Pumpkin Village and Madelyn's 4 month check-up

I really mean to update the blog more often and funny things happen every day and I say to myself "I have to remember to put that in the blog". But then the days just fly by and suddenly it's been two or more weeks. Sheesh.

Like right now I wanted to jot down the stats from Madelyn's 4 month check up, which I thought was maybe 5 or 6 days ago at the most and then I look at the calendar and see that it was 10 days ago. At this rate I'm going to be really old, really fast . . .

So yes, Madelyn had her check up and she looks great. Her belly button's all healed up, so no more treatment needed there. She's 14 lbs 13 ounces and 26 1/2 inches long, putting her in the 98% for height and 75% for weight. She's one inch longer than Ava was at this age and just a few ounces lighter. All I know is that she keeps growing out of all her footie pj's and if she doesn't slow down she's going to have to cut the feet out!

She's still a happy happy baby most of the time. She is just about to start rolling over and is really enjoying her hands and feet and exploring new toys. She loves being in her new Exersaucer from Papa Jim and Manga. She especially loves the little mirror on it and shrieks and yells at the "other" baby looking at her.

Ava is enjoying Madelyn more and more. She likes to read books to her and show her how to play with her toys. Yesterday Madelyn was in her Boppy seat and Ava sat down with her snack right in front of Madelyn and just chatted away at her the entire time she was eating her snack. So cute!

A couple of days ago I asked Ava what she wanted for Christmas and she said "Presents!" (I guess she does remember last Christmas after all. At least it's obvious that she knows the real meaning of Christmas . . .I'm such a good parent . . .). Then I asked her what kind of presents she wanted and she said, "Pink ones!" So I asked her how many she wanted and she said, "One." So just to be sure I asked her, "So you want one pink present for Christmas?" And she said, "Yes!" I'm pretty sure we'll be able to make her Christmas wish come true this year.

Ava's favorite thing to do lately is play hide and seek. She asks to play it all the time and she especially loves playing it with her dad when he's home. Usually we take turns, first me and Ava hide and Dada finds us and then Dada hides and me and Ava find him. After every turn Ava says, "Hide again?" She's really good at it too and hold perfectly still and it totally silent, even "shhhhhing" me if I get too noisy.

A couple of days ago Ava put her baby in Madelyn's carseat, buckled her in, gave her a toy and a blanket and then laid another blanket over the top of the carseat. I was on the phone at the time and Ava came over and tugged on my pant leg and said, "Shhh Mama. Baby sleeping."

Tonight while I was getting dinner ready Ava came running into the kitchen carrying her Doodle Board exclaiming, "It's me Mama! It's me!" showing me the picture she'd drawn of herself. She held it up and said "cheese" so we could take a picture and text it to Dada since he's been in Arizona at a Catalyst conference. She's always asking me to draw things for her on the Doodle Board. I ask her what she wants me to draw and then I do my best. There are four scenes I usually end up drawing at her suggestion. 1) Hi-You, Mama, Dada, Madelyn and Lambie, 2) Dora, Map, Boots, Tico and stars, 3) House, tree, apples, swing, slide, Hi-You on the slide saying "whee!", grass, flower, sun, clouds, moon and stars, and 4) Kitty cat, Dog, monkey, another dog, a baby dog, another kitty etc.

Just before Halloween we went to the Dallas Arboretum to see their Pumpkin Village thanks to half-off tickets from Groupon. I love, love, love the pictures we got here, especially of the girls matching dresses and Ava's pink cowgirl boots!

Playing in a house of pumpkins!

Silly face!

Whee!

Ava loved playing with the pumpkins. It was hard to keep her from throwing them all like balls though.

Madelyn loved the pumpkins too . . .

That hair. . . can't keep a good thing down . . .

"Mama! She's squishing me!"

My beautiful little Texan

There was a band playing and Ava and Dada had fun dancing together.

Twirling

Sisters