Adam and Gretchen Plus One!

Happy 18 Months Maddie!

2010-09-05T19:47:00.003-05:00

We have been having so much fun with Maddie lately. She has always been fun, but she is really talking a lot and noticing everything! We have to be careful what we do and say because she will mimic us. Today we went to the park to play and take some pictures. She had a great time exploring.

Catch Up on Postings....

2010-09-05T19:40:00.000-05:00

This summer we have been very busy. We have had some good times, but we also had a couple of scary things happen. Adam had to have emergency back surgery and my dad had to have a stint put in one of the artery's of his heart. Both are doing well now, but they gave us quite a scare.
I'll try to keep this short, it is kinda complicated. Adam has been having trouble with his Sciatic nerve all summer (since May). We were in Keller visiting by parents for my dad's 60th birthday the first weekend in August and Adam experienced a shooting pain from his back all the way down his leg. He was putting his shoes on at the time and he fell the the floor. He could not get up or move without excruciating pain. So, he laid on the floor resting for about 4 hours and still could not get up due to the pain. We had no choice but to call an Ambulance, we had to do something and we could not get him up and into the car. He was admitted into the hospital that night and had an MRI the next day. They discovered a herniated disc in his lower back (L5S1). They kept pumping him full of steroids and pain medication, but he was still in so much pain. They did not want to do surgery on him in Grapevine since we lived in Houston, but there was NO WAY I was going to drive him 5 hours in the car in the amount of pain he was in. Finally, the doctors decided that the pain meds and steroids were not helping and so they scheduled surgery. He had not been unable to sit up or even move for 3 days. He had a micro disc-ectomy to remove the herniation. The doctor said that he had a pretty bad herniation and they removed a big 'chunk.' After the surgery he was able to sit up!!
While all of this was going on my mom and dad had to drive to Houston because my dad had an appointment to get a heart catheterizing with his doctor. He had been instructed to not do anything to cause stress, ha. The heart catheterizing found that he had a 95% blockage in one of the main arteries of his heart and needed a stint put in. Between Adam and my dad both having major things going on my mom and I were nervous wrecks, but we made it through. A week later they were able to successfully do the stint and my dad is doing well! He had to have the surgery on his 60th birthday! What a way to spend your birthday!
It is so ironic that we were staying in my parents house while my parents were staying at our house. When it rains it pours! Adam's mom "Honey" came up to watch Maddie while Adam was in the hospital. We are so thankful that everyone is ok now. God is so good! We are so thankful that we had wonderful doctors.
Everyone is on the mend now and life is starting to return to normal.

Happy Birthday Dad "J-Pa"

2010-08-08T20:44:00.001-05:00

Happy Birthday J-Pa!!

We celebrated my dad's 60th birthday this year!! It is a good thing that we decided to celebrate it early given he had to have surgery on his actual birthday.

Gymboree!

2010-08-07T20:50:00.001-05:00

While in Keller we checked out the local Gymboree. Maddie had a good time exploring all of the activities. She was intrigued by the other kids.

First Haircut...just a trim

2010-07-30T20:30:00.002-05:00

Maddie had her first haircut! She tends to have my hair, which can be WILD if not tamed! We went to Cool Cuts for Kids and had them trim it up and she got some bangs so her hair would not be in her face all the time.

The Before

Watching Dora (the only cartoon she knows)

Showing off her new haircut with Margarita (the lady that cut her hair)

Too tired to even eat my Cheerios. We went to lunch with Mimi, got a haircut and

went shoe shopping. It was a fun day!!

Pointe West Galveston Texas

2010-07-15T20:20:00.005-05:00

Maddie LOVED the ocean and she had so much fun spending time with her cousins. This was her first time to see the ocean and 'swim' in it. She loved splashing in the shallow water and walking around in it. She also liked shoveling sand into the bucket.

She wanted to go 'night night' in the ocean

Bathing beauties Maddie and her cousin M

Maddie and her cousin S hanging out at the pool

Having and tea party before heading out to the beach. Cousin S, Maddie and cousin Z.

Luggage Carts....

2010-07-05T20:07:00.000-05:00

Maddie likes the luggage carts when we travel. I think this will have to be a picture tradition.

San Antonio, Texas 11 months old

Springfield, Illinois 16 months

July 4th Weekend

2010-07-05T19:52:00.000-05:00

For July 4th we went to Illinois and Indiana to visit Maddie's Great Grandparents, Great Aunt and Uncle and my cousin and her family. We had a great time catching up! The great grandparents were so happy to see her. She had changed a lot since they had seen her last. We made an attempt to get a picture of all three great grandkids together, but that was easier said than done.

Maddie, Adria and Mitchell

Great Grandma GaVette and Great Papa GaVette with Maddie,

Adria and Mitchell

Cousin Jennifer, Aunt Jan, Great Grandma Dorothy, Maddie, Gretchen

and Cousin Jessica in Illinois

New Orleans road trip and 15 months old!

