Maddie is 2!

OK, so technically Maddie has been 2 for a little while now.....but I have been meaning to write this post for quite some time so I suppose now is better than never :)

Maddie is 2 years old on May 27, 2011!

Here's some of the little tidbits about Maddie at 2 years old:

At her 2 year checkup, Maddie weighed 23.4 lbs. and measured 34.5 inches tall.  

Maddie is saying all sorts of things now and will try to repeat almost anything we say.  Her pronunciation is a little off sometimes but it makes for some cute little words and phrases.  Some of our favorites are:

• ucko bappie, which refers to a dirty (or ucko) diaper
• keen bappie is, of course, a clean diaper
• momer = monster and money = monkey
• bubberby = butterfly and beelabug = ladybug
• "apple video" refers to Bob the Tomato or Veggie Tales videos
• caco = taco and coco milk = chocolate milk
• chicken nugget can refer to the food item or Mickey Mouse since Maddie had Mickey Mouse shaped chicken nuggets at one time :)
• if someone gets hurt, it's an "owie boo-boo"
• "za, za, da, da" is the sound a duck makes no matter how many times we tell her ducks "quack"

Recently, Maddie has been saying more and more phrases like, "Good night, Baby Isaac" and "Come on, Baby Isaac" and "Good job, Buddy".  She's close to being able to count to 10 completely on her own.  However, usually it goes something like this, "1,2,3.....9,10".  Maddie has always been a more physically active little girl than a verbal child but she has gained quite the vocabulary since she said her first word at 14 months old!       

Speaking of being physically active, this girl has become quite the little climber!  She can now climb into her booster seat at the dining table and buckle herself in (makes my life a little easier!) and she can climb into her carseat as well.  Thankfully she hasn't climbed out of her crib yet but it's probably only a matter of time.  Although, she has climbed into Isaac's crib a few times.  She can walk up and down stairs and loves to jump and dance around!

Maddie is still a super picky eater but she has branched out and tried new things occasionally.  Recently she has been more willing to eat bread, beans, eggs and some meats and veggies.  If she had her way though, she would live on fresh fruit, cheese and crackers.  Maddie has mastered drinking from a cup and is pretty good at using a fork and spoon too! 

We graduated Maddie out of her baby tub, which Isaac is still using, and have her taking baths in the "big tub" and she just loves it!  She has a collection of "rubber duckies" that she gets to play with and sometimes I even fill the tub with "bubbles"! :)

We've been somewhat trying to potty train Maddie in the last couple of weeks.  Basically, we aren't putting a lot of pressure on her (or us!) but just trying to make it a fun process.  Sometimes she will go in the potty and if she does, we celebrate it and if she doesn't go, it's not a big deal.  One huge advantage to us using cloth diapers is that we can leisurely potty train the kids and not worry about money spent on diapers :)

At night, we read stories to Maddie and then say bedtime prayers.  This is one of my favorite times of the day!  The collection of animals that she sleeps with has grown quite a bit over time, although Addy is still her favorite!  

Maddie is still quite the "little mommy".  She spends most of her day taking care of all of her animals, dressing them up in whatever article of clothing she finds laying around the house, feeding them, putting them to bed.  Her favorite toys are anything related to babies: cloth diapers, bottles, bibs and Isaac's carseat and highchair.  She also loves looking at books and watching the occasional Elmo or Veggie Tales video.  One of Maddie's very favorite things to do is play outside!  She loves going to the park, playing in her kiddie pool and just exploring the backyard. 

I think what I want to remember most about Maddie at this age is how sweet and loving she is.  She is always doing things to help me or her brother, she loves to give hugs and kisses and she's such a joy to hang out with!  It's so fun to watch how she takes care of her little brother, although she does get upset when he touches her toys and loves to tell him "No, no, no, no, no, Baby Isaac!".  She loves to "go out" with Mommy and I usually take her with me whenever I run errands.  My little girl is growing up but I'm so excited to see the person she is becoming! 

For fun, here's a side by side comparison of Maddie at 2 months and 2 years:

         My how she's grown!

And here's a cute video of Maddie making animal sounds: