First Tooth and Emotions

Thats right! Today Madalyn Rhea Garner got her first tooth! Its really more of a nub...its just barely sticking up out of her bottom gums. I think it was bothering her all day though. At lunch, I gave her some oranges and I noticed her trying to bite them with her new tooth. I don't know if she wanted to get some use out of the thing or if the cold oranges felt good on her sore little gums.

Today, when I discovered the nub, all I wanted to do was look at it. Mady didn't want me anywhere near her mouth. It sounds dumb, but it kind of hurt my feelings. It was like she had done this 'growing a tooth thing' by herself and kept it a secret from me. Then, when I realized what had happened, she didn't want me to be a part of it. Is that the dumbest thing you've ever heard? Maybe I'm just feeling sorry for myself because she is growing up so fast. If she keeps getting older this quickly, I'm afraid I won't be able to keep up. Soon she'll be making friends and having sleepovers and if it happens too fast I wont be ready! Is being a parent like everything else? Does it take practice to get it right? Is there a right? Do I have enough time to practice before I start messing things up?

I know that part of this drama comes from my discovery of my daughters personality. She's already showing me how curious and independent she is. Here's the problem: when I was little, I listened to my parents. When they told me not to do something, I figured they had a good reason so I stayed away from the situation. Michael did not learn this way. He's the type of person that had to feel the heat to know the stove was hot. I'm so worried that my little girl will get un-necessarily 'burned' because she has to find out life on her own and not listen to the protective suggestions that her loving (and experienced) parents offer. Don't get me wrong, I don't want to shelter her...and I want Mady to live her own life, but I don't want her to suffer when she doesn't have to. I don't want her to 'experience life' but have to deal with the consequences that some decisions bring.

Here's a word to future Mady: I love you. I want you to live a wonderful life that is full of music, fun, beauty and love. The only way to experience all of these wonderful things to their fullest is through a relationship with Christ and a life lead by the Holy Spirit. God created life, I'm sure He knows how its supposed to be lived. When I discipline you or try to steer you away from certain situations, its NOT because I don't want you to have fun or because I don't want you to grow up. Its because, through an imperfect life, I have learned things that, if for no other reason, I've learned but to save you from heartache and regret. I try to keep you from things so that you WILL have fun and so you CAN grow up into the person you want to be, not just the product of what you've been through. There is a difference. You can see it on people's faces. Some people's lives are a result of the ride, others drive themselves where they want to go. Oh how I want you to grow into a confident, fun-loving, sometimes crazy, beautiful Christian woman. I will try to be an example for you...but here's a secret...I think your dad might know...I'm not perfect. I'm not always going to have the answers or be the example you want or need. Please forgive me for my shortcomings. I pray that you will look to God as your ultimate example and will live a life that is sensitive to the Holy Spirit. And that God will use your energy and curiosity to further your relationship with Him and your witness for Him. Oh, one more thing, you can tell me anything. I want to be a part of your life! No matter what, I'm here to love and help you. You are the most fascinating person to me.

Oh, how I wish I could spare Madalyn from some things...like Jr. High. Nothing good ever happens in Jr. High and everyone dresses in a way that they will regret, and hair is always a mistake and everything is just awkward. I hated Jr. High.

-AND girls. Girls can be so mean. I'd like Mady to only have the best girlfriends... who never talk behind each other's backs and who don't try to look better than each other. (Do those girls exist? Even now, I find myself competing with other women. Not only that, but I try to make sure Mady has the best outfit at story time...that's right, I'm using my 10 month old to make me look good in front of the other moms...what is wrong with me? I guess I need to work on this one before Mady gets old enough to learn from my example! She does have the best outfits though.)

-AND boys...they are always up to no good.

-AND homework...really, who needs it? Work is for work and home is for home. Never the two shall (should) meet.

-AND 8am college classes. Dumb idea. Nothing in college should happen before 10:30am. None of this, 'preparation for the real world' crap...SLEEP IN! Its your last chance until you're retired...

