Tis the season for a BIRTHDAY!

That's right... It's Birthday time for the Aligs. Ms. Madelynn officially turned 1 yesterday. We had a birthday party for her last Saturday. I had a great time, and lets face it- the first birthday is more of a celebration that the parents made it through the first year. And in birthday tradition, Madelynn got her own cake. She was very lady like and hardly made a mess, despite my attempts to "help."

During "birthday week" we learned that a balloon can be your best friend.

We continued with Birthday celebrations yesterday. Okay... we had pictures taken; got the booster for the H1N1 and then headed home. So, I guess we didn't exactly burn the house down celebrating. But we did have round two with the cake. This time we were old pros at it, and Mom learned how to get icing out of a nose (a skill that I'm sure will come in handy).

I can't believe how big she has gotten and what a little person she has become. She is so smart and funny. I never knew that a baby could have a sense of humor! I am utterly dazzled by her! Thank you to everyone who helped us celebrate Madelynn's first birthday- we know that December is a busy time.

SANTA- the sequel

On Monday my office hosted a kids Christmas party. And not to be outdone by any other kids Christmas event, Santa was in attendance. As we stood in line Madelynn was preoccupied with the other children and the many adoring adults. She hardly noticed where she was headed until I plopped her down on Santa's lap. She was not happy! Maybe next year.

Santa Round One

Brian, Madelynn and I headed off to the Mall this weekend to meet Santa. And as expected, the introduction wasn't exactly joyful for Ms. Madelynn. She smiled and cooed at Santa until it was her turn to sit on his lap. And then the lip quivered, the eyes welled with tears and she reached for Mama and Daddy. (Meanwhile, mom and Dad are ear to ear smiling). With the help of Papa and Grammy we've been practicing what Santa says... "Ho, Ho, Ho." By Christmas she should have this down pretty good.

The Giggle

I started this blog with the hope of uploading video of "The toddle"- however, my IT skills are lacking and I can't figure out how to convert it to a useable format. So instead, I've uploaded my very favorite video of Madelynn. Her little giggle absolutely melts my heart. I am putty in her baby hands!

Finally!

Madelynn FINALLY has her first tooth! Without a runny nose and very little drooling or fussiness her first little tooth made it's debut three days ago. Lookout steak- here we come!

Hair and other fun adventures

Having a daughter means- learning to do hair. And most of you know that I'm not really the girly type. I rarely spend more than 15 minutes (drying not included) doing my hair. But I am so anxious to do Madelynn's hair! We attempted our first official ponytail. It lasted a few hours- she apparently is not much of a hair person either.

But my favorite time to do her hair is right after bath time- how cute is she?

But not all of our endeavours end so.... clean. We currently are experiencing our first bout of independence. Madelynn very much wants to fed herself. Really, who can blame her. But the outcome looks like this...

Yes folks, she does have food in her hair; in her nose, and I believe there might be some in her ear. Honestly, it goes everywhere. And so far the cat is not much help. All I really need for Christmas is a puppy to clean up the floor. Mom and Dad- I was kidding- PLEASE don't go get me a dog! Even though the messes are horrible and time consuming- she's so dang cute and she tries so hard.

My Little Monster

Our first Halloween was a huge success! We limited our ventures to the Grandparents'. We (mostly me) had a great time dressing up. We added a pink bow to Madelynn's costume to add a touch of feminity. (Now that I think about it, I'm not sure why- all the grandparents know that she's a girl). Madelynn was such a good sport and despite being about 5 degrees warmer than normal- she hardly fused. I was only able to get a few pictures (in focus anyway). I need camera lessons on how to capture a moving child. We had so much fun this year- we can't wait for next year. Maybe we can get dad to dress up with us?

Teeth- Where are you?

Since Madelynn was 4 months old people have been telling us that she's getting teeth. And after several well meaning, but premature remarks- I quit listening to people. That was until I returned from Keystone (10/21/09). She had bad diaper rash and was drooling. So, when people thought she was getting her first tooth, I thought, "maybe she is." Well, it's 10/27/09, and we don't have a single tooth yet. I'm really in no hurry, but if she's not teething- I'm going to need another explanation for the runny nose, drooling and general moodiness of this weekend! (Even when she's moody- she is still such a joy!)

Busy

We've been busy. A week ago we had family (Grandparents and uncles too) pictures taken. Madelynn was quite a sport.

Then the three of us headed up to Silverthorn. I had a conference in Keystone, so we thought that Brian and Madelynn should drive up with me on Saturday to hang out. Even though she was exhausted from the pictures, she allowed mom to drag her dad through the outlet stores. We got to the hotel and started winding down. Despite our best attempts to recreate her bedtime routine- we failed miserably. After 2 hours of trying to get her to sleep, Brian drove her home. She definately won that one. Next time we want to sleep away from home- we're going to try somewhere closer to home- like Grandma's and Papa's.

Washington D.C.

I returned from Washington DC on Saturday. The conference was wonderful. This was the first time I have been away from Madelynn, and my attention was nicely diverted by all of the history and entertainment. I can't wait to go back and spend some quality time playing tourist. On Wednesday, several of us took a "Midnight tour" of the sights. Considering the number of monuments we saw, the informative tour and riding in a double decker bus- it was definitely worth the cost and the time. Below are a few snapshots of the sights.

The Korean War Memorial.

The Lincoln Memorial

Place of Lincoln's death (across the street from the Ford Theatre).

5 nights and 5 1/2 days

This afternoon I'm headed to Washington DC for a conference. While I love the NACVCB conference and while I'm excited to be in DC- my heart is already breaking. This will be the first time that I've been away from Madelynn. I know that Brian and Madelynn will have tons of fun. And I know they will be fine, but I'm not sure I'll be okay. I'm sure I'll be itching to get home as fast as I can on Saturday. As much as I love a king size bed, it's not much of a consolation. I hope she misses me too.

Horses, Pigs and Sheep oh my!

The Alig family spent part of Saturday celebrating cousin Erilyn's 2nd birthday. We spent the morning at Sunflower Farm in Longmont. I had no idea that there was a little nook of animal loving/petting fun right outside of Longmont. Even though Madelynn's not old enough to run around, pet or feed the animals- she loved it anyway! Her eyes light up and she grins from ear to ear everytime she realizes something (or someone) was looking back at her. They had baby pigs, sheep, goats, ponies, horses, a cow, chickens, turkeys, a peacock and a few cats- all available for the petite equine lover. And to make the experience even more entertaining, they have a child's maze made out of hay barrels, swings, a pirates cat walk (through the trees), pony rides and a zip swing for kids. I can't wait to go back next year when Madelynn is bigger.

Cruel and Unusual?

When I found these leggings- I HAD TO BUY THEM. I jump at any chance to dress my darling daughter up as a clown. (The Blog below is proof). But this might infact be cruel and unusual punishment? I mean she does look somewhat like a petite, walking challenged clown wanna-be and the leggings do look a little pinchy- especially at the top. Or maybe these are a genius way to keep chubby thighs warm and elude red knees (for the new crawler).

What to be or not to be?

I'm not a big fan of dressing up for Halloween, but I find myself excited for this upcoming All Hallows Eve. Particularly because it will Madelynn's first Halloween. And being the planner that I am, we are already trying to decide what she should dress up as. Feeling the pressure to decide and purchase a costume (yes, I realize it's 6 weeks away), I purchased four adorable outfits. Please help us decided and vote for your favorite costume

A Monster,

A Lion,

A Giraffe

Or a Monkey?

Getting Started, Catching Up

I have succumbed to the powers that be (Kelly, Amy and Tasha) and have started a blog. So, far this has been fairly easy and I hope that I can stay up to date and create a good place for family and friends to check in on us. I will attempt to comment on thoughts, events and activities unrelated to Madelynn, but as she is my "Joy" in life- the majority of the blog will probably be dedicated to her. I said "Joy." Well here she is just about 8months ago. She was three days overdue, and put up a fight until the very end. I should have known then that she had a will and an agenda all of her own. My Christmas Angel.