Tuesday, July 31, 2012

19 Months

My Sweet Madeline,


You are 19 months old!!! (and 3 days!)  You weigh 23lbs - less than I thought but when I took you to the doctor a couple of weeks ago that's where you were! You are still tall - 75th percentile but only 25th for weight! You wear a size 5-6 shoe and still size 4 diapers. You can wear some 18 month clothing and some 24 month depending on the brand. 


You are going to daycare now. You like your teacher, Ms. Karena, and even reach for her when I drop you off now. You only fuss a little. It still breaks my heart. You have started making this brave face when we go in where you bite your lip and your little chin quivers. It is WAY worse than seeing you cry. You did it for the first time last Monday, and it made me cry. 


You still love bathtime and anything to do with water. You really love to fill cups up and dump them out - some in the bathtub and some on the floor. We're working on it! You beg us to leave the water on! 

Your eating habits are getting a little bit more picky. Probably in large part due to the candy your Dad gives you! You are still a pretty good eater although you are testing the waters. You threw a fit the other day because I wouldn't let you eat pudding before dinner. *note above picture is after dinner* I guess that's all part of being a toddler!


You are SO sweet most of the time and say "please" for pretty much everything you want. You say "thank you" about half the time. You talk all the time at home but seem to be pretty shy at church, daycare, and anywhere you aren't 100% comfortable. You definitely get that from Daddy! 


You love chalk and can draw a straight line. You just recently started to love puzzles and we do them every night before bed. You also love doing your flashcards and your vocabulary is growing so much! You are putting little words together like you will say "come here, Polly", "More please", etc. You can match colors and you say some of them but you still don't quite understand them. I think it must be so confusing to learn so much at one time. I got you a shapes puzzle and you do it with no problem but the only shape you know outside of your puzzle is circle. I am already so proud of you! 


You are still cutting your incisors and I will be SO grateful when they come through. I know they hurt!!!


You really try to do most things on your own - again a Daddy trait. But you will come to me if you need help. You have just started to show frustration when you want something and can't communicate it to us. You kick your leg back and forth and say "uh-uh-uh" repeatedly. We are working on that too and most of the time we get it worked out before you get too upset about something. 


You love being outside. You look just like Daddy in this picture - so intense! I love it! 


I can finally get you to leave bows in your hair again and you will wear a hat and sunglasses now. I think you are kinda getting into being a girl - you carry my purse around a lot. Most of the time, its after you have searched it for gum but still! I have to say the day we took this picture, you were rocking that bathing suit, sunglasses, and  the hat but I never did manage to get a picture of all three on you. It was still so cute! 


You really love bedtime. You love taking a bath, doing puzzles, and reading. You will get the books you want now from your shelf or basket, hand them to me, and then scootch you butt up to me and sit down in my lap so I will read to you. I love every second of it. You also let me rock you to sleep now. I always ask you if you love me - when you're awake it always an emphatic "no" and even when your eyes are closed and you're almost asleep you will grunt "uh-uh". I guess that answer is gonna be "no" for a little while longer. I love it! 



You prefer to have your own drink and plate of food if we are out somewhere now. You also sit in the booth in a restaurant and are so much better behaved that way than in a high chair. I feel like you got really independent really fast. 


This is my number one problem - you are cute and you are so stinking funny. Sometimes I have to discipline you and then turn my head and laugh, or leave the room while Daddy gets on to you. You are a little bold sometimes but still very sweet. It is nearly impossible for me to stay mad at you!  You like to push our buttons and the rules but overall you are pretty well behaved. 


