Wednesday, July 9, 2014

A Christmas Shiner (Week 36, Day 5)

Bruiser!
Ever since Maddy started crawling, the ladies at daycare have been calling Maddy fearless. From the week she began crawling, she's been trying to pull herself up on anything she can find. It's clear that crawling is going to be a blip in Maddy's evolution, and she'll be walking before we know it. Today, no sooner had I dropped off my daughter at daycare and headed to the office, did I receive a phone call from one of the teachers. This is the first time they'd called me since the week she started, and I knew for certain we hadn't forgotten her food, bottles, or nipples. A phone call meant either Maddy was sick, or something was wrong. I mentally prepared myself for needing to turn around and reschedule my day. I answered the phone, and Miss Katie informed me that Maddy was not sick, so there was no need to come back. Maddy had taken a spill though- while trying to pull herself up on one of the benches, she lost her balance and fell on her face, and had a little cut under her eye. They called to tell me so I wouldn't be surprised when I picked her up. I was happy that they did, and while I hate for Maddy to fall, I know this is going to happen often as she learns to use her legs.

When I arrived at daycare that evening, I found my little girl happily playing, with a cut under her eye and a bit of a shiner. I've taken to calling her 'Bruiser' as it looks like she got in a schoolyard fight. She could care less, and I'm doing my best to try not to hover over her- I don't want her to lose her fearlessness, I don't want her to be afraid to try and explore. It won't be easy, and there may be more shiners coming her way, but in the end, she'll be the toughest little girl in town!

Monday, July 7, 2014

Christmas Overload (Week 36, Day 1&2)

It is currently the most wonderful time of the year, and this year is even more wonderful as we get to share the experience with our bouncing baby girl. The past couple of days have been filled with Christmas festivities. First, Madeline had her holiday party at school. It unfortunately coincided with a mandatory work event, so Phil had to be the sole parent to accompany Maddy to the event. This was hard on me - I wanted to be there so badly, but knew that I couldn't miss work. I adore Christmas and everything about it, so missing this party for my little lady gave me a lot of heartache. Luckily, the evening of the event, I was so busy with work the time went by quickly and I barely had time to think about what I was missing. Phil had a great time with Maddy at the party- they sang songs, made ornaments and took pictures with frosty the snowman. Maddy was not a fan of Frosty.

On Saturday, our church had a cookies and cocoa with Santa event - Maddy’s first interaction with Santa. I was so excited. It was a great event - our church had set up their gym for decorating cookies, a hot chocolate stand, and a picture booth for Santa. It was the perfect setting for a first Santa meeting - not crowded, and a very relaxed atmosphere. Unfortunately Maddy did not think so - she took one look at the bearded man, and stated very clearly her displeasure. We did get a picture, and I have to say it clearly portrays the fact that the first Christmas is more for the parent than the child - a profile shot of me, overly excited about the whole situation, and Maddy looking at Santa, clearly beginning to cry about being placed on this scary mans lap.  Sunday was the grand finale - a play date with a friend at Navy Pier, where they were going to a Winter Wonderland festival. There were lots of rides for my friend's daughter, and lots of lights and fun things to look at for Maddy. For me, it was pure joy - lots of people in the Christmas spirit, children SO excited about the holiday events, and me, seeing the future for Maddy and all the fun holidays to come.