My Journey to Virgina

So mommy and daddy said I was in charge of typing up the blog for our trip to Virginia. It was a trip of many firsts for me. I got to take my first plane ride which went very smoothly if I should say so myself. I slept through both parts of the flight and never fussed once. I had a good time looking out the window at all the passing clouds. The night before I also got to stay the night in my first hotel room. I had a queen size bed all to myself - it was great. Once we arrived in Virgina daddy got me and mommy all set up in our new room where we would be staying for the next two months while mommy completed one of her internships for school. It was fun staying at Grandma and Grandpa's house. Grandpa and Auntie Sara took care of me during the day while mommy was at work and we had a couple other friends come and help as well since I am such a handful wanting to play all the time. My first week there I got to celebrate my first Halloween - I looked like a big pumpkin in my shirt that Auntie Allison sent me. While I was there I got a new Little Einsteins gym to play on and I love to jump all day and play at the different stations. I grew so much while I was there that mommy had to raise the seat twice so my feet would be in the right position. I also learned how to roll from my tummy to my back - which is a pretty big deal since I hated to me on my tummy for any length of time. I learned how to sit up all by myself, although occasionally I still fall over and need help getting up. It's a good thing they surround me with a lot of pillows otherwise I'd have a lot of bumps on my head. Then one day while mommy was playing with me I showed her the other thing I learned how to do which was to suck my thumb. It tastes so good sometimes and mommy just loves to clean up all the slobber I make. After almost four weeks of being there without daddy he came to visit mommy and me on her birthday. They left me asleep with the grandparents so they could go out to a fancy dinner one night and another night they got to go to the Kennedy Center to see a play. It was mommy's big 30th birthday so I gave her lots of kisses and hugs. That weekend we also got to take a road trip to York, PA to visit grandpa John's family. I loved riding in the car on the way there but the ride home wasn't as much fun. The best present mommy got for her birthday was on the day that daddy left to go home she had to go to the emergency room for a little while that night because she had a kidney stone which apparently runs in the family so I hope I don't have one when I get older. Everything worked out okay and mommy was feeling better a day later.

That week was Thanksgiving and I got to celebrate my very first Thanksgiving by having my first tastes of mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes. I met my great Grandma Consuelo on my daddy's side of the family (if that wasn't already obvious) and daddy's cousin Dean. My great Aunt Julie and great Uncle Mike came to pick mommy and me up the next day and we drove to Pennsylvania where they live. I got to go and see the Liberty bell and Constitution Hall. It was fun. Mommy got to eat an authentic philly cheesesteak. I had so much fun at aunt Julie and uncle Mike's. I got to play with their dogs who were so interested in me but they didn't like me trying to grab their hair. I got to sleep in bed with mommy which was alot of fun for me but I don't think mommy slept as much as I did since I am a bed hog.
I also got to meet mommy's friend Sharyn a few times since she lives really close to grandma and grandpa. It was fun to go out to lunch and stare at all the people and try all the food mommy would let me taste. I almost forgot, while daddy was visiting I got to have my very first serving of rice cereal, and boy was it good. I love to eat my cereal every night before I go to bed.
We spent another few weeks at grandma and grandpa's after daddy left. But even though he wasn't with us I got to talk to him alot on the web cam that we have and show him how big I was getting and all the new things I could do. Sometimes mommy would hold me in her arms and she'd tickle my sides and neck and I would giggle for daddy. I know he missed us but mommy took lot's of pictures to show him later.
Daddy came back just before Christmas to pick mommy and me up and take us home. That weekend we got to take a tour of the White House in Washington DC as part of mommy's birthday present from auntie Sara. I had fun looking at all the Christmas decorations inside there We had alot of fun driving around DC and I got to go into Union Station to have breakfast and we almost took a train but daddy said no. I almost got to go up in the Washington monument but it was too cold for me outside so just mommy and auntie Sara went. We got to celebrate Christmas early with grandma and grandpa. I loved trying to grab the Christmas tree if they let me get close enough to it, but that didn't happen too often. I got to open my very first christmas presents there and it was fun to eat all the wrapping paper - it was my favorite part. That and trying to chew on all the boxes. A few days before Christmas mommy and daddy packed all of our things up and we left to go home to Missouri. I miss my grandma, grandpa and auntie but it was sure nice to sleep in my crib again even though it was weird the first night. Since then mommy, daddy and I have been hanging out at home until mommy has to go on her other internship. This one is at home so I get to stay with Daddy and play all day with him this time. Well I hope you enjoyed reading about my trip to Virginia. I sure had alot of fun and I hope I didn't leave anything out.

