You may recall there was some debate a while back over whom I resembled, Dad or Mom. Dad is now posting these photos of me to settle that matter once and for all...


Dad says anyone this beautiful has to resemble Mom much more than him.

I am trying not to take sides, because I want certain things from both of them...

--Maddie

My other birthday party

My my, I take a week off and the news and photos just pile up. There's so much to catch up on!

So, I had a second birthday party in less than a week. I think that means I'm two now, but I have to check that. Like any fabulous personality, the party seems to follow me wherever I go. And what are the signs of a fabulous party if not maracas and a cake shaped like a ladybug?


And of course there was the fabulous pink hat trimmed with faux fur (no pink minks were harmed in the production of this birthday)...

The cake was good...


...and then we took another trip to the zoo, where my parents say I belong. As a member. At least, I think that's what they mean.


Here's a shout out to all of you from me and mom:

--Maddie

My Honkological Findings

Now that I am one, I have decided that it is time to grow up and make a contribution to this great conflagration that we call human society. Therefore I have embarked on scientific research at the playground of one of our downtown Decatur churches.

At this playground there is an assortment of plastic vehicles. For our purposes, their specific nature (viz., "fire trucks," "convertibles," and so on) is immaterial. What is of interest for the present research is that among the nine vehicles on the playground on a recent Thursday afternoon (a count which excludes pushing toys such as "lawnmowers" and "ball poppers"), five had discernible bumps in the center of their steering wheels. Discovering that one of the bumps gave forth a "honking" sound when I pressed, I promptly endeavored to press all similar steering-wheel bumps on the assumption that this delightful characteristic was a universal feature. At one point I walked back and forth between two vehicles repeatedly, only to find that not all steering-wheel bumps give when pressed, nor do they all "honk." This finding did not appear to be affected by repetition, the amount of force applied, nor by my own disappointed squawking.

All this is merely prolegomena. Our conclusion was that sixty (60) percent of steering-wheel bumps honk when you press them. The raw data will be published in chart form in the forthcoming issue of ZTW (Zeitschrift fur die Toddlerliche Wissenschaft, for those of you who are not conversant with the field).

--Maddie

Hot parents have girls first

I don't make the news, I just report it.

--Maddie

I made it to one

Dear readers,

Thank you for following me through my fabulous first year (or should I say, "my first fabulous year"?). Yesterday I officially made it to "the Big Zero-One" -- cause for celebration!

For the occasion, I got my first real haircut:


I guess that trip to see Frederic Fekkai in LA will have to wait until next year.

Other birthday news... I like cake. A lot.


The only thing I don't like about cake is waiting for it...


After all the cake we took an evening constitutional around the 'nabe,' to keep our girlish figures...


Dad says that even though I am so big now, I am still only a tiny part of God's creation...


...to which I say, WhatEVER! I am Madster, hear me roar! Look out, Year Two... here I come.

--Maddie

Someone told me it's all happening at the zoo...

Dear Readers,

I went to the zoo again yesterday. You really notice something new every time you go. For example, this time I noticed that that place is full of animals! No, not just the little kids that I spent my last couple visits looking at; if you look out past the fences there are all kinds of other interesting things, too.

Here are some of the animals I was able to identify from my picture books and DVDs:

"Bird"



"Cat"



"Dog"



"Moooooooo"

Then at the end of our tour I petted a goat. Sort of. Well, I thought about petting a goat. But he was sort of big and hairy and stinky and not at all fabulous (much like Dad, now that I think about it), so I barely touched him. But Mom made me wash my hands anyway.

--Maddie