February seems to have passed by in a bit of a fog. Our family members were hit one after another with various colds, the flu, creeping crud or whatever you want to call it. In Paul's case, it developed into pneumonia. Luckily, Maddie was nearly Teflon through it all and came through the month with just a sniffle here and there. I credit the benefits of breastfeeding to her resilience and resistance. Hurray for momma's milk!Just a few pics to share from our month of homebound days.
Lots of snuggling and napping took place this month. 
Our den is toasty warm thanks to our kerosene heater. Emily and Chudleigh often vie for front row carpet space basking in the waves of heat that this little heater puts forth. On cold winter days, Emily pretty much lives in front of the heater from the moment she wakes. Piles of books, bins of markers and drawing pads, snack trays and her ipod litter the floor around her as she occupies her day no more than inches from her beloved heat source.
Much knitting takes place around here on cold winter days. This winter has been no exception and I've taken advantage of my few spare moments to send my knitting needles flying. It's my personal form of meditation and does much to maintain my mental sanity. Among my various projects was a lovely "upside down daisy hat" to help keep Maddie's precious little noggin' warm and protected. While trying to get a decent pic of my knitting project, I snapped this fabulous shot of Maddie that I absolutely love. Her face just seems to glow with happiness. 10 months old already! Where has the past year gone???
The refrigerator has proven to be Maddie's favorite toy box. She likes nothing better than trolling the shelves to see what treasures she can find. Strawberries, blueberries, grapes....it's all good. Bottles to clank and rearrange, packages to pull off the shelves, a light that she can control with the press of a finger, drawers that she can open and close endlessly....
Empty egg cartons make great building blocks for little ones. Lightweight and easily stackable yet soft enough that they don't do too much damage when you accidentally crack yourself or your neighbor over the head with one ;-)
