Dino-eating, Bird-watching Baby

I believe this answers the age old question: what happened to the dinosaurs?
Looking at the ducks. Serious business.

Crawling

Maddox has started to do a "real" crawl now. He still loves the camera. It's a challenge to take pictures or video because he wants to grab the camera. So far we've managed to escape any slobbery lens damage.

Today he was standing up by the sofa when I turned on music. He immediately started dancing. Pretty cute!

Valentine's Day

Maddox is on the move! We can hardly get him to hold still for a diaper change. He thinks he's big stuff- loves brushing his teeth, standing and playing with toys on the couch, and climbing in the bathtub. He outgrew his cradle and is sleeping in the crib for the first time tonight. Papa and his Great-Grandma delivered the crib and visited today. He was all smiles!

Eight Months

We have had quite a bit of wintery weather. For the most part Maddox and I try to stay inside and enjoy the view. I have mixed feelings about our decision to stay in this little apartment. It's good in a way, because it helps us stick to our values in raising Maddox- focusing on time together and not "stuff." It works out budget-wise as well, because I don't have any desire to shop because we don't have space for new things. On the other hand, the clutter really stresses Brian and I out. We are currently using even our patio and trunks of our cars for storage. Not fun! Our room is the worst and I think that is why I've been having a hard time sleeping again. While all of this is stressful, we are so lucky that I am able to spend this first year home with Maddox. This privilege has been truly priceless. We are soooo looking forward to the future when we have a house of our own. We are also trying to keep in the mind-set of using what we already have and only buying things we want to have for a long time instead of purchasing temporary furniture. Good for the environment and our wallets! It's also fun to use pieces of furniture for Maddox that already come with memories. He has Brian's old dresser, his great-grandfather's chair, cradle and crib that my dad made, and a cedar chest Dad made for me when I went to summer camp that he uses as his toy box.

Maddox is pulling up and has two bottom teeth! It's crazy how these 8 months have flown by!

I'm working a little at the LDC again and Maddox had his first day at a new sitter last week. I was a nervous wreck, but he did great. The sitter is very calm and Maddox loves watching the big kids play.

Right now Maddox has a cold. He has an inhaler that he absolutely hates and wants to be in my arms constantly- but he's still sweet and mostly happy even when sick.

Carrots

Maddox's reaction to home-made baby food (about a month ago). NOT. A. FAN.

Giggles

Our friend, Farhad, recorded Maddox's giggles when we visited in JC. In one Brian is surprising Maddox. In the other Riley is modeling her new dress-up clothes with loud, clunky shoes, which was incredibly entertaining to Maddox. This video was at the tail-end of the modeling/laughing extravaganza when he was actually calming down.

A White Christmas

It was a great first Christmas, with a perfect Christmas Day snow! Brian and I are so lucky to have such a healthy, sweet boy. We enjoyed a quiet Christmas in Springfield. Then, at Papa's house Maddox got his first ride on a rocking horse and fell in love with the fish tank.

On Christmas Day we made our way to Jefferson City. Riley kept hugging Maddox- and he just loved getting attention from her. Maddox and Jayson mostly just took toys from each other, but I'm sure they will have tons of fun in the future! We had a nice visit with Brian's family- including his grandparents from Nebraska. We then had a short visit in Wardsville with my Grandma and we left with tons of Christmas cookies (which lasted about a week) and WWII photos and letters of my grandfather's for Brian to scan and study. Grandma also let me have a couple of shirts of Grandpa's that I plan to use in a project for Maddox.

My aunt, Lynn, was in town on New Years Eve and watched Maddox while Brian and I went to the movies. It was a nice treat.

-I just realized that I don't think we took a single picture of Brian and I over the holidays. Maddox will just have to trust that we were there.-