Yay Halloween!

It's Halloween!

 Madeline started the day ready for fun.

She also got to try out her new winter coat.  It's a little big, but it probably won't be for long.

Madeline had a good day at daycare, but she was confused by slight deviations from routine at home -- what on earth was this giant tub of brightly colored, crinkly objects?

And why did she have to sit outside on the front steps with the pumpkins?  Oh well, might as well wave.

She decided to enjoy herself while rolling with these parental weirdnesses.

Plus she got a delicious chili dinner out of the deal (and all over her face).

Then, around trick-or-treating time, Madeline dressed as a dinosaur to greet other children at the door.  She took her dino-stomping duties seriously.

And, again, she figured she might as well have a good time with her parents' odd ideas.

Madeline's bedtime arrived between the first and second waves of trick-or-treaters.  She came out for one last encore in her pajamas:

Yay Halloween!

Halloween Eve

This morning we braved the snow and slush and met friend Julia at the Modern Diner before swim class.  Madeline had too much energy to tolerate being cooped up, but happily 9am seems to be baby hour at the diner, so we didn't feel too out of place with our wriggly, talkative child.

Summer took charge of today's swim class to prep for next week's hours of sunny beach and poolside time.

"Kicking on our backs is so much fun!"

Even after swimming, Madeline was still full of energy.

But she was also tired, and she didn't want to nap in her crib.  So we took a trip to Seekonk and she napped in the car for two hours as we hung out in a parking lot and listened to NPR.

Back at home after running errands, we got ready to carve pumpkins.  Summer put on some Halloween-themed music, and Madeline danced and danced.

When the carving actually commenced, she was more interested in her toothbrush.

My pumpkin was done in time for dinner and before Madeline went to bed, but Summer couldn't start her pumpkin until later.  I was pleased to get applause from Madeline when she saw my glowing jack-o-lantern in the dark dining room.  And Summer will certainly get the same when Madeline sees her handiwork tomorrow!  (After all, we did both have her in mind ...)

Party!

Today's main event was Madeline's first ever birthday party, for my coworker Meredith's now one-year-old son James.  Madeline was ready!

She had fun playing with James, Lena (coworker Angie's daughter), and other little ones.  And she got to try some cake!  After a few hours, though, the babies were all overstimulated and ready to nap, so we all said our goodbyes.

We proceeded to the grocery store.  Between me and Summer, we took three trips into the store as Madeline slept in the back (the second and third were for each of us to pick out a pumpkin).

When Madeline woke up, she was happy!

At home, Madeline and I crawled around.  She mostly chased Petey back and forth but also stopped occasionally to pull herself up on a wall or some drawers.

Then came dinner, and then bedtime.  While getting Madeline ready for bed, I paused to nibble on her toes.  She thought that was pretty funny.

Now she's asleep, and there's snow accumulating outside -- very strange.

Super-fun playtime

This evening we had some super-fun playtime before bed.  Madeline bounced on me and laughed wildly at Petey ...

... she played zombie and chewed on a foam brain ...

... and she practiced her clap-clap-clapping YAYYY!!!

Party, donut, cards, shoes, kitty, clapping

Today was Madeline's Halloween party at daycare!  Even as a terrifying-stomping-thrashing-roaring dinosaur, she still found the party's hustle and bustle quite overwhelming.

 But she did get to try her first donut.  As I said to Summer, now she's a true Rhode Islander.

Back at home, she had Halloween cards waiting.

And after we'd opened the mail, a package came: her first pair of shoes!

Madeline wasn't sure about the shoes at first, but she quickly began to appreciate them.

I suspect she'll be taking full advantage of them pretty soon, the better to chase Petey.

Speaking of Petey, Madeline's really getting the hang of the word "kitty."  This morning she said "kitty" even though I couldn't see one around.  But when I followed her gaze into the closet, there was Nory perched on our laundry hamper.  And this evening Summer was reading a book that had a picture of a cat; when she saw the picture, Madeline exclaimed, "kitty!"

Another recent development is that she's figured out clapping, and she does it when she's happy.  She seemed especially to enjoy when Summer and I joined in to form a clapping chorus.  *Clap clap clap!*

Clambering about

Last night baby, unable to sleep due to congestion, kept us up for hours.  But today she was as chipper as ever.  Daycare said she had a good day clambering about, and she kept it up at home.

For dinner, she tried Brussels sprouts (fresh from the Wednesday afternoon farmers market) for the first time and seemed to enjoy them quite a bit.  Then we ran the shower and told her bedtime stories in the steamy bathroom to try to help her breathe.  Hopefully tonight will be a bit better.

Good day with sniffles

Aside from a light cold, Madeline had a good day today. That is all.

More videos

Swimming & sleeping

This morning baby was excited for swimming!

She seemed to enjoy today's class more than usual.

She got into the swimming motion, using both arms for the first time.

And, as always, she loved playing with the pool noodle.

Then, even though it was the Eagles' bye week, it was time for some football.

Finally, she laughed outrageously at Nory patrolling the floor around her.

The early onset of darkness these days seems to be pulling baby along with it. She gets quite sleepy by 6:30 or so, even falling asleep this evening before dinner on the short trip home from the grocery store. If it keeps up, this will be a tricky development to square with her daycare schedule.

Maxwell Mays

Summer spent much of the day preparing for and then attending an epic baby shower in Connecticut, so Madeline and I had several hours of one-on-one time.

Most of the day was given over to the usual: eating "o"s, playing in baby jail, and reading books. But we did venture out for a visit to the Maxwell Mays Wildlife Refuge, the newest Audubon sanctuary in the state.

Madeline was intrigued by the changing leaves.

We bonded by Carr's pond -- I told her about climbing on rocks and finding box turtles on fishing trips with her grandpa, back when I was little.

We paused by a field so Madeline could have a snack and then take a few steps on the path (with assistance, of course).

She napped on the way home, and we spent the rest of the evening winding down until she went to bed easily around seven.

No picture

Sorry, all, no picture today. Madeline had a good day at daycare, after which we tooled about running errands until her bedtime. If you need a fix, I suggest rewatching yesterday's video and anticipating the inevitable glut of weekend pictures to come.

Crawling with gusto

Madeline had another good day at daycare. She seemed unusually excited to be picked up, bouncing in her seat and waving at me. When we got home, she and I went for a little stroll. She was confused by this deviation from the routine.

After our walk, while I cooked dinner, Summer took some video of Madeline crawling.


As you can see, she's improved a bit since early September.

Chipper

Madeline's always chipper in the morning.

Also she had a good day at daycare, a tasty dinner at LJ's (carrots, mashed potatoes, collards), and a bit of playing before bed.

I know I know.

Baby enjoyed her bath tonight!

Because I don't have much to say about today, here's an ongoing tidbit. Baby's favorite thing to say right now is this: "I know. I know I know. I know I know I know." And so on. I think she's really getting at some deep philosophical truth there.

I don't know

I don't know what was happening here -- it looks like baby was speed-skating on the dining room floor -- but she sure seems to have been enjoying herself.

Three pictures, mid-October edition

It's late, so here are three captioned pictures:

Mmm, banana and "o"s for breakfast.

Baby spent swim class gnawing on her foot.

Baby celebrated victory by rubbing her head on Petey's fur!