Doctor Visit

We went for Madeline's 4 month check up yesterday. The doctor said that Madeline is growing like she is supposed to and is very healthy. Her weight is 15 lbs and 2.1 oz and her height is 24 1/2 inches. She got two more booster shots. We decided to go with a more relaxed schedule of shots b/c we don't think that she needs that much medicine all at once. We picked Dr. Sears method of booster shots...so that is why she only got two yesterday instead of the normal three.

Madeline hardly cried at all when she got the shots yesterday. She is way more like her father then her mother! I wanted to cry for her! What a strong little girl! :)

Weekend in Lafayette

We spent this past weekend in Lafayette. Saturday afternoon we went to Paw Paw book signing.

Then we to eat crawfish with Madeline's great grandparents (Jeremy's Paw Paw Jerry and Mrs. Ann), Aunt Jennifer & Dave, and Mr. Ralph and Mrs. Ann.

Sunday was Madeline's baptism.Unlce Troy and Aunt Jennifer are Madeline's godparents!Here some of Madeline's Great Grandparents and then her two grandmothers and grandfathers.

Sunday night we had heavy hearts for Aunt Missy and cousins Austin, Alec, and Carly at the wake of their dad. Then on Monday we went to the funeral.

Rice Cereal

#15

I love that Madeline slept over 9 hours last night and I think it is all b/c of rice cereal!!!!

We gave her a little bit of rice cereal on her 4th birthday! She turned 4 months on Dec. 10th and we decided to start getting her used to the spoon, so I put a little milk in a bowl and feed her just that. She LOVED it so I went to the store to get rice cereal to see how she would take that. She did very well! I think way more then 50% went into her mouth. I had made it really really runny, so I don't think she got all that much cereal, but it was a start!

We didn't try again to give her cereal until Tuesday night, where I only gave her a little bit aging with a good amount of milk. Yesterday we went for her 4 month check up and the doctor told me to give her more cereal then I had been. So I did and once again Madeline did great with it! I would say she got about 75% of it in her mouth!
Then last night she slept from 8:30 until 5:49!!!!!! I have to assume it was the cereal...so Madeline will be getting cereal EVERY NIGHT!!!! :)

Falling asleep

#14

I love the way Madeline sometimes falls asleep in the middle of playing.

On Monday she was SO tired from all that she had been to over the weekend that she fell asleep while playing with the animal on her car seat.

Then this morning she crashed while trying to play with her bird!

Giggling

#13

I love Madeline's giggle!

She just started giggling recently and I was able to get her on video yesterday. I just love this!!!!

Talking

#12

I love that Madeline talks to everything!

Madeline really started talking a lot around the middle of October. Jeremy and I would lay in bed with her some nights and just talk. I would make really high pitch sounds and she would respond to them. Now we say "Uh-oh" a lot and she kind of makes the sound back. She loves to talk to pretty much anything that moves or that has eyes! The fan is her friend and she has many conversations with it over the last couple of months. This morning she was talking to either the frog on her car seat or the monkey mirror in the car. She has the cutest little voice!

Bedtime

#11

I love how Madeline lays in bed with us a while before bedtime.

We normally all get in our bed around 7:00 to watch TV for a while and then to sleep around 9:00. A lot of times Jeremy and I get popsicles right when get into bed and I put Madeline in between us on her Boppy. She is starting to really notice that we have something and she doesn't. She turns her head from side to side looking at us as to say, "I want a some too!" I guess we will have to stop this soon! But back to what I really love...the three of us just sitting there watching TV. I know I have said that we don't want her watching much TV, but I think it is just too cute when she sits like us watching TV right now. This will all stop soon! I enjoy looking over seeing the two of them and realize how great life is!

First Snow Fall, Gingerbread House and Santa Meeting

This weekend was a weekend of first...first time Madeline got to see snow, first time Madeline built a gingerbread house, and first time she met Santa.

Friday around 8:30 we went for a run. About half way through the run it started snowing on us. It was not sticking to much but it did stick to my gloves a little.

Madeline went down for a nap around noon and then the snow really started around 2:00. She slept through the snow for the most part, but I still got pictures of it.

Snow on daddy truck: Snowing on the house!

That night we built Madeline's first gingerbread house.

Saturday night we went to Auntie Alisa's Christmas party and Madeline got to meet Santa for the first time!

Personality

#10

I love Madeline's go with the flow personality!

The child has been all over already and she is not even 4 months yet. She has been a great traveler and likes to go different places. We can't really stay home more then a day or two b/c she gets really bored.

Her first trip was to Lafayette! I just think this picture is too funny! We went to Lafayette for Labor Day weekend (my birthday). We had to stop three times...twice to eat and once for a diaper change. I think it took us about 5 and a half hours. This was Madeline's first time to sleep away from home. We had a Labor Day/Meet Madeline/Birthday Party at my mom's on Sept. 7th. Madeline met lots of people that weekend!!!!

The next trip she took was to Orlando for her Uncle Ralph and Aunt Doreen's wedding! This was her first plane ride.

She did GREAT!!!! Some lady was so upset that she was going to have to sit by us b/c she figured Madeline would cry...well that lady was SO wrong. Madeline was an angel and got LOTS of compliments when we landed. Her daddy did too b/c he went and changed her diaper one time.

Madeline in our first hotel room...we switched to about four different once. She slept the whole time! Then it was time to get ready for the rehearsal and then dinner afterwards. She was so good for all of it! She is such a little trooper!Saturday September 26th was Ralph and Doreen's wedding. Madeline cried out a little during the wedding but Doreen said she was glad that she did so that we all knew she was there! :) This is us right after the ceremony. It was very nice!The new happy family!