I find myself in a tough place with you right now. I want so badly to be with you all the time, but really believe in my heart that we are doing what is right for our family at the right time. Daddy and I prayed and prayed that God would give us the right path for us, and He did. The down side to me being away from you at work or school is that you get special time with Daddy that you wouldn't otherwise. He takes you out to eat, to the mall, to the baseball card shop (clearly for you!), to do things with his friends, and he even took you golfing. I have to tell you I am so jealous though! I miss you and try to soak in every second I get to spend with you. You are changing so much and becoming a little girl so quickly. You are the funniest person I know and you bring a perspective to life that is refreshing and innocent. Even if you don't feel the same... I love you with all my heart! :) 

PS - Stop growing so fast!!! 

xoxo, 
Mommy 


Monday, July 30, 2012

Zoo Fun


I had to close last night and got home around midnight. By the time I got in bed and fell asleep, it was close to 3. I hit snooze on my alarm at 9, or so I thought, but I must have turned it off because next thing I knew it was 9:45...too late to make it to church. Madeline and Terry were both still snoozing. We decided to make the best of it and get out of the house. We had free passes to the zoo so we headed to Abilene. It only gets more fun every time we go. Madeline had a blast even though it was super hot.




She really loved feeding the giraffe. She got right near his face and said, "Hi!" just like she does to Gizmo. It was so cute! 


Telling him, "Hi!"










We love this guy...he reminds us of Pasquale from Tangled!






We love the zoo! We had such a fun day. We went to Old Navy after the zoo and did a little shopping. Madeline was completely perplexed by the mannequins. I think its the first time she has ever noticed people in the store that don't move. She got really close to one her size and then looked at the one next to it which didn't have a head and ran back to me. It was probably the funniest part of my day! Love that girl! 

Sunday, July 29, 2012

Precious Cargo

Terry has a bad sweet habit of bringing candy to Madeline every time he gets some for himself - if you know Terry, you know this is often. He brought home laffy taffys yesterday and Madeline pushed them around in the stroller when she wasn't snacking on them! I thought it was so funny! 


Thursday, July 26, 2012

Chick-fil-A


*Note to reader: content is intended for Terry Wayne Richardson, Jr., strong supporter of Antoine Dodson and Chick-fil-A. Content in video is highly articulate and intelligent so please watch at your own discretion!* 



In the wise words of Antoine Dodson...we are all entitled to our own beliefs and opinions. Rock on, Chick-fil-A. We support you! 

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Bubbles!!!

Terry decided to put our weekly pool experience over the top! Half a bottle of dish soap and a little extra bubble-making power with the pressure washer made for a very fun, albeit very slick pool day! Madeline loved it!!! 









Monday, July 23, 2012

Sick...

You know something is up when your 18 month old does this... 



We have all three been sick at some point over the past week or so. Terry started it, then Madeline got it, and I got I think around Wednesday. Pretty sure it was just a summer cold but it came with a fever and it was just miserable. We hung out around here since we knew we were contagious. Thankfully we're all on the mend and feeling much better!

Friday, July 20, 2012

If You Are Reading This....

You can officially say you know the employee of the month at Outback! haha But for real, I just found out I won for the month of June and I kinda felt like I won the lottery...maybe a small lottery but still. I wish they gave you a trip to Australia or a kangaroo! 

PS I realize how completely nerdy it is to even post this...What can I say? I aim to please! :) 

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Sweet July

When I think about July my mind is flooded with memories as if a slideshow is playing in my head. It is a bittersweet month for us, although the sweet outweighs the bitter by far. 

July 2000, I was an ambitious hard working 16 year old and you were a funny, albeit slightly obnoxious 18 year old who filled my car with pogs and asked me out on a date. You left one pog out on the note where you "suggested" we go on a date, and it had a light bulb on it with the words, "I luv you watts and watts". Little did you know!!! 

July 2008...bitter. You left for combat training and then Iraq. I was so sad and still choke up thinking about sending you off at the airport. But my heart swells with pride that I can't put into words when I think about what you did for our country. 


The night before you left...



One of the best days of my life...when you came home!!! The t-shirts really put it over the top! :)

July 2006, we went to your ALS banquet...

 
July 2012 You are Instructor of the Quarter! You have come so far! 


July 2009 was probably the most bitter for me. Our sweet baby met Jesus before you and I got to meet him or her. You really were my rock. I wasn't sure I could recover from the heartbreak of all the babies we lost. You were sure that we would. 

July 2010 the unwavering faith you had that we would have a baby was seen to fruition. We found out our sweet miracle baby was a girl. You were over the moon! 




