Rainy weekend in Cannon Beach

Jay had a four day weekend for Veteran's Day, so we decided to take a road trip to Cannon Beach, Oregon. It takes close to four hours to get there, but Madeline handled it pretty well. She is not always a fan of long car rides, so we never know how things are going to be. She managed to sleep a little and having the dog in the car always helps.

We stayed in a suite in a little inn in town and having the bedroom was definitely a plus. It made it possible for Madeline to take good naps and stick to her early bedtime without the distraction of Mommy and Daddy sitting in the room with her. I was happy to see a fan in the closet when we arrived and plugged it in right away to give Madeline the white noise she is accustomed to at home. She took great naps and had no issues sleeping at night, even with me in the bed right next to her pack 'n play. I thought for sure she would know I was there and insist on fighting sleep to hang out.

We arrived on Friday and got settled before heading out to dinner. It is a totally different experience eating out with an almost eight month old. I still remember the days of going to restaurants and being able to just put the car seat on the floor or on the booth next to me and Madeline would just sleep the whole time. Now she is awake, eating with us and drinking water out of a kid's cup with a straw! She is usually very well behaved, as long as we have enough distractions!

The weather on Saturday was cloudy with periods of rain, but we managed to get in a walk downtown to check out the shops and art galleries. We also went to the beach for a little while. It was really windy, but it was not too cold so we hung out for awhile. I took Madeline back to the hotel and Jay stayed with Zoe to give her some more exercise and take some more pictures of Haystack Rock. Cannon Beach is really dog friendly and Zoe had a blast running on the beach with the other dogs and chasing sea gulls.

Hanging out downtown.

So windy!

Sun!

In addition to crawling, Madeline has become an expert at pulling herself up to a standing position using anything she can get her hands on. She loved exploring the hotel room and standing at the coffee table that was just a little bit shorter than the one at home

The sun was out on Sunday morning, so we put Madeline in the backpack and headed to the beach for a nice hike. It was still a little windy, but Madeline loved seeing everything from over her Daddy's head!

Sitting is for babies!

Stop taking my picture and let me out of this crib!

Fun at the Pumpkin Patch!

Last weekend we went to Maris Farms in Buckley, WA to get some pumpkins and take pictures of our little pumpkin! It was a beautiful day (probably the only sunny day in about two weeks) and we got some good shots.

She crawls!

Enjoying the fall weather!

It is definitely autumn around here and it is so pretty! Since the rain has not started yet we have been trying to get outside as much as possible. Today we walked around the parking lot at the Honda dealer while we waited for the car to get worked on, but yesterday we went to the trail near our house and enjoyed nature. It was a little chilly, so Madeline got to wear her new fleece jacket! The trail was created in a park here in Puyallup in honor of Nathan Chapman, a soldier from 1st Special Forces Group who was killed in action in Afghanistan in 2002.

Visit with Grandmom and Gi Gi

Grandmom and Gi Gi came to visit and Madeline had a great time hanging out with them. She was a little nervous at first and cried quite a bit whenever they sat next to her in the car, but after a day or two she totally adjusted. Maybe it was because of the fun toys they bought her!

Four generations in March and again in September

Madeline hit six months while they were here and it was time to start solids. I had tried feeding her some rice cereal a couple of months ago, but while it made for some cute pictures, she was not really interested. I decided to stick to exclusively breastfeeding her until six months. We started slow with the rice cereal again, and she was all about it. Madeline loves grabbing her spoon and it is obvious how much more ready she is now...she actually swallows more than she spits out! We moved on to butternut squash for dinner and added in some banana in the morning. I took the time to make homemade baby food and so far Madeline is a fan! She has also tried zucchini and we have carrots and sweet potatoes waiting in the freezer for their introduction over the next couple of weeks. Unfortunately the solid food has not been moving through her system as smoothly as the breast milk, so watered down prune juice is a staple on some days.

Maverick loves to help out. He is quite the fan of rice cereal...and baby oatmeal mixed with prune juice. He is weird, I know.

Madeline loves her new sippy cups and watered down apple juice is a favorite. Most of it ends up all over her bib, but she is getting the hang of it.

While Grandmom and Gi Gi were here we watched Penn State lose to Iowa and the Eagles beat Kansas City. Madeline was decked out in her fan gear and loved watching football!

In milestone news, Madeline is so close to crawling. She is great at getting up on her knees and rocking, and even moving one knee forward. She has not quite figured out how to coordinate moving her hands forward too, so she usually falls face first onto the blanket. She is also close to getting herself into a sitting position on the floor. It will only be a matter of time before she is really on the move!

Welcome home Daddy!

Last week Jay finished the Combat Diver Qualification Course and Madeline and I picked him up at the airport. Madeline has been to the airport so many times in these last five months, but this was the first time picking up her Daddy.

Jay had been gone for about six weeks and we were not sure how Madeline would react to seeing him. I think she remembered him, even if it does not look that way in the picture!

Madeline is having fun hanging out with her Daddy and catching up!

She loves visiting her Daddy at work and is so proud of him!

Madeline was able to show him how she can sit up all by herself for a little while!

More about our trip

We drove back to Havertown and Madeline had another chance to practice her swimming at Conestoga Swim Club. Her Uncle Matt is the manager, so we receieved the royal treatment! Madeline had a great time swimming with Mommy, Pop Pop and Uncle Matt.

Later in the week Madeline met more of her extended family at dinner at Grandmom and Pop Pop's house. She saw Gi Gi again and met her Great Aunt Jenny, Great Grandfather ("Poppy"), and Great Uncle Randy. She was a good girl and let everyone hold her for a little while.

On Thursday Madeline took her first trip to New Jersey to have lunch with my friends, Nicole and Laura. Madeline had a great time hanging out with the girls, and cannot wait until she can eat P.F. Chang's too!

On Thursday night we had dinner at my friends Bob and Melissa's house. I went to high school and college with Bob and was so excited to meet their daughters, Abby and Emma. We tried to get some good photos of all the girls, but Madeline was much more interested in trying to grab Abby or play with her feet...anything except looking at the camera!

We spent the last couple of days just hanging out. We took some nice walks around the neighborhood and to the park. It was a great trip and we had so much fun seeing everyone!

Our little jet setter!

We are back in Washington after about two weeks on the east coast visiting friends and family. Madeline jumped right into the world of flying on a plane with her first cross country journey. Jay is away for work, so I was on my own. I was a little bit nervous about how she would be on the flights, but she was great. She managed to take a nap on each leg of the trip, which was key to her good behavior. When she was awake she was content bouncing up and down on my lap or sticking her tongue out and blowing raspberries to the other passengers! I was over-prepared for any diaper mishaps, but we managed to make it all the way to Philadelphia in the same outfit. I did have to strip her down to her undershirt when we arrived, since we were greeted by the hottest day of the year and high humidity.

Hanging out in the airport

In the airplane bathroom :-)

We spent the first couple of days at my parents' house and Madeline adjusted to the time difference really well. Grandmom had a comfy pack-n-play ready for her and all of the essentials for bathtime. After a quick bath, pajamas and nursing, Madeline was fast asleep. We both slept in the morning after we arrived but then she was right back in her routine of napping and going to bed around 6:00.

Playing in the entertainer Grandmom bought for her to use

Madeline met her Uncle Matt for the first time

On Thursday Madeline and I drove to Virginia Beach to visit Jay's family. Madeline slept a lot in the car, but we still needed to stop a few times to eat, change her diaper, stretch, etc. The drive takes a bit longer with an infant, but we made it. We spent a long weekend in Virginia walking on the boardwalk, going to the beach, and swimming in the pool. Most importantly, we visited Jay's grandmother. She is 91 and was thrilled to meet her great-granddaughter. Madeline had a great time with Jay's mom, Nana, and adjusted to sleeping in another new place and being held by a lot of new people.

Madeline and Nana

Madeline and Bill

Madeline is a little young to really enjoy the beach, but we tried. She did not like the ocean, probably because it was cold and the waves were very loud. She did enjoy playing in the sand and managed to get it all over herself...in her diaper, under her fingernails, and just a little bit in her mouth! We had a lot more success in the pool. Madeline loved it! She was kicking her legs and even moving her arms like she was trying to paddle. She is going to be a little fish!

At the beach with Nana!Swimming with Mommy

Stay tuned for more about our trip, including more pictures!