HAPPY BIRTHDAY MADDIE!

Our big girl is 1 today! We can't believe it.

It had to be just yesterday that I woke up from a very brief but much needed night's "sleep" in Virtua Hospital in Voorhees, which started around 5 or 6 AM, when things had finally settled down. Bob had headed home to check on things and get some rest. I'd stayed up for the 5 o'clock nurse's rounds when they brought Maddie to me to feed her, (didn't go well...) and they took her to the nursery to be checked, and so I could get a little sleep. I woke up around 8:30 that morning, and after figuring out where I was and why I hurt, the thought that made it all better and then some was: "oh yeah - I'm a mommy!"

Since then, Bob and I agree, her time with us has been a steady trend of 'better and better'. She's more and more amazing every day, and watching her learn and grow has been the best experience of our lives. This morning she said "bye" (the jury is still out as to whether or not she actually meant it).

Among other things that I'll kick myself for forgetting later, she can now:
Say: Hi, Wow, Dad-Dee, Tseese (cheese), pri-tee, Dgee (doggie), something that we think means "what's that?" and this morning's "bye".
Suck her thumb, hold & shake things, sort things, drink from a sippy cup herself, drink from a real cup with help, put (shovel) food in her mouth and feed herself whole meals of table food, crawl faster than you think a baby should be able to crawl, cruise around one-handed, play peek-a-boo w/ blankets, around corners and by ducking under tables, clap her hands TO THE BEAT of music!!!, wave hi and bye, play chase games, and dance, dance DANCE. She knows where her 'pretty hair', her piggy toes, her fingers, and her eyes are. She's semi-consistently pointing out her nose and ear, as well as other peoples'. She does 'how big are you?', claps her hands on command, dances on command, plays peek-a-boo on command, and shakes her head "no" when you say that horrible, horrible word to her. Or she might melt down, if it was a particularly interesting cabinet she wanted to explore, whatever.

She dumped the bottles about a month ago (love/hate thing), and is happily drinking whole milk from a cup well. With the help of Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, she seems to have kicked the reflux's butt, although we know that can rear its ugly head in the future, as childhood or adult GERD. We also weaned her off her Zantac and she's soon to be down to 1/2 the dose of Reglan. Prevacid we'll probably have to continue well into toddlerhood, her doctor says. She's currently about 22 lbs, we think, and gaining inches seemingly daily. She's growing out of clothes like mad (this still shocks me, I guess because of that non-growing she did earlier on).

She loves her books, paging through them several times a day, especially the touch-and-feel ones. She loves to 'kiss' any baby in the pictures. Her kisses usually involve a big old lick, but it's still very cute. She likes any toy that rolls, especially her truck, and loves to clap and bounce with anything that plays a song. Truly the daughter of two music teachers, she's shown a major inclination towards music and dance. Her favorite song to dance to is "99 Red Balloons" by Nena (in German, of course, because she is her Grammy's girl!) She loves her doggie, too, and has taken to kissing him and occasionally even draping herself across him to see how fast Mommy and Daddy will come running before he catapults her off. She really loves the Baby in the Mirror, too. She's very excited because the baby is in our bedroom, our dining room, the bathroom, and in several toys - but she was especially thrilled when the baby came to her birthday party (thanks for coming, cousin Lindsey!)

I'm sure I've forgotten some key aspects of Maddie Life, and I'm sure I'll be back for some edits to her birthday post, but I just wanted to share some Maddiness with the rest of the world. And the pictures, below. More to come, with videos from the party and other fun stuff. We're so in love with our little girl. I feel like I've been waiting for my girlie all my life, and I can't imagine a bit of my life without her. Happy Birthday baby!!!