July 2011 was filled with birthday parties, baby proofing, lowering cribs, and just trying to remain sane! What we would probably would have described as one of the most challenging times, I am sure will be remembered as one of the sweetest.  




The July's in between are filled with love, fighting, tears, joy and more memories than can be recorded in a single blog post.




Which leads us to the best July. July 19, 2003. A 19 year old girl who just wanted to lay her head down beside the love of her life every night got her wish. A girl dreamed of spending her life with the boy she met in July 2000 who unknowingly foreshadowed to love her watts and watts. And you have. At the end of the day, no matter how perfect or disastrous, the one thing I know is that you love me more than anything on earth. If I don't show it all the time, I hope you know that I know how blessed I am to be able to say that. Nine years ago I made the hardest, best promise I ever have. I love you til death do us part. Happy Anniversary, Terry! 










Sunday, July 15, 2012

Secret Sunday


This commercial makes me laugh so hard...I just saw it today but apparently it's been out since the Super Bowl! 

Terry is sick and in bed and Madeline skipped her nap so she's in bed, and I am bored. So...Pretty sure this disqualifies me as a good parent but I am watching Mean Girls. It reminds me of girls I knew in high school and it never gets old! You can bet money that if it or You've Got Mail is on, I will watch them even though I have seen them both a million times. Bet you never knew that I had such refined taste in movies? :) 


Friday, July 13, 2012

Friday the 13th

13 Random Things...

1. Madeline is repeating everything now - even if she isn't close to what you say, she still tries. She says "Nana" and "Papaw" for my parents when they're on the phone. I am pretty sure though that she thinks this is the "Nana" she is talking to! 


2. I have been trying to stop drinking soda unless we are out to eat. I get free soda at work and I just thought rather than make a bad habit worse, I better just cut it out altogether. So now I am addicted to this stuff which is probably not much better! 


3. I wish my house looked like no one lived in it. I always hear people say that they want their house to be clean but homey. I really don't. I want my house to look like those houses in magazines. I would need a lot more MiO to keep it like that though! haha

4. I think I am terrible at my job but I make people laugh. I just lack a little coordination! And when people insult me, I try to laugh it off but I really want to punch them in the face. It's only happened twice but if you read this - please be nice to your server when you go out to eat!!!

5. Zoe ran away on the 4th of July and we looked and looked but couldn't find her. I thought we had gotten rid of her but then the city called and they had her. So Terry had to bail her out of jail Monday. 

6. The closer August gets, the more nervous I am about school. I asked Terry how he felt about me just dropping out and working at a restaurant forever - you don't want to see the look he gave me! :) I am just nervous about actually doing the things I am learning like IV's, shots, catheters, etc. Yikes!

7. I am SO excited about football season!!!! It kinda makes up for the nerves about school starting! 



8. Terry and I decided we need to start seeing more of Texas while we are here. Any suggestions? We just haven't done much outside of town with Madeline but I think we're going to start venturing out a little more now that she is older! 

9. I have got to get on a better schedule. I have been staying up until 1 to 2am and getting up between 8:30 and 9am. It's like I think I am a teenager again and can do that! I guess summer does that to everyone a little. 

10. Speaking of summer...I find summer here more depressing than the end of winter in Maryland. I just think the excessive heat and lack of rain is depressing. I might feel differently if I could lounge in a pool all day every day...

11. I started looking at Halloween costumes and can't find anything I am in love with. I think the family ones are cute but nothing has really wowed me yet. 

12. I really don't like Bishop dresses. I get that they are sweet and that smocking takes a lot of time but I think they are too expensive and there is no shape to them. Madeline had one for Christmas last year that I got on sale but I just didn't love anything about it. 


I guess I am more of a mudpie person. I also like to think that I could get 5 outfits from Old Navy or Gap for the same price. Okay, maybe Gap sale but still.

13.  Terry took us to Stillwater Grill Thursday night. It was so good and it was awesome for Madeline because she could get down and run around. If you're local and you've never been - it's worth trying! 



Happy Friday the 13th!!!