So far its a short list...oh there is more...but I think I'll save it for a later blog.

Sneaky Sneaky

Whew, it has been a busy couple of weeks for the Garner Family. Two weeks ago Michael rode 100 miles in a bike ride called 'Hotter Than Hell'. Mady and I tagged along (on the trip...not the ride) and had a good time. )If I haven't told you the story about our hotel, here's the short version. We checked into a hotel in Wichita Falls, TX. Nasty! Hair, bugs, stains...just gross. I cried thinking about my little girl staying in a place like that. So, we ended up staying in Lawton in a Hampton Inn...it saved the trip!) She clapped for her daddy as he rode through the finish line. Then, last weekend, Granny and Papa (Vivian and Roger) were here. We had a nice visit. Madalyn really bonded with Granny AND Papa. She loved it when Roger would play his guitar...she would throw her head back and laugh. Granny gave her a bath and they laughed and splashed. Rog and Viv also did some babysitting for us! Thats right...we went on a date...dinner and a show! Of course, the date was in Poteau, Oklahoma...dinner was Arby's drive through and the 'show' was Walmart. We did see a Tahoe that was pretty pimped out so that was exciting. Honestly, it doesn't sound that glamorous, but it was exactly what we needed.

I decided that, after nine months, everything had caught up to me. I was so tired, Michael and I had been squabbling over stupid stuff and I was at the end of my rope. Michael, being the WONDERFUL husband that he is, devised a plan to help fix all the tension that had been building up. Monday nights are now my night off. I am supposed to go somewhere and sit. I can read, drink a chai, drive around, anything...as long as I relax. Tuesdays belong to Michael, Wednesdays are Awanas (huh, I'm sure this will come up in a later blog), Thursdays are date night and Fridays are family night. My mom has graciously volunteered to babysit on Thursdays and Saturdays (so we can clean our house). It all seemed to fall into place. Its like I told God how tired I was and He said, "Okay...heres the solution." It was perfect. I really think spending some time alone, and having alone time with Michael, will be the break I need to calm down. There for a few days Michael was beginning to wonder if I was pregnant again...I think he saw glimpses of 'the dragon' coming back. Michael even volunteered to take night duty with Mady for a couple of nights. It was amazing to get a full night's rest!!! I feel normal again.

So, nothing new had developed with Mady these past couple of weeks...or so we thought. Apparently, in nursery, she has been STANDING UP. Sarah Neal had been watching Mady in nursery and afterwards commented on how Mady had been standing during the church service. Michael and I were shocked! We didn't know she knew how to stand on her own!!! We shouldn't have been surprised. Mady has begun to be very sneaky. She will sneak to a shelf that she knows she shouldn't pull up on. She sneaks out of the living room. She sneaks shoes and pieces of fuzz into her mouth. All the while, she give us this grin over her shoulder like, "Remember how cute I am? Good, let that distract you while I do what I'm not supposed to do." No good. I have already begun to ask God to morph her curiosity for life into a curiosity about Him and His Word. Oh dear...we sure do have our work cut out for us, don't we!?

New Tricks

It seems like everyday Mady is learning something new. Michael and I find ourselves stunned when she does these things. We ask each other, "Did you teach her that?". Here's a break down of some of her recent accomplishments.

In the past few weeks, she has begun waving. Its great! When she sees someone she likes, or she gets attention from a stranger, she flaps her arm at them in a uncontrollable, 'I'm so happy that all of my energy is escaping through this one arm' kind of way.

Almost everyday I watch an old episode of Gilmore Girls. In the intro, there is a Carol King song, 'Where you Lead', and I sing along to Mady. Last week, when the song came on, Mady started bobbing up and down and waving her arms. She was DANCING! I was so excited! The next day I showed Michael and we played the song over and over just watching her dance the whole time. It was great. I think she gets her moves from Michael because I'm not as good of a dancer as she is.

