Mady turns one!

So we come full circle--back to January, the month when our baby girl was born just one short year ago. Mady celebrated her birthday with the student staff (see video below) and enjoyed smashing her cupcake. She also had her one-year check-up. She weighed in at 20.06 lbs. (33 percentile for her age and sex). She got to stand on the big scale this time rather than stripping down and laying on the infant scale. And she measured 30.6 inches for her height (91 percentile for her age and sex). So oddly enough, she is still tall for her age, and of course, a skinny little thing.

Since her check-up, Mady has been battling her first cold--possibly something she picked up at the doctor's office. Symptoms? Off-and-on fever, runny nose, and unsatiable desire to be held by her mother, and only her mother. And of course, Mady couldn't just keep the bug to herself; she had to share. So all of us are sick but hope to be better soon.

Mady had her first temper tantrum on her birthday--she decided to throw a fit because she wouldn't let Carrie help her brush her teeth. She wanted to do it herself, which really means gnawing on the wrong end of the toothbrush. Carrie and I were completely caught off guard by her meltdown but became instantly motivated to start thinking about discipline and how we might go about it in the future. I'm sure there's a ton of advice out there but we'll figure it out with practice and patience.

Mady has learned to do a lot of things recently--it's just so amazing to see her grow and develop everyday. She can drink from a straw, which means she gets to enjoy smoothies. She can hold her own sippy cup when she drinks her milk. And she transitioned to cow's milk with no problem at all. She can put quarters in her piggy bank and some of her shapes in her shape sorter (well, okay, only the circle, but we're working on the others.) She's also very good at giving us high-fives. Mady has also learned to put her hands together when she prays, clap her hands along with certain songs, and jump, well, sort of (see videos below).

So that about wraps up our year together. I enjoyed sharing our daughter's life with you, and I hope you enjoyed coming along for the ride. It's been fun! We love you all!