Mother Daughter Shopping Trip (Plus Eric)

Eric was a good egg and took Madeline and I shopping today.

We took the back roads instead of the highway, and we were very confused to see a group of Red Coats marching through the woods with muskets.  At first we thought the corner people had put something in our coffee at Dunkin Donuts, but then we remembered it's Patriot's Day weekend.  We wished we had known about the reenactments ahead of time.  It would have been a nice way to spend the day, but we weren't equipped for traipsing about through the woods pretending to be Paul Revere.

First, we went to Buttons and Bows, a children's consignment store in Acton, MA.  I went there when Maddie was still living at home, and I vowed to go back.  (Luckily, today's adventure did not include accidentally showing my best assets to a group of strangers.)

I got two cute dresses,  (Love, LOVE, the tulip one, and the peach one has Vespas on it!!)  a romper with apples on it, and a pair of fish leggings.  Cute stuff for not much money.

Then, we went to Old Navy where I bought the world because they were having a sale.

We supported the birth of the American Revolution as every good American should...by using our credit cards.

Vacation!

I wanted to take a celebratory "We're on vacation, Hooray!" picture of the three of us this afternoon.

I was going was going for cute, but instead we got:

We're sure not pretty, but we're still cute in our own way.

Good Morning Maddie Bear

When I went into Madeline's room to wake her up this morning, she was curled up on her side sleeping soundly like a little angel.  She was so cute that I decided I needed a picture...or ten. 

The poor Maddie Bear was rudely aroused from her peaceful slumber  by the flash on her Mumma's camera.  She was not happy, but I kept taking pictures while she tried to squirm away from the light.  I think this may make me a bad parent.  

P.S. Eric says this makes me extra creepy. 

Etsy Easter Basket

Madeline's first visit from the Easter Bunny is coming up soon, so I've been browsing for little gifts for me her to enjoy.

Like this Dainty Golden Bunny Necklace...(So, so charming!)

 And this Crochet Lemon Beanie Hat...(Because I heart yellow!)

Plus these Blue Bird Earrings...(Yes, I know Madeline doesn't have pierced ears.)

And these adorable Easter Hair Clips...(Yes, I know Madeline doesn't have hair.)  

And these amazing Easter Egg Scribbler Crayons...(I heart crayons!)  

And these beautiful Grey Mary Janes...(I heart shoes more!)  

And, of course, Simon Mouse...(Because obviously.) 

And this Hydrangea Headband...(To make up for Maddie's lack of hair.)  

Obviously, I don't Madeline doesn't need all of these items for Easter, but it will include some kind of small gift.  After all, she can't eat the candy yet, so it's only fair that she get something for herself.     

30 Weeks

The Big 3-0!  Wowza!

(Speaking of which, I'll be hitting my own big 3-0 in less than a month.  Eeepp!)

Madeline in one word? ADORABLE!  She's so damn cute it makes my insides jiggle like a bowl full of jelly, and it's not because I just did, in fact, eat a bowl full of jelly.

She's learned to string her "Duh" sounds together to make "Da-Da."  She doesn't understand what she's saying yet, but it's still soooooo adorable!  She says it constantly.  When she wakes up in the mornings, all I can hear is "Da-da, Da-da, Da-da," through the baby monitor.   The only thing that could possibly be cuter would be if she were saying, "Mumma, Mumma, Mumma," instead.

Another heart-melting skill she's picked up is giving me kisses.  No joke, my daughter gives me kisses.  I spend a lot of time munching on Madeline's cheeks.  They're so chubby.   Plus, it usually makes her giggle, which is probably the best sound in the world.  You really can't blame me for trying to eat her up on a regular basis.  A-dor-a-ble!

I do it so often that Madeline has learned how to return the favor.  Now, whenever I kiss her cheek, she opens her mouth as wide as it will go and starts sucking on mine.   Sometimes I don't even have to kiss her first; she just does it on her own.  I'll pick her up to be greeted by a big, watery baby kiss.  It's so adorable that I don't even mind the bucket of drool that I have to wipe off my face when she's done.  

We've started sitting her up in her whale tub instead of using the recliner now that she can sit so well on her own. She likes it because she can splash around and play.  I like it because it makes it easier to wash behind her ears.  Last night I had several bath toys floating around in the tub to distract amuse her while I scrubbed sweet potato out of her crevices.  Madeline wanted to play with all the toys at once.  She kept scooping them up to her chest and burying her face in the water so she could chew on all of them at the same time.  She looked like a greedy, old millionaire hoarding his/her piles of gold. So adorable.

The bath toys are mine!  All mine!  Bwahahaha! 

As if you need further proof that my baby is adorable, Madeline was quite the cuddle-bug today.  Eric stayed home with her from work to meet the early intervention people.  (Nothing new to report there.  They just did paperwork.)   Eric said that Madeline would not let Eric put her down all day long.  I think she was just so excited to have some Daddy time that she wanted to cuddle.

 When I got home from work, I tried to get her to take a much-needed nap.  Madeline was having nothing to do with lying flat.  I picked her up to rock her, she nestled her head into my shoulder and fell asleep on me in about two seconds flat.  I was trapped under the baby all the way through Oprah.  I've got the life.

Are you jelly-filled now too? Because, if you're not, you might want to get that checked out.  Your heart may be made of stone.

Learning to feed oneself is messy!

  

The Littlest Rhody

We took advantage of the beautiful weather this weekend with a trip to Rhode Island.

I went to the University of Rhode Island, but I haven't been back to the state for a good four years now. Um, how did that happen??  

I don't get nostalgic over many things in life.  I'm not the kind of person who misses high school, or misses my best friend from second grade.  But this weekend? I had full on flash backs.

For some reason, the clearest of my memories from college take place in the early spring.  It reminds me of walks at Narragansett Pier, visits to Newport, and all-night-paper-writing benders because I'd waited till the last minute to write that twenty-page final...again.    

This Saturday also happened to be Welcome Day for the incoming freshmen.  When we stopped by campus, (because I was dying to see what they've done with the place!) it was crawling with eager high school students warily exploring dorms with their parents.

It brought back memories of my Welcome Day and how I wasn't convinced I wanted to attend URI.  Little did I know that those years would turn out to be some of the best of my life.  

I worked for the student newspaper my junior and senior years.  

  It's weird going back now with my family.  The college students look like kids.  I couldn't remember the names of most of the buildings anymore.  The halls of Memorial Union, where I spent a large amount of time, no longer look familiar.  It somehow looks smaller, older than I remember it.  None of the faces are recognizable, and sadly, I've lost touch with most of my friends from college in the seven years since we've graduated.  In short, it's no longer home.    

I've only got seventeen years to convince Madeline that URI would be a good place for her to go to school.  It's a good thing I've started early.

      

Mom News: Roomba Baby

My BFF, Amy of Everyday A, sent me a link to this article today.

We have a Roomba.   We have a Bumbo.  We have a Maddie Bear.  New game???  Perhaps.

Eric and I always laugh over the pictures on baby products warning parents not to use it during certain activities like skiing or horseback riding.  You mean I can't take Madeline surfing?!  Can't you just picture Madeline strapped to her Dad's chest as they indoor skydive?  The Baby Bjorn doesn't say you can't!

These parents aren't doing anything wrong.  The Bumbo doesn't say you can't!

Maybe it should?