Too Much Fun to Post

We are here in Orlando. We are sooooo busy having fun that I haven't had time to post. David is busy with conference events until late this evening so I hope to have some time to post more details later, once our Disney Princess goes to sleep. Just wanted to say that we got here safely and are having fun. Madeline and I are going shopping on the Boardwalk now and will swim this afternoon when it gets a little warmer. It should be in the mid 70's today....I heard Buffalo is getting snow.....hee hee hee (that is my wicked witch laugh).

Shhhhhhh!!!! Madeline is Sleeping!

We are off to Orlando today so I don't know if I will have time to post. Therefore, I set this up last night to post today - probably while I am mid-flight.

Madeline goes through phases of what she *has to* have with her for bed time.
Let's see, the list includes:
1) Baby dolls - one on each side of her (named Baby Owen after my friend Kelly's son )
2) George, a stuffed monkey, placed on her pillow above her head.
3)Her favorite blanket within reach
4)A Band-Aid around her finger (this was a fix to her finger sucking but now she wants that band-aid. Hey, I don't care as long as it continues to prevent the finger sucking)
5) Nuk - again, started while I had to try to break her of the finger sucking habit (she sucked them until she got a blister on one that was beginning to get infected)
6)Soft Music - We started this when we got home from Russia
7)Curtains must be closed after shade is drawn
And her LATEST ADDITION:
8) Her hippo book that she got from my friend Tammy's mom as part of my baby shower gift.

Madeline started this because every night as I put Madeline to bed, I tell her that Mama is going to go downstairs to read. If that is what Mama is doing, that is what Madeline wants to do. So each night Madeline asks for "Hippo Book" I snapped this picture of her sleeping and still holding on to her book.

True Russian Diva

Madeline had her three-year check-up today. She weighed in at 32 pounds and is 38.5 inches tall. What does that mean? Well, she is in the 84th percentile for height and the 66th percentile for weight and when you factor her height and weight together she is in the 32nd percentile for weight. Translation....she is tall and thin. Yes, a true Russian. (For those of you that don't know, the Russian women are nothing like the stereotypical "babuszka". They are all very tall and very thin. Where does the "diva" come in? Well, let me just say that Madeline was not on her best behavior today. It's pretty bad when you have to put her in a time-out in the doctor's office while the doctor is trying to talk to me. She continued her naughtiness when I tried to make a quick stop at AAA, and I just completely threw in the towel as she pitched a fit when I tried to put her in a shopping cart at the grocery store. At that point, we just went home and Madeline had to "rest in her room because her behavior was telling me that she was a very tired little girl." So many people have told me that the terrible-twos are nothing compared to 3. *sigh* Let's hope our plane trip tomorrow goes a little better than today.

Pay back is a B**CH!

Oh, Marysia, my dear, sweet sister. You are soooo gonna get it!

Here is the story behind these lovely items in the picture: After my mother died, we had the awful task of emptying out her house. The siblings (there are 6 of us) all amicably decided who got what of the sentimental items and items that may have had any value. But, in the end, we inevitably got down to the nitty-gritty that we had to make a decision about. Conversations usually went something like this....

Sibling #1 : Awwwww.....look at this! Do you remember this?
Sibling #2: Awww.....yeah! Ma always kept this (insert location of childhood home)
Sibling #1 (to #2): Do you want it?
Sibling #2: No, I don't want it. Do you?
Sibling #1: No, I don't want it.
Sibling #1&#2 (sigh in unison) But we CAN'T get rid of it!
Siblings #1&#2 (directed to siblings 3,4,5&6): Hey, do you any of you want this?
Siblings #3,4,5,&6: No!
Siblings #1&#2: *SIGH* Now what? We CAN'T get rid of this!

And so this went several times. There were some pieces whose only sentimental value for us children was the fact that we always saw the item around our house as we grew up, and for whatever reason, my mom chose to keep it. And this is where it all began.....

