Sass & Smiles

Maddie

I haven't taken many pictures of Mads in the last couple of weeks, but I do have a few funny stories. Since Charlie's arrival, Maddie has had some trouble adjusting to her new life. One area of trouble has been bed time. Before he came, we could put her in her room and shut the door. She would play quietly or read her books before laying down. Once she learned she could open the door to our room, she would come out and cry a bit before heading back into her room. Then she started venturing through our room and out to the landing where she would scream bloody murder in hopes that mom or dad would come up and 'take a nap' in her bed until she fell asleep. Recently, we put a lock on our side of the door so she can't come out. It really only took one night for her to figure out she couldn't open the door and now she has returned to quietly playing or reading until she falls asleep. I put up a couple pictures of her in a sleepy state. One night I found her with her favorite book of the week over her face. I could just see her looking at the pages while her eyes were getting heavy until she just couldn't hold the book up any longer. The other picture is what was happening in the nights before we locked her door. She would bring out her books and toys and sleep on the floor behind her door. The problem was we didn't know she was sleeping back there until we opened the door and knocked her in the head.

Maddie is also saying the funniest things. The other night I made roasted asparagus for dinner. I cut hers into small pieces in hopes she would think it was green beans. Mine was still long. As I was eating away, she made this weird face and said, "No eat grass, mommy." I got hysterical at that one. She is also always saying "offa my face". This is used when you try to give her a kiss, wipe her mouth/nose, get too close to her, change her shirt, pretty much anything that involves touching her. She is very dramatic and quite a ham, which really surprises me.

Don't think she is giving up on the tantrums. The other night I put her in time out because she refused to get her feet off of the dinner table. She held on to the back of the time out chair while hanging her feet over the floor without touching the floor, all while telling me "no". If I hadn't been so mad, it would have been hilarious. She tests my patience. I don't know where she gets her bull-headed spirit, but I'm blaming her dad! (I know where he points the blame, and he is usually right.)

Charlie

This boy just continues to grow and change despite my requests for him to slow down a bit. I take him next week for a check-up and his first round of shots. He is staying awake a bit more each day...as long as I put him down. He is very content to nap on my chest all day if I will hold him or put him in my wrap carrier. He is making lots of grunts and squeaks. I can't wait to hear what his voice will be like. Helen always jokes with me that we couldn't wait to hear our kids' voices and now that they talk we wish they would be quiet. It is true, but I look forward to hearing it early on. Ask me again when he is Maddie's age.

He is also starting to smile intentionally. Last night he got my hair in his fist and it seemed to make him quite happy. By the time Steve got the camera the smiles weren't as big, but I did catch a big one this morning. I was getting ready to do my workout and was talking to him a bit. He got to grinning and squirming. I told mom he was probably thinking about how funny I look when I work out. If I wasn't dying to keep up with the dvd, I would probably laugh at the sight of me jumping around, too. Anyway, I love the smile and hope it turns out like his daddy's. Steve did get "Best Smile" in his senior yearbook and it is the thing that first grabbed my attention when I met him.