02.28.09 - Wild hair

Gramma Karen gets a kick out of Maddie's wild hair.

02.27.09 - Hangin' out with Nan

Yesterday we got to see Grandma Shepherd. Tonight we stopped by to see Nanny and Papa. And tomorrow Gramma Karen is coming for a visit. Three grammas in three days! What a treat! Click here to see what happens when Nan gives Maddie back to Angie.

02.27.09 - Gimme my girl!

Grandma Shepherd laughs as Angie runs straight for her daughter after work today. Grandma and Grandpa Shepherd did a great job taking care of Maddie for a few hours this afternoon because Tori, our regular babysitter, had her own appointment to attend to. Thanks again for helping us out!

02.25.09 - Poop happens

And when it does, it's time for a bath! Maddie wasn't too fond of it but she settled down while Mommy washed her hair. I have a feeling I'll be paying for another chair at the salon before too long!

02.24.09 - Who you callin' a bean head?

Maddie and I model our beanie hats.

02.23.09 - First day at daycare

Angie returned to work today and so we took Maddie to daycare for the first time. It wasn't as traumatic an experience as we were anticipating. It helps that our sister-in-law, Tori, has a licensed in-home daycare and had one open infant spot! We're excited that Maddie will have some interaction with other kiddos. Those social skills will be invaluable as she gets older. As we picked her up, Cody reached up to say goodbye. I thought it was a rather sweet gesture.

02.22.09 - Cutie girl

We decided to dress Maddie up in her baptism dress for a couple of formal photographs today. We weren't quite sure how she'd do. We were expecting her to spit up all over it since that seems to be her thing lately but she did surprisingly well and even flashed a grin for us a couple of times.

02.21.09 - I love to cuddle

The title of this post is also the title of one of my favorite books to read to Maddie. Of course, I change the names in the story to those in our own family. It's more fun to read that way.

02.20.09 - Mean Green!

We took Maddie to Dr. Green's office today for her two month check. She got another (mostly*) clean bill of health and her first round of shots. She was not a happy camper! Every time Dr. Green moves her in a way that causes her to fuss, he jokingly calls himself "Mean Green!" Boy, I'll say! In reality, though, Dr. Green is a great family doc and we feel blessed to know that he's taking care of our family.

*We are to observe whether Maddie continues to spit up for about another week before getting a script for Baby Zantac. Also, she likes to turn her head to the left. We need to also work on getting her to turn her head to the right as she prefers looking left. Doing that too much might cause a condition that sounds like tortellini. Lord knows we don't want her looking like ring-shaped noodles!

02.19.09 - Show me the money!

Thanks to generous gifts from Grandma Duling, Uncle Chuck and Angie's boss, Lisa, we've got a nice start to Maddie's college fund. Just think, add a couple of zeros to that amount and we might have enough for a couple of years at a state school! Here's hoping she's a genius and gets some scholarships.

02.18.09 - Mommy's big girl

Angie is a little more than estatic that Maddie is sittin' up in her chair! She doesn't tolerate it for too long but can sit with her head up for a couple of minutes.

02.17.09 - Grabbin' hold (and not letting go)

Maddie has been grabbing for things lately. Tonight she held on tightly to her Mommy's finger while being held on the sofa. She's also been spending more time awake, too. As I type this, Maddie is going on ten hours of consciousness without a nap. And her eyes are still wide open. I feel another drive in the car coming in my very near future.

02.16.09 - A is for Apple

Maddie and Mommy watch some of Maddie's favorite Sesame Street videos on YouTube. Oh, who am I foolin'? They were really Angie's favorite videos!! Which one is her favorite? Click here to find out! She also likes this one. This, of course, is Harley's favorite.

02.15.09 - Night Cruisin'

Tonight we loaded up Maddie in the car to see if we could get her to sleep before midnight. She snuggled with her new doll and fell asleep right away but woke up as soon as I laid her in her crib. Oh well, we had a nice drive.