Now before I continue, I would like to say that some people might think that this is terrible that we are playing such games with some of my mom's belongings. But we both KNOW that my mom would find all of this funny and if she could, she would be in on the hi jinks.....OK, I may proceed.

One day when Marysia was in Buffalo, Marysia and I were working on clearing the nitty-gritty. Our system included piles. Each time we came across an item, we placed it in a pile. Goodwill, trash, my pile, her pile, this needs to go to one of the other siblings pile, etc, etc. I am not sure who started this but slowly the "we can't throw this away" items would end up in each others piles. I would tuck away the anchor relic in Marysia's pile and eventually I would end up finding it back in my pile. I found the anchor in my purse after Marysia visited Buffalo. On a recent visit to Baltimore, Marysia got it placed in her bathroom before I left. For Marysia's birthday, I surprised her with the kitty cat prom favor. And when I had to ship some items to my sister, she received the ceramic clown bank.

So, I guess revenge is best served cold. When I least expected it I got all three of these items back. They were in the box of items Marysia had shipped for Madeline's birthday. The funny thing was, I saw "fragile" marked on the box and wondered what Madeline could be getting that was fragile. But, as the box was opened, tucked in with Madeline's presents, these items were wrapped separately for me. THANKS MARYSIA!!! Don't fret, they will return!

Play "Strong"

Yes, that is a time clock that Madeline is punching! We clocked some serious hours of fun during our birthday getaway! We traveled about 75 miles east of Buffalo to Rochester, NY. The whole ride, Madeline kept saying, "bye-bye bed" and "hotel". She was looking forward to the adventure. She was beside herself with glee when, in our room, I told her we were going to the pool. She immediately started stripping and digging for her bathing suit. David was impressed with the progress Madeline has made in the pool. She can't swim yet but swim classes have helped make her movements more "pre-swim" in nature.

We went to dinner at an Olive Garden. I usually hate dining at chain restaurants but the day got away from us and we were running on borrowed time. Madeline wore a little Happy Birthday tiara into the restaurant. We opted against dessert at the restaurant because we brought a small cake with us for the hotel room. Yet, the wait staff still sang for Madeline. The look on Madeline's face was priceless.We got back to the hotel, sang Happy Birthday and Madeline got to open her gifts. She was having a ball! This child was hooked up from friends and family!!!

The next day, (11/5), we went to the Strong National Museum of Play. When I say that this place is HUGE, I am not exaggerating! It is 156,000 square feet!!! We were there for about 4 hours and still didn't see all of it! But all three of us were pooped out by the time we left. I have included some highlight footage below.There was an entire Sesame Street section in the museum. Very educational! It was not just filled with scenery from the show. Each piece focused on various age appropriate concepts such as shapes, numbers, loud/quiet, over/under, pretend play, etc. In the photo above, Madeline is driving a taxi with Elmo and Cookie Monster as passengers.
Above, Madeline is sitting in Big Bird's nest.They also have a mini-Wegman's (awesome grocery chain that is headquartered in Rochester). Everything is Maddie-sized. The mini store is complete with all departments. Then, Maddie was able to use the cash register to check us out. The belt/scanner worked the same way they do in the stores. And when we were done, the register printed out a receipt (that looked just like what you would get in the real store) of the things she "bought".
The museum had a special Curious George exhibit. Perfect timing for us, as Madeline really enjoys her Curious George books. Here Madeline is peeking outside the window of a rocket ship (with George nearby).

As you can tell, we had a great time!

Happy 3rd Birthday Madeline!

Our birthday celebrations are under way. This morning, after breakfast, we measured Madeline's height. The picture is a little blurry and its angle makes it seem as though Madeline is taller than we measured, but she has grown 2 and 3/4 inches over the past 6months! Afterward, Madeline and I went to vote (Papa went on his way to work). Madeline kept thinking I was saying "boat" instead of "vote" so she was looking for a boat...oh well. While we were out, we went to the local party supply store and she got to pick out a balloon. Madeline was thrilled with her choice, a heart shaped Cinderella balloon.

