Party Time

Madeline is turning one in two weeks...I really can't believe it! It has been the best year of my life. But. I'll write more about that later.
We are having luau at the same park where we were married. I'm not much of a planner, but I am wanted to do something big and fun for her first birthday, and I'm excited! My mom has a friend from Hawaii who gave her this grass skirt outfit when Madeline was born. I just HAD to use it! So, we did a little photo shoot on the beach for a picture for the invitations. My friend Tara made the invitations, and they turned out so cute. I was going to post a copy, but it has my phone number on it, and I feel weird putting that on the internet. So, here are a few of the pictures. The one we where she is smiling is the one we used. (P.S. We didn't send them to out of town friends, so don't be sad if you are my friend and you didn't get one. :))

The Beginning of the End

This video was taken a few months ago, when Madeline was about 8 months old I think. She is now almost a year old, and weighs almost 27 pounds. She's huge. And we still swaddle her. We have been hesitant to stop, because she is SUCH a good sleeper. She has been sleeping 12 hours a night since she was about 5 months old, and she takes two 2 hour naps a day. And she goes down with no problems. Just swaddle, pacifier, set her in the crib, and walk away. We have been very, very fortunate. A few months ago, when she started getting out of the swaddle, we incorporated a trick that our friend taught us, using two blankets, and that bought us few more months of swaddling.
But recently, Madeline has been getting out of the double-swaddle, and we have found her in some interesting positions in her crib. The other night, I walked in to find her with one arm out of the swaddle, pulling herself up on the crib, the majority of her body still swaddled! We realized that we need to start thinking about bringing the wonderful days of swaddling(and probably 12 hour nights) to an end.
So now, we are in the transition, trying to figure it out. We have tried one arm out, both arms out, and completely unswaddled, and no matter what, she ends up standing up in her crib, crying for us. She just does not understand that she needs to lay down and go to sleep, when for 11 months she was wrapped up tight to go to sleep.
All of this to say, we are very open to suggestions...and miracles. :)
Advice anyone?

What a Week!

We just got home today from a REALLY nice vacation. We went to Palm Springs with my family and stayed at a very nice Marriot timeshare resort. We got a great price on it, so my family was able to get a suite right next to ours. We spent the week swimming, eating, talking, reading, and of course, having a blast playing with Madeline. It is unbelievable how much joy she brings to all of us, and I can't quite remember or imagine what we did before her. Whatever it was, it wasn't nearly as much fun.
We were all so pleased that the weather was gorgeous the entire time...high 80's to low 90' and sunny. It was ununsally cool for Palm Springs in June, which meant it was perfect for us. We went to one of the SEVEN pools and swam every day at least once. Then, when Madeline took her naps, we just took turns sitting on the back porch overlooking the golf course and read. It was SO nice.
Here are some pictures of the week:
(Of course, they are backwards..I always forget that part. :))

Experiment

Yesterday morning,I had a last minute idea, and I decided to try it out. Jon and I were hanging out with Madeline in our pajamas, and I told him I needed to go to Target before we left for Palm Springs in the afternoon. I went into the bathroom, and that's when I decided to try a little experiment. I was wearing pajama shorts and a tank top, no make-up, no bra, no shoes, no brush through my hair, nothing. I walked out of the bathroom, put my purse over my shoulder, and said, "Ok babe, I'm heading to Target. Need anything?". He looked up at me. Seriously...looked right at me, and said, "no thanks." He didn't notice.
I pointed out to him my current condition, and he laughed and agreed that he hadn't really noticed even though he looked right at me.
Someone please remind me why spend $150 on blonde highlights every other month when my husband didn't notice that I was going to Target in my pajamas?!

I am writing this blog with a smile on my face because even though he may not always notice when I get a new shirt or do something different with my hair, I know that he loves me and thinks I'm beautiful no matter what I do. And, knowing that means the world to me.