Ready...Set...

Mobile!!!

A Day In The Life Of The McFadden Daycare

Now that we are in a routine in our 'daycare', I want to write it down so that we can remember in the future when Brylee asks about our day...

The location: our living room floor. We also rotate to her bedroom, but for some reason it started here, so this is the natural place for us to go back to. Notice the blankets on the side and on the coffee table? Those are the bumpers to keep her little noggin safer!













Her spread of toys vary from simple rattles to her balls, shape blocks, play mat, and me occasionally pulling out her toy box of stuffed animals. Lately, all of her toys have been out of her reach to try to entice her to crawl. Instead, she decides to entertain herself some other way, like pulling up on the coffee table...













The water cooler. This is where we gossip and talk sports talk. Did you see that show last night...













Our daily reading. Short little chapters that put the complicated Bible into very easy to understand stories. She is still a bit young to sit still and not try to tear the pages, but I sure am learning a lot!














I also work with these daily. They are homemade flash cards that I put together to help her learn her numbers, letters, colors and a lot of basic words, like baby, sleep, spoon, flower....
Cary and I are also constantly working with signing with the basic words as well. Mom, dad, milk, eat, ball, colors....
**Thanks Dawn for the catch!










Around 12:00, her daddy comes home for lunch, typically a grilled cheese sandwich (sometimes I shake things up by making waffles or french toast). Sometimes Brylee is asleep, but wakes up for a little time with her dad.

On Wednesdays, her Oma and Opa join us for lunch, which really rocks her world. She is so happy to see them! And then, on Thursdays, she and I go out for a little adventure and meet her T-Ma and B-Pa for lunch. Again, she is so thrilled to get all of their attention.

One of her favorite toys right now: her shape blocks. She loves to put them in her mouth and drool all over them. Of course I use the opportunity to try to teach her her colors and shapes. It is also a fun game for me to put them back into the bucket, and she pulls them back out again.













She takes a nap 2-3 times a day, which makes for great opportunity for me to get laundry, catch up on emails (everyone knows when this happens because they start getting responses all at one time from the 5 they left throughout the course of the morning), or clean her bottles:










Chester's favorite place...on the cool tile by the front door. I d get the opportunity to make him chase his favorite tennis ball every once in a while, but the poor guy tends to mostly sleep. Don't blame him!










By the end of the day, this is what we see: typically Brylee rolling around and just being silly. The floor most often looks much more messy, but when I took these pictures, she had decided that she didn't want to look like a messy kid, but a little clown!










When I first put this daily activity together, I had a 'schedule':

Masterpiece Monday (look at art or make some kind of art/craft)
Tune Tuesday (listen to music)
World Wide Wednesday (study things about the world. ex: we have looked at different types of bodies of water, and transportation)
Theater Thursday (another excuse to watch a movie!!!!)
Field Trip Friday (self explanatory, except sometimes our field trip consists of going to the grocery store)

For the most part, we have done these things, but not always on the designated days. Not that I expect a lot, but I just want to keep things mixed up and fun for both of us!

This week, though, has been anything but routine.

On Monday, we got a great visit from her Aunt Faith, Uncle Brad, and Cousin Helen, which included going to the apartment pool and swimming.

Tuesday, we got to have lunch with my Grandfather, Uncle, Aunt, 3 cousins, and my dad.

Wednesday, I took her to the church around the corner and we watched a lot of little preschool kids run around playing. She was the youngest one there, not even able to crawl just yet, but she loved the activity and attention none the less!

It is only Thursday, but I have a feeling that the rest of the week will be just as unique as earlier. If not, there's always next week!

Whew! I'm tired after that long post! Now to go get her dressed and ready to see her T-Ma and B-Pa for lunch!

Brylee's 8 Months

Today, we celebrate the same amount of time that Brylee has been outside the womb as she did inside. (Technically she spent 36 weeks in the womb, but has now been on this earth for 34 1/2 weeks, but we'll look past all of that confusion...)

Cary and I were reminiscing the other night about how much Brylee has changed since she was born...just imagine how much she had changed and grown while in the womb!

These days she is thisclose to crawling, I think she just tells herself that she cannot do it and sits back up. But she is most certainly mobile, rolling all over the place...just maybe not in the direction she wants to go...She also tries to pull herself up on anything she can get her little hands on. A little harder on the leather sofa, but our jeans give her the perfect grip!

