Remember the Cuteness, Part II

Continuing in my effort to remember the little and random, but completely adorable, things Maddie does, I submit a whole new list of "cuteness":

I Heart Price Chopper: Maddie's home-away-from-home may be daycare, but given the choice, I really believe she'd choose to live at the grocery store, currently. See, Maddie's new favorite obsession (seriously, it may even rival books, at the moment) is the ball. Anything round (although, footballs are also included in her orb-love) is immediately fascinating and covetable, and the grocery store in the fall is packed to the rafters, quite literally, with all manner of "round." First, even before you walk through the magical doors to consumer-heaven, there are the pumpkins. The first time Maddie saw them, she went nuts, "Ba! Ba, ba, ba! BA! BAAA!" It took me several seconds to realize what she was talking about. She's finally consented to call them "Ba-ba", which is her way of letting us know she does hear us when we say over and over "Those are pumpkins, honey, not balls." Once inside of Mecca, there are even more pumpkins, but there are also balloons--not just the usual assortment of seasonal mylar, but balloons everywhere promoting tailgate-appropriate food stuffs. They adorn almost every aisle, and being round and shiny, they have also been dubbed "Ba!" Finally, though not balls, there are cardboard Jayhawk cut-outs that hang from the ceiling (also for tailgating). Being a Webster-Stoppel, Maddie loves the bird, so seeing the Jayhawk alongside so many beautiful balls of all shapes and sizes? Paradise.

The Answer Is No: About a month ago, Maddie picked up the word "No." At first she said it like Laura, her daycare provider says it to her: "Na-Na" (No-no), but now she just says "No" or "No!" Sometimes it's very off-hand, very casual. No, not now. I'm good. Sometimes it's quite emphatic. The thing is, she doesn't quite get it. She understands that no can be used to decline or deny something, but, well, maybe I should just give an example:

Mommy: Maddie, would you like a snack? Would you like some food?

Maddie: NO! NO! (Runs over to her highchair and proceeds to jump up and down until Mommy gets her in the chair and puts food in front of her.)

Yeah...she thinks "no" is an appropriate answer to every question. In fact, the more she really wants something, the louder and more demanding the no will be. She also shouts no when being offered the chance to go play in her playroom in the basement, read a book, drinks some juice, or go to daycare, all things she does, in fact, fully intend to do. We've tried following her no by saying "Yes. Yes you would like a snack. Yes, you would like to go downstairs. Yes, you would like to dance to the Mickey Mouse song" but to no avail. Whatever, we'll get there, someday.

Monkey See, Monkey Do: Most of you probably know I call my daughter Monkey or Monkey Face a lot (not that I really think she looks like a monkey), but as she gets older and starts to mimic other people, the nickname is becoming more apt. Currently, my two favorite imitations are as follows:

1) The sneeze: This started at daycare, where it being cold and flu season, there is a lot of sneezing. Whenever one of the kids sneezed, the other kids would all giggle and shout "A-choooo!" Maddie, not wanting to be left out, is now also shouting achoo, but because it gets such a big reaction, she'll now do it on command or just on her own. No one has to be sneezing, but you'll hear this little voice go "Ah-Deeeooo." (I used to think she was announcing her own impending sneeze, but that turned out to be a fluke.) The inflection is complete and total adorability, but she also scrunches up her nose and tilts her chin in the air while she says it. Love it!

2) How does a kitty drink?: The other night while I was giving Maddie her bath, one of the cats wandered in and began drinking the left-over water that was in a lid I use to wet and rinse Maddie's hair. I pointed this out to Maddie and being the teaching-moment minded parent that I am, started explaining how kitties drink. I move my tongue in and out and made slurping noises--the whole bit. (When it comes to learning moments, I commit.) Pretty soon, there's Maddie moving her tongue in and out, and now, when you ask her how a kitty drinks, she demonstrates nicely.

And then there's this:

And this:

Yeah, eat your heart out, Gerber Baby.

Who's Your Mommy?

Recently, Jon and I were getting ready to go to sleep, and he asked me what my favorite thing was about Maddie since she turned a year old. I said, "Hearing her call me Mommy and getting a hug when I pick her up from daycare." Having been forced to read/listen to my rants about her lack of interest in acknowledging or saying "Mommy", I know you'll be delighted (or perhaps just relieved) to hear that she's finally calling me by name, and not just saying my name when people point to me, but asking for me and calling to me. It's a full-blown Ma-mee, too. She does call me Ma-ma, sometimes, but as with Jon and "Da-dee", it's usually the complete word, correctly enunciated and everything.