2010-06-08T20:03:00.008-05:00

Over the long Memorial Day weekend we went to New Orleans. We drove and met my parents there. It was HOT, but we had a nice time!! We ate a lot of Cajun food and found out a lot about the history of the city by taking a bus tour. The tour also took us to areas of town that were devastated by Katrina. Mimi and J-Pa babysat while Adam and I went out to dinner for our 7 year anniversary (at a place with real tablecloths) and then out on the town.

Pictures in Jackson Square

Maddie turned 15 months old last weekend! She is growing so fast. She loves to walk around and she is really good at it. She is a happy girl most of the time. She is not a very picky eater and will eat pretty much everything that you give her. Her 15 month appointment was yesterday and she weighs 21 pounds 14.5 oz and is 31.5 inches tall. She is long and lean.

She is a big talker too! We have to watch what we say because she has repeated a few things. She can woof like a dog and meow like a cat, it is so cute!

Long time no post....

2010-06-08T19:57:00.003-05:00

We have been pretty busy, but we don't have many pictures to post. Maddie is VERY mobile

now and won't stand still or sit still for a picture.

In April Maddie's Cousin S turned 2! Cousin M is pulling the 2 little ones, cousin S and Maddie in the wagon. I don't know who was having the most fun.

Maddie in the bounce house. She was having a good time 'bouncing.'

Texas Bluebonnets

2010-04-22T16:39:00.004-05:00

Last weekend we found some Bluebonnets just outside of Hempstead. We had to climb a fence, but it was worth it!
Also....Maddie is WALKING!! She will walk across the room to see you. Her preferred mode of transportation is still crawling.

Kemah, Texas

2010-04-09T16:31:00.007-05:00

The Saturday before Easter Adam, Madelyn and I went to Kemah. It is a short drive from Houston. The weather was perfect (except for the ozone watch)! Maddie liked having so many things to look at. She was constantly pointing and saying 'Dat,' which means 'that.'

"Dat"

Adam rode the 'Drop Zone' while we watched.

Madelyn 13 Months!

2010-04-09T16:29:00.003-05:00

First Easter Egg Hunt

2010-03-30T10:42:00.002-05:00

Madelyn had a fun time hunting for Easter Eggs with her cousins this past weekend. She stood on her own for nearly a minute a couple of times. She is not walking, but very close. More pictures to come!

What have we been up to??

2010-03-19T23:00:00.000-05:00

Wow! A LOT has happened since I last blogged. We have been so busy. There has been a baby shower for a dear friend of mine, a weekend in San Antonio to visit friends, a work conference in Washington DC and most importantly Maddie turned 1!! I will be working on a series of posts with pictures!

1 Year Photo Shoot

2010-03-19T22:11:00.006-05:00

For Maddie's birthday my parents (Mimi and J-pa) got her a session with a photographer. Kym Jackson in McKinney, TX took these pictures and they turned out really well. Also, she gave us a CD with all the images on it. Mimi and J-pa took her to the photo shoot while I was working, so they were there to handle her by themselves. They said she did well except during the wardrobe changes :-) Here are some of my favorites.

This was my rocking horse that a family friend made for me when I was a child.

Happy First Birthday Madelyn Lily!

2010-03-19T21:27:00.007-05:00

We had Maddie's birthday party on Saturday, March 6th. Her actual birthday was the day before. We had a great time. Maddie enjoyed seeing everyone and she liked her smash cake. She did not get very dirty, which I didn't really expect her too. She went right for the red lady bug on her cake. We took so many pictures, but here are just a few.

The table

The birthday girl and her birthday hat

The cake

Sweet Cousins

Are these all for me?!?

Maddie and her cousin S.

They are 10 1/2 months apart in age

Opening presents

Mom and Dad blowing out the candle on the smash cake.

Maddie is more interested in everyone else.

Hmmm....I think I'll go after the red lady bug

Having ice cream with her cake

Maddie's chair pictures on the mantel

Lunch with Maddie and friends at La Madeleine!

2010-03-19T21:09:00.004-05:00

My dear friend Emily and her husband Justin and their baby boy Rex were in town from California a few weeks ago. Maddie and I met them and Mops (Emily's mom Marie) at La Madeleine for lunch. Little Rex squealed with delight when he saw Maddie and Maddie just burst into tears. Rex then looked at her like, "What did I say?" It was cute. Then, they played with a toy and a book together and Maddie was ok.

Maddie and Rex

they are 6 months apart in age

Rex and his Mama (Emily)

Rex and his Mops (Marie)

San Antonio, Texas

2010-03-19T21:01:00.002-05:00

One weekend we drove to San Antonio to visit friends. We visited with our friends, the Simmons, who we knew from A&M and then we visited our friends from the church that we went to while we lived in San Antonio. Maddie also had her first trip to the zoo!

I think I am ready to drive

Maddie and Brooke had a playdate. They are about 2 weeks apart in age.

Daddy showing Maddie the animals at the zoo

The flamingo's were her favorite part of the zoo. Most of the 'bigger' animals were sleeping and they blended in with their habitat. Their was one black Jaguar that looked a lot like Sully. She liked him too :-)

Don't forget to pack me in the car!

