Last week I set up Madelyn's jumperoo bouncer. She can't quite reach the floor, but she will get there soon!

Madelyn is growing up so fast! I can't believe she is 18 weeks old now! Today I was watching video footage of her right after she was born and was amazed at how much she has grown and developed in such a short time. She can hold her head up really high during tummy time now and can almost roll from her back to her stomach (she gets stuck on her side). She is also starting to laugh! The video shows her laughing at me while I give her rasberries on her tummy. She thinks it's hilarious! She is interacting so much more and trying really hard to talk.

We just finished up our infant massage class last week. We went once a week for four weeks. We learned how to massage her legs, then her tummy and chest, then her arms, and finally her face and back. Now as part of her nightly bed time routine, I bathe her then give her a massage. She loves it! She gets super excited and kicks her legs happily! She isn't a fan of having her arms and face massaged yet, but she will grow into it.

We also go to infant play group once a week. The babies lay on a mat and play with toys and look at each other and sometimes grab at one another. It's pretty cute to see the little one's interact with other babies and the adults. We also have craft time! Madelyn helps me pat the glue down on the paper.

Christmas 2009 and New Years 2010

So once again I fell way behind in my blogging. I really need to get better about this! So much has happened in just a few weeks!

We went home to Texas this year for Madelyn's first Christmas. We had such a great and special time. The trip to the states was easy. Madelyn fell asleep on the plane shortly after we took off and slept most of the flight. After the first 2 nights, Madelyn did amazing with the jet lag and moving around from place to place and person to person. We loved taking pictures of her for the first time with different people.

She was totally spoiled at Christmas with all the new toys and clothes! It took A LOT of luggage to get everything back, but we made it work!

When we got back from Texas we had a few days to unpack before heading to Tokyo for a long weekend celebration for the New Year. Greg and I went to a New Year's party at the New Sanno Hotel while Madelyn stayed with a sitter upstairs. We had a wonderful time bringing in the New Year with friends. The rest of the weekend we relaxed and visited an aquarium in Tokyo. Madelyn loved watching the colorful fish swim around. She also went for her own first swim! She liked the water the first day we put her in the pool. Well, actually I don't know what she was thinking. She looked very confused and had a very serious expression, like she wasn't quite sure what to think. The next day when we tried to put her in the water, she wasn't happy. She definitely liked sitting on the side of the hot tub better while mommy and daddy splashed her with warm water. I totally don't blame her!