Also, I think our neighbors think we have a mini United Nations here. Yes, we fly a U.S. flag, but the week of Madeline's birthday we fly the Russian flag (and we fly the Quebec flag near our wedding anniversary. - We went to Quebec for our honeymoon). We want to take a picture of Madeline near the Russian flag each year on her birthday.

We will soon be leaving to pick up David from work and leave for an overnight birthday get away. We plan to enjoy the pool, a nice dinner out, open the large collection of birthday gifts that has been delivered from grandparents, aunts & uncles (and Mama & Papa too) and a visit to a large children's museum tomorrow. I am looking forward to the family time!

Happy Birthday x 2!

I've been so busy with Madeline and preparing for her birthday and our upcoming travel to Disney that I haven't had much time to think about the significance of this date. Yes, today is Madeline's 3rd birthday (I'll post more about that later), yes, it's election day (I'll leave that for my brothers at Mazurland to blog about), but it is also my Mom's birthday.

This morning, as I was making David's lunch and was mindlessly spreading mayo on his turkey sandwich, I had a few quiet moments to think about this date. What a special occasion birthdays are. I wonder how we would've celebrated if mom were here. As sad as I could let these thoughts make me, I was at peace. My mom was battling cancer as David and I were going through the adoption process. Mom wanted nothing more than to be here to meet Madeline. She was able to see pictures and video of Maddie after our first trip to Russia but died only 18 days before leaving for our trip to bring Madeline home. The gift that was given to us was the knowledge that Madeline and my mom shared their birth date. I can still vividly remember the smile on my mom's face as I reminded her of that during her last days. Mom, you are with us in so very many ways today. And as I told you during your last days with us, November 4th will be so special to me for more than one reason. Happy Birthday, Mom!

Time Flies...Busy Days

As promised, I am posting a picture of my "Madeline Event Calendar". Everyday, Madeline wakes up and asks me a series of questions. The conversation goes something like this:

Maddie: In the pool?
MDF: No, not today.
Maddie: 'morrow?
MDF: No..
Maddie: Dance Shoes?
MDF: No, not today...

You get the picture. After today's exchange, and the realization that she was willing to fore go her birthday to jump ahead to seeing Cinderella's castle, I figured it was about time to put together the calendar for her to visualize our upcoming events. I made it out of a magnetic wipe off calendar and have little painted wooden pieces symbolizing various activities. Her "today" magnet is a little round mirror that she can see herself in with little jewels on top that make it look like a crown on her head. As you can see from this photo, we are quite busy this week. Tomorrow, Tuesday, is Madeline's birthday. Wednesday, the sun, represents a special occasion, this one being the last leg of our birthday overnight get-away. We will spend the day at the Children's Museum. Thursday is CRAZY with a picture sitting for Madeline's 3yr photos, swim class and her music group and Saturday's suitcase represents the departure for Orlando. This might work....as long as Madeline doesn't decide to do something like lift all the magnets and place them in the toaster.

Anyway, I am working on gathering magnets for other events/holidays. I have dance shoes for dance class, a bible/cross for church, a pumpkin for Halloween (a little late for this year), a turkey for Thanksgiving, a heart for Valentine's Day, a leprechaun for St. Patrick's day, a bunny for Easter, a school for when Madeline starts preschool,a Santa for Christmas, and a cabin for camping. I also need to get a mini picture of me and a mini picture of David. I would like to use these photos for when David or I travel. Madeline can then count the days until David or I get home. Thought I'd share.....thanks for the idea Tammy.

Politically Incorrect Costumes

Last night's post Halloween party was fun. It is always nice to see this group of friends. Life often gets in the way and we usually only see this particular group at this annual party. Attendance at this annual event has slowly dwindled as we are all getting older, yet this year the host's sons (who are now adults) had a bunch of their friends attend, bringing a crew of young blood to the festivities. Yet as this party has evolved over the 13 years we have attended, one thing has remained constant, an inevitable politically incorrect costume.