Dana's Baby Shower

2010-03-19T21:00:00.001-05:00

My long time friend, Dana, is due to have a baby boy on April 21st!! We had a shower for her in Houston in February. It was a lot of fun! We cannot wait for baby Colby Layton to arrive!

Me and Dana

Opening gifts

Dana with the shower hostesses

A diaper wreath for the hospital door

Baby Shower Game

Flowers

Cake!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2010-02-14T16:48:00.007-06:00

We have had a great Valentine's weekend as a family. Yesterday we ran some errands and ate an early dinner at Outback (Yum!). Maddie was really good as long as you kept the food coming. We bought Maddie her first pair of official shoes at Stride Rite and then we had dessert and coffee at La Madeleine.
Today we took a walk around the lake at a local park. We brought Sully with us. Then we went to another park to swing. The weather was gorgeous! I even went and got a Pedicure! Adam took my car to get the oil changed (and a wash!!) and he came home with a dozen roses!!
What a nice relaxing weekend. I even get tomorrow off for President's Day! I think Maddie and I are going to head out to the Outlet mall in Cypress.

Hard at work!

2010-02-10T18:42:00.003-06:00

Maddie likes to help Adam work (or surf the internet).

I can get it myself Mimi!

2010-02-09T21:03:00.005-06:00

While at Mimi and J-pa's house Maddie decided she wanted a snack from the freezer.

Pig Tails and a Sippy Cup

2010-02-09T21:00:00.000-06:00

Maddie's hair is long enough for pig tails, but she is not very happy to have her hair like that. I am going to have to put her hair up more so she gets used to something in her hair again.

11 Months

2010-02-09T20:52:00.005-06:00

Maddie is crawling all over the place now! She pulls up on everything and is starting to cruise around. She loves walking behind her lion push toy and she does not stop even when Sully is laying right in her path. She will even stand on her own before she realizes what she is doing.

She will eat anything, there is nothing that I have given her to eat that she does not like.

We have been teaching her to clap and also to raise her hands above her head when we say 'So Big!'

Clap Clap Clap

So Big!

A girl and her doggy!

2010-02-09T20:08:00.006-06:00

Maddie likes to help us around the house. We started her off with filing.

10 months!

2010-01-07T17:15:00.001-06:00

Maddie turned 10 months old this week. She has changed so much in the last month. She has gone from rolling to pulling up and crawling in a matter of days! She is not cruising yet, but I think she is close. She also walks well when she holds our fingers and we walk with her.

Also, she has mastered finger foods. She eats bananas, pears, diced baked apples, peaches, beans, chicken, turkey, cubed squash and sweet potatoes. She will eat pretty much anything that you put in front of her. Along with puffs she has started snacking on baby goldfish, cheerios, little crunchies and yogurt melts.

Her first tooth broke through a few days before Christmas and a second one is about to break trough any day now. You can see her new tooth in the picture below.

On top of teething she has had a second ear infection in her right ear. Adam and I took her to the 'after hours' pediatrician on New Year's Eve. We didn't want to wait until Monday to get her into the doctor. I was pretty impressed with the doctor.

A big accomplishment this week is not using the pacifier. She mostly only had it during naps anyway. I have decided that we are done with that. She takes a lot longer to fall asleep and is fussy at first, but she eventually gets over it.

I will be glad when the ear infection, runny nose and teething are over (for now) and she is back to her sweet self.

She also says MAMA and DADA! Although I don't think she knows what she is saying :-)

Twelve Days of Maddie Day 1

2009-12-24T08:00:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas Everyone!!

She did well on Santa's lap, but we just could not get her to smile. At least she wasn't scared :-)

Twelve Days of Madelyn Day 2

2009-12-23T17:15:00.006-06:00

I got a little behind :-) Here are some more pictures.

Twelve Days of Maddie Day 3

2009-12-22T17:15:00.001-06:00

Twelve Days of Madelyn Day 4

2009-12-21T17:15:00.001-06:00

Twelve Days of Madelyn Day 5

2009-12-20T17:15:00.001-06:00

Twelve Days of Madelyn Day 6

2009-12-19T17:15:00.001-06:00

Twelve Days of Madelyn Day 7

2009-12-18T17:15:00.002-06:00

Twelve Days of Madelyn Day 8

2009-12-17T17:15:00.002-06:00

Twelve Days of Madelyn Day 9

2009-12-16T17:15:00.001-06:00

Twelve Days of Madelyn Day 10

2009-12-15T17:15:00.001-06:00

Twelve Days of Madelyn Day 11

2009-12-14T17:15:00.001-06:00

Twelve Days of Madelyn Day 12

2009-12-13T17:15:00.001-06:00

What a Week!

2009-12-13T14:14:00.005-06:00

Maddie at 9 Months!

This week did not turn out how I would have expected it to last Sunday. Monday Maddie had her 9 month well visit with the Pediatrician. She is doing well, but the doctor discovered an ear infection in BOTH ears. Maddie had not been messing with her ears so I had no idea. Also, her Eczema has gotten worse the last couple of weeks. The doctor prescribed an oil that we rub on her 2 times a day along with lotion. Then every other bath she has to soak in this special bath oil for 20-3- minutes. Hopefully this will help it go away!

