The Culp Clan

Tonight we put Madison in the big bath tub for the first time and she loved it. We had been using her baby tub inside the big tub so when she splashed everywhere it didn't make a mess. Chase brought home a Disney princess bath mat to put in the bottom of the tub so she doesn't slide around, good job daddy. She really liked it and kept feeling it, trying to pick it up to get a better look. I think she enjoyed all the extra room in the big bath tub and all went well until she realized she could grab a hold of the sides and pull herself up, what a little monkey!
Slowly but surely our baby things are going up in the attic. Our little baby is not so little anymore!

Yesterday Chase decided to take Arnie for a walk in the snow. Arnie loves the snow and the cold makes him hyper so he runs laps around the backyard like a crazy dog. It was a little cold for Madison and me so we just stepped out in the front yard to watch it snow for a minute and snapped a picture.

Well Christmas has come and gone and I'd say Madison's first Christmas was SO BIG! We had lots of fun and she got enough toys and clothes to last a long time. We celebrated with the Culp side on Monday and had a blast. It always makes me laugh at the amount of presents piled under their tree, it takes up half the room. I guess that's what happens when there are so many of us. On Christmas Eve we celebrated with all of my family and actually managed to get a group picture. We figured out how to work the timer on our camera so we could all be in it together. After a fun evening it was off to bed so Santa could come. Madison left puffs and yogurt melts for him this year since she doesn't know about cookies yet. Ater we played with all our Santa presents on Christmas morning it was off to Mimi's again for breakfast and then to Bogata for one more Christmas. Mimi and Grandpa ordered a Santa bag with Madison's name on it and they filled it with presents. One of her favorite things is her big bunny chair, it's so soft, and she sat in it the whole time we opened gifts at my mom's house. Madison did so well with all the commotion of presents, people, and non stop laughter and kept us all entertained with her cute little personality. She was all over the place as usual and loved all the wrapping paper and bows that come along with Christmas. I'm pretty sure she liked all her toys too. And to top it all off her first Christmas was a white Christmas! Can't get much better than that. Here's some pics of our first Christmas with our sweet baby girl.

Our little pumpkin is 9 months old and she is all over the place! Madison is now a full fledged crawler and she is fast which means I am too. She pulls up on everything and does not stay in one place for very long. We got a much needed baby gate today to help corral her in our upstairs playroom. I'm sure all babies are like this but she goes after everything she's not supposed to have, like the extension cord for our banister lights, the phone, remote, Arnie's toys and rawhide bones, Christmas wrapping supplies, a piece of lint she may find on the floor, etc...seriously the child is not hurting for toys and she goes after anything but. She loves to clap and wave bye bye and is in the imitation phase where she tries to mimic different motions and sounds that we make. Another cute thing she just started this week is if you ask her, "How big is Madison?," she raises her arms up and we say, "So Big." She is still a good sleeper and I don't want to jinx myself but her naps have been much longer than 30 minutes these days and I think it's because she goes constantly from the time she wakes up till the time she lays down again. Her thumb is still her best friend and helps keep her asleep. She is 18 lbs 8.5 oz and still has no teeth! We tried some of the meats this week and something about meat in a jar makes me gag a little and apparently chicken noodle dinner makes Madison gag too. She was not a fan and pretty much gagged at every bite for two different feedings so I threw it away, probably won't be buying that one again. She's been fine with everything else and seems to enjoy all the other foods. Still a fan of Gerber puffs and yogurt melts and we have introduced baby yogurt as well. I'm so glad she seems to like most things. Still is an incredibly happy baby and the only things she doesn't like are the loud noise from the vacuum, the hair dryer, and men that she is not familiar with such as Santa! Here's some cute pics of our little princess over the last couple days. I'm just realizing most of these are in her pajamas, I promise I put her in real clothes too!

I think the first picture is hilarious. Bye Bye Baby! This picture just makes me laugh! I took it this morning and by the time I took the lens cap off to take a picture she had already taken off down the hall. Let the games begin....

Last night we celebrated Christmas #2 with Chase's aunt, uncle, and cousins from San Antonio and it was great to see them. This was the first time they met Madison and she put on quite a show! We got there around 6:30 and she went strong until 10:30 crawling and getting into everything. Her new trick is So Big. When you ask her, "How big is Madison," she raises her arms up and we say, "So Big!" It's pretty cute. She wore her adorable pink John Deere cowboy boots, doesn't every little girl need pink cowboy boots? Here's a few pics from the night.

The first picture makes me laugh. How many people can we fit on this love seat? Since grandad's chair got booted for the Christmas tree he has to find other places to sit.

We have had a crazy but fun last few days. It all started on Friday with our annual Kappa Christmas party. It was great to catch up with college friends over a yummy dinner from Babes and we had our white elephant gift exchange. We forgot to attempt a group picture, maybe next year. On Saturday I helped host a baby shower for Lisa and Matt, William Clayton Hawkins is expected in February and we can't wait to meet him. We had a great turn out for the shower and the parents to be got a ton of cute stuff! On Sunday Chase and I hosted Christmas number 1 with his aunt and uncle so we had a crew over here with his side of the family. That evening we went to Santa's Village in Richardson and walked around all the different houses. It was freezing and everything is outside so we all bundled up. I put Madison in a cute fluffy hat which Chase thought was ridiculous but we got several comments on it. I told him she was a girl so it's ok to have a little fluff every once in a while. The line for Santa was pretty long so we didn't get to see him but not to worry. Yesterday Jill and I took the girls to North Park to get their pictures made with Santa. Madison was not too sure what to think of him but I managed to stay out of the picture this time and we got one before she started crying so I'd say it was a success. After Santa we went to see the trains and I did the last of my Christmas shopping.

Last night Madison woke up crying around 11:30, just as I had fallen asleep, and she was up until 3-ugh! I think she might be getting a tooth but I'm not sure. Chase and I took turns trying to get her back to sleep and as soon as she would be close and we tried to lay her down the screaming started again and she would stand up in her crib. So at 1:30 in the morning Chase decided it was time that we lower her crib mattress from the middle setting to the lowest setting, that was fun. Finally after two different feedings, two diaper changes, and some play time I finally got her back to sleep. Hopefully tonight will be better.