A Very Special Week!

We've had such a special week starting with a wonderful Easter! Andrea got in Saturday night; the next morning we all woke up to Easter baskets. Rob and I gathered all Madeline's stuffed bunnies from around the house and had them poking out of cabinets and peeking from behind pillows. Madeline got a kick out of it as she padded around in her PJs! After a breakfast of bunny-shaped pancakes, we went to church, then came home to an Easter egg hunt in the backyard (we've had them daily ever since...).

Then on Tuesday, my dad and Ning came to visit. We loved introducing my dad to Charlie! Madeline just loves her Papa and Ning!! She charged into their room early every morning and kept them busy all day long. Ning painted her toe nails, and my dad playfully sat at her tiny table-and-chair set to play with playdoh and feed her breakfast. It was a quick visit, so we really appreciated our time together.

Charlie's already eight weeks old and he's smiling! It starts with his eyes...you can tell he's about to grin, and then it slowly spreads to his mouth. Any new parent can relate to this -- when your child smiles at you...recognizes you! knows who you are!...your stomach flips over and you feel a surge of love and surprise that almost chokes you.

This weekend, Madeline declared it was Elmo's second birthday, so we made a very big deal out of it. We baked him homemade sugar cookies, sitting on the kitchen floor so Madeline could help crack the eggs and spoon the batter onto the cookie sheet (by the way, this is not neat. It helps to have a dog, but still...). Then we all got dressed up for the party, lit a candle and sang Happy Birthday to Elmo (three times). Later that day, Rob and Madeline went on a Maddie-Daddy date!

The Vlach-tastic Four: Madeline and Charlie Take Nashville

You may have noticed that our blog changed! With the arrival of Charlie and our growing family, The Adventures of Madeline May and her Dog, Maple is now The Vlach-tastic Four: Madeline and Charlie Take Nashville. Rob and I had a lot of fun brainstorming new titles. We considered The Vlach Pack, and laughed like fifth graders at Who Four-ted? (How can two 30-year-olds be so immature?). We ended up with our take on the Fantastic Four because we thought it was fun (not because we vainly think of ourselves as fantastic). Since I can't decide what colors I like for the template, maybe our site will change often like the Google homepage. Today, it's fuchsia...

The real-life adventures of Madeline May and her dog, Maple continue. Only now there's a new character in our story -- Charlie!

Elmo Vlach

Yesterday, Madeline and Elmo joined Charlie in his "tummy time" (a phrase, by the way, that makes Rob cringe a little in his masculinity). Elmo -- or actually The Elmos (Madeline has three) -- are her sidekicks; they go everywhere and do everything we do. And since Madeline is observing and "helping" Rob and me take care of Charlie, it's sweet to watch her nurture her favorite toy. She swaddles, burps, bathes and kisses him; pushes him in the stroller and changes his diaper. Yesterday, Elmo even sat on the big girl potty. And finally, tonight, Rob came downstairs from putting Madeline to bed and told me about her bedtime prayer. "Thank you for Baby Elmo. Thank you for Big Elmo. Thank for for the Other Elmo. Thank you for all the Elmos..."

Charlie is Six Weeks Old!

Six weeks has passed so quickly! I've been soaking up every second and imprinting these sweet infant moments on my mind so I'll always remember them... As strange as it sounds, I love leaning forward so my nose is only millimeters from Charlie's mouth and inhaling his lovely sweet breath. I stare at him sleeping. Picking lint from between his toes gives me actual joy (so little! so cute!). And bathing him is my favorite, as it was with Madeline -- the warm water soothes him and I talk to him softly. He seems like such a gentle soul, so easy to please.

Today Madeline, Charlie and I drove into Nashville to introduce the little guy to Rob's co-workers at the office and to have an Indian buffet lunch. What fun!