The first of these I remember was the year that Sony Bono died in a ski accident. That year a couple showed up as Sony and Cher, yet Sony was dressed in ski gear accessorized with tree leaves and branches. There was the year of Hurricane Katrina when a group dressed as refugees. The refugees were wrapped waist high in a blue shower curtain that made them appear as though they were waist high in water , while holding signs for help, lawn chairs, etc. This year, the "Katrina Group" did it again.

Last night's politically incorrect costume was rooted in local news (click here to read full story). It was discovered that a Chinese restaurant in Hamburg, NY (south of Buffalo) was closed by the health department because they were witnessed dragging a dead deer into the restaurant. When the police arrived to investigate this report, the restaurant worker was in the midst of butchering the road kill in the kitchen. UGH! So, with this story in mind, three guys dressed as Chinese Restaurant workers, wearing shirts with the restaurant's name on them, carrying Chinese take-out containers, Chinese take-out menus, wearing bloodied (fake) shirts etc. Of course, the best prop to the threesome's costume was the fact that they burst into the party, equipped with the fake butcher knives, chasing after their dog that was wearing costume deer antlers on its head. Politically incorrect? Sure! But it's okay to admit that some sick side of you laughed. I did.

French Fries and Castles

This afternoon was a nice family afternoon. We just kind of tooled around town and got some errands taken care of. Big treat - we went to McDonald's for lunch. Not just any McDonald's, but the one with the super huge playland inside. I have tried to take Madeline here before but she was scared about going in the tunnels, etc. Today David was able to coax her to give it a try. Of course, leave it to our daughter to follow around a little boy. She was crawling through the play equipment like a little hamster....with a small flock of boys. Either Madeline's going to be a huge tomboy or we are going to have some serious parental headaches when Maddie is 16. The funniest thing happened though when Madeline wanted out and couldn't quite figure out how to get through the maze and back to us. I heard Madeline crying and from the other side of playland, I could see her in one of the plexi-glass bubbles (not what is pictured) mouth the words, "on the potty". You never saw mama move so fast! The funniest part, however, is that Mama had to crawl up into the tunnels of playland to "rescue" Madeline. Her potty cry for help turned out to be a false alarm but watching Mama-Dirtyfoot in playland had to be a sight to see.

After we got home David wanted to mow the lawn (probably the last time for the year). Madeline took the time to watch the movie, Cinderella. I don't know if you caught the change in my tickers above, but we are going to Disney! This is a last minute thing that we are able to take advantage of. David found out a few days ago that he is going to a conference for work in place of his boss. The conference is in Orlando and we would be staying at a really nice hotel on Disney Property. So, we girls would be silly to not tag along. My friends, Kelly and Tammy, gave me the brilliant idea of having Madeline watch some Disney movies before her trip to get her familiarized with characters, etc. The picture of Madeline to the left is of her mesmerized by Cinderella. (Yes, that's a play wig on her). This strategy also has gotten Mama and Papa excited about Disney too!

This evening David and I are going to a (post)Halloween party. Last year, my family was in town for Madeline's Baptism and I sent them into this same party before me (they never before met the host/hostess) to crash the party. Needless to say the host/hostess were somewhat freaked out. Wouldn't you be if the group pictured below showed up at your house? We don't have costumes planned this year. We are just going to throw something together at the last minute. We will either be thrown together as "tourists" or we will go without costumes and if anyone asks what we are we will tell them we are paranormals (pair of normals).....Corny, we know!

