Happy 11 Months Maddie!

I can't believe my baby girl is just a month away from being a year old! She is completely enthralled with everything around her and usually likes to touch it (which keeps me on my toes). She is continuing to take steps but prefers to make her getaways the faster way - by crawling. I love watching Maddie try to do everything her big sister does and clap for herself once she accomplishes her goal. Here are some recent pics:

Toys that keep on giving

It is always nice to look at a toy and say that was a great purchase. One toy that wins that status in our household is the Playskool Discovery Dome. The Dome was purchased for Anna's first Christmas but at 2 months of age, Anna was unable to play with it of course. I first wrote about the Dome on my blog when Anna was 7 months old. The toy has been used for playing, napping in, hide and seek, hiding toys from Maddie, a "quiet spot" for pooping (in the diaper of course!) and now sister time.

Anna Goes to the Dentist

Yesterday I took Anna for her first dentist appointment. We had been preparing her for weeks telling her all about having her teeth tickled. We practiced counting her teeth and going 'ahhhh'. Mommy and daddy had both been to the dentist a few weeks before and Anna was excited to have her turn. We decided to try out Raleigh Pediatric Dentistry on the recommendation of a few friends and due to the proximity to our house. My husband watched Maddie and off Anna and I went. The waiting room was really cool with lots of fish, toys, books and video games - at this point I think I was definitely more nervous than Anna (I get a little anxiety about going to the dentist myself). The hygienist came out to meet Anna and was super bubbly and nice. Anna was a little shy but warmed up when the lady gave her a Dora sticker. I really liked how both the hygienist and dentist walked me through every step they were about to make before they made it and I felt reassured at all times even if Anna didn't really understand what was going on. When it came time for them to brush Anna's teeth, Anna sat on my lap and we laid her back onto the hygienist's lap. This caused a little bit of panic in Anna who immediately started crying. I guess one key thing I forgot to prepare her for was the laying back into someone else's lap - I know for next time. It was sad to watch but was quickly over and Anna then got to pick out a prize from the treasure chest which made her day. I highly recommend this dental practice!

A few things I learned/recommendations that were made to me:

* It is recommended to use a fluoride toothpaste at Anna's age; though only use a tiny amount.
* It is not expected that kids can spit out their toothpaste until age 4 (I thought we had to master this before changing toothpastes).
* The next tooth that Anna will get is an adult tooth around age 6 (she has all of her 20 baby teeth)
* They recommend giving up the sippy cup at age 2 and that beverages, besides water, are consumed in a big girl cup at mealtime

"Bye Bye"

We were leaving the park today and telling our friends goodbye when Maddie starts waving back. When did she learn this?!?!? Of course we hurried home to show daddy and to get it on video.

Maddie's "Walking" Debut

Fun in the Snow

It snowed in Raleigh once again! My husband laughs when I say we have had "a lot" of snow this year. Despite Anna only lasting 10 minutes outside during the previous snow, I decided to take her out to play in it once again. This time Anna had a blast! She loved making paths in the snow and throwing snowballs. I even had to bribe her inside with hot chocolate (once I got cold). This may be it for snow for awhile, we are looking at temperatures in the 70's by Friday. Hurry Spring!

Standing, Steps & Shoes

Maddie is now 10 months old and exploring the path to walking. She loves to stand up in the middle of the floor and be cheered on. I motion for her to walk to me and undoubtedly, she squats back down into a crawl. She will take a series of two steps and then dives forward into the third which results in a graceful fall to the floor. I must admit I am ready for her to start walking. In my mind it seems like going to the playground or the beach will be "easier" once she is walking and not so close to the things on the ground which she likes to eat. We'll see if that proves true. Here she is:



In celebration of Maddie's steps, we bought her first pair of walking shoes at Stride Rite. We had hopes that Maddie would be able to wear Anna's shoes but Maddie measured a 3.5 medium whereas Anna's first shoes at 10 months were 5 wide.