MoMonkey MoMonkey

Sesame Street Live

Today we took Mo to see Sesame Street Live. I don't know who had more fun - her or her Daddy! It was a total blast watching her face light up every time she saw Big Bird, Elmo or anyone else for that matter! She rocked back and forth through most of the show staying with the rhythm of the music and got so excited whenever the characters were dancing. All in all, the show was fantastic and I'm so glad we had the opportunity to light up her day like that! All the pics are on the hubs camera, who is out this afternoon doing a pep rally for our local hockey team (Reading Royals). The Royals made the playoffs and Mo and I are getting ready to take a nice afternoon nap to gear up for our evening out tonight cheering for the Royals. How are you spending your Saturday?

TLC - The Losing my interest Channel

I used to love Trading Spaces, but over the past couple of years it has become quite monotous. It got to the point where some of the designers went overboard in being different and their rooms were outright ridiculous. I mean - who the hell wants moss or hay stuck to their bedroom wall? Or wrapping paper stuck to their living room ceiling?

But alas, I found a new show to fill the void. It's called "movin' up" - and it's about people who move out of their house and into another. Four months later they get to go back to their old homes and see what the new owners did to their old place. Somehow, the show manages to find people who have RADICALLY different taste and it's really entertaining to see their reactions when someone changes things. I mean - what do these people expect?

It's interesting how nosy people can be when it comes to their old digs. We often drive past our old house to see what it looks like - partly because we miss the place, but also to see what the new people did to it as well. And the guy who we purchased our current home from has been by a few times to drop off some things he found while unpacking his belongings. (FYI - he bought a bigger house in the neighborhood that happens to be 4 houses down from us). Anyhoo, when stopping by, he felt this incessant need to gawk at all the changes we made. The funny thing is we didn't make that many changes. The house was in great shape - just boring. All the walls were white and we added some much needed color.

Well, anyhoo, my point to all this rambling is if you're looking for some mindless entertainment, check out "Movin' up" on TLC.

Walking on Sunshine

Yesterday was a beautiful day so before going out we decided to let Mo attempt to walk. She's still holding on to our hands, but she's really trying and looking cute too.

A CLEAN HOUSE IS BLISS

I have a full plate. I work full time as a Human Resources Officer for a fairly large non-profit human services agency, and I'm a full time Mom to Mo (and to her Daddy at times)! People always think HR folks don't do anything, but man, they can't be further from the truth. My job is so demanding that I have a really difficult time balancing work and home. Thankfully, I have the opportunity to work from home up to 3 days per week, which, in theory, should make the balancing act easier. But it doesn't. Working from home with a toddler traipsing around the house is NOT easy. It's embarassing at times when I'm on the phone handling important calls and the Mo-meister is in the background screaming and yelling! And lately she's been really clingy. I'm talking clingy to the point where she will literally pull my hands off of the laptop and make me give her undivided attention. And in those moments, I feel so guilty for having to work - so I take the time to play with her. But then it takes me 12-15 hours to get done at home what I could have gotten done in 7-8 hours at the office. And then that makes me feel even more guilty. It's a never-ending cycle.

Adding to the stress of working and raising a child is keeping a clean house. Anyone who knows me personally knows that I'm an absolute perfectionist neat-freak when it comes to my house. Everything has its place and it drives me nuts when things are out of order. The thought of having a clean, orderly house somehow makes me feel that at least something in my life is controlled. My hubby calls that a personality flaw! I call it sanity! Needless to say, I can't keep up with it anymore. So after much arguement and debate between the hubs and I, we finally came to an agreement to hire a cleaning person. Today was her first day, and oh.my.gosh, my house is spotless. I got to work, Mo got to play and all the while, my house was getting cleaned from top to bottom! It doesn't get any better than that. I will never go back. The cleaning lady is here to stay!

So at least one thing in my life is in order. Now if only I could afford to hire a cook!

Shhhhh....

Well it's official! The mo monkey learned to whisper. I was talking with her this morning saying Dada, which of course is the only word she seems to care about these days! She was in one of those copycat moods and I kept changing the pitch and volume as I talked, which she copied with such enthusiasm. Then I threw in a whisper and to my surprise, she whispered back. And she's been whispering ever since! I've created a monster!

Mo Rocks

Today was one of those days where spending the day with Mo rocked! We went to a band competition this afternoon. Actually, it wasn't really a band competition....it was more like a percussion feast to the ears and eyes! Mo was very attentive as she ate her baby crack (AKA cheerios) from a ziploc bag as if it were a big ol' bucket of popcorn! (To the Reading High School cleaning staff, I apologize for the massive quantity of cheerios left on the bleachers. So sorry!)

Anyhoo, thereafter we went to Target, Babies R Us, etc. We weren't at Babies R Us for Mo... we were there with our friends Matt and Erin who were registering for their wee little one who is due in July. As we perused the baby stuff, I realized how sad it was that I was done shopping there for Mo. I no longer have a reason to go because their clothing only goes as high as 24 months, and well... Mo's outgrowing that quickly. She's already wearing some 2T stuff.

So how does all this relate to my first sentence you ask? With all the running around we did today (which is typical for us), Mo was an angel. She was pleasant and sweet and a load of fun! Between her zillion smiles and laughs, she gave tons of hugs and kisses! I couldn't ask for a better behaved child. How'd I get so lucky?