***This is a little off topic but I have to share*** I hope she become a fan of great older music like Carol King, The Carpenters, The Beatles, David Gates and (especially) James Taylor. The first song she ever heard was 'You've got a Friend' by James Taylor. It was one of those moments that you know you'll remember for the rest of your life. It was the morning after she was born, Michael and I were just staring at her with the music in the background and the morning light shining brightly through the window. She looked like a little angel still shining with Heaven's light. Our first family memory. Perfect moment. (I know that was a little cheesy but that's how it was and now I'm crying.)

She has been crawling for a while but lately has been very interested in pulling up. It seems like her toys have totally lost her interest and all she wants to do is crawl up to me or the couch and pull up. Up and down, up and down...all day it seems. And of course it makes me terribly nervous. I don't feel like she has a real handle on getting down safely. Sometimes she lets go of the couch and just plops onto her bottom. I'm sure it doesn't hurt but it scares me...and sometimes her too. Her face scrunches up and a little 'Ahhhhh' creeps from her mouth. It gets louder and louder until its a full-on wail! She doesn't always land on her bottom either. Many times she goes stiff and will fall backwards or sideways hitting her head on the wood floors. Not fun.

Lately we have found that Mady is a good singer. She will sit in her car seat or in the living room floor and sing to herself. She writes her own songs too. I'll be driving around Norman and hear a gentle 'Ahh-ahh-ahh'. Its a Mady-original just for me. I love it!

Our little girl is becoming more grown-up and independent every day. It seems like she smiles and laughs more everyday too. Its exciting but a little bittersweet too. We are so proud of her. I don't know why God chose to give the cutest creature ever made to us, but I sure am glad He did.

Jump In and the Death-Roll

Oh my! I haven't written since March! So much has happened! Madalyn is growing so fast and learning even faster. It didn't take long, but she is absolutely the pride, joy and love of my life (I'm pretty sure Michael feels the same). Lets see...there is too much to catch up on so I'm just going to jump in.

This summer has been a busy one. Mady and I have been attending story time since she was three months old. We still go every Wednesday morning and Mady is loving it more every week. The last two weeks she has discovered how great 'Bubble Time' is. She gets so excited when the bubbles come out that she waves her arms and kicks her legs (she's sitting on her own now so I have to make sure her excitement doesn't topple her over). In May, the library began sign up for the summer reading program. Mady (through my interpretation of course) decided to be ambitious and set a goal to read 100 books this summer. I am proud to announce that last Wednesday we received our medal and they posted 'Madalyn Garner' on a gold-music-note with all the other kids who had reached their goal. Michael was able to be there when she got her recognition and noticed that there were not that many gold-notes posted. (The gold ones were saved for the brilliant few that read more than 100) Michael was beaming! The best part was that Mady picked out her own medal. Ms. Susan held up a basket that had medals on different colored ribbon. Mady first reached for a pink one, then scanned the basket again, and finally decided on a purple one.

Mady has been very good at deciding things lately. Some mornings I let her choose what she wears. The other day I had two outfits laying out for her to choose from and she very enthusiastically chose one over the other. By enthusiastically I mean she waved her arms and spit. Not very lady-like...but effective. She also likes to choose what toys she plays with. In the living room we have a basket of toys. I will lay out the bigger toys for her but she inevitably scoots or crawls (her version of crawling is actually crawling on her knees for a few inches then she stands on her feet with her hands still on the ground forming a sort of yoga pose then back down on her knees) to the basket and digs through until she decides on a toy. Today I watched her try for 3 minutes to get a toy car out of the basket. It kept getting hung on the side of the basket and falling back in. At one point I could almost hear her thinking, "Is this worth the effort?" as she looked at the toy. I wish I had a picture of that look.

Other developments aren't awesome. :) She has begun a very interesting maneuver that Michael and I call the Alligator-Death-Roll. When she doesn't like what we're doing, like changing her diaper, holding her a certain way or laying her down for ANY reason, she will arch her back and roll. You know, like when an alligator has a death grip on some poor victim and they want to really finish the job...yeah, that what she's trying to do...finish us off. Oh, and the moaning. When she's tired or hungry she moans...its indescribable. Remember that scene from Dumb and Dumber when the make the most annoying noise on earth? Its like that.