Her stats:
18 pounds
28 inches

Then, on Wednesday as Maddie and I were going to the post office during lunch (to mail Christmas cards) a girl ran a red light and T-boned me on on the side. I did not see anything coming at all. She came out of no where. We spun around 180 degrees. We were both ok, but a little shaken up. It happened very close to where Adam works so he came immediately. Of course the 18 year old girl did not have insurance. Luckily we have good insurance and we are covered. Maddie seemed ok to me, but we took her to the ER just to be on the safe side (her pediatrician was out of the office for a couple of days). She checked out ok.

Saturday night Adam and I had a date night. Adam's mom drove in to watch Maddie while he and I went to the A&M men's basketball game at the Toyota Center. The Aggies tried to pull it off the last few seconds, but didn't. We had a nice dinner at one of my favorites spots, Empire Cafe! Of course we could not leave without having dessert.

Today after Maddie's morning nap Adam went to go get her and she was STANDING in her crib. She was so proud of herself. We have not seen her even attempt to pull up on anything, so this was a big shock!

Snow in Houston!!

2009-12-04T16:58:00.003-06:00

Maddie and Sully had fun frolicking in the snow today!

8 Months Picture

2009-12-04T16:40:00.003-06:00

Since Maddie is going to be 9 months old tomorrow, I thought I should post her 8 month pictures. Mimi and J-pa took these. Can't you just see her personality? Adam and I were in Chicago that weekend celebrating my Birthday!

Shopping from the Pottery Barn catalog

2009-11-10T16:05:00.003-06:00

Doing a little early Christmas shopping!

Halloween 2009

2009-11-03T17:15:00.001-06:00

This year we were in College Station for the Iowa State game so we stayed around to trick or treat with Maddie's cousins. Maddie was a little tired during her first trick or treat experience, but she did not fall asleep. She had a big day going to the Aggie game and then trick or treating afterwards. Also, she did not get much sleep the night before (Adam and I didn't either). She was a trooper. After trick or treating in the neighborhood we took Maddie over to Sorority Row to trick or treat at the Kappa Delta house. The girls there were just in love with her.

Trick or Treating with Daddy

Ready to go (I think)

Maddie with Cousin Z the Dracula

Cousin S the ladybug and Cousin M the clown. Cousin S's candybag was as heavy as she was. She would only trust Uncle Adam to carry her candy for her.

Cousin M the cute clown!

Gig'em Aggies!

2009-11-03T17:05:00.001-06:00

A Ladybug in the Pumpkins!

2009-10-27T21:52:00.003-05:00

7 Months

2009-10-22T17:10:00.003-05:00

Halloween sneak peek!

Leaning AAALLLLL the way over to reach the right toy! She was so proud of herself.

Busy Month 7!

2009-10-05T22:13:00.002-05:00

Maddie is 7 months old today! I would have taken a picture of her in her green chair, but I was busy and she was not in the mood for picture taking. There is always tomorrow, right? This has been a busy month. Aggie football is underway and we have been to ever home game so far (3). Also, I turned 30! Maddie and I are now getting the hang of solid foods. She usually will eat some oatmeal and a fruit in the morning. Her favorite fruits are pears, applesauce and prunes! She likes bananas OK, but does not like peaches. She gets upset when I try to sneak them in. We'll keep trying. For lunch she has a veggie and a fruit and then then another veggie and fruit for dinner. She likes all of her veggies, sweet potatoes, squash, peas, carrots and green beans (sort of). She likes the peas and green beans when they are mixed with carrots.
I have started to experiment with making my own baby food. Tonight I baked a butternut squash, that was a first for me. It was A LOT easier than I thought. Tomorrow I am going to bake some sweet potatoes. I also made (well smashed up) some avocado, she was not sure what to think, but she liked it. I also made carrots and bananas.
She is a good eater, but sometimes she gets a little attitude or is too distracted to eat. She LOVES Sully, every time he walks by her she giggles or tries to grab at him. She has been rolling all over the place and she will roll over to Sully. She works and works to get over to him and he gets up just as she starts to pet him.

Gretchen Turns 30!

2009-10-05T21:40:00.004-05:00

I had a great time for my birthday! I got to celebrate 3 times! First, Adam, Maddie and I went out to eat at Buca di Beppa in Southlake with my parents. Then, we celebrated in College Station with yummy apple pie and pecan pie! My brother in law's birthday is the day before mine so we get to celebrate together. Although Rob is slightly older we both turned 21 this year, lol. Then, my mom, Maddie and I spent the day together shopping at the Galleria and we met up with my friend Valerie at La Madeleine for lunch! So many fun memories of turning 30. My official dessert on my birthday was a Strawberry Cream Pie from Out of this World Pies, it really was out of this world! As you can tell my celebrations revolve around eating!! Love it!

Sweet Cousins!

