Hard as it might be to imagine, Madeleine is now five months old. She's grown up so much in that time. Don't believe me? Take a quick gander at these before and after shots.Before, at five days old.
After, at five months and in the same dress.
A couple of days before her birthday, Madeleine was really excited...
when Mom told her that there were going to be some visitors coming over. She loves entertaining guests you see.
Baby M and Sarah.
Liesa joins in the fun.
As much as she loves guests, what Madeleine loves even more are monthly birthdays, and cakes. Here she is at the precise moment when she was told that it was in fact her five month birthday. 
Count 'em, five candles!
Even though family portraits came in last in the recent "what the people want" poll, it still got a vote so someone must want to see them. This shot is for that person. 
Don't be scared Aaron, that's not a shark. It's just Baby M. 
Pa(w) and Madeleine strike a pose. 
Madeleine and first-cousin-once-removed Brian, who is obviously scheming up a plot to snag Baby M's sweet hat for himself. 
How precocious, already walking!
As a special birthday bonus, here are three more wicked Madeleine pictures making this the largest dog blog entry yet.
Slave to the dogblog...
So the big news around here (and the world in general) is the close of the 'What do you want more of?' poll. While many were wondering whether Phelps would win 8 gold, an even greater number were poised on the edge of their seat in bated anticipated of whether anything could possibly get more votes than yours truly eating? Well the votes were counted, then re-counted at my demand, and the people have spoken. And when the people speak, I oblige.So here she is, the winner in all her glory... Madeleine with hats.
Saturday was beautiful and the family spent a bunch of time outside taking some sweet photographs.
Baby M has learned to wave!
Even without a hat, Madeleine is pretty darn cute, n'est pas?
Maybe Dad with a carrot will be more popular that him with beets? Only time will tell.
Saturday night we were all supposed to go the Lantern Festival, but internet difficulties precluded the purchase of the requisite admission ticket. So the back-up plan was implemented and it was off the Richmond Night Market; famous purveyors of knock-off sunglasses, ill-fitting $3 t-shirts and very odd culinary concoctions. 
After that trip, Madeleine was spent...
And after this epic blog entry, so am I.
Here are a couple more photos from what I hope is not the last barbeque of the summer.