Food wise, she has been on Similac Sensitive since about 2 months old, mainly because we started her on formula from the beginning that gave extra calories for her preemie body, and then the sensitive formula because she acted like she had an upset tummy. We are now going to attempt to transition her to Similac Advanced because we found it for a better deal at Sam's...so here's to hoping!

Also regarding food, we have been really slow on the solids, mostly because of her seeming to have a sensitive gag reflex and also problems with constipation. But she is now on Stage 2 foods, and doing really well. Here is a breakdown of what she has had and her response:

Green Peas--did not like at first, but has grown to appreciate them
Carrots--still loves!
Sweet Potatoes--I think these are her favorites...don't blame her...
Bananas--she likes them, but they aren't really her favorite
Garden Veggies--likesSquash--yum! (that's not my daughter...)
Prunes--same as Bananas, but it took a while (and lots of prune juice) for her to accept
Peaches--same as Bananas
Wild Blueberries and Pear--yum!
Cinnamon Raisin Granola--yum!
Apple Banana Strawberry mixture--yum!
Macaroni and Cheese with Veggies--yum!
Green Beans--same as Green Peas...
Turkey in Turkey Broth--NOT AT ALL!
Watermelon--YUCK! (you should see her face when you try to give this to her!)
Cantalope--same as Watermelon. I think she doesn't mind the juice, just not the texture
Crackers--liked, until she tried to swallow a bit just a little big...then see this post.
Cheerios--has grown to appreciate, but still loves to fling them everywhere

She loves the water (see picture above), and one of our favorite activities is to fill the sink with water and let her splash around. I like to let Cary bathe her for the reasons of:
1) I tend to get a little nervous with water
2) more so, it is great father/daughter time. He loves to let her splash and play with her toys

Her skin is looking excellent, perhaps due to the summer heat and humidity. We aren't drenching her in lotion as much as we had to in the winter time, except for the couple of problem areas (her chin and some creases on her legs). It would be wonderful if we didn't have to do it so much in the winter, but I guess we'll see!

Last weekend, we think she gave us the 'milk' sign, so this week I have been working on signing more words (eat, colors, ball, animals), as well as working with the completed flashcards I have (well, somewhat completed. They have pictures attached...but most do not have the Spanish/French translation). I know that sounds like a lot, and I'm not trying to push all of it on her, but I want to learn as well, so we are going with what she tells me. So far, she has a lot of interest in the pictures and signing!

And her teething? Just a tease. No luck for this little one to have her first tooth appearance. Though there have been signs off and on, nothing just yet. And we thought she was going to be an early teether!

This last month at home with her has been so much fun, and I love watching her grow just before my eyes. We are all learning together everyday. This eight month update has so much to share!

Blog Of The Month: Just Another Day In {Our Midwest} Paradise

In honor of our country's birthday, I wanted to take a look at a blog (or 3) that belongs to our military's wives.

Just Another Day In {Our Midwest} Paradise

My Front Porch Looking In

What? Mermaids?

I have read these blogs for a while, and feel like I have endured the sadness and loneliness of having their husbands being overseas with them. But the support their friends give them, as well as their ambitions for themselves help them through the long departure.

What amazing, strong women! I have family and friends that are also military, or have been, and words can't express how much I admire the wives that have very little communication with their husbands at times, and cannot plan anything because the military can mess it all up.

But their blogs tell their story, show their strength and support. Also reminds me to hug my husband every night and be thankful that we are not separated, especially by war.

God, please continue to bless these 3 bloggers that I am featuring, as well as their friends and family. I thank you for all the wonderful families that endure this so that our country can have such a blessed thing: freedom.

Any Relation?

The Last Minute Game Night

Or I guess I could also title this post: The Time Gary Decided To Never Let Me Bake In His Kitchen Again.

Not really. It went well. We made the mess together!

What was decided on Thursday to have a last minute Game Night to celebrate my Granny's 77th birthday on Saturday, came together so perfectly, and was so fun!




Cary and I decided to make the cake, even more at the last minute than the party itself, we made the cake at his parents' house...with the well-needed help from Cary's dad, who has made this particular cake several times. I enjoyed helping Gary out...and hope that he will let me help out again in the future!




