Madison Turns 2!

Today is Madison Claire's 2nd birthday! I can't believe I have a 2 year old! She is a beautiful, loving, silly, smart, stubborn little girl. We have definitely hit the "terrible 2's," and even though there are some days that are frustrating, it's amazing to watch her learn new things & grow to be more independent. Before I know it, she'll be heading off to Kindergarten!

Happy girl waking up on her birthday! 

Eating cake with Mrs. Mary at speech

Madison eating a sucker at her party

Jake, Madison, & Me at her party

Madison with her birthday balloons from Jeremy & Jessica

Madison has had a busy week! Sunday was Father's Day, so we celebrated with Jake's family & my family. Madison's birthday party was Monday evening, and she had her 2 year checkup Tuesday. Today, she has speech & PT and will get to go to church and play with her friends!

Madison's favorite show is Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, and she loves Mickey & Minnie. So the theme of her party was Minnie Mouse. We had her favorite foods & it all tied in with the theme. We had Hot Diggity Dogs (hot dogs), Mickey's Macaroni (mac & cheese), Pluto's Party Beans (baked beans), Goofy's Green Beans, Minnie's Fruit Bows (strawberries & blueberries in the shape of a bow), and Toodle's Treats (cake & ice cream, Reeses, and suckers). We also had Daisy's Drinks & Handy Helpers (utensils, napkins, plates).

Minnie's Fruit Bows

Handy Helpers

Daisy's Drinks

Pluto's Party Beans & Goofy's Green Beans

Mickey's Macaroni

Hot Diggity Dogs

Toodle's Treats

I absolutely loved her cake! It was so cute!

We ate supper, the kids got to go play outside, and then we opened gifts. (I say "we," it was really me opening gifts... Madison was too busy running around haha). She got some things for our beach trip, some clothes, a basketball goal, a water table, and lots of other things!









Yesterday, at Madison's 2 year checkup, Dr. White thought she looked really great! She was so happy with how she has progressed. She is 30 lbs (88%) and 36 inches tall (94%). We still have some issues that hopefully will improve or we can fix (like the speech, her walk / scoliosis, her open ductus in her heart, her kidney reflux, etc.), but she is doing so much better than she was this time last year. She's been off her oxygen for a while now, and we haven't had her monitored when she sleeps for a couple of months now (and we're all able to sleep through the night!) We did add seizures into the mix this year, but since she's been on her seizure medicine, she hasn't had another one. (Knock on wood!) She's walking & trying to communicate more (she doesn't have many words you can understand, but she can make about 20 animal noises if you ask her). :)




I thank God every day for this sweet & sassy little girl, and for the improvements she has had. It's crazy to look back on pictures from when she was born until now, and I know each year it will be amazing to look back on. Daddy & I both love you so much, Madison!

Toddler Bed Transition

Last night was Madison's first night in her toddler bed. We just converted the front of her crib where it has a small rail & the rest is open. She liked getting up in her bed, but keeping her in there until she went to sleep was another story. Jake & I alternated laying with her for over an hour. Finally, I laid her back down & shut the door. She got up & tried to open the door, but I held it shut. (Feeling awful the whole time, but she never cried).  After a few minutes I heard her go lay back down. She stayed in there until about 4:30 this morning!

I heard her in the living room, so got up to get her. She was just standing by the recliner looking all pitiful & holding her blanket. I went to lay her back down & saw she had shut the door behind her when she got up. (Smart little girl!) I laid down with her for a minute, and then got up and shut the door again. She stayed in there until a Jake went and got her a few minutes ago. She never fell back asleep though. So we have all been up since 4:30... Today may be a long day!