I don't want it to sound like I don't love every minute with her...because I do. She has this way of making me so full of love and joy. Like, when she wakes up from a nap and I come into the room, she smiles like, "Hey! I've missed you! I like you so much and here you are!". Or, we have conversations together. She'll squeal, "Ehhh" and I'll respond, "Ahhh". We'll go back and forth for a while. Its the best thing ever to talk to your child, even if its not words, its amazing! And, its great just to watch her discover. The other day she was holding a straw, she just stared at it for the longest time. Then she twisted her wrist to see how it looked a different angle. Then she put it in her mouth, then she banged it on the table... then she dropped it and I took it away, but for those few minutes that straw was the most fascinating experiment she had ever encountered.

I guess I'd better wrap it up. I'll just say this. Every day I thank God for such a perfect gift and for making it possible (only with HIS power is it possible) for me to stay home and hang out with such an amazing person. And she's only 8 months old! How much more awesome will she become?!

Baby Crafts and a Splashing Contest

Mady and I have been pretty busy lately. I discovered the Norman Public Library has free activities for babies during the week and we've been taking advantage!

On Wednesday we went to our first story time. We got to the Library at 9:00am and Madalyn decided that she needed a nap. I was hoping she would wake up for the story at 9:30 but she slept the whole time! She almost woke up at the end when the bubbles hit her...I'll explain.

Mady woke up for the 10:30am story time and we both had a great time. We walk in and the lady who leads story time, Mrs. Susan, greets everyone at the door. She commented on how pretty Madalyn was, so automatically I liked her. Story time isn't just Mrs. Susan reading a story...there are songs with motions and all the stories have actions that the babies participate in. Mady just looked around and gasped when I helped her 'jump' and 'hop' along with the stories. I think she liked looking at the other babies and mommies. At the end of story time, Mrs. Susan goes around with a bubble machine and fills the air with bubbles...that totally entranced Mady. I think we both left as huge-story-time-fans.

That's something I want to take a moment to comment on...Mady and I have really been bonding lately. I feel like we're becoming friends! We share secret smiles with each other and we both make the other one laugh. We just have a good time together...unless Mady gets tired...then she screams a lot.

Today we went to baby crafts together. We made a trinket for Michael's desk out of a foam cube and picture of polar bears and a crown out of leopard print paper. My favorite part was when we were leaving...Mrs. Susan stopped us and told me how alert Madalyn was. She said that she noticed how Madalyn was watching the other children and smiling at things...Mrs. Susan was impressed! That made me so proud. I'm glad I'm not the only one who notices how awesome and smart Madalyn is!



Oh, yes...splashing contest...Wednesday night is bath night and Mady was in a particularly good mood. We let her sit in the bath for a while when shes happy. We put a washcloth on her chest to keep her warm and Michael splashed it to warm it up. I think Mady took this as a challenge because she splashed back! This went on for about 5 minutes and by the end the whole bathroom was wet...and Michael was soaked.



Other developments:
-Mady will only talk when her hand or a toy is at her mouth.
-She is so close to rolling over but just can't do it yet.
-Madalyn seems to be left hand dominant so I keep moving her favorite toys to her right side.
-Her head is getting dry and its causing her hair to thin...it makes me so sad.
-We've caught her sucking her thumb...Michael is afraid it will become a habit.
-I don't know where she learned it but she acts like shes bashful. She'll smile at you and then bury her head into a toy her her car seat...like she's saying, "Don't look at how cute I am!"
-My daughter LOVES to stretch. Her best stretches are when I take her out of her swing. Sometimes she spreads her legs and points her toes and other times I lift her up and its like she's still sitting, with her legs crossed and arms straight up...always with her lips pursed.

We'll write more later!