Colorado

This weekend we flew to Colorado for a friend's wedding. Since Godfather (Uncle) Nick and Kate live in Denver, they helped watch Madeline. Daddy was in the wedding so he wore a tux. Madeline liked playing with the flowers. We all had fun at the reception. The next morning everyone went down to the hotel restaurant for breakfast. Madeline made everyone laugh when she put on her "cool dude" sunglasses and cardboard hat :-) We hope we get to visit Colorado again soon!

Lunch with Great Grandma Deutsch

Today we went out for lunch with Great Grandma Deutsch. Great Grandma was amazed at how well Madeline sat in her high chair and ate her grilled cheese and pickles! We had fun, we'll have to go out for lunch with Great Grandma more often :-)

First Time on the Potty

A lot of people might think we're crazy to be trying this already, but Grandma Judy said mom was potty trained by the time she was 18 months old! We're not really being too serious about it, but if she wakes up from her nap dry, we going to try to put her on the potty. Today was the first time we tried it and it worked - she went right away! She has no clue what she did, but she likes how excited we got and clapped for herself right along with us :-) There's no way she can tell us when she needs to go, but we figure the more she does it, the more she'll get used to it and eventually she'll be able to tell us when she has to go. For now we'll just put her on every once in a while - it can't hurt to start early and since mom isn't working right now, we have the perfect opportunity to start practicing :-)

Pennsylvania

This weekend we flew all the way to Pittsburgh to surprise Great Grandma Shirley for her 80th birthday! Even though her birthday isn't until August, the whole family came into town early to make sure it was a surprise. We all went out to eat at a German restaurant in Pittsburgh. This was Madeline's first chance to meet her second cousin, Catelynn. Even though Madeline was feeling a bit under the weather most of the weekend, the girls still had a great time playing outside :-) Great Grandma Shirley and Grandma Frantz sure liked having both of the girls there together :-) It was so nice to see Grandma and Grandpa Frantz again! The whole weekend was so fun - we hope we can do it again every summer!

New Doctor

Today was Madeline's One Year Well Baby Check-up! Since we moved to Minnesota we had to find a new doctor. After talking to a lot of people and getting several great recommendations we decided to go see Dr. Mark Berg. The check up went really well. The new doctor was super nice and Madeline really seemed to like him :-)

So, at a little over 1 year here are her stats...

Head Circumference: 17 3/4 in. (50th %)
Height: 29 1/2 in. (57th %)
Weight: 15 lbs. 8 oz. (<3rd>
Still pretty small, considering when they weighed her she was fully clothed and had a wet diaper! But, since she's eating really well and doing all of the things developmentally she's supposed to be doing, the doctor said not to worry and keep doing what we've been doing.
That means keep feeding her like we have been and she's been eating a lot lately! She eats almost everything we put in front of her - Chicken, Turkey, Beef, Pork, Cheese, Yogurt, Pudding, Ice Cream, Bread, Crackers, Cheerios, all kinds of Fruits & Veggies (spinach and bananas seem to be her favorite) & Whole Milk. There aren't too many things she doesn't like, but we know when she doesn't like something because those things don't stay in her mouth too long (like cottage cheese!).

She also had to get her shots - 3 of them. She cried, but not for too long. When we got home she was back to her smiling self... even though her eyes were still a little puffy from the tears :-)

Another doctor visit finished!

BBQ Days!

Today we went to a town near by (Belle Plaine) for BBQ Days! Mom, Dad & Madeline all ate BBQ and it was really good :-) The sun was out and it was really hot so was stayed cool by drinking lots of water. Madeline not only stayed cool by drinking lots of water, she also looked super cool in her sun hat and sunglasses!

Onsie Model

Madeline got to model some of her new onsies today! First she wore the one she got from Uncle Nick and Kate for her birthday...Tweet Baby!!!

Then she had a minor diaper blow out and decided to finally try out the one Uncle Nick bought her in Jamaica way back in December...Tye-Dye Queen :-)

Cookout at Marv & Kim's

Great Aunt Kim & Great Uncle Marv invited us over for dinner today. The weather was gorgeous, so after Madeline ate her dinner she played outside while the grown-ups food was cooking on the grill.

She wore the new dress Marv and Kim gave her for her birthday. Uncle Marv picked it out :-)She even went flying...What a great day for a cookout!

Playdate

Madeline made a new friend today - JP (John Paul). They played with blocks and balls, read books and took a ride in Madeline's wagon :-) JP is only 3 weeks younger than Madeline, but he's almost 2x as big as she is! We were hoping he might teach her how to walk, but no such luck :-) JP also has 8 teeth - Madeline only has 2. He tried to give her kisses, but his teeth got in the way... he left his tooth prints right on her cheek - ouch! After a few tears, Madeline gave him a smile and it seemed as though all was forgiven :-)

Madeline's First Pool!

It was soooo hot today, so we decided to get out Madeline's baby pool for the first time! She got to open the new pool toys she got for her birthday too. They squirt water!
She was really getting into it :-)

Aunt Melanie's Graduation Party

Aunt Melanie's graduation party was today! It was the hottest day of the year so far, but we survived by drinking lots of juice & water and eating a ton of fruit. It was a great turn out - we had so much fun!It was the perfect opportunity to get a picture of the Deutsch girls :-)

First Birthday Party

The big day was finally here! Even though Madeline's first birthday was last Saturday, we waited to have the party until today so that everyone could come. Godmother (Aunt) Alyssa came from Cincinnati, and Uncle Keith, Godfather (Uncle) Nick & Kate came from Denver! Great Uncle Marv, Great Aunt Kim, Cousin Greta, Great Aunt Janet & Great Grandma Weiers were there too :-)She got her favorite for dinner - Mac & Cheese!Then it was time for cake! At first she didn't really know what to do...

She started picking at it...but after she got her first taste she really dug in! After the cake was cut & everyone got some, we gave her her own piece - what a mess! She had a blast with the cake, but then it was time to get cleaned up and open presents.
She got new books and a dress from Marv, Kim & Greta.A new Xavier sweatshirt from Godmother Alyssa.She got a new yellow onesie from Godfather Nick & Kate.Stackers from Aunt Melanie.She got a Minnesota Twins jersey (Dad got one too!) and a pink camping chair from Grandma Judy.A new dress from Great Uncle Herb & Great Aunt Nancy.She got a First Birthday picture frame from Great Grandma Shirley.Wow, all this stuff, plus all of the gifts she opened on her real birthday last Saturday!
We think she might be a little spoiled... and hope her first words are Thank You!
We're truely blessed to have such giving Family and Friends :-)

Another New Toy!

Mom and Dad didn't only give Madeline a new wagon for her birthday she also got a swing! We hung it on Grandma Judy's clothes line - it was the perfect height - and let her try it out. She loves her wagon so much that she never wanted to get out... that was until we introduced the swing! Now she jumps and points every time we get within view of it and cries when it's time to get out. It looks like we're going to be spending a lot of time outside :-)

Madeline's Wagon

Daddy just couldn't wait until the birthday party on Friday to give Madeline her birthday present, so she got it today... a brand new Radio Flyer Wagon! At first she held on tight, but it wasn't long before she was waving! Daddy pulled her all around the yard. We even went down to the garden to pick raspberries. They're sooo good :-)