebrate her daddy's baptism and initiation into the Catholic Church. The next morning, she woke up to find that the Easter bunny had left her a basket! It had a puzzle, a swimming pool, some stuffed animals, a book, and some bubbles.




That morning we went to Grandma and Grandpa Laske's house for brunch and an Easter egg hunt. What a fun way to spend our first Easter together.

I can't believe Madelyn is 10 months old. She is growing up so fast! Maddie has been waving bye (sometimes) and said "I love mama" this morning. (Maybe not what she meant to say, but it sure sounded like it!) She is babbling a lot more lately- she has gotten really good at her B, M, and G sounds. I heard her say dada once last week when she was babbling, but her daddy hasn't heard it yet. She loves to stand up and is so proud of herself when she can get finger foods into her mouth by herself! I love this baby girl more and more every day, and I can't imagine life without her. We are truly blessed.




Last weekend we went to a "new parent" breakfast at the Down Syndrome Society of Wichita. It was really nice to meet some new parents and see all the super cute babies and toddlers.. although I still think Maddie is the cutest baby (ever). Richard is still thinking about starting up a D.A.D.S chapter here (Dad's Appreciating Down Syndrome), but he hasn't gotten started yet.
Here is a video of Maddie laughing while reading a book. She thought my voice was funny! She has the cutest laugh (ever)!



Here is another video of Maddie after bathtime- laughing while Daddy kisses her neck and blows on her tummy. She loves doing "stiffy", and I think it is making her stronger (although it still makes me a little nervous!).

9 months

Madelyn is 9 months old! She is getting so big. At her 9 month check up on Monday, she weighed 18 pounds and was 25 1/2 inches long. That puts her in the 75th percentile for weight and the 25th for height (on the Down syndrome growth charts). She has a second tooth coming in too! She has been really happy and laughing a lot lately. The last two days she laughed and babbled the whole way home from grandma's house. It cracked me up! I don't know what was so funny, but she was entertaining herself. She has the cutest little laught- it sounds like a 1/2 laugh and 1/2 cough. Maddie has also started grabbing my face and then giving me a kiss. She wraps her arms around my neck for a hug too. Here are some pictures of Maddie getting ready for bed!







We took advantage of the beautiful weather this weekend and went to the park Saturday afternoon. Madelyn fell asleep on the way there and slept the whole time, so we didn't get to play on the playground equipment. Bella had fun though!



Here is Maddie's squinty-eyed smile- she does this all the time now and I love it!


Richard and I are doing a program at church called "6 Dates." For the six Saturdays during Lent, we meet at church to watch a short video and then go on a date! Maddie's Grandma Debbie came over to babysit Saturday night while we went on our first date. She loves spending time with her Grandma Debbie!