02.14.09 - Valentine's Day

Maddie sports her Valentine's Day bib while playing in her activity mat today. Maddie wishes everyone a happy Valentine's Day!

02.13.09 - Stinkin' Cute

Maddie wore one of her new outfits today and was adorable as usual. Her mommy thinks she is stinkin' cute!

02.12.09 - Afternoon Playtime

Maddie and I played and read books on the floor this afternoon before she got comfy with her binky and her bear and took a little nap.

02.11.09 - Daddy's home!

Daddy came home from the hospital today. Harley and I kept him company as he rested. He was very happy to see us!

02.10.09 - Taylor's birthday party

Daddy is in the hospital tonight so Mommy and I went to Taylor's birthday party without him. It didn't matter that he wasn't there. I was the center of attention anyway.

02.09.09 - Pierre, the pink and purple puppet

Maddie really enjoys watching Pierre, the pink and purple puppet, a gift from friends Jessica and Dustin that she got yesterday following her baptism. She isn't smiling yet but she'll follow it with her eyes as we move it back and forth.

02.08.09 - Baptism

Maddie was baptized today by Father Mike at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church. She was one of three babies to be welcomed into the church between Sunday morning Masses. Thanks to the godparents, Angie's Aunt Joanie and our friend, Brian, both of whom traveled from out of town, to be present at the ceremony. Many thanks also go to Gramma Karen and Nan for preparing such an awesome brunch following! And, not to get carried away, but Karen, my business partner in Heartland Photography deserves our gratitude for taking an hour out of her day to stop by and make some photographs, including this one!

02.07.09 - Walter

This post is as much about me as it is Maddie. Angie left me alone with Maddie twice today. She screamed pretty much the entire time she was gone. Remembering the Three B's that the nice nurse at the hospital told us are the reasons babies cry (bottom, belly, burp), I was unsuccessful in calming her. Her mad face reminds me of comedian Jeff Dunham's character named Walter and so I've decided to call her Walter when she's mad.

Thankfully, she got better as soon as mom got home. Angie's so proud. I'm so exhausted.

{Photo of Walter from jeffdunham.com}

02.06.09 - Bubbles, bubbles!

There's a Sesame Street book that we like to read to Maddie. It goes:

Bubbles, bubbles on my nose,
Bubbles, bubbles on my toes.

Bubbles, bubbles in my hair,
Bubbles, bubbles everywhere!

Bubbles, bubbles float on top,
Bubbles, bubbles POP! POP! POP!

Bubbles, bubbles fly so high,
Count 1-2-3 as they go by.

Bubbles, bubbles are so much fun,
Bubbles, bubbles for everyone!

02.05.09 - Tummy time!

Maddie's been spending a little bit of time on her tummy lately. She tolerates it pretty well and has started to lift her head ever so slightly.

02.04.09 - Dr. Shepherd?

Maddie smiles during a campus visit to the KU School of Medicine-Wichita today as she begins the processes of selecting which medical schools to which she'd like to apply. She especially enjoyed being held by James T. in the Ed Tech department at which time we promptly gave him a hard time for being the only member of that department without kids. The visit lasted nearly three hours and included stops in Ed Tech, HR, the Dean's office, Peds, Library and IT.

02.03.09 - First Target now this ...

Maddie joined us for dinner tonight. The waitress invited us back when she's a little older when she can take advantage of "kids eat free" night.

02.02.09 - Daddy's touch

Maddie's had tummy aches all day. Lots of burps, lots of spit up and lots of ... well, you know ...

She wouldn't settle down for the longest time but after I put her on my shoulder she went to sleep for about 20 minutes.

I feel quite proud when I can get her settled. I just wish I could do it everytime!

02.01.09 - Center of attention

Grandpa Greg invited us over today to watch the Super Bowl with about 20 or so of his favorite friends and family. And everyone (yes, everyone!) took turns holding Maddie. Here, Taylor gets annoyed because the girls (Savannah, Shania and Tessa, from bottom to top) won't stop looking at Maddie while it's his turn.