The Big Bird chair

Just thought I would share this piece of history. For Matt's 2nd birthday (1982) he received a Big Bird chair. Grandma and Grandpa were smart enough to save it and now 29 years later we have the Big Bird chair in our house. Safe to say the money was well spent and they clearly don't make things like they did back then.

Matt with the chair in 1982

Maddy with the chair in 2009

Hannah with the chair in 2011

Lockdown

It's official - Hannah Dean is a crawling machine! 1 week shy of 7 months.

She's been scooting around for a couple weeks now but last night while cooking dinner, we turned around to find her in the dog bowl (about 5-7 feet from where we left her). Within 20 minutes she also found the computer cords and the door stop behind her bedroom door. Life as we know it is changing. Time to lock everything and move into "nothing is allowed on the floor" mode. I will try to get more video - this one is from about a week ago when she was still in the inch worm status.

Moving up in the world

Well, maybe not in the world but at least at school. Maddy moved up to the next class at school this week and the transition has been a little difficult. Her teachers are great but I think the change in schedule has been a little challenging. I think this class (officially known as Room 5) is a lot more like school and a lot less like daycare. Having said that, the schedule may be new but she is learning a LOT so it's hard to complain. They have a responsibility wall so each child has something they are responsible for every day like cleaning up after lunch, turning off the lights, holding the door, etc. And in just one week she has come home each day with something new she learned so that is great news! Learning words that rhyme, new Spanish words and syllables are just a few of the things she has absorbed so I'm impressed and she seems excited to show off her new knowledge. This video is one of my favorites. Maddy is practicing her syllables and for some reason Hannah Dean is LOVING it - noted by the full body chuckle.

Maddy's 1st baseball game

We've been saying it all summer and we finally did it. Even if it was the last game of the season. Matt and I took Maddy to her first "real" baseball game. The Charlotte Knights are a minor league team here in the area and the games are affordable, safe and lots fun! Grandma and Grandpa offered to keep Hannah Dean overnight for us so we could make this a special Maddy only event.

She wasn't sure what to think at first and her main concern was at what point during the game were we going to buy her the ice cream we'd promised. We had great seats about 10 rows up from the Knights dugout so we were able to spend lots of time watching the mascot, Homer the Dragon. As with most things in costume, Maddy was excited but not excited enough to walk down there to say hello :) So we kept our distance and just waved. Matt and Maddy enjoyed a hot dog while I ate enough nachos to make a grown man sick. We then moved on to popcorn which Maddy held and rationed a piece for each of us, one by one.

After the 7th inning stretch we left our seats for the play area. Maddy was able to play a few games and even managed to get in the inflatable bouncy house by herself. After the games we went and stood in a 20 minute line for ice cream in a souvenir baseball hat. It was SO worth it! We found a nice spot on the general admission grass and she ate every last drop. I was a nervous wreck but this grassy area is the place where the parents that don't want to watch their kids sit. So the parents are laid out on a blanket somewhere while their kids proceed to roll down the hill over and over until they throw up. Definitely a new experience for Maddy and Mommy did her best to try and just go with it!

Last stop on the way home was the gift shop where the option to pick one thing had been promised. Prices are so affordable so you really don't have to worry about the kids wanting something crazy. Maddy's pick was a foam Homer the Dragon hat. Let's just say, I'm glad she's so cute because very few people could pull this thing off.