Madison

My next "Ode" is to my oldest.

Madison. She has always been busy. From the time that she was a newborn, she required A LOT less sleep than any other baby. And with the more hours of "awake" time, she progressed quickly. She was sitting by 4 months... and when laying on her back she would do a perma-crunch, which served her well, since before she was 6 months, you could push on her feet when she was laying on her back, and she would pop up to sitting. It was quite amazing. She crawled, by 6 months, walked at 10, and was swimming by herself just after her 2nd birthday, and jumping off high-dives at 3 and diving 10 feet in a deep end to get a rock by 3 1/2. And we could go on and on.








Meanwhile she also developed what I like to call her "scientific self". She loved to paint all over herself, in many kinds of mediums, paint, marker, soap, make-up, and diaper rash cream. If it were quiet in my house, I KNEW I was in for it. She was ALWAYS into something. She had a couple of partners in crime, and they would be known for squeezing an entire bottle of baby powder all over a bedroom, emptying an entire bottle of shampoo into the carpet (both of which were thankfully not at my place), smearing Neosporin and Vaseline into hair (clarifying shampoo is great to get greasy slimy stuff out of hair without 20-30 washings- seriously). And Haircuts (after the Vaseline- it was a fun day).



She also went through a "What FO' " stage. We watched a little boy who would always ask "what he do dat fo'?" So Mads gleaned that from him. I thought it was great - very funny, and that we would skip the dreaded "Why" stage, but at 4 she learned that word, and STILL uses it more than needed. It is really fun to watch a movie with her. (You should ask my mom about watching "Spirit-Stallion of the Cimmaron"- it wore my mom out) She can't quietly do it. She HAS to know what is going on and why, and who is doing something, and why. Conversations can be really amusing too.
Me-"Hey Mads, are you ready for the bus?"
Mads- "What bus?"
me- "How many buses do you need to get ready for?"
We have these kinds of conversations ALL the time. They are very funny.

Don't you just want to squeeze those cute buns.... (Mads NEVER wore clothes- she was always stripping... it was not until she was 4 and we had the "you can't show your parts because they are special" talk with her that she would for the most part keep them on.) Clothed or naked, you can still accessorize.



And I cannot forget her craftiness. She loves to color. Hours and hours, and many rainforests have been sacrificed for this passion. You could give the kid scissors, paper, a pen and tape, and have her focus for hours (hugely messy- but hours of entertainment). She is so creative. She has made doll clothes with tape and left over fabric, and she has even made her own instruments out of paper.



Oh, and I cannot forget to mention that she is full of music. Noise must be emitting from herself at all times or I think she explode. (kind of like a pressure cooker). She loves to sing, and has used ALL the hot water more than once, showering and singing her own creations at the top of her lungs. She also can put them to music on the piano. Mike and I love to hide around corners and enjoy listing to whatever is on her mind put to music.



She is a fantastic big sister, and is so patient with Halle. And so great with Colton. She still needs less sleep than the average, still is busy, but is one of the best kids that we could even ever imagine. We love you Mads.