ZZZzzzzzzzzz

AAhhhhhhh.......nap time!!! Madeline hasn't taken a regular nap in quite a long time. Even if I put her in bed, she wouldn't sleep. She would spend "nap time" quietly reading or playing in her room. Yet, twice now, I have had success by letting Madeline lay down on the love seat in the family room. The fact that Madeline actually napped is, in itself, news but what is extra special about this picture is that one of our kitties, Packard, was actually brave enough to snuggle up with Madeline. I guess the lack of constant motion helped motivate Packard to get a little closer. But actually, Packard is getting a bit closer to Madeline these days and in some ways, trying to fill the big shoes of Madeline's first kitty pal, Oreo (who is now known as "Oreo in Heaven").

Considering the activities of the past few days, it's no wonder that Madeline zonked out today. The weather here, in Western New York, has been unseasonably warm. Madeline spent a ton of time playing outside while David and I did bunches of outside work. We raked (and raked and raked and raked) leaves (yes, we need a leaf blower) cleaned out our gutters, and David even took advantage of the warm weather and hung our Christmas lights on our house (no, we aren't lighting them until after Thanksgiving). Madeline has also really taken to riding her tricycle that Grandma and Grandpa bought for her. As Mama raked, Madeline zoomed back and forth and David and I also took a walk to the grocery store and Madeline peddled away alongside us (I wanted to take a video but my cell phone battery died).

Finally, Madeline had her annual Dr. check-up and along with that both the flu and H1N1 vaccinations. At 41.5 inches and 37 lbs Madeline is doing great. Yes, she is tall for her age (85th percentile) and the fact that she eats healthy and is always on the go, she is a skinny-mini (but not too thin). Hopefully the vaccines don't give side effects as we have big plans for tomorrow.....stay tuned.