I think this is another one of those "life-moments" (that's a really cheesy term I just used, sorry...) that you're never fully prepared for, a moment that just barrels into you at high speed. When you have kids, or find out you're having kids, or birth kids, or whatever context works for you, you think about the first time they'll call you Mommy or Daddy or Great-step-aunt-Myrtle, but when it happens, oh-my-goodness, the feeling is boundless. I can't really describe it in better terms. It just overtakes you; you can't breathe for a second because did that just?, really?, at me?, for real? It's addictive, this being addressed by name. We still haven't gotten tired of it, even when it comes in the form of a whine. (Oh, and we dont' really have a Great-aunt-Myrtle. You didn't just forget part of the family tree. No worries.)

Now for the hugging: She's been giving hugs for quite a while now, when you ask for them, so nothing really new there, but for the last two weeks or so, she's been giving completely spontaneous, self-motivated hugs when I pick her up from daycare. I walk in the door, she gets excited, grins, proudly displays to me whatever toy she's playing with, and begins toddling around the furniture toward me. She used to stop just short of my reach (she never really wants to go home from daycare--daycare has better toys) and just show me her toy before turning around and wandering off to play with the dog or the kitchen magnets. Now, however, she comes up and snuggles her head into my shoulder, just for a few seconds, but long enough for it to be a purposeful hug. I don't want to put words in her mouth, but I see it as her way of saying, "Hey, I missed you. I don't really want to go home with you, but if you want to stay here and play with me, that would be great. I'm just glad you're around." It's nice to feel, if not needed, wanted, and the hug is one of the first signs of physical affection she's shown us all on her own. It's a way of saying "I like being with you, too," when full-sentences and thoughts are a long way off. (Again, with the putting of words in her mouth. I could be wrong. She may just be resting before going back to play with the dog.)

Before I wrap this up, I must apologize, as usual, for our lack of blogging of late. This fall is gearing up to be one of the busiest on record, and of course before anyone says it, I know they just get busier. I'm aware. We did go to the zoo for the first time this Sunday, so we'll try to get a post and a few pictures up from that, and of course, we'll have an assortment of tailgating/football photos at some point this season. Until then, enjoy this completely unrelated, but seriously adorable, photo of Maddie that Nana snapped earlier this fall.

Tub Dunking!

Note: There are additional photos added to the slideshow which includes Maddie swimming, our trip to 'The Farm', and the big birthday party. New slideslow location at the very bottom of the blog.

Of Weaning and Whining (and Wining and Sushi)

WARNING: This post contains very detailed information about breastfeeding and weaning. If you feel that this is something you may be uncomfortable with, please do not read this post. If you do read it and are subsequently offended or unsettled, the writer and other contributors to this blog take no responsibility for your lack of judgement.

So, it's official. Maddie is weaned and I am, for the time being, finished breastfeeding. Since I know there are several people who read this blog who are breastfeeding or will be breastfeeding, I thought it might be helpful to outline the process a little since I, for one, had a lot of trouble finding information on weaning when I needed it. Well, sort of. I could find information on weaning a baby. What I couldn't find information on was weaning a mom. I found article after article on cutting back on feedings slowly, introducing the bottle, etc., but I found one, seriously ONE, article on what I should expect as I went from milk factory to empty barn. (It was on Babble, of course.)

Anyway, basically, I began cutting back on feedings in June. I went from pumping three times a day to pumping twice a day and then once a day and then not at all during the day. We switched Maddie to goat's milk and then cow's milk, and aside from the fact that she still refuses to drink cow's milk out of a sippy-cup (coming soon to Webster-Stoppel Family, the epic saga of Bottle vs. Cup!), it went very well. In fact, from her perspective, I was sort of sad that she didn't seem to miss me or my milk more. In reality, Jon and I were actually quite glad the transition was smooth. I eventually got to the point where I was only nursing her morning and night, then only in the morning, and on the morning of her birthday party, I nursed her for the last time, and that was it. Out of business.

