First Real Food!

Well according to our counter (at the bottom of the posts) Maddie was 5 months, 2 weeks, and 5 days old when she had her first rice cereal! When Mike got home from work yesterday I told him (again--this has been going on for awhile) that I think Maddie is ready for solids. She practically grabs my food and drink right out of my hands sometimes and she seems extra hungry lately. Even though we aren't fully equipped yet (high chair needed) we decided to give it a shot. Why not?

Before picture

What is this incredibly weird texture????
After picture

It wasn't horrible, but she was more interested in the bowl and spoon than the odd mushy stuff I was sticking in her mouth. A few times she had spasms when I put a new spoonful in, like "Get it out! What is that?" If I had never had smooth mushy food I can imagine I would react the same way! And after we gave her a taste we couldn't keep her outta the food!

Maddie knows exactly what a glass is for. It started when we were out in the intense heat and her little cheeks were flushed, so I gave her a drink of water. She doesn't really drink but she loves to get a mouthful. She's growing up so fast!!!

When the cat's away, Maddie will play.

Madison and Dad spent some time together on Friday afternoon while mom was away. We had lots of fun together and took a few pictures to boot. I'll let Maddie narrate these pictures from her perspective.

"Dad thought it would be a good idea to zoom
around on this here chair . . ."

"Hi ho Silver, away!"

Untitled from mlandm and Vimeo

"I thinking I'm gettin' a little dizzy dad!"

"It may look like drool but I actually communicate w/ my bottle
through this tiny fiber optic cable . . ."
"Look mom, no hands!" Use the force my young Jedi!
"OK, you are right, there is something that rivals the
size of my chubby cheeks . . . it's my smile!" "OK, it looks like I am hyperextending the subtalar joint in
my ankle, but I am just stretching my Achilles for
a little more rigorous exercise." "Aren't I just a ray of sunshine!" "Life doesn't get any better than this"
"Hey dad, how do you like this cute pose?"
Warning: Skin is softer and more supple than it appears"I wish I had biggy-sized this. 5 oz. goes quick."
According to my keen sense of touch, this appears to be an amide that is derived from acrylic acid, that polymerizes easily, and is used in the manufacture of synthetic textile fibers.

Here are a few pictures taken after mom got home:

"Hey, are you telling me there is nothing we can do about world hunger?"

"Alright Central America, where do you want me to kiss you?"

"I think I could operate this machine if i could only reach
the pedals. . . and the steering wheel . . .
and the gear shift . . . and the radio . . . and the . . ."

"I am pooped. Dad really wore me out"

Ruffle Bums

These pictures are about a week old, but I feel like writing about them! This is Maddie and her friend London in matching cherry outfits with ruffle bums. My friend Jeanie and I have been wanting to take pictures of them together in these outfits for a long time, but we never happened to dress them the same until we finally planned it. They seem to be more interested in each other's bows than taking pictures, but they are cute!

I just have to thank Jeanie for being such a great friend. She has helped my transition into motherhood in so many ways!!! She befriended me immediately after we moved to Vegas and went out of her way to occupy my time while I was bored and homesick. Then she did everything she could to occupy me while I was pregnant and threw me a great baby shower. Now she occupies me when I need to talk to an adult and get out of the house! Her baby is about 5 months older than Maddie and she has a 2 year old, so she has been a great resource when I have mommy questions. Thanks Jeanie!

Our Weekend Getaway

We decided it was time to get away from the demands of life and focus on what's most important--each other! Mike has had to work overtime lately and Maddie and I needed to get out of the house, so we booked a hotel in St. George and enjoyed some quality time as a family.

When we got to St. George on Friday it was just starting to rain, but we got some pretty pictures of the temple. I love how it's so white against the red backdrop of its surroundings. It was neat to see it up close. Later we ate at Cafe Rio (YUM!) and then checked into our hotel to put Maddie to bed. We laughed about how early we have to turn in anymore... no more partying until midnight! (I don't even remember the last time I saw the clock strike 12.)

This morning we tool Maddie swimming at the hotel pool and she won everybody over in her little polka dot swimmer and pink hat! One girl even asked for a picture of the cute baby. Maddie was more animated than ever, kicking and splashing like crazy.


We then turned to some high adventure in Snow Canyon, where we hiked up some petrified sandstone dunes. The pictures don't do it justice, it was absolutely incredible. The video clip is Mike's "Maddie Cam" focusing mostly on her face, but you can see the surroundings a little bit. Maddie loved it!

Maddie Cam from mlandm and Vimeo.

Dora a.k.a. Maddie the Explorer

We made it!

Maddie likes to reach out for everything she can. Cute little learning moment.

I'm on top of the world! Isn't the sky beautiful?!? I love how this picture shows the red sandstone, white sandstone on the left, and the black basalt on the right. It's a very diverse landscape.

For lunch and naptime we took Subway's to the park and ate on the grass... mmmmmmmmmmm, I need to get me somma this.

Next stop, the Brigham Young winter home. I love old Mormon towns that are jam-packed with history. We enjoyed the tour, and the other people on the tour enjoyed Maddie's antics! (She gets hyper when she's tired.)


Last stop, Mike took a spin on the go-carts at the Fiesta Fun center. He was the only one there...woulda been more fun with someone to crash into, but Maddie was taking another nap. She was such a trooper and really seemed to enjoy the trip. I think she loves being around her daddy any chance she can get! Anyway, that sums up our latest adventures... hope you don't mind that we are camera happy! It's fun to tell a story with all the pictures. We hope you all are doing well!

P.S. Brendi, if you are reading this you might be laughing and thinking we totally copied your trip! It's funny, after I planned our activities I remembered that you guys went and I looked back to your blog to see what you did. It's a great place to visit! :)

BREAKTHROUGH!!!

Well, folks, it finally happened... two little teeth are breaking through Maddie's gums!!! I was so excited to catch a glimpse of them this morning! For about the past week she has been really fussy around her morning nap, but Tylenol and sleep usually help and the rest of the day she's adorable. I am just glad to know that I wasn't making it up that she seemed like she was in pain! Unfortunately she is guarding the little pearls with her tongue so I haven't been able to get a picture. As soon as I can we'll post it for all the world to see. :)

Visit from Auntie Dana

My sister Dana and her husband just moved to Draper where Landon took his first 'real job' with Layton Construction. Since Dana was about settled but not working yet, she decided to come visit her favorite (ok only) niece! I loved having a play mate... it made me wish even more that I had sisters nearby! Maybe someday.

Little Maddie was 5 months old yesterday!!! I knew she was getting strong but Dana was more experimental with her than I am. Dana had her sitting on her own for short periods, standing and holding on to something, and even started teaching her to walk! Maddie loves to stand on her pudgy little legs.

We went swimming again and Maddie tried out her very own floatie. She spent most of the time examining one little ducky. The bottom picture cracks me up: Maddie was lounging in her floatie, Mike was making a crazy face, and Dana was laughing at Mike!

My Camera Man

Mike loves to catch 'the moment' on camera. I make fun of him sometimes that he gets more into taking pictures of an activity than the activity itself! You'll notice I'm not in many of his pictures, which you could interpret to mean I'm not very picturesque, or I have just scolded him too many times for taking yucky pictures of me! :) Anyway, most of these pictures are of Maddie's bath on Sunday (it was like it was her wedding day or something! I don't know what the novelty of a bath was...) and the last is the sunrise yesterday morning.