First Spurs Game, part 2

Then it was on to the arena, where Madeline tried to make 19000 new friends (and almost did).

Here Madeline and I celebrate a great play by Manu Ginobili. In case you're wondering why we like him so much, how many NBA players do you know who can swat a bat out of the air?

One of the nearby fans thought Madeline would enjoy playing with a cheer stick. She definitely did.

Madeline really enjoyed the game, even if she did get a little tired towards the end (she only does the thumb thing when she needs to tone it down a notch or is getting tired, and here we see a little of both). Best of all, the Spurs won! Go Spurs Go!!

First Spurs Game, part 1

Today was a long time coming - Madeline's first Spurs game! Although Madeline attended many games last season in utero, this was her first chance to enjoy the complete experience. Well, maybe not the pre-Madeline complete experience, as Dad had to promise to rachet down his cheering a few decibels and refrain from providing his usual guidance to the referees. We hadn't planned on using the lovely Spurs outfit we received from our friends the Rices, but one of the benefits of having a large baby is that she can fit her 18 month clothes a bit early. (This picture was taken a few months before Madeline's arrival)

And here we are, all dressed up and excited to get to the game. Check out the upper teeth!
A full game would be a bit much, so we arrived closer to halftime with the idea that if you're only going to make it through one half, choose the second (this proved to be wise). That was actually Madeline's plan, as she thankfully took a long morning nap to gear up for her big afternoon. Here we stopped by a photo of our WNBA team's star player, Becky Hammon.

And then on to the great Tim Duncan. Madeline figured out the photo op thing and showed us how she blocks out for the rebound.

Bath Duckies

Madeline loves bath time, which has recently grown to include some new accessories. This first picture is when she was still using her "baby" tub. It has an attachable sling that we used when Madeline was a way lot smaller. We ditched the sling, then moved the tub from the kitchen counter to inside a regular size tub. This picture below was when she was a day shy of 6 months.

Washing and rinsing Madeline's hair has always been part of the bath routine, but it's something of a struggle these days to keep water out of her face. She never seems to mind it, though. Still, when I saw this little visor with a rubber flap on top to keep water out I was sold for $2.00. It's not watertight, but it actually does work and it makes things go a little easier. Plus, she looks adorable in it.

The big yellow duckie she uses now is a nice step between her "baby" tub and the huge tub. She's also got 3 little duckies that she likes to hold and splash in the water, but mostly she just gnaws on them. She's a lot more interested in splashing and playing in the water now than ever before, and Dave caught this great action shot below. She literally punches the water sometimes... it's great fun for her and fun to watch as well.

Pink Shades

Today was a gorgeous day... we were so excited to get out for a nice long walk and try out Madeline's new ponytails and pink sunglasses. These strap in the back with velcro, stay pretty secure, and seem comfortable enough that she didn't try to pull them off. This picture was just before we stepped out. As you can see, she likes to sit with one foot or the other off to the side.

Here's a close up featuring another good look at the ponytails.

Here we are outside, and she looks way cool. She also likes to hold onto the handles and feel like she's in control of her chariot.

First Ponytails

Madeline's hair is getting longer every day. Sometimes we use little clips to help keep it out of her face, and today we tried something completely new - little ponytails! I'm not sure how well this look will stick, but it sure did the job.

8-month Photo Shoot

Madeline turned 8 months old on Saturday, and these pictures are from her photo shoot to mark the occasion. This first one is also the face she makes when she takes any bite of food. The blue hand has frozen gel inside (similar to her pink foot) which feels good on her sore gums.

This is the face Madeline often greets us with after we've been out of sight for a little while, or whenever she expresses total excitement. She is such a happy baby!

More happy smiles... this one shows the sliver of tooth coming in on top.

This one cracks me up. We were seconds away from taking her out of her chair to get ready for bed, and she was slapping her hands on the tray to say, "let's go already!" She wasn't really upset in this moment, but the second the picture was shot makes her look a little more spicey than sugary and maybe not so nice.

Here she is just seconds after the picutre above. Happy in Daddy's arms and ready to get ready for bedtime. Sweet girl.

Valentine Cards

Madeline got a card from her cousin Colette that had Coco's original artwork inside. She tried to eat it about 2 seconds after this picture was taken, which means she loved it.

Dave gave Madeline a Valentine as well, which she enjoyed...

...and it went in her mouth. Madeline sprouted 2 more teeth on top last week with a few more on the way, so we're not surprised to see her try to put so many things in her mouth!

Valentine's Day

Madeline got a special package from Grampa Friday... her first Valentines flowers!! She loved the pre-recorded message that came with it as well as her card and bear. So sweet!

Major Cute

Madeline and Dave having some fun with Dave's uniform "cover" Thursday ... notice her little thumb's up.

Pink Bouncer

Madeline's little pink bouncer has served a critical role in keeping her close at hand and comfortably contained while we're downstairs. It usually went at the head of the table near the windows so she could look outside and also see she was near us. Look at how adorably cute and tiny she was!

4 days old above. 2 weeks old below. 6 weeks old below that.

Now that she has her high chair, I only use the pink chair for brief periods when I need to put her down for a bit. Here she is at 33 weeks. Still so cute, but much bigger...

Funny - it has little straps that you can (should?) use to hold the baby, and I remember thinking, "why the heck would you ever need to use those? It's not like she's going to bounce right out of it." Hmm.... This is what happened Monday. Love the last frame. Might be time to retire the pink bouncer. Here's our Bouncing Baby Bell...

(No babies were harmed in the making of this film!)

Super Bowl

Madleine's first Super Bowl! Here she is leaning in for the first few plays of the game, which she caught just before bedtime.

And here we have a short film of her verbalizing her excitement.

Rusks

Madeline's eating lots of delicious food and hasn't had a problem with any offering so far. She's gone through organic carrots, sweet potatoes, bananas, squash, peas, applesauce, pears, rice cereal and oatmeal. One of the books we have warns that babies might have a hard time with eating by pushing things away, turning their heads or making an awful mess even before feeding themselves. Again, we might be tempting the fates by bragging here, but our baby does no such thing... so far. She opens her mouth like a little baby bird and often holds the spoon to help steer it in. The other day she also tried some rusks... these are like crunchy thin rice cakes that help give babies a sense of texture. They dissolve almost instantly, but they're crunchy for the first bit. Madeline didn't know quite what to make of it at first, but as you can see by the progression, she went through lots of funny faces.

Just broke off the first bit and seems pretty good about it.

Then she realized what happened and now maybe not so sure.

Wait, what is this I'm holding?

Eeh, still maybe not so sure, but also still eating away at it, so way to go!!