Today is the 5 month anniversary of our Gotcha Day.
5 months and 1 day ago, we wondered what life would be like with Maddy. Today, we can't imagine life without her.
Maddy is a happy, silly girl. She has a bit of an attitude at times and isn't afraid to read Mom & Dad the riot act to which we try not to laugh. It's usually accompanied by strong hand gestures which is hysterical (wonder where she learned that...)
Our girl has grown recently. She is now fully in 18 month clothing. When we came home, I had to go buy 12 mo clothes because most things I had were 18mo or 2T. Now, I am putting those things away and making sure I have enough 18mo clothes. It's a joy to see her growing.
Her hair is growing and she will sometimes tolerate pigtails. And man, is she cute when she does.
Her language continues to progress. Maddy's favorite words are 'no','books' and of course, 'more' but she's added quite a few to her vocabulary- although some are only understandable by her mom, dad, and nanny. Others include 'pop-pop' (popcorn), 'noe' (snow) and 'Nannie' (Annie- which is both her dog and nanny). She has several others including parts of the face. She is awesome with animal sounds- a good barnyard book goes a long way with her!
Favorite foods are popcorn and penne pasta (and most things Italian which makes her Poppi very happy. He claims she's from the far-eastern part of Italy. ). She now eats vegetables and fruits. One of her favorite activities is to get a blood orange out of the fridge and try to open it just like her dad.
Favorite toys include her baby Lucy (thanks O'Maras!) and baby accessories & kitchen set and dishes
(hours of fun). She
loves music of all kinds and will break into dance at any moment. She & I have some awesome dance parties. And water. Oh, how she loves water. Annie's water bowl hasn't been safe since 2 days after we arrived home and she decided she was safe to walk in the house. Faucets, bowls of water, the bath, anything. This was a little girl who sobbed during bath time in China but now runs to her bubble bath, splashing and pouring water over herself the whole time.
Maddy doesn't like new places and needs some time to feel comfortable. She is intimidated by groups of people- adults and children alike. She sticks pretty close to mom & dad until she's checked the whole place out. Her attachment is going really well. Nighttime continues to be her time of increased anxiety or distress but she has really let her walls down in the last month, either letting me rock her to sleep or actually just falling asleep after a few minutes. She sleeps well through the night * most * of the time but about once a week has a nightmare that needs cuddling and comforting. Night terrors are a thing of the past.
We are amazed at how much she understands. She can follow 2 part commands, has mastered puzzles and can handle Chris's ipad like a pro. We can be talking, hear the theme song for Jake and the Neverland Pirates game and there she is with the game open playing the instrument game. She already has more technical aptitude than her mom!
I did this mostly for my own memory. I don't want to forget a moment of how wonderful she is at this point in time. (Ok, maybe a few moments like when she spit a mouthful of liquified meat into my lap because she was tired of chewing it. That, I could forget.).
We love you, daughter.
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| Introspective self portrait. |
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| Nutella and graham crackers. This one's for you, Chu-Chu! |
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| Style-maven |
