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. 