2009-10-05T21:25:00.004-05:00

Maddie and her cousins have a good time together. Z man, Baby S and M girl and Maddie.

Gig'em Aggies

2009-10-05T21:20:00.005-05:00

Ready for the game!

Our Aggie Family

Maddie and Mom

J-pa, Maddie and Mimi

Me and Maddie, Kalli and Alyssa

Taking a power nap at the game

Bathing Beauty

2009-10-05T21:15:00.000-05:00

So we don't get turned into CPS Adam wanted me to cover up the picture :-)

6 month photo

2009-10-05T21:10:00.001-05:00

We had a photo session setup at the Dallas Arboretum with my high school friend Summer, but it got really rained out. It rained all weekend while we were in DFW. I took this one of her instead. She is sitting up well at 6 months.

6 Months

2009-09-10T12:51:00.001-05:00

All smiles!

Maddie is already 6 months old! Where has the time gone? She went to a new pediatrician this past week for her 6 month checkup. Here are some stats from her appointment:

Weight 16 lbs 11 oz (75th)
Length 26 ½ in (75th)
Head 16 ½ (50th)

We started her on rice cereal about 3 weeks ago and she really likes it. Since then we have added squash, she thought it was ok. Then, sweet potatoes, not too much reaction, but she ate them well. Now we are onto green beans....not too excited. When I mix them with the cereal she will eat them.

She is sitting pretty well for a few seconds unassisted.

I introduced the sippy cup. She likes to play with it and put her mouth on the spout, but does not drink anything. Gets mad when you take it away or she drops it. That is one of the few things that upset her when you take it away.

Weekend in Aggieland!

2009-09-08T17:05:00.002-05:00

Maddie at the game wearing the cute outfit our (Texas Tech) friend made for her!

Maddie enjoying the Aggie band! She was moving her feet to the music!

Our family on the Quad. Can you tell it was hot and humid ??

This past weekend we went to Aggieland for the first football game. This was Maddie's first time to go to an Aggie game (in person).

We started out the day by going to the Quad to hang out at the F-2 tailgate. F-2 was Adam's outfit in the Corps. It was strange pushing a baby in a stroller on the Quad. Boy how things change in 10 years. Between the tailgate and the game my parents picked Maddie and I up and we went to eat at Roadhouse. Of course Maddie spit up on her cute Aggie outfit, so Mimi washed it out in the sink at the restaurant so she could wear it at the game.

Adam hung out on campus and met up with some of his Corps buddies and watched the Corp step off.

At the game Maddie did very well. She ended up sleeping on her Mimi's shoulder for most of the second half of the game.

Sunday we got to eat breakfast with Maddie's cousins, Aunt and Uncle, Honey (grandma) and Papa (grandpa). Visiting Aggieland in the fall is always fun because we get to see all of our family!

Trying to get comfy!

2009-09-04T16:10:00.004-05:00

After and hour and a half of moving around in her crib and 'talking' to her toys, she finally fell asleep in this position.

Maddie is 6 months and has her well checkup on Tuesday. I will update with the stats next week. She and I both have had major allergy trouble this week, welcome to Houston! We both went to the doctor yesterday and are feeling much better.

We are headed to the Aggie game this weekend! Whoop! More updates to follow next week.

5 Months Old!

2009-08-20T10:39:00.003-05:00

Maddie was 5 months old on August 5th! There was not an official picture in the green chair because we were in the process of packing up the house to move to Houston so we took one in the glider. She loves to read books and was reading it herself. She weighs 16 pounds and can situp on her own for a few seconds before she falls over.

Maddie and Gretchen at 4 months

2009-08-03T17:12:00.002-05:00

Gretchen at 4 months

Madelyn at 4 months

More Pictures!

2009-08-01T17:15:00.001-05:00

Obviously I am not a good blogger, hopefully I will post more often soon. We are all doing well and have been very busy. We FINALLY sold our house and will be moving to Houston! Maddie is doing well, she is very active and talks a lot. She is very interested in what is going on around her. Adam's mom has the nickname of 'Nosie Rosie' for her and it suits her well. For now, here are some pictures from the last few weeks.

4 Month Stats

2009-07-13T10:39:00.006-05:00

I cannot believe that Madelyn is 4 months old already! She is growing and changing so much! The doctor said that she is doing great and is healthy. She got her shots and cried while they were being given to her, but she calmed down when they were all done and I picked her up.

Weight 15 lbs 13 oz 90th percentile

Height 25 inches 75th percentile

Head 40 1/4 cm 25th percentile

Since she rolled over on Sunday I have not gotten her to roll over again. She has good control of her hands and loves to grab at things. She also really likes sitting in her bumbo chair.

Swimming Time!

2009-07-08T11:42:00.007-05:00

A couple of weeks ago Maddie went swimming for the first time. She had dipped her feet in the pool a time or two, but this was her first time in the pool floatie. She loved it! I think she is going to like the water.

Maddie is tired from the big day swimming! She took a BIG nap afterwards.