Halloween Post Script

I am not posting a picture of Madeline in her costume because I previously posted the video of her in the Bear Costume. But I just wanted to say that Trick or Treating went well. I am certain that Madeline didn't remember anything from last year's Halloween yet, Madeline got the hang of all of this after a house or two. After a while Madeline was running up the driveways. We now have enough candy to last a month or two. The picture on the left above is of the pumpkins we carved. From left to right is Papa's pumpkin, Madeline's, then Mama-Dirtyfoot's. The photo on the right above is Madeline with her Halloween loot.

Happy Halloween

We are ready for this evening's festivities. The Care Bear costume is ready to go and Madeline is napping to prepare herself for this evening's sugar high. It'll be interesting what tomorrow will bring because I don't think Madeline quite understands that Halloween will be all done until next year. Although getting a year supply of candy tonight will probably confuse the issue. But, as I said, we are all ready for this evening, even the cats! I will try to post some more photos either tonight of tomorrow..... Have a fun, but safe, evening.

Check Your Boobies

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. Although it is approaching the end of the month, it is never too late to get the word out. My aunt died of breast cancer. Consequently, my mother would always remind me and my sisters to get screened. Reminding us to do self-exams and get mammograms, my mother would seriously remind us, yet in a fun-loving manner, by saying "Check your boobies".

Jen, a friend and former teaching co-worker of mine had a piece she had written published in the Buffalo News (click here to read it). Her writing is very inspirational. Jen tells of her own breast cancer journey and wonderful blessing of early detection. So for Jen, I am doing what she asked in her writing, to "tell your mothers, sisters, co-workers and friends my story. "

By the way I am getting my "boobies checked" on November 13th. When is your appointment?

Sabres Date Night

David and I got a babysitter tonight because he was able to get a hold of some tickets to the Buffalo Sabres hockey game. Although it felt good to get out, the Sabres had a rough night. They lost 5-2 to the Tampa Bay Lightening. *sigh*

Now I Know Why I Hate to Clean

*$@%! Another reason I hate to clean....I make more of a mess doing it! I often joke that "dust" is a noun in my house not a verb. But today I decided to be a good stay-at-home mom and be productive. I just finished dusting everything in my living room. My plan was to vacuum the furniture before vacuuming the carpet. As I was vacuuming the love seat with the fancy attachments I began to smell a terrible smell. Upon further investigation I found that the actual vacuum section sucked up the ruffle portion of a throw pillow. It is obvious that I busted the belt on the vacuum as the whole house now smells like burnt rubber. Furthermore, with the pillow lodged in the vacuum, the dust that the vacuum previously sucked up began spewing into the air throughout my just dusted living room. May I repeat, *$@%!. Off to the hardware store to get a new belt because I certainly can't leave the house in this condition. And let me tell you, that you pretty much have to disassemble the entire vacuum to replace the belt. Then it's back to square one! It would've been easier if I just hadn't attempted :-)

This Date In History - Ups, Downs, and Angels

I can't believe it! It was a year ago today that Madeline was baptized. It seems like just yesterday, but looking at those pictures she looked like such a baby. That weekend was such a beautiful weekend. It was so emotional for me in many ways. First, all five of my siblings were in town along with one of David's siblings - all coming from a different state, I might add.

The weekend was a multi-purpose weekend. My siblings helped to empty out various items from my mom's home. (My mom passed away in May, only 18 days before leaving for Russia to adopt Madeline) Certainly, I am sure you can understand, even if you have never had to go through it, the emotional aspect of emptying your parents' home. Also, that weekend we held a service to put my Mom and Dad's cremains into their final resting place - again an emotional event. On the lighter side, my siblings and I attended a reunion for the grade school we all attended. It was so much fun to tour the old school (which has been closed for many years). It is fun to reminisce but sometimes nostalgia can be sad because it reminds us of something that has been lost forever.

