Twelve Months with Madelyn James

A year of soaking up every moment and memory we can.  A year of changing diapers, checking the monitor, rocking, reading, singing, bath time, bottles and bite bites. A year of re-learning who I am—as a mom, wife, and business owner.

This year has come with a lot of change! A new little human, moving halfway across the country back to my hometown, a new house, a new neighborhood, a new gym, and a new grocery store. Lots of *new* for us this year. While I wish I could report, one year ✓, got this thing down… TBH, I’m still figuring it all out.

Month 12 has been so much fun as Spring is slowly emerging in Tennessee! We typically take a nightly walk as a family, one of our favorite things to do. Madelyn and I visited the zoo with friends. Lots of trips to the park to swing and slide and a somewhat failed attempt to feed the ducks (who knew ducks migrate 🤷‍♀️). We’ve loved seeing the daffodils emerge and tulip magnolias blooming. I sense Madelyn is going to love Spring just as much as her mama does!

Want to see more family photos?

CLICK HERE: TWELVE MONTHS PHOTOS WITH MADELYN

About Madelyn

Madelyn is a busy little girl. She currently loves opening and closing cabinet doors and playing with all the pots and pans. I feel like she has grown up so much this month. She’s playing independently now, cruising along furniture or walking behind her grocery cart, and I can really see her wheels turning as she thinks to figure something out. She’s easy to please, loves being around others, and calms quickly *if* she does get upset.

We fared daylight savings time and cutting teeth with only a few nights of sleep disruptions and minimal crankiness for all!

Madelyn James you are a ray of sunshine. I’m still in awe that I get to be your mother. You are kind and smart and so very silly. You are curious and inquisitive, quick to learn, and slow to complain.

Memories & Milestones

• First tooth!!! We’ve been thinking teeth were going to pop through for weeks now and finally that first little tooth pushed through the gums. She’s a cutie little snaggletooth! I think another few will soon follow!
• Walking, walking, and more walking! While Madelyn hasn’t yet taken that first step on her own, she is getting so steady and strong pushing around her grocery cart! I’m amazed at how quickly she has learned to maneuver her cart around the house and how long she will entertain herself circling the kitchen island!
• Standing! It only happened once but this sweet girl was brave enough to let go and stand on her own! She was soooooo proud of herself and nearly knocked herself out doing a happy dance afterward!
• Drinking from a straw! We started Madelyn off with an open cup as I heard this would help with her swallowing early on. She is the cutest thing drinking from her tiny cup, but this month we gave her a cup with a straw and she picked it up right away. She loves drinking out of her straw cup and it’s really increased her water intake which has helped since we are weaning her off the bottle.
• Can’t get enough of the playground (particularly the slide!) This little girl loves to slide! She’s practically pushing herself down the big kid slide at this point and grinning ear to ear the whole way. Brave girl!

One Year Summary

This past year can be summed up as “grace upon grace”. I am grateful every day that I get to know Madelyn and be her mama, she is an absolute gift to our family. I have been stretched, refined, and remade. It’s been the most challenging and most wonderful year of my life. I thank the Lord every day for this precious little girl we have the honor to call daughter.

WATCH MADELYN GROW: FIRST YEAR MONTHLY HIGHLIGHTS

Month 1 | Month 2 | Month 3 | Month 4 | Month 5 | Month 6 | Month 7 | Month 8 | Month 9 | Month 10 | Month 11