As for what my body did, well, it wasn't quite that smooth. Aside from the actual shutting down, going from pumping twice a day to pumping once a day was the most difficult. I chose to cut feedings out over the weekends, so I wouldn't be sitting at my desk at work leaking through my clothes, but that meant there were several times during the weekends that I was in some other public place hoping I didn't leak through my clothes. And yes, it's painful, although, not as painful as some descriptions I've heard. My breasts were rock solid, unmoving, hot, and painful. I did not want to be touched, and by the end of it all, raising my arms over my head hurt. Getting dressed in the morning was challenging, and following The Last Supper (or breakfast as the case may be), I wore sports bras for a week solid.

Then, strangely, after a week of pain, clogged ducts about which I could do nothing, embarrassingly large breasts, ill-fitting tops, and disrupted sleep, everything just went away. By the Sunday following our last feeding session, my breasts were still very sore, but they weren't massive and immovable. By Monday, it was over. As for the aftermath, it's not too bad. (She writes while tilting her head a little and squinting, trying to decide how she really feels.) Yes, my breasts are smaller and they seem to have lost a little, um, elasticity, but they're not flat as pancakes and hanging out in the vicinity of my belly-button, either. Plus, I'm actually thinner now than I was before I got pregnant, so who's to say some of this wouldn't have happened anyway, baby or no. Regardless, though, I will admit that it's taking some getting used to. I'd become accustomed to my larger bust-line, and now instead of the ladies seeming smaller, I feel like everything else got bigger. It's a weird scale, perspective thing, and I have to keep reminding myself that I probably didn't gain five pounds in a week.

Emotionally, I don't think I experienced any major hormone shifts at the end, but you may need to check with Jon. I was a little "pissy" for a week or so, but I don't remember it being too out of control. I will say that I was surprised by how emotional I had become about nursing. While it was going on, I never really felt one way or another about it. It was something that needed to be done, and sometimes I was happy to do it, and sometimes it was a huge inconvenience, truthfully. However, the first night I didn't nurse her before she went to bed, the urge to do so was very strong. I really, really wanted to, and I had to keep reminding myself that I had to quit at some point. Plus, she was ready. She'd been ready for a while.

As for the sushi part of the title, to put a positive spin on weaning and celebrate some of the activities I can now return to whole-heartedly, Jon, some friends, and I are going out for cocktails and sushi this Saturday--cocktails because I mostly avoided hard alcohol while I was breastfeeding (and before anyone flips out, I was very careful to wait appropriate amounts of time or pump and dump even when drinking wine and beer), and sushi because it's best to avoid the whole raw fish thing while you're feeding another person, bacteria and all that.

And so it ends, and I can stop writing warning labels for so many posts, unless, of course, Maddie decides to repeat the "Great Poo Incident of 2009"...

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to burn my nursing bras. Those things were awful.

A Year in Photos

The full set of proofs from Maddie's one-year photo session are now online on the Solar's website, so feel free to check them out. As part of our package, we're choosing photos from the entire year and having them bound into a book, so the photos from all five session are actually available on the website, too. If you have the time, it's sort of fun to go through them and see how much she's changed. (Okay, it may just be fun for Jon and I. I don't know.) Anyway, the password is just my email address: alainawebster@gmail.com. Enjoy!

Party Like a Rockstar: A Photo Essay

What's all this? A party? Just for me?*


Oh, you guys! You really shouldn't have. I'm so happy I could squat!


And look at everyone who's here. It's my lovely and talented aunts!


Mommy, what is that? Why is there fire on it? Why is everyone singing? Why am I half-naked? Never mind, I don't care if I'm naked. Can I touch that?


Hmmm, I find this green and brown circle intriguing. It smells delightful...


Birthday cake rocks!


Step away from my cake. I am NOT sharing.


Everyone else seems to be enjoying their cake, too.


And then, like most good parties, there was an awkward and inappropriate make-out session in front of everyone. The whole school is going to be talking about this on Monday...


Then there were wagon rides!


I'm not sure what it says about our daughter, kissing one man at the party, and then catching a ride with someone completely different.


Oh, tissue paper! How rapturous!


I love football (and my new Reesing jersey from my uncle)!


