Madison one day old. She was the most beautiful baby.
Madison at age 1. I loved my little toddler.
Madison at age 2. She has milk all over her face. I love that little one dimple of her's.
Madison at age 3, with that same furrowed brow she was born with.
Madison at age 4.
I can't believe she has only been apart of our lives for four years. It seems as if we were never without our little Madison.
She has grown up so much.
I have been with her every step of the way and yet, in a lot of ways she is a little mystery.
On occasion she is very shy and clings to my legs and then when I don't expect it she is bold and assertive.
Example: She would cling to me every time I dropped her off for nursery and shed a lot of tears and then she became a sunbeam. The first time I brought her to class she walked in and sat down and loved it and never asked for me once. Now she runs to Sunbeams every week and she asks me every Sunday if she can walk to sunbeams by herself. She gets really irritated if Sierra waits for her or tries to show her the way.
She likes to be called Madison and that is it. Don't call her Maddie, that is a weird name. She always stresses the D. She says, it is Ma-di-son not Ma-ti-son.
She follows her sister around and allows her to tell her what to play and who to be, but put her in front of some kids her own age and she is the boss, especially if the group is primarily little boys.
She is silly and likes to march to the beat of her own drum. In a lot of ways she is every bit as stubborn as her big sister but she does it in a silly way and not with her temper, which means she gets away with it a lot and most of the time I don't even realize it.
She is dedicated and works hard at any task I give her and she doesn't get distracted. Like, I can ask her to wash the dishes and she will sit there and wash them and stack them in the dishwasher and she will be a 100% focused.
She is my little sweet heart and she loves to cuddle with me ever day and she still wants to be held a lot although lately she seems to understand it is hard on me and she doesn't ask nearly as much. We do however, love to cuddle up each night and read before she goes to bed, and oh how she knows her bedtime routine. Don't even try to skip one step. She says every night, "First scripture power, then prayer, then stories, Mommy."
She is quite the little talker to whoever will listen. She will talk and talk and talk. She comes by it honestly but even I am impressed with her ability to prattle on and on.
She is so excited to be a big sister. The other morning she sat straight up in bed from her sound sleep and asked, "Where is my baby brother?" I said, "He was still in my tummy." She said, "Oh, I had a dream that he comed out and I thought it was real." She asks every day about him. She asks what he is doing and what he is saying. I always say he is saying, "I love Madison." She points to my tummy and says, "Is his bed here? Is his pillow here?" I just smile. She will kiss my belly and hug it and talk to him. I just think it is the most precious thing.
She has the most contagious giggle and she will giggle at practically anything. Nate loves her laugh and the first thing he does when he gets home from work is find her and tickle her. Her sister will do anything to get her to laugh, too.
I love this little girl so much she means everything to me and I can't even begin to express how blessed I feel to be her mother. She was a little angel sent down to us when we needed her most. When we needed a little soul to help us laugh. She is so sweet and so affectionate and her little hugs and kisses have helped soothe my soul many times. I feel so blessed to call her my little girl.
I love you Madison. I am grateful for all four years you have been mine.