Of course the baptism was an emotionally joyous occasion due to the Sacrament that Madeline was receiving. But again, the occasion was nostalgic because we had chosen to have Madeline baptized in my childhood parish, St. Gerard's, rather than my current parish because of the church's history. Not only was I baptized at St. Gerard's and it was my family's parish until 1988, but my grandfather and great uncle did much of the artwork inside of the church. But my greatest deciding factor to have the baptism there was that the church was to be closing at the end of the year (2007) as a result of the Buffalo Diocese's restructuring. This church, which was modeled after "St. Paul's Outside the Walls" in Rome, is so absolutely beautiful inside, but is now closed. There are, however, talks of moving the structure to Norcross, Georgia. At least, if that were to happen, the structure would find reuse as a house of worship as opposed to the inevitable decay as a vacant building on the East Side of Buffalo (but that is another story). Below are two photos of the interior of the church.Because the parish had only a few short months of existence left, my family was able to get a historic tour of the church after the baptismal mass. We were even allowed to take turns ringing the church bells on the church's massive bell tower. Afterward, we celebrated not only Madeline's baptism but also her 2nd birthday (1st with us) with a party at our house.

Despite the bitter-sweet events of the weekend, the "sweet" completely outweigh the "bitter". Despite the sadness that my mom was not there to witness this joyous occasion and the fact that a major transformation (motherhood) was occurring in the midst of mourning my mother, I know that I was being watched over by my mom and dad (and other angels). Look at the photos below. Check out the orb in the (top) photo with me, David and Madeline. In this picture, the three of us are standing in the room that used to be used for baptisms. This is the room where I was baptized. In the other photo (bottom) check out the jagged bird-shaped white figure that is hovering near me and Madeline as we ring the church's bell tower. There were several similar photos taken of various family members ringing the bells yet this is the only one that had such an image. Neither of these photos were altered in any way.

So, I am discussing this as Halloween is upon us. Eerie? Some might consider it to be. Yet, I find it comforting that we were being looked upon during such an important time. During a weekend that was filled with emotional ups and downs, we were not alone. Eerie? No! Instead, I would rather say hopeful.

Grease vs High School Muscial

While browsing one of the other mom blogs I read, I was humored to read her take on the "High School Musical 3" phenomena that has recently hit the movie theaters for hormonally crazed teeny-boppers. My friends' daughters are all about Troy (Zac Efron) and I would quietly snicker to myself and roll my eyes as the girls get absolutely giddy at the mere mention of his name. A few years ago, I was teaching 5th grade and the students were all abuzz about the 1st HSM. In fact, my class would try to act out scenes from the first movie during their recess periods.

While reading Army of Mom's take I began to think was there an equivalent in my day in age? Ah....Yes, and "Grease" is the word! The movie Grease came out in 1978 when I was only 8 years old. My girlfriends and I would also try to replay scenes but we would always end up in an argument as to who would get to play Sandy (Olivia Newton John) and likewise no one wanted to play Rizzo (Stockard Channing). Watching Grease now as an adult, I can't believe that I was actually allowed to watch that at such a young age. The movie was filled with references to teen sex and teen pregnancy. But at 8 years old, that all flew way over my head (I am sure kids today are a bit more, ahem, "worldly"). I was content to see the fancy foot work, sing the songs and get sucked into the craze that was all the rage. The difference, however, between me and Army of Mom is that I am ultra-nostalgic. I am "stuck in the day". Therefore I would say I am still 13 rather than Army of Mom's "39 going on 13". But the fact that Madeline is only turning 3 surely has something to do with that. I guess I'll catch the next wave when Madeline turns pre-teen.

Child Infidelity

This evening, David, Madeline and I carved pumpkins. We had a great time. Madeline was very interested in what we were doing. We took a bunch of pictures and some video of the occasion. My intention tonight was to post some of these photos but for some reason I am having a hard time transferring them onto the computer from my digital camera. (@%*!#) So instead, I am back to my cell phone camera to offer you a glimpse into our lives.