After we made the cake, we ended up at my parents' house to put icing on it and decorate with our pirate theme, another last minute decision. Perfect for a grandmother?

What a wonderful evening...as always! We had Bill, Granny, Eric, Deb, Fay, Erica, Mike, Steven, Stacy, and Steven's girlfriend, Hailey, there (and don't forget mom, Cary, Brylee, Chester, and me!)

We ate pizza, played Cranium, Bananagrams, and Apples To Apples...with lots of laughing. I love spending that time with family. I hope that it can be a continued thing so that Brylee can grow up knowing that her family is very important, and show her friends how much fun her 'old folks' can have!

Oh yeah...and hanging out with Bill was very successful this time! She was a little frightened at first, but he fed her some of her cereal and veggies for dinner, and not too much later, she was letting him hold her!

And Chester got some well-needed attention from my uncle Eric. Thank you for showing him some attention. He doesn't get enough right now!

Brylee's 4th Of July Animal Adventure

Some highlights from Brylee's first visit to the zoo:

1) Going on a 'quick' geocache hunt while waiting for my grandparents to show up. No find, but we did see some cool lizards and frogs!

2) Watching her try Macaroni and Cheese with Veggies for the first time (she loved it!)

3) Her excitement when she saw the fish and turtles up close and personal...I think they are the only things she really 'saw'

4) Her falling asleep against her Poppy

5) Watching her 'sneak up' on her great grandfather and hitting him on his back to surprise him

6) Seeing her and her T-Ma and Great Granny play together

7) Her opportunity to touch a snake for the first time...which she really didn't do with her hands, but her feet...

We literally only saw 1/2 of the zoo because it was getting very hot and we were getting tired. Brylee made the final decision for us when she woke up screaming because she was dehydrated. We gave her some juice, and she was a happy kid again, but at that time we started making our way towards the front of the zoo, skipping the lions, tigers, bears, birds, and many others. That's ok, though...just gives us reason to go back when the weather is a little cooler!












































Grandpa had just gotten out of the hospital a couple of days earlier with being anemic and over-exerting himself. He has been wanting to go to the zoo, so I was glad they joined us, but we worried about him getting sick again. He did great--And I loved seeing both of them!







































































This little guy was my favorite to see. He never moved, but kept his head and neck stuck out as if he were showing off. I would love to have one for myself!










2 Otters playing in the water. When one thought the other got too rough, it would run out of the water, and then back in again. It was so much fun watching them!



























Loved visiting the Museum, and highly recommend it! You could see alligators so up close, and there was even a restaurant area where you could watch the turtles, fish, and alligators swimming around. Great place!!!

Ramblings From A Stay-At-Home-Mom

Read this article just now:

LOS ANGELES - Lindsay Lohan will be going to jail without one of her biggest advocates — her attorney.

The actress' attorney, Shawn Chapman Holley, resigned from the case shortly after releasing a statement Thursday calling a judge's 90-day jail sentence for Lohan "harsh and unfair."

No reason for her withdrawal from the high-profile case was given, and her replacement has not been announced.

A representative for the seasoned defense attorney, who fought to keep the "Mean Girls" star out of jail during a daylong hearing Tuesday, said her earlier remarks about Lohan's sentence remained valid.

"Ms. Lohan and I are extremely disappointed in the sentence handed down by Judge (Marsha) Revel," Holley's statement had read. "We believe that the penalty is far harsher than what others would have received under similar circumstances.

"The reality is that Ms. Lohan, like most defendants, had to balance work commitments with court requirements. To be punished so severely for doing so, particularly in light of the fact that she substantially complied with each of her probationary conditions, is harsh and unfair," it said.

Holley said Lohan would serve her sentence, which because of overcrowding and budget cuts is likely to be much shorter than the three months ordered by the judge.

The attorney also said the 24-year-old actress would comply with the other terms of her sentence, which include a three-month stay in rehab and reporting to a probation officer for drug and alcohol testing.

Revel determined Lohan violated her probation on a 2007 drug and drunk driving case by missing seven alcohol education classes since December, when the judge ordered her to attend weekly sessions.

Holley first appeared in court March 2009 when the actress got in trouble with her former alcohol education program. The judge reinstated Lohan's probation after Holley cleared up what she called a misunderstanding.

