Cheese!

After losing the charger to our camera on Christmas Eve, I've finally found it again! I don't mind too much about not having it on Christmas morning. After spending the night in the ER with Jacob, (nasty croup monster struck again!) the morning was rather anticlimactic as far as photo-ops went anyhow. I have been missing it since, however, so naturally I had to snap a few shots of the kids as soon as I could.

I know I'm not anywhere close to knowing how to properly use a camera, but my kids sure are cute! 

I can't get enough of Jacob's version of "Cheese!" It cracks me up every time. As for my little Madi Monster, she is still as much a firecracker as ever. She's growing and learning so fast I can hardly keep up with her. Lately, her very favorite word is "NO!" which she says in response to everything, followed closely by her own name, "Madi!" She makes sure to point out every picture in the house and declare that it is a beautiful photograph of herself. If one should make the mistake of trying to correct her, she will simply deny the truth with as much vehemence as ever.

Truthfully, I'm loving the attitude. I'll probably regret saying that by the end of the year, but it's such a nice contrast from the calm, quite and serene baby that Jacob was. There's so much action! I think that may be partially because this age was about the time we started noticing the changes and delays in Jacob, and anything that is in stark contrast to how he was behaving seems like good news. I know that the quiet baby he was truly was his personality, but looking back on it now, I worry that I should have seen signs of a problem earlier than I did. It is truly thrilling to see how social Madison has become, something that has laid to rest most fears of any developmental concerns with her. 

We are still working on getting little Miss Diva off her binky at bedtime, especially since she knows all our favorite hiding spots and just how to bat her eyes at daddy. I'm satisfied that it is not in use during the day for now, we have time to work on it. I consider it a victory that it's not in her mouth 24/7. So far, everything else is going great!