One Tough Chicky

Yesterday was Mo's 1 year appointment. MG took her while I was stuck at the office.

After the appt., MG gave me the all the standard details. Height, Weight, Incoming toofers (that's teeth for us adults), and eating tips.

The thing that struck me the most was that Mo was given two shots (one on each arm.) MG reported that Mo was a tough little girl and barely let out a cry. Quite Impressive.

What struck me as even more impressive is later in the day, her Aunt Wendy took her to a hockey game. I was well expecting Mo to be quite crabby due to the shots. She was happy little girl, even long after the game was finished.

Here's to a little girl that ceases to amaze. She's tough, she's social, and she's oh soooo cute.

Letter To My Little Girl

Dear Mo,

You're 1! I can hardly believe it. This past year has been incredible. I remember the day you came into this world. It was the most wonderful, magical day of my life. Seeing your beautiful face melted my heart in a way I could never imagine. And every day since your birthday has been an adventure.

I have to be honest...the first couple of months were rough. Even though you grew inside me for over 9 months (taking your sweet time to enter this world I might add), you felt like a complete stranger to me. For the first couple of months I struggled with getting to know and understand you (as much as a mother could understand a newborn that is). You were indifferent most of the time...sometimes you would cry and I could never figure out what was wrong. Usually, no one was able to comfort you. It was definitely a sign of what was to come!

After the 2 month mark, you started sleeping through the night. That milestone came because Daddy and I finally figured out two things: 1) soy formula was a necessity; and 2) the only way you would sleep was on your belly. The belly sleeping was scary because the fear of SIDS was drilled into my head. But you were able to move your head from side to side since birth, so eventually my fear subsided. That meant that Mommy and you were well rested every night - and that's a beautiful thing!

Then came the milestone of smiling and cooing. That was awesome. Hearing your voice was such a thrill. Daddy and I often imagined what it would be like when you said your first words. And then before we knew it, that day arrived. Your first word was momma, and I was so happy! Before I had a chance to really rub it into your father, you said Dada. Within 24 hours, you said your first 2 words! And it's been nothing but Dada and Daddeee ever since! You call everyone and everything Daddeee! I spell it that way because you really emphasize the "eeee" in Daddy in the most dramatic way! Then came "Deeee" for the dogs. You love Molly and Noel, despite the way they treat you! Molly tries to steal your food, bite you and growl at you - and most of the time, you giggle and laugh your little heart out. There's been a few times, though, that Molly has made you cry. But you are very quick to forget what Molly has done and within minutes you reach out for her to give a hug or pat on the head!

You started to become mobile around the 6 month mark. Many mornings we discovered you in the crib standing up and walking around the edge of the crib, reaching for your mobile, etc. You really scared me one day when I walked in and found you leaning outside of your crib as you attempted to untie the bumber pads! I still can't believe you didn't fall out!

You've been attempting to walk for such a long time that I still can't believe you're not walking on your own yet. You've taken a few steps on your own from time to time, and you've become very proficient at climbing the stairs - with more speed than me! But as soon as you realize you're standing on your own, you panic and fall to the floor. For some reason, you're afraid to walk alone. This is unusual for you because you do not appear to be afraid of anything else.

The following traits sum you up in a nutshell:

1. You are fiercely independent. You rarely like to be held because it interferes with your ability to explore and play! Cuddle time is only reserved for when you're tired!

2. You are a social butterfly! You will do anything you can to capture the attention of a stranger, and most of the time, it works like a charm! No matter where we go, you're always talking and flirting with someone!! And you love to play with other kids. Unfortunately, you haven't been exposed to many other kids your age. But that doesn't stop you! You'll play with anyone who will join you!

3. You are a very happy little girl, not to mention a load of fun. You love to laugh and giggle. You love to play peek-a-boo. You like to make all kinds of funny noises - and most of the time, you make yourself laugh! You are quite entertaining to say the least!

4. You love to sleep. Amen for that. Daddy jokes that you have Mommy's coma genes, and I think he's right. We never have a problem putting you to bed at night, and if we don't put you down for a nap when you're tired, you'll just fall asleep wherever you are. You have fallen asleep in various places such as on the floor in the midst of your toys, in your highchair, sitting up in your playpen, etc.

5. You are strong-willed, just like your Mommy! When you want something, you will not stop until you get it. And if you don't get your way, watch out. You definitely have a temper!

Overall, you are an absolute joy. You are the most beautiful, wonderful little girl, and I am so happy that you came into my life. Words cannot express how much I love and adore you! Thank you for a wonderful first year, and I look forward to the many years ahead!

Love,
Mommy

The Lion and Monkey are still here..

Welcome to the redesigned madelinemonkey.com. In celebration of her 1st birthday last week, I thought it was due for a site re-design. I hope you all like her new digs.

In the next few days, I'll be working out a few bugs here and there. If you find something that isn't working please let me know and I'll get on it ASAP.

Thanks for making Mo a part of your blog reading lives.

MORE PICS FROM MO'S 1ST BIRTHDAY

It's been a busy week around here! We meant to post more pics earlier in the week from Mo's birthday party and Easter, but never got around to it. Here goes...

The calm before the storm...

Tuckered out after everyone left... Notice the hair sticking straight up!

Playing with all the goods...

There are still quite a few pics I'd like to post of Mo eating her cake and opening presents, but the hubs put them on our gallery and I can't seem to upload them on this page. More will follow...