The next weekend Madeline took a trip to Lafayette and then to New Orleans for Tracey's Bachorlette Party! Yes, she is a party animal! But first we celebrated Maw Maw's birthday at Paw Paw's office! This time Madeline slept the whole way from Paw Paw's bank in Houston to Maw Maw and Paw Paw's house in Lafayette! In New Orleans Maw Maw and Madeline stayed in the hotel room and played!
On the way home of New Orleans we didn't have to stop until Vidor, TX. Madeline slept the whole way! She is such a good traveler!

Two weekends later we went back to Lafayette b/c Jeremy went to Brent's Bachor Party. We made it the whole way again before she woke up. This was the first time that all 6 of the grandchildren where together.The next trip was out of the country...Playa del Carmen, Mexico!!!! Both Jeremy and I were in Tracey and Brent's wedding and we didn't want to leave Madeline at home since she was only 2 and a half months...so she came along with us. Maw Maw also came with so that she could babysit.

On the plane again!!!! She was a little more awake this time on the flight there but still very good. On the way home she was a little fussy, but who can blame her...she had to have been so tired and out of her element!

Madeline's feet in the sand in Mexico!Madeline dressed up for the wedding! She was a very good girl for the whole trip! Kristie loved rocking her to sleep at the wedding. It was so nice to listen to the waves crashing on the beach and rocking my little one to sleep.

This was the first night that Madeline slept away from her mommy and daddy! She slept in Maw Maw's room the night of the wedding since Jeremy and I would be getting in pretty late. I was a little sad but knew that I could see her first thing in the morning!

Then Madeline slept at Aunt Jennifer's for the first time on Nov. 13th. We went to Baton Rouge to go tailgate for an LSU game.She was once again very good on the car ride there and back...and she lasted a long time tailgating! We were out there from 10 am to 6 pm. She is such a good girl! :)

Her last trip was this past weekend to Lafayette again for Thanksgiving. So yeah if you added all that up she has been to Lafayette 5 time, on a place 4 times, to 2 weddings, and out of the country once! My little traveler! :)

Hair

#9

I love Madeline's hair!

I love to play with it while she is eating and sleeping. I play with the little curls in the back and I flatten down the part on the top. I think it is funny that she has totally worn away all the hair on the middle back of her head! She moves so much while she is laying down that all the hair back there came out. Her hair is brown in the back but really light on the top. I think she is going to end up looking like the rest of her cousins...blonde hair and blue eyes. I would have liked for her to look like Jeremy and I...brown and brown...but however she turns out she will be the cutest kid ever! Well, until number 2 comes a long and then she will be tied for first place! :)

This was back at the beginning of September when it was darker and still there!

Today...with no hair in the back!

Snuggle

#8

I love when Madeline and I snuggle!

When she was born the midwives and nurse said she was a very snuggly baby! We used to sleep in some mornings and just snuggle.

Now she is all over the place, but sometimes she likes to snuggle. Last night before bed she let me hold her and snuggle for a long time. It was so nice! I know that soon she will not even let me do this anymore.

UL Cheerleader

Madeline went tailgate for her first UL game on Saturday. Her and I were supposed to get out there at noon, but she slept at Maw Maw's house until 3:00 so we were a little late. She was SO cute in her little cheerleader outfit...but she still had a little purple on to support the Tigers (notice the socks)!

At Maw Maw's house right before we left

In Tracey's uncle and aunt's RVHis little CajunMy little TigerTracey thinks the purple is for Sigma, but it is for LSU...sorry! hahaHer first tailgating expereince was a couple of weeks ago when we went to the LSU vs. LA Tech (Homecoming) game on Nov. 14th.

She did enjoy it a lot more then this picture shows. It is just that she was out there from 10 am to about 6 pm!

Reader

#7

I love that Madeline likes to read!

Paw Paw was having fun with her on Thanksgiving morning! hahahaI hope she does become a better reader then me!

The first book I read to her was LSU 101. She didn't really sit still for too long, so we only got to page two. We try to read nursery rhymes to her but I think she is still a little too young to enjoy them.

Thanksgiving

I have not blogged in a while because we have been in Lafayette since last Wednesday for Thanksgiving. Wednesday night we went out to Downtown Alive in Lafayette. Madeline loved the christmas tree and also went to her first wine cellar.
Bundled up for the cold!

The Dartezes in front of the tree downtown
Thursday we spent all day at my mom's with Troy and his family. It was nice and a little quiet at times!

Our family Paw Paw and Madeline Thanksgiving morning!Brendan, Maw Maw, MadelineAunt Jeanne and Madeline laughing! Mommy and MadelineDaddy and Madeline Thanksgiving afternoonHanging an ornament on Maw Maw's Christmas tree

Madeline enjoyed her first Thanksgiving and we hope you all had a great day too!

Hands

#6

I love Madeline's little hands!
I love watching her look at them! She can watch her hands or my hands for hours at a time. She started really noticing them on September 15th and started grabbing the little bird on her seat.

Now she is getting really good at putting things in her mouth. Her favorite toy is her burp cloth. We try to wipe her month, b/c she drools and spits up so much, and she takes it from us and puts it in her mouth. She does get some of the drool when doing this, so it kind of works out good for us! :)

Her index figure and thumb are in her mouth a good amout of the time!