Pre-Christmas Pics

I wanted to take some cute pictures of Maddie for our Christmas cards, so I sat her in a red bucket, stuck a Santa hat on her, and surrounded her with ornaments. She started off in her Christmas dress and ended up in nothing but a diaper. I'm no professional at.all. but I think they turned out pretty cute!!

I am so excited to see what she's going to be like on Christmas morning!



5 Generations Trip

I have been meaning to post this for sooooo long, but time has just gotten away from me. We are so lucky to have five generations of women on my mom's side, and since my great-grandmother is not able to travel easily, we thought it would be great to go see her. In order to have everyone there, my grandmother met us there, and to help make it even more special, we went on my great-grandma's 90th birthday!

This was Maddie's first plane ride, and I was extremely nervous. Not so much for her health or saftey, but simply because I just didn't know what to expect. I consider myself to pretty much be a traveling expert just because I have always traveled a lot, but with a baby? Completely different story.
Like I said, I have been meaning to post this for a loooong time. We did this trip back in early September. That made Maddie a little over 3 months old. Our first leg of the trip was getting from Waco to Houston (an almost 3 hour drive.) She slept the entire way- Round 1= win! The next day we headed to the airport. We parked, took a shuttle to the airport, checked our bags, made it through security and to our gate with not a single problem from her- Round 2= win! The part I was most concerned about, the plane ride, was coming up. Here's a shot of her on the plane before take off. Look how excited she is!

So....the plane ride. Utilizing several tips from friends who have also traveled with babies (thank you Sarah and Jeni) we started the trip with a bottle that she drank during take-off. Then she napped, and napped some more, and napped a little more after that. This is how we spent the majority of the flight:

(no, that picture was not staged...how dare you ask!)

She woke up just in time for the descent which included a bottle for her to drink on the way down. Then we landed. Yep- that's how eventful it was. No crying.at.all. I was completely amazed- Round 3= total win!!
Once we finally made it to great-grandma's house, Maddie was ready to be done traveling and just visit. She got in lots of great-grandma time and great-great-grandma time.

We had a wonderful trip, and Maddie was so happy to get to know all her grandmas. She is one lucky little girl!! We of course took advantage of this amazing photo op! I can't wait to get these framed!

I was super excited to capture this last picture. Until this one, I didn't have a super cute pic with both of us smiling!

So, the beginning of the trip was a success, as was the actual trip itself...now for the plane ride home. Dun, dun, dun.... (is that how you spell the scary movie sound?) Check out the picture below. She either looked like this or like the one where she's asleep on me above.

No lie...the plane ride coming back was just as successful as the one going. She is seriously one great travel buddy!! She couldn't have been more of a joy on the trip, and it meant so much to my grandma and great-grandma to have been able to meet their new little bundle of happiness!!

Maddie loves you guys so much! She misses you and can't wait to see you again (same goes for me) Lots of hugs and kisses your way great-grandma and great-great-grandma!

Five Months Old!!

Dear Maddie,
Oh my goodness, time is flying by! You have been keeping me so busy, I almost forgot to post your 5 month update! Shame on mommy!!

You are continuing to grow on schedule. We took you in for a check-up because you had a little dry spot on your leg which I was obsessing over just a tad concerned about, and you weighed in at 14.5 pounds! Almost 2 pounds growth in 1 month. It was sad, but we finally said goodbye to the stage 1 diapers. *tear*

You love to sit up. You can't officially stay up on your own, but you do love to be propped up or sit in your bumbo seat. You still roll around, but when we put you on your tummy or back, you whine until we prop you up. I guess you just want to see the world or something. :)

Everything, and I mean everything, goes into your mouth. If there aren't toys around, then you try to stuff your whole hand in there! That combined with the jealous look you give whenever we eat food led us to start you on solid foods. You were a pro even on the first day! I couldn't believe how not messy you were- until you reached for the spoon or kicked the jar, that is. We started you on veggies, and if there was a sweet potato in the room I don't think it would survive against you! You LOVE LOVE LOVE them!! Now peas and green beans- that's a completely different story. Not your fav. We also started you on fruits, and though it appears you pretty much like them all, bananas are the enemy to your tummy, so we are saying goodbye to them for a little while.

You still very much love your toys, and are already a little picky as to which one you want to play with at times. It is so fun to watch you explore the world around you. Oh, and can I tell you one of the best things we are totally loving right now...you like to grab our neck and pull your face into ours- it's just like you are giving us a hug and a kiss! Awww! So sweet! We LOVE every single sloppy little kiss! Keep them coming...

I guess that's all the big stuff for now. Thanks so much for being such a happy and loving baby! You bring joy to us every single day! We love you!

XOXO
Mommy

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween from our little bumblebee!

Eat lots and lots of healthy candy!! ;)

Pumpkin Patch

We took our little pumpkin to the Pumpkin Patch today! I have to say, she was definitely the cutest one there!!

All we did was take a bunch of pictures and buy a few pumpkins, but at least we can say we fulfilled this fall tradition! :) I love this pic below, because she is without a doubt telling us she is done picture taking!

Four Months Old!!

Dear Maddie,
I truly cannot believe you are already 4 months old! Where has the time gone? We have been having an absolute BLAST with you!! See this smile right below...it is the most beautiful thing we have ever seen!

You have grown so much since your birth. At your 4 month check-up, you weighed in at 12.9 pounds and were 24 1/2" long. You are measuring up perfectly, which is no surprise since you "bicycle" at least 6 miles a day! You are SO active! There are times when you really don't want to be held because you want to get your exercise on. Future athlete? I think yes!

You do so much now, too! You can roll from your tummy to your back and from your back to your tummy. You're not super consistent, but you can do it. You love to sit up and even try to stand when we are holding you in our laps. Sometimes you act like you just want to jump down and start running somewhere. Slow down little girl...I want to soak up all the baby time I can get!

You have also become quite the chatter box (I see many parent-teacher conferences in our future!) You ramble on about all kinds of things. It is so funny to have "conversations" with you. I really wish I knew what you were telling me, I bet it's some great stuff! I have to tell you, the most beautiful sound in the world is your laughter! I feel so accomplished when I get you giggling because it is so STINKIN' cute! You could turn anyone's bad day into the best day ever just with your smiles and laughter; they are so sweet!

This month you have really started loving to play with toys. It is so fun to watch you reach out, grab a toy and then shove it into your mouth! We also love to watch you wrestle with your teddy bears, they don't stand a chance against you! You also found your feet this month. Pretty soon they'll be in your mouth, but they haven't quite made it there yet. You've been teething for a while, but still no teeth. For now, we can just continue to expect that you'll be chewing on anything you can get your hands on, including our fingers!

You still sleep very well at night. You only wake up a few times when you realize your paci has fallen out. I do the blind hunt to stick it back in your mouth, and then we both quickly fall back asleep. Thank you SOOO much for being a good sleeper! We are SO lucky!!

Well, I guess that's about it for now. I can't wait to see what milestones you hit this coming month. Thank you so much for being in our lives. You are such a blessing, and we love you so very much! Lots of hugs and kisses!!

XOXO
Mommy

Baby Boot Camp

To do push-ups like these, you've got to be wearing your Baby Armour!

Three Months Old!!

Maddie Bug!

I can't believe it's been another wonderful month since my last blog about you! I take so many pictures of your sweet smiling face, but this month has been so busy I haven't shared them like I should be (shame on mamma.) Time has flown by since your birth! You are growing so fast that I already have to look back to see how tiny you used to be!

So...let's talk about those smiles! Oh.my.goodness!! You are so stinkin' cute! It doesn't matter what's going on in our day, no matter the stress level, it just takes one of your smiles to melt all our troubles away. Not to mention how easy it is to get you to smile. Just a couple goofy sounds, one of my made up songs that you seem to enjoy, or sometimes just seeing our faces sends you into a fit of smiles. It is SO much fun!!

The saddest thing that happened this month is that I had to go back to work. With Grandpa Grygar being your babysitter, I knew you would be in good hands, but it definitely made me (and still makes me) sad knowing I would have to go ALL day without getting to see you. I missed singing to you, playing with you, having intense conversations with you, and even having to change the occassional outfit do to your thoughtful gifts of spit-up. I have to say, I do make it through the day, but I am definitely still coping. It always helps when I go to pick you up and you flash me a HUGE smile when you see me walk in the room!

As I mentioned before, you are growing like crazy! We already have a pretty decent sized pile of clothes you have grown out of. Most 0-3 clothes no longer fit you. :( You are also getting so strong! You pretty much have full control of your head and neck and are doing some solid push-ups at tummy time. You are almost ready to sit up in your Bumbo, but I think you would enjoy it more if you were able to hold on to some toys first. This month you also started rolling onto your side. Pretty soon you'll be rolling all over the place!

I'm fairly certain you are already starting to teethe. We are starting to have to dress you in a bib because you drool about a kiddy-pool sized amount of spit a day (see drool in picture below.) You are also finding your hands quite tasty. You like your paci, but you also like grabbing it, throwing it out of your mouth, and replacing it with your entire fist! Every now and then you realize that your long fingers do in fact reach the back of your throat which in turns causes you to gag. Just about a hundred more trial-and-errors and then maybe you'll figure it out!

Well, I guess it's time to move towards month 4! We have a lot planned for this month, and I'm sure you have a lot of growing ahead of you. Thank you for bring us endless joy everyday! We love you more than we could ever say!

xoxo
Mommy

Two Months Old!

Oh Sweet Maddie!

Two months already! We have had SO much fun with you, and it just keeps getting better and better every day!! And Holy Cuteness Batman...you are ADORABLE! At 5 weeks you really started smiling socially, and it just melts our hearts! It doesn't even take much now to get you into a little giggling fit, and it makes us so happy!

You are growing right on track! At your 2 month check-up you measured 22 1/2 inches long and 10.9 pounds. What you didn't like at your check-up was the shots! Poor baby! You were already having a rough day, and then we had to go and make it worse. I felt so bad for you, but afterwards you did get to enjoy some mommy lovin' as I held you and calmed you down. It only took a day and a half and then you were back to your normal smiling self! That's my girl!!

This month you really started noticing toys and it is so cute that you can entertain yourself. Grammy bought you a mat that you lay on and stare up at toys. You LOVE it! And I have to say I love it too because it gives me a chance to brush my teeth in the morning. Thank you Grammy!! :) You have even started noticing that when you flail your arms you can make the hippo start swinging and that makes you laugh...which in turn makes me laugh! I swear, the joy you bring us is endless!!

One of my very favorite things you started doing this month is having conversations with me. Ok, so I don't really know what your saying and vice versa, but it is so stinkin' cute. We literally just stare at each other and "talk." I would so love to get into your little mind to find out what kind of stories you are telling me. I bet they are quite interesting!

I also have to thank you because this month you starting sleeping much longer lengths of time at night. We lay you down around 9:30 or 10 and you just stare at your puppy nightlight until your little eyelids can't take anymore. Then you sleep until around 4 or 5! Thank you, thank you, thank you!! It is so much nicer to get more than 2-3 hours of sleep per stretch. I feel much more human during the day now! :)

You are getting so great at holding your head up! You really show off at tummy time, let me tell ya! I know you are on the fast track to growing up, so I am soaking up ALL the baby time I can get. It makes me sad that this coming month I will be going back to work. I know you will be well taken care of and I love teaching but I hate the fact that my daily time with you will be cut so short! Get ready, mommy's gonna be all over you when I pick you up from Grandpa's Day Care! Talk about attack of the kisses...hold on tight! :)

Well, I guess it's time to move on to month three. Mommy and Daddy are having the time of our lives with you! Thank you for being our sweet baby girl! We LOVE you SO SO much, and thank God every day for your sweet smiling face!!

Love you Maddie Bug!
XOXO
Mommy

Newborn Pics!

I have been meaning to post these for forever, but having a wee little one around causes many things to get put on the back burner, surprising huh? ;) Anyhow, I had her newborn pictures done by, Rebecca Carroll, the same lady who did my pregnancy pictures. And yet again, she did an AMAZING job!! I can't wait to find another excuse to have pictures done by her!

Here is a glimpse at her talent, and I must say, Maddie makes some GORGEOUS pictures!!! (Biased, I know!)

Aren't they just beautiful?! I got her diaper cover on Etsy from Sherbet Baby and her bows at Hobby Lobby! We are truly blessed!

Our First Road Trip!!!

My oldest stepsister, Brandy, got married on June 25th in Noble, Oklahoma and since we weren't going to miss it for the world, this meant a road trip with a newborn! Maddie was not even a month old at that point, so packing took for-ev-er! Thank you to Lisa and Janet for coming over to hold Maddie while I packed, it was a HUGE help!!

Here we are ready for our first road trip:

Maddie did very well!! We made it all the way to the Texas/OK border before she woke up and decided she was hungry. Unfortunately, it was just in time for a long stretch of nothingness combined with construction, a 55 mph speed limit, and stuck behind a semi- not such good timing! She had to cry for a little bit, but then we found a Sonic where she enjoyed a nice foot-long coney, I mean milk. After she ate, we put her back in her car seat and she fell back asleep all the way to Pop and Gram's house! It made for a fantastic start of our mini-vaca!

Maddie got to spend the first part of her trip meeting her OK family and soaked up every bit of love they poured out on her! I don't think she once touched a surface other than laps unless she was being changed...spoiled already! ;)

Here was Maddie in her overalls! She was ready for the farm, until she fell asleep that is!

Here she is lovin' on GG and Pop:

After spending the day in her overalls, she had to get dressed up and ready for the wedding. Brandy was beautiful, as was the wedding! We had a wonderful time and were so happy we were able to go. Here are some snapshots from the wedding...notice how many Aunts she has!!! Love being in a big family!

The ride home was just as nice as the ride up there, thanks to Maddie's wonderful ability to sleep in the car. We can't wait to go back!!!

One Month Old!

Oh my goodness, Madison! I can't believe you are already a month old! Our lives have already changed significantly, yet I can't imagine life without you! I never thought I could be happier or love someone so much so fast!! You have taken over, and we love every bit of it.

According to my at-home measurements, you weight in at around 9 pounds and are a whopping 22 inches long! You've grown 2 1/2 inches in a month! Somehow I have a feeling you're going to be tall like your mommy and daddy. Now I understand why you seem to be a bottomless pit, constantly wanting more milk!! You've earned the nickname "baby bird" by the way you are searching for food once you decide you're hungry. It's quite funny, though somehow I don't think you agree.

You are getting so strong too! You have surprised us all with how good you are at holding your head up and looking around. You've really started focusing on us and other things. I love when you just stare at me, like you're telling me how much you love me...it makes my heart melt! The other day you even did a little forearm push-up at tummy time. Before we know it you'll be running around the house, but let's hold off on that a little while so I can get some extra baby time in, ok?

So about this sleeping thing you have going on. For about the first 2 weeks, I was lucky to get you to sleep 2 hours straight day or night. I thank God for adrenaline or I don't think I'd be able to remember much of the last month. You completely had your days and nights switched. I tried taking you out a lot during the day, but you would just sleep through the outting. I'll tell you what, as long as your cries don't mean "I'm hungry," you stop immediately once that car gets going (that was our saving grace on our road trip to Oklahoma). Still though, it seems you've decided you'll swith them when you're good and ready. (Somehow I feel like we're getting a glimpse into your teenage years- yikes!) A lot of your sleep problems are due to your reflux and gassiness. Even with your medicine, we can tell you suffer from it a lot, but I promise- you'll grow out of it soon. One way we can get you to sleep a lot is if you are on mommy or daddy's chest- then you can sleep forever! You must love us or something! :)

I love this little half smile, even if it is completely due to gas and pooping. You do it so much, so you are either super gassy (which you are) or a very happy baby, so maybe it's a combination of both! Speaking of laughing, even within your first week of life, while you sleep you sometimes get the biggest open-mouthed smile and let out the cutest giggle! It cracks us up!! We imagine you dreaming of a land with flowing waterfalls of milk or something. I don't think anything else makes you that happy, besides us of course (though I still think we are currently second to milk).

We love you more than words can say, Maddie!! God bessed us abundantly, and I can't wait for the coming days to see what adventures you take us on!

XOXO
Mommy