Visit from Grandma and Grandpa

Ok, so we had Grandma and Grandpa visit from Spokane. We had all kinds of fun! We went shopping, we went to dinner, and let's not forget breakfast at Cracker Barrel!!! TWICE!!! Needless to say that is always a good experience. It was great to have them here with us so they could see how much progress little Miss Maddie has made.

Mommy and Daddy got to go on a date while the Granparents were here. We went to dinner at Nakato's (the local Japanese steakhous) and then went to see Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. It was nice to get out and enjoy ourselves.

We also had the opportunity to go to Branson Landing to take family pictures. Branson Landing is a local outdoor shopping area that has fantastic restaurants and is a beautiful place to walk. They even have a nice water fountain that does a show a few times a day with music and water shooting according to the musical beat.

Go Dodgers!!!

So this last week we dressed up in Dodgers outfits to cheer for the team! The ladies looked decidedly cute in their sports gear, as you can see. It worked on Sunday, but we're a little behind in the series, so keep your fingers and toes crossed!

Grandma Kathy and Grandpa John are coming to visit on Wednesday of this week. We are looking forward to their visit and showing off all the things Maddie can do now!

Next week, finals are over and we get to go to Virginia. We're excited and also a little sad because our little family will have to be apart for two months. It will be very hard, but that's why we bought our new webcam. We will be able to see each other every day. Hopefully the two months will go by quickly. The one good thing is that Grandpa Jaime, Grandma Linda, and Auntie Sara will be able to have Maddie close for so long.

The Video

Here is the video that I had done about a month ago. I boycotted all homework and spent a few hours putting the first few months into something we could send to everyone. For those of you who have not seen it, Enjoy!!

Making Progress

Today she rolled over for the first time on the bed! Interestingly enough she rolled over from her back to her tummy, even though usually babies roll over from there tummies to their backs first. Needless to say our little Maddie is going to do things in her own time and her own order! There's no telling her what to do! The question is, does she get her stubborn streak from Mommy or from Daddy?

Baby Maddie is also starting to hold her head up when she lays on her tummy on the floor. We have found that the key is laying her on her back and rolling her back and forth until she gets used to the idea. That seems to be much less traumatic. She is also talking so much! She makes sounds like she really wants to tell us things, and there are definite breaks in it like she is trying to make words. It's the cutest thing ever.

Here We Go...

Well here goes our first attempt at starting a blog for everyone to enjoy. I suppose it's like riding a bike, take it slow and eventually we won't fall off. Everything is new to us, so hopefully it won't take us too long to get the hang of it and we'll have all kinds of fun pictures and videos to share. In the mean time here's an update of what's going on in the mid-west. Jaime is working hard as usual. He changed his shift and is now working from 2:00 to 11:00pm. This allows him to watch Maddie in the mornings while I am in class. Maddie still has to go to a babysitter two afternoons a week, which is definitely not her favorite place to be. This semester has been busy with juggling school and home, but it has been well worth it and I have only 4 weeks of class left before I head out to my internship in Virginia. Unfortunately little miss Maddie has to come with me and be away from her dad for the 8 weeks. But he'll be coming to visit a couple of times while we're there. This semester has been busy with juggling school and home, but well worth it.

The celebrity of the family is doing great. Maddie is growing more and more beautiful every day. She smiles so easily and tries to talk to us all the time. She still doesn't like being on her tummy, but we're trying to change that. Pretty soon she'll be crawling all over the place, then look out world! She already likes going on walks with Mommy and Daddy on some mornings. If anything is certain, it's that she loves the outdoors!