The attorney, who was a member of O.J. Simpson's famed defense team, successfully kept Lohan out of trouble, even after her alcohol-education program reported problems with the star last year.

On Tuesday, Holley placed her arm around Lohan as she burst into tears while pleading for leniency and apologizing to the judge.

Thursday's statement was Holley's first public comment on the ruling. Neither she nor Lohan spoke to reporters after Tuesday's sentencing.

Lohan pleaded guilty in August 2007 to two misdemeanor counts of being under the influence of cocaine; no contest to two counts of driving with a blood-alcohol level above 0.08 percent and one count of reckless driving. She was sentenced to three years of probation.

The plea came after a pair of high-profile arrests earlier that year.

She has struggled with the terms of her probation since then, which culminated in the judge revoking her probation in May and forcing her to wear an alcohol ankle monitor.

Reading this, especially the red highlighted part, made me feel...frustrated. Many thoughts and emotions went through me, but I don't know if what I feel is right or not...

My thoughts on this:

Really? How many times has this particular celebrity done something illegal? Under-aged drinking, drugs, drunk driving, stealing a vehicle with people inside just to escape paparazzi...the list continues.

And then this week in court she wore profanity on her fingernail while in court. She is sentenced to 90 days in jail, which may be shortened...And she cried. Sorry, Lindsay, but let me play my tiny little violin for you...

There are tons of other controversial celebrities out there as well, but she is the one with the most attention recently, so she is the one I'll pick on.

I am not a controversial person, but this really sets me off. Most likely, our children have or will look up to celebrities at some point in their lives. Whether these celebrities want the admiration or not, it will happen. Shouldn't they set good examples?

And if not, then I think that their punishments should be harsher. To show that they are not above the law when they are known by millions. To show that doing drugs, and driving down the wrong side of the freeway drunk are not cool and that the jail sentence is the lesser of the penalties they could have.

The sad thing is, I used to love reading celebrity gossip. Sometimes I still do, hence the reason I have come upon this story. But it's sad to see that the headlines are filled with things like this, instead of the good things that many, if not most, celebrities do.

I hope that I am able to teach Brylee that celebrities are not always doing the best things, they are human after all, but also teach her that because they are known worldwide does not give them any reason to think they are above following the law.

Bathtime With Brylee!

Holiday Bonding

July 3rd came with yet another busy weekend. Brad, Faith, and Helen came to town for the day, to swim, eat, and then attend church with us because Fellowship was having a festival and fireworks show.

Brylee has been very timid of her uncle Brad, much like her (great) uncle Bill, and this day was a big step for her. While she was entertaining herself, she was picked up and put into Brad's lap, facing outward. It took her a while to realize whose lap she was in, and by that time, she had gotten used to it. And...no crying from Brad, either!
Good job Brad and Brylee!!

Around 5:30 we had made the decision to leave Brylee with her Oma and Opa while we went to church (for one, it was pouring rain; for two, we started wondering if the fireworks would have been a bad experience for her being so young), and went to church, where they are having their Going To The Movies series. Free popcorn--YES!!!!

After the service, we walked outside to check out the activities and found that there were more people than desired flowing towards the games and food. I think twice as many people were here than at the service. So we made a great decision to go to dinner and go back to the church for the fireworks. So the great decision for dinner was made: Cracker Barrel!!!!

Of course, who can resist breakfast when they go to a place that serves pancakes morning, noon, and night? Apparently none of us can!

After eating, Helen and I went to play a game of Checkers (my first time playing in years!) while Cary, Brad, and Faith had a conversation...I think I got the better deal!

When it was time to start thinking about the fireworks, we hopped into the car and started driving around, trying to decide what the best place to watch the show was.

Just as Cary was getting close to the church and finding the perfect location, the first firework was shot into the air. So he pulled over on the side of the road, Helen popped her head out of the top of the Volvo, Brad and Faith stuck their heads out the backseat windows, and I let my camera capture some excellent shots!

I am almost very serious to tell you that we were about a foot ball field away from where they were shooting off! We could see them pop out of the pipes, and the fire trucks sitting nearby. It was the best location to watch, and about half-way through the show, other cars were parking around us, apparently realizing the same thing...

What a great way to spend our evening with the family! Thank you Brad, Faith, and Helen for going to the service with us and enjoying the spectacular light event!