#5, small but mighty


Oh, my head feels so much better without my pig-tails. I'm not sure why everyone's laughing, but I'm just going to go along with it. It can't be at me. I look fabulous!


Fabulous, indeed.

*(All photos by Larry Stoppel and Marc Webster.)

Jon and I would just like to take a moment to thank everyone who came to her party and most of all, our parents for all their help in getting ready, setting up, getting food, and cleaning. Maddie had a great time, and so did we. You guys are also rockstars! Thanks a million!

One-Year Photo Session

Yay! We have pictures from Maddie's one-year photo session with Josh Solar Photography! Yay! As usual, here are a few of our favorites, but you can find more on their blog. We'll also let you know when the full session is up on their website and post a link and password. Enjoy!

Birthday Party Pictures...

The big One Year Celebration pictures will be up very soon. We are compiling everything together, and hope to get it up by the end of the week. They are very good, so everyone knows.

Here is one picture of the birthday girl to start you off!

Happy Birthday, Monkey Face!

To my darlingest, dearest, most wonderful Maddie:

Today, in approximately four hours, give or take a few minutes and seconds, you will be one year old. Of course, you and I have been together for much longer than that. We got to rock out for a whole 40 weeks before anyone else knew you, and while I complained about being pregnant from the moment we saw those double pink lines, I'm so grateful that I got to have you all to myself for that short(ish) amount of time.

As your birthday has gotten closer, I find myself thinking about the day you were born, the most exciting and most terrifying day of our lives for your daddy and me. You see, you almost didn't make it. By the time you read this, I'm sure you'll have heard the story from several people, so I won't make you read it again, but those five minutes between seeing you for the first time and hearing you cry for the first time were the worst five minutes of my life. We had only just met you, and I couldn't bear the thought of losing you without even knowing you... And then you cried. And then everything was fine. And then the three of us were alone. And then your daddy and I cried.

You were so tiny and so perfect, with your huge eyes and insane black hair. Even now, I can't imagine loving anyone or anything the way I love you. I feel like I didn't know what love was until you were born, and sometimes it's almost frightening. The feeling is so primal and animal and unlike anything else that it almost feels like too much, like I love you so much it shouldn't be possible, as if you should be crushed and suffocated by the weight of my love.

It's not just emotional either. I can't get enough of you physically. I need to touch you, to kiss your little face, to hold your chunky, baby body and brush your crazy, baby hair. I even take a guilty pleasure in the times you get sick because it means you'll let me snuggle you, let me nap with you, let me just hold you without doing anything else. (Don't get me wrong. It also tears me up when you're sick, and I can't make you feel better. What good is a mommy who can't make it better?)

Now you're walking and talking, and it feels like each step you take is one step farther away from being my baby and one step closer to being my little girl. I know that as you get older, we'll fight, and you'll feel like I don't understand you, that I don't care about you, that I don't love you. So, I want to say now, and always, there is never anything you can do that will make me love you less. It's absolutely impossible for you to lose my love. It is unconditional, forever.

As you get to know me, there will probably be times you'll be surprised that I wrote this. I'm not always very good at expressing myself verbally, which is why I'm writing this now, and I hope to write you a letter every August 19th. Even now, I feel like an incredible cheese-ball as I sit here, trying to show you how I feel, trying not to cry, all happy and sad and unbelievably proud at the same time. You are by far the best "Oops!" your daddy and I ever made, and we can't imagine ours lives without you.

So Happy Birthday Madeline Olivia, my Money-Face, my Madster, my Maddie! Daddy and I love you so much!

Mommy

Whose "Genes" Are You Wearing?

As Maddie reaches the one-year mark, we thought it might be fun to compare pictures of the one-year-old Madster to pictures of her mother and father at about the same age:

First up, we have Jon, who seems to have developed an affinity for overalls and turtlenecks. Also, if you look closely, I believe you will see a certain blue blankie in the background of the last shot...

Next, we have me and my blue ruffles, courtesy of the early '80s. By the way, feel free to make fun of my dad's awesome 'fro. We always do. (Love you, Dad!)

Finally, we have the lovely and talented Madeline Olivia who can always be counted on to bring a certain amount of "goof" to any occasion (unless the occasion is an outdoor photo session, that is.)

So, what do you think? Seeing what we had to work with, we think she turned out pretty well. Any thoughts on who she most resembles right now?