After removing the guts out of our pumpkins, I knew that I wanted to roast the seeds. Why? Because that is something I remember my mom always did when I was a child. I was always so filled with anticipation waiting for those seeds to come out. Every year, I would scoop some into my mouth and every year I would wonder what the fuss was all about. Nevertheless, the thrill of the tradition sticks with me today. In wanting to give similar memories to Madeline I committed myself to roasting them. Instead of simply plopping the seeds in the oven with salt, I decided to try to make something a bit more appetizing than the snacks that always ended up being disappointing to me. I got online and searched for some ideas. I decided on basting them with a mixture of melted butter, salt, cinnamon, ginger and allspice. The problem is that in changing up the tradition set forth by my mom, I felt that I was somehow unfaithful to her. What bizarre thoughts go through your mind after the loss of a parent.

Despite my feelings of guilt, I enjoyed wonderful aromas wafting through the air as I waited for the fall spiced seeds to toast. Yet, just as when I was a child, I was greatly disappointed. I guess I just don't get the attraction. Regardless, next year, I am sure I will commit myself to this ritual and as thus commit myself to that same internal struggle of doing it as Mom used to or trying something new. (Sorry, Mom)

Father Christmas

As you know from previous posts, Mama-Dirtyfoot and Madeline are having fun browsing the Christmas displays that are popping up everywhere. We get to point out Santa and Mama gets to see the wonder in Madeline's eyes as I talk about Santa., The other day, the Toys R Us Big Book catalog came in the mail and we enjoyed browsing the catalog and picking out things that we would like to ask Santa to bring. Madeline is so interested in the magic this Santa dude can preform and Mama-Dirtyfoot is having fun seeing this excitement.

Fast forward to today. The "Dirtyfoot family" went to church. Madeline was very well behaved in church today (not always the case). At the end off Mass, the priest proceeds to the exit of the church as greets people as they leave. As we pass the priest, David directs Madeline to say bye-bye to the priest. She looks up at him with that innocent wonder in her eye and exclaims, "Santa Clause!" Sigh....I think I'll need to work on my "Jesus is the reason for the season" lesson.

Papa's Little Girl

Madeline is loving the fact that things are back to normal here. Papa is home, Mama is home....but more importantly, Papa is home!!!! Papa is, without a doubt, Madeline's hero. What a long way they've come.

Living in the baby home in Astrakhan, Russia, Madeline got very little, if any, male influence for the first 20 months of her life as the care givers were all female. The day after our "Gotcha Day", it began to sink in for Madeline that these changes were permanent and she was "stuck" with us. Having Mama around was groovy, but who is that man? At that point, Madeline cried anytime David tried to go near her. She would cry if she looked at David, if David looked at her or even if I touched him or he touched me. Needless to say we had some very stressful times during those first few days as a family. Actually, most of that first summer was touch and go. Often times Madeline would wedge herself between me and the kitchen cupboards while I was making dinner so that she didn't have to deal with Papa.

Times have surely changed! Mama is still groovy, but no way near as nifty as Papa! Most every morning the first words out of Madeline's mouth are "Papa home?" When David comes home from work it is play time - Papa is all fun and games. And this weekend, Madeline asked for Papa to do the night-night routine with her instead of Mama. Without a doubt, David is her shining star. I can't compete with that. Mama lays down the law all day and Papa is fun and games when he is home (see video below - yes, she is in a flying shopping cart!). But I don't want to compete with that. I know that one day, Madeline's hormones will kick in and she'll be embarrassed by every move we make. I know that eventually, we will "know absolutely nothing" and be so totally uncool. I know that she will eventually dread being seen in public with us. Teenagers do that, unintentionally hurt their parents, and all too soon Madeline will be there. Hopefully these memories of being put on a pedestal will help David get through those dark teenage days. But in the meantime I hope the two of them continue to build that pedestal of David's higher and higher. It is in those memories that they are making now that will be the sweetest memories of Madeline's when she outgrows those hormonal, peer-centered teen years. And it will be in those memories that are being made now that will be the sweetest memories of Papa's (and Mama's) when we enter our golden years.