Sully LOVES the pool! If no one is out there to throw the ball in the pool for him he will entertain himself. He will drop the ball in the pool and let the current take it to a certain point, then he will jump in and get it. He repeats this process until we take the ball away from him. We have to hide it when we don't want him to jump in the pool. He will not jump in the pool unless he has his ball or we are in the pool. Sully is tired from his big day of swimming.

Madelyn Rolls over at 4 months!

2009-07-05T23:06:00.007-05:00

We have been working with Maddie to get her to roll over and she finally did it today! She rolled from her tummy to her back. I actually missed it the first time that she did it. I had laid her down on her activity gym (it was on the floor) on her tummy and I went to the kitchen to get a bottle of water. When I came back she was on her back and her eyes were really big. She had rolled over by herself! I got the camera and then put her back on her tummy and she rolled over again. She did it a few more times, but then she started getting tired and frustrated. Today she is exactly 4 months old!

July 4th

2009-07-05T23:00:00.000-05:00

For the fourth Adam, Maddie and I went to New Braunfels to watch the fireworks. We first went to Rudy's BBQ to eat. Needless to say the restaurant was hopping with people who had just come in from 'Floating the River.' While in line Adam and I commented how we felt old! Here we are in line with a baby in a carseat carrier among near sober people who were getting food after a long day of toobing. It wasn't that long ago that we had floated the river ourselves (last summer), but we didn't have a baby with us then. We had a good time and enjoyed our dinner. Then we headed over to watch the fireworks. We parked in the Schlitterbahn parking lot and watched a great fireworks show.

Happy 4th of July!!

2009-07-04T17:45:00.002-05:00

17 Weeks!!

2009-07-04T17:43:00.001-05:00

3 (and a half) Month Photo Shoot

2009-06-26T16:50:00.004-05:00

Below is a picture from Maddie's three month photo shoot, well closer to 3 1/2 months. She is getting really good at holding her head up. She is close to rolling over from her tummy to her back, but nothing yet. She can also hold her weight while standing for a little while. She is quite the little talker :-)

New Pictures

2009-06-10T22:05:00.003-05:00

I have received some requests to update my blog with more pictures. These are some that I took with my iphone, so the quality is not wonderful, but it is pretty good for a camera on a phone :-)

She LOVES playing with her Activity gym. She played so much that she fell asleep.

Ready for summertime!

Maddie and her cousin M at the outlet mall! M loves to entertain Maddie, she will sing "I'm a Little Teapot" and "I'm a little Coconut." I made the mistake of telling M to say 'cheese' when I took the picture :-)

She is holding her head up really well these days. She has to be in the right mood for tummy time.

Our friend Meredith (a Texas Tech grad) made this cute little outfit for Maddie. I thought it was a little dress with bloomers under it, but it is really a cute shorts and shirt outfit. At least she will be able to wear it for a few more months. Maybe she can wear it to her first Aggie Football game.

12 Weeks!

2009-06-03T07:39:00.002-05:00

11 Weeks!

2009-05-22T10:52:00.002-05:00

10 Weeks!

2009-05-22T10:48:00.003-05:00

Maddie at 10 Weeks Old! Don't worry she did not ride in the front seat of the car :-)

She loves her bath time!

9 Weeks and first airplane ride!

2009-05-18T17:36:00.007-05:00

When Maddie was 9 weeks old she took her first airpline ride!! She was WONDERFUL, hardly a peep out of her the whole time. She did better than I did, I was kinda nervous that she would scream on the plane, but she didn't. In the airport I carried her in a Baby Bjorn carrier and she fell right asleep. She also slept most of the time that we were on the plane. My mom had flown to San Antonio to help me fly with Maddie. We met up with my dad in the airport in Dallas. We met up with Adam in Indiana since he had to work and could only fly in for the weekend.

We flew to St Louis to meet my Grandma Dorothy and Grandma and Papa GaVette, who all live in Southern Illinois. They were very anxious to meet their great-grandaughter for the first time! We also met up with my cousins Jennifer and Jessica and Aunt Jan. They loved holding Maddie! We picked up my mom's parents and drove them to Indiana where we met up with my Aunt Bernita and Uncle Skip, cousin Tifney and her husband Mike and their daughter Adria and my cousin Jeremiah. Much plannig went into this weekend and we all had a good time. The goal of the weekend was to take family pictures, I think we got some good ones!

I will post more pictures from the weekend, but here are some with Maddie and her great-grandparents.

Maddie's first airplane ride!

Grandma GaVette with Maddie

Papa GaVette with Maddie!

Grandma Dorothy with Maddie!

2 Month Appointment

2009-05-18T17:25:00.006-05:00

May 5th Madelyn had her 2 month doctor appointment. It went well and she handled the shots as well as any baby could. She cried (screamed) during all three pokes. When it was over I picked her up she was fine!
Stats:
Weight 12 lbs. 10 ozs. (90th percentile)
Length 22 1/4 inches (50th percentile)
She is still sleeping very well though the night. She sleeps at least 7-8 hours during the night most all nights!!

