Snow Day!

On Tuesday, February 23, it snowed in Austin. Not icey rain, but real snow that stuck on the ground. I took Maddie outside to play and Eric came home from work a couple of hrs early to build a snowman with her. It was a fun afternoon.

Road Trip to Amarillo

Last week, we took a long road trip across Texas to Amarillo to visit Rae, Vinny and little Ava. We also got to pop in on my Mark and Whitney in San Angelo which was nice too. We can't wait till Mason arrives!!

Eric and I truly have a perfect little girl. Ok, maybe Maddie's not perfect but she behaved wonderfully on the road, playing with toys, reading books and watching a few DVDs. Eric and I were relieved by how happy she seemed in spite of sitting in the car for several hrs at a time.

Our visit in Amarillo was so much fun. Now that Maddie is walking, she and cousin Ava (18 months) had a blast. This was the first time that they actually played together all by themselves, chased each other, played pretend kitchen, peak-a-boo and even shared food. We spent a lot of time just watching the girls interact.

Big thanks to Rae, Vinny and Ava for being the hosts with the most(s). :-) We hope to see you again really soon.

BFFs

Maddie visited her friend Erica yesterday and they had a wonderful time. As they get older and see each other more often, they recognize each other and interact more. It's so sweet to see them play together and smile at each other. Maddie's very lucky to have a friend like Erica.

Nature and Science Center of Austin

At the recommendation of one one my Mommy friends, we visited the Nature and Science Center of Austin today. It's primarily an outdoor center near Austin's famous Town Lake and Zilker Park.

After several days of cold and rain, today was 65 degrees and sunny - a perfect day to spend outside.

We met our friends, the Mollos, who have a sweet boy just 3 months younger than Maddie. We spent the afternoon walking trails, looking at animals and letting the babies play. The babies seemed to enjoy the animals and spending the afternoon outside. Overall, it was a wonferful way to spend a beautiful Saturday.

Jumpy House Playdate

On Tuesday, we met some of Maddie's friends at a kids jumpy gym called Locomotion. The babies had so much fun. They had room to walk, crawl, explore the inflatable castles and play with toys. It was cold and rainy outside, so the jumpy gym was a perfect place for the babies to burn some energy. We'll definitely be returning soon.

Toy Box Trick

One day while Eric was playing with Maddie, he put her into her little toy box. A few weeks later, Maddie climbed into her toy box all by herself and sat there happily playing with her toys. She gets into her toy box everyday as part of her playtime routine. She knows how to get in and out all by herself.

We think it's a cute little trick.

Head Gear

For several weeks now, Maddie has been putting just about everything on her head. Toys, empty containers, kitchen bowls, cloths, etc. She'll play with an item and then try to balance it on her head while giggling with glee. If there's a mirror nearby, she'll try to see what she looks like with the item on her head and laugh even more. It's such a funny thing that we always want to remember.

Helping Mommy in the kitchen:


Entertaining herself on a roadtrip to my brother's home for Christmas (taken by me through her mirror since she was still rear-facing at the time):

1-yr-Old Well-Check Appointment

I'm a bit behind on my blog posts these days but really wanted to write a bit about Maddie as a 1-yr-old.

Maddie seems to be doing something new or different every couple of days, so I will try to start writing shorter posts more often so I don't forget these wonderful experiences. Maddie just keeps getting more fun and amazes us daily. I want to try to remember as much as I can.

Stats:
Height: 30.1 in (75%)
Weight: 21.7 lbs (50%)
Head: 18 1/4 cm (75%)

Things we want to remember about Maddie at 12-months old:

• She walks! She's pretty fast, stable and spends 99% of her day walking.
• She started drinking whole milk a few days ago (at 1 yr, 2 weeks old) and loves it. So far, not problems and drinks around 4-6 ounces with each meal.
• She's got 8 teeth - all in the front. No molars yet.
• She still has a great appetite and eats whatever we eat for the most part. We're holding out on giving her sweets except an occasional treat.
• She loves books and "reads" on her own several times a day. She often calls a book "E-I-E-I-O" instead of book.
• She loves cuddling and playing with blankets and pillows during the day.
• She likes carrying around containers (old shoe box, gift bag) with with handles like a purse(!)
• She's starting to throw mini toddler tantrums when she doesn't get what she wants. Uh, oh.
• Now that she's comfortable walking, she's starting to climb more (i.e. tries to climb up to our bed, onto an ottoman, etc)
• She understands so much we say like "Let's go change your diaper.", "Do you want some milk?" Do you want cheerios?" "Say hi/" and several other phrases and words. It's amazing how much she understands.
• She is a silly girl and enjoys putting toys or cloths on her head and looking and making faces at herself in a mirror.

Here's a recent video of Maddie being silly during dinner with Mommy, Daddy, Grandnee and Granpa Ramirez.

Maddie's 1st Birthday Party

On Saturday afternoon, Maddie had a "Moo, Baa, La-La-La" themed b-day party with her friends. We had a wonderful time and hope that the babies and adults enjoyed themselves too.

As we sang happy birthday to Maddie, I fought back tears thinkig about how much she's changed and become a smart, independent little girl. I can only imagine the new milestones that lie ahead this year.

Thanks to all our family and friends for making Maddie's party a great succcess.

To see more party pics, click on the link below:
1st Birthday Party Pictures

Maddie turns ONE!

Today, our little Maddie turns one. This last year has been so amazing for Eric and me because of Maddie.

Every night, Eric and I talk about what a perfect child and person she's become. She gives us so much joy and still melts our hearts all the time. We feel so blessed and lucky to have Maddie in our lives.

Maddie, if you read this some day, I want you to know how much we love you and how happy you make us every day.

Here's Maddie at the park with Mommy and Daddy this weekend: