Overnight

When the opportunity for me to take a much-needed vacation presented itself, I could not refuse. Even if it meant I'd be going all by myself. And that aspect of said mini-vacation is what made it oh-so-very special.

I left pretty early on Sunday morning, and dropped Madelyn off at my brother Richard's house. Rich and Emma reported that she was no trouble and played so well with their four children. Grandma and Grandpa Winkel arrived a little bit later to attend the church service where Lucy was singing with the Primary.The three girls were all dressed so sweetly in pink.

Audrey is almost 2, and Lucy is 7.

Grandpa showing Madelyn the "popcorn popping."

Since Madelyn was in need of a nap, they left after Lucy's musical number. Don't feel bad, Madelyn. Stake Conference has been known to put more than a few to sleep.

Madelyn stayed overnight at Grandma and Grandpa Winkel's. Even though Gary was home, he works pretty long hours on the weekends, so this was the best arrangement.

She got to play with the Fairhurst cousins, since they are living at my parents' place while trying to sell their home. (Yep, the one next door to us. We're very sad about that.)

Madelyn loves the slide!

And she got to go on her first ATV ride with Grandpa. Where's her helmet? Just kidding, I know Grandpa is very careful with these little ones. Not to mention, I don't think the helmets are manufactured this small.

The bad news is that Madelyn had a hard time sleeping. It was her first time staying overnight away from home, and I think she felt really out of sorts. Apparently she ended up sleeping most of the night in bed with Grandma and Grandpa. Which means that they did not have a very restful night. I'm really sorry! But they were so gracious and have only said how much they enjoyed having her over.

And my day of snowboarding and one night away was the most fun I've had in a while. Only one problem:

I completely forgot to wear sunscreen. And in case you can't tell, it was a gorgeous day at Mt. Hood with sunny, blue skies. Then I got to stay at beautiful Skamania Lodge, where I sat in the hot tub, dined on the patio, worked on my laptop, read a magazine, and slept in. In spite of this trip's resulting painful leprosy, I think I would like to make all-alone vacations a regular event in my life. The worst part was when it was time to go home, I felt like my vacation was just beginning! But I sure was glad to see my little sweetheart and my husband.

THANK YOU Mom and Dad!!!

MoTab

While my mom and I discussed Curves business, Madelyn enjoyed a little Mormon Tabernacle Choir with my dad. She loves music. And when it came on she did her "Baby Signing Time" sign (pictured in action), indicating that there was music on TV, just like on her DVD. In my humble opinion, the MTC's performance is much more impressive than that of BST.

Lacrosse Game

Last Thursday Madelyn and I went to see Yuka's lacrosse team play at my alma mater: Westview High School.

It was a windy evening!

Here's Yuka's team during a time out at Wildcat Stadium. But now I'm rooting for the FGHS Vikings!

Quiet Time

A couple of weeks ago Madelyn had a fever. She didn't have any other symptoms besides being warm and very sleepy. She spent a lot of time cuddling and resting. It was nice.

It's possible that the fever was related to the top molars which have since sprouted. Now that they are through the gums Madelyn has stopped writhing and screaming when we attempt to brush her teeth. Hooray! No more baby yogurt breath.

Reflections on The Big "W"

Recently Madelyn led us down the path to weaning, and she has officially been a non-nurser for 6 weeks now. As promised, here are a few of my thoughts regarding the pros and cons of this definitive (and irreversible) change in our lives.

Before I jump right in, I want to mention that this list would be entirely different if I were commenting on the pros and cons of breastfeeding an infant in general, or if I were analyzing the benefits vs. challenges of weaning at an earlier age, as in prior to one year. Today I'm just sharing my thoughts on how our life is different, for better or worse, now that nursing is not a part of it.

One fairly obvious benefit to being through with nursing is that I have more freedom in schedule: between being able to be gone all day and even at bedtime, and not having to plan extra time around and during activities to allow for nursing. But I miss considerably the imposed peacefulness inherent to nursing. I was forced to stop working and sit quietly with my baby. I would also get a lot of reading done during this quiet time, and now I definitely don't read as much.

I am witnessing Madelyn's growing independence, and I think weaning plays an important role in that process. I am so glad to know that our experience was definitely child-led weaning, done "gradually and with love," a characterization borrowed from La Leche League. I don't feel in the least that I forced her to give up something she still wanted and needed. But there have been times in the last few weeks when she was extra cranky or not feeling well when I would have loved to be able to rely on the indisputable powers of Mama's Milk. But I refrained from trying by reminding myself that Madelyn probably would not have been interested for more than three seconds.

It is nice that there is no longer something that only I can do for her. Gary can be just as involved. But I also mourn the fact that there is no longer something that only I can do for her.

We can't rely on the nutritional components of breastmilk to fill in any gaps in Madelyn's dietary intake. Especially when she is sick, or as of late, enduring the pain of erupting teeth, and refuses most foods that are not of the yogurt or applesauce variety. And oral discomfort aside, Madelyn hates all green foods (except kiwi). She can often detect a pea or green bean stirred into a soup or mashed potatoes, and spits it out while swallowing the rest. So finding ways to provide a full spectrum of nutrients has been challenging.

Even though Madelyn nursed for 15 months, I sometimes consider this "early weaning" (don't laugh) because I have so many friends who are nursing their toddlers beyond this age. I was actually very proud of having a nursing toddler, and now I'm no longer a member of The Breastfeeding Moms Club. Of course, one can't be a member of that club forever, and I certainly wouldn't want to be. Despite these minor mental hiccups, I know that it was the right time for Madelyn and me. And I am also very grateful that we had a wonderful nursing relationship for as long as we did--longer than many mothers are fortunate to have.

Crazy Piano Lady

My parents watched Madelyn and the Fairhurst boys so we could go out to dinner for Randy's birthday. My mom took these pictures of Madelyn's amazing um, musical abilities. When we got back, my dad asked her to show us how she plays the piano, and she performed her trick for us too!

She looks so happy! Sure hope she doesn't slip and bonk her head. That would really turn her smile upside-down!

What is wrong with this picture? Kaden and Bryson sure look to be having a lot of fun...

How can she climb up there when she can't even see through all that hair in her face?! I mean seriously, cut this kid's hair, right? But we'd prefer to let it grow out rather than having to constantly cut her bangs. Has anyone else chosen that route, and gotten through this cruel stage? Madelyn isn't fond of having her hair in clips or ponytails. She immediately pulls them out and says, "Uh-oh," as if I'll think it was an accident.

Block Towers

I caught some cool photos of Madelyn's destruction in action:

Sunny Park Day

What a perfect day to meet Syrinity and Bradley at the park!

Pretty girl on the slide

Merry-go-Round with Yuka


It was such a nice day, that I thought we should have lunch on the deck!

Well, it was actually a little bit too hot and bright. Gary went inside to eat, but the girls suffered through the beautiful weather.

Farewell Kisses

Doesn't Madelyn look sad to say goodbye to Lilly? It was actually kind of hard for me, I just love these girls so much, and care for Lilly as if she were mine.

We had such a great time with her and Wiyaka, and can't wait to see them again. Maybe one of these days the phantom husband will join us too. Then we'll believe he actually exists! Thank you Wiyaka, for making the long trek here to visit. We miss you guys already!

Day at the Beach

Poor Wiyaka rode the whole way to the coast and back wedged between two giant carseats in my little Audi. Thank goodness she is so skinny!

We drove through Tillamook out to Oceanside and found a nice little beach. It was a bit windy and chilly, but not raining. For the Oregon Coast, that is pretty good weather!

Running to Daddy...

...for a great big hug!

Gary did ask me to pack a less gay-looking bag next time if I want him to carry it. The fabric is kind of shimmery. Sorry about that, Honey.

Wiping sand off of Madelyn's face (she must have taken a little taste)

The girls loved running away from the waves.

Some people nearby were feeding a loaf of bread to the seagulls, and Madelyn and Lilly wanted to get involved. It was difficult to distract Madelyn, and you can see in this photo she is trying to pry Gary's hand off of hers so she can run back there. I don't know, seagulls are a little bit creepy. Running around with more seagulls

Madelyn is clapping because we were commending them on being such good girls by sitting still for the previous photo op.

Getting cleaned up and trying to brush sand out of all the nooks and crannies.

After the beach we wanted to find some delicious clam chowder. We stopped at what appeared to be a seafood restaurant out on a pier. Turns out it was a cafeteria-style "restaurant" front for a major seafood distributor. We were starving, and it was clean, so there we were. And the clam chowder was awesome! We all had a huge sourdough breadbowl full, and this place even serves the scooped out pieces of bread alongside your bowl. Sweeeet. My husband devoured the entire thing, and Wiyaka came pretty close too. I feel like a bit of a weenie because I had quite a bit of bowl left, although you'd better believe it was devoid of any soup particles. Yum!

Lastly, of course we visited the Tillamook Cheese Factory, an absolute must if you are ever in or near Tillamook, OR. I am fascinated by the assembly-line cheese making and packaging process. I have probably visited this factory half a dozen times or more, but I still get excited to watch. I do feel bad for the workers who not only have a mindless, repetitive job, but do it with strangers watching and pointing all day long. This was the first time, however, that a group of workers smiled and waved at us--surely because of the cute babies. We finished our adventure with the traditional bowl of Tillamook Ice Cream, then piled our stuffed little bodies into the tiny car to head home. It was a very fun day at the Oregon Coast.

Bathtime

These two look so similar from "behind," with their sweet golden curls.

Just waiting for the tub to fill.

Bathtime is much more fun with a friend.

Where is Madelyn's nose?


Mmmm....tub water.

Daddy's Shoes

Wearing Daddy's shoes

They are hard to walk in!
The pigtails are my favorite hairstyle for Madelyn.

And here is a picture of Madelyn signing the word "shoes." Except she is supposed to tap the thumb-side of her fists together, but she knows what she is trying to say!

Playgroup

Since my friends were in town, I hosted our semi-monthly playgroup at our house.

Madelyn is chillin' in a toy box.

And being dumped out of the toy box.

More playing with Lilly.

These awesome blocks were a gift from Lilly for Madelyn's first birthday. We haven't played with them yet because I didn't want Madelyn to ruin them! Wiyaka convinced me to just let them have some fun, and really the blocks were more durable than I had thought. They are educational blocks all about the Redwood Forest, which is where Wiyaka and Lilly live! Such a cool gift.