8 Weeks

2009-05-01T14:06:00.002-05:00

Busy Week in Houston!

2009-04-28T15:35:00.007-05:00

This past week Madelyn and I went to Houston to scope out where we will be living. Yes, we are going to be moving back to Houston. The shortened version is that Adam will be heading up a new account in Houston and he will start in June. Our house is on the market and we hope it sells soon! Last week since Adam was out of town and my parents were in Houston I met up with them. Mom helped out with Maddie while I checked out some neighborhoods. We also got to meet with with some friends while we were there.

We had dinner at Jan and Bob's house, but I do not have pictures to show. They were excited to have a baby girl there (many boys in their family).

We met up with my Uncle Kevin (Maddie's Great Uncle) for dinner at Pappasito's, yum!

We also met up with Valerie and Matt. Matt is Italian and he made his special spaghetti sauce for us, it was VERY good! We had a great time.

Then, we met up with Jennifer at her house! We had a nice time catching up.

Thursday was my mom's birthday! Happy Birthday mom! Maddie had a cute outfit on, but it was a little too hot for her in Houston that day.

Papa Jack and Maddie were watching basketball together in the hotel.

Dinner with Kalli and Alyssa

2009-04-28T15:31:00.004-05:00

As promised below are the pictures of Madelyn and Alyssa eating Mexican food!

7 Week Picture

2009-04-28T15:20:00.000-05:00

We were in a hotel for Maddie's 7 week Picture! She was not very excited about the chair that she was sitting in. Also, this week she started to get what looks like Eczema with some Baby Acne mixed in. Both are looking a lot better now.

Happy First Birthday Cousin S!

2009-04-27T16:45:00.001-05:00

Madelyn's cousin S turned 1 on April 21st! Time sure does fly. It seems like yesterday that she was born now she is busy walking around!

The cake that Papa Al made

6 Weeks

2009-04-16T17:59:00.002-05:00

Madelyn is a lot more alert lately and people and objects will hold her attention. She is still sleeping well at night. There are still a few nights here and there where she will only sleep 4 hours in a row instead of 6. She is getting better at holding her head up. The picture below shows her almost holding her head up herself. She has become quite a bit more vocal, especially in the evenings.

Also. she has been enjoying tummy time. She has taken a couple of really good naps on her tummy mat while I have been working on my sewing projects.

Easter Photo Shoot

2009-04-16T17:11:00.002-05:00

Meeting Alyssa and "Aunt Fifi"

2009-04-16T17:05:00.002-05:00

Last week we met up with Kalli and her daughter Alyssa. The pictures from dinner are on my mom's camera and I don't have them, but I will post them when I get them. Below is my friend Dana, aka "Aunt Fifi," with Maddie. We did not get a picture with "Uncle" Trent.

Madelyn's Visit to the Office

2009-04-16T17:01:00.003-05:00

Last week while I was in DFW visting my parents I stopped by my office to show Madelyn off. Rachel, one of my co-workers, brought her daughter Claire too! Claire is a week older than Madelyn.Rachel, Claire. Madelyn and Me.
My boss, Theresa, with Maddie.

Brandon carried both of the girls down to the parking lot for us. Looks like he could handle twins...

2009-04-16T16:49:00.003-05:00

A couple of weeks ago Maddie and Brooke met each other. The girls are 2 weeks apart. Brooke big brother Jake is in the picture with us. Today Maddie and I met Meghan and Brooke at Chuy's for lunch.

5 Week Picture

2009-04-09T23:28:00.003-05:00

This week we are at Grandma Nea and Papa Jacks house and we did not have the green chair to pose in.

Unofficially Maddy weighs 10 lbs and is 21 inches long!

The past 4 nights she has slept 6 hours in a row from about midnight to 6 am!

4 Week Photo Shoot

2009-04-09T16:28:00.004-05:00

Last week Madelyn was 4 weeks old and we had a photo shoot. More updates to follow on playdates with new friends!

3 Week Pictures

2009-03-30T20:59:00.004-05:00

Madelyn at 3 Weeks. Maybe next week I can get a picture with her eyes open. She was very sleepy that day, probably because she was up all day the day before.

Sully wanted in on the photo shoot.

2 Weeks Old!

2009-03-22T12:05:00.004-05:00

Maddie was 2 weeks old on Thursday! We took her for her 2 week checkup in the morning and she weighed 7 pounds 8 ounces!! She gained nearly a pound in 5 days! Go Maddie!

To give you an idea of how small this chair is I included a picture of the 12 inch ruler. The chair is less than 2 feet tall.

Taking pictures makes me sleepy!

Happy St Patrick's Day and A Few Firsts!

2009-03-18T17:39:00.006-05:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day from Maddie (a day late)

My First Sponge Bath

My First Walk

My first time to be weighed at the Post Office

There has been some concern from the Doctor about Maddie's weight gain (or lack there of) and we have been back an forth to the doctor for a weight check. Their scale appears to not give consistent results, I know we are talking ounces here, but we wanted a second opinion on her weight. What better place than the post office scale! She was not harmed and did not touch anything :-) We weighed her first with her clothes on and then we took all of her clothes off and weighed them on the scale separately. She weight about 7 pounds as of Monday! She is almost up to her birth weight. She has her 2 week appointment tomorrow, I hope she is back up to 7 lbs 3 oz or close.

1 Week Photo Shoot

2009-03-12T19:18:00.004-05:00

I cannot believe that Maddie has been with us for a week now! The week has gone by so fast. She really likes to sleep a lot, I have to wake her up (multiple times) in the middle of the night just to eat! She is a very content baby.

Pictures Of Madelyn

2009-03-10T12:05:00.003-05:00

Madelyn Lily arrived on March 5, 2009 at 3:48 pm, weighed 7lbs 3 oz and 20 inches

We were admitted at 8 pm on Wednesday, March 4th. When we arrived at Labor and Delivery we were told to wait on a bench in the hallway for our room to be cleaned. I am glad that I was not actually in labor. It was a little strange sitting in the hall with all of our stuff waiting to get into the room. We got our room and the nurse started hooking me up to all of the machines, started an IV, etc. From this point we just waited. Needless to say I did not get much sleep that night between the IV machine making noise on one side and being plugged into the monitors on the other. Every time I turned over trying to get comfortable the monitors would lose the baby's heartbeat and the nurse would come in to re-arrange the belts around me that held the monitors. Then, the blood pressure cuff would take a reading every hour.
The morning rolled around and the doctor came in and broke my water it was at this point that things started getting exciting and more real. I started having stronger contractions and requested the epidural. The epidural was in place (and working) about 45 minutes later. Not being able to feel your legs when someone is moving them for you is the weirdest feeling in the world!!
At lunch time my doctor came in and said that I was dilated to a 9 and that we would begin pushing soon. Talk about things becoming even more real. Long story short we pushed for about an hour and then we welcomed Maddie into the world!

Adam, Madelyn and I minutes after her birth

We were discharged on Saturday, March 7th. Madelyn is in her coming home outfit and in the carseat ready to go. She was wearing a onesie that said 'Future Aggie Class of 2031.' She loves to have her hands up by her head. Sometime she will have one arm in the air and one arm down.

Once we got home and settled we took pictures of her in her chair. This is a pose she likes to do a lot. Also, when we swaddle her she will wiggle her way out until she can get her hands free.

This is a picture from yesterday, she is really alert when she is not sleeping!

It's Time!!

2009-03-04T18:41:00.003-06:00

Tonight we are off the to hospital! I went to the doctor this afternoon and my doctor wants to start inducing me overnight. We are going to check in tonight and they are going to start a very slow drip of Pitocin to get started. We should be meeting our little Madelyn by tomorrow afternoon!! Wish us luck!
We will be posting an update and pictures as soon as we can.

Busy Week!

2009-02-22T20:21:00.003-06:00

This past Thursday we had our 37 week appointment and Sonogram. Everything was great! Madelyn is in the correct position (head down) and she is on target for an on time delivery. We will see if she has the same plan! Her head and abdomen measured 37 weeks, but her legs still measured 2 weeks ahead!! This girl is going to be tall like her daddy! Her estimated weight is 7 pounds 3 ounces according to her measurements. The doctor thinks that is a little off due to her legs measuring 2 weeks ahead. Her heartbeat is strong and the sonogram showed that she has a lot of hair!!

I met with the pediatrician this week and I really like her and her practice! Now I can check that off of the list.

This weekend my parents and good friend Valerie came in town for a visit and to help put the finishing touches on Madelyn's Room. Below is a sneak peak of what her room looks like. I will post more pictures when it is complete! Also, my mom took some maternity pictures of me.

So Far behind on blogging!

2009-02-16T19:48:00.004-06:00

I am so far behind on blogging. January was a fun, but very busy month! Below are postings from Showers that we had in January. Also, our niece turned 3 and had a Princess Party. Adam's dad had a birthday in January, but I did not get any pictures of it. Mom and I worked on the bedding the week between the showers. The room is almost complete, the furniture was delivered last week. I will post pictures once everything is in its place!
In February I hosted a baby shower for my friend Meghan that is having a girl that is due 12 days after Madelyn. I see play dates in our future!

Meghan's Baby Shower

2009-02-16T19:35:00.001-06:00

My friend Meghan is having a girl, it is her second child! Jake is going to be a big brother. I had her a shower at a nail salon. We all were pampered with pedicures!

Me (36 weeks) and Meghan (34 weeks)

Our Niece's 3rd Birthday Party

2009-02-16T19:30:00.000-06:00

Our Niece M turned 3 in January! She had her party at the Children's Museum.

Blowing out the candles on her princess castle cake.

Adam playing a game of checkers with M and the Z man.

M moving the chess pieces.

The Z man and M checking out their groceries.

Baby Shower in Houston

2009-02-16T19:15:00.000-06:00

A few friends of mine from Houston threw me a very nice Baby Shower. Everything was wonderful and I had a great time!

The cupcakes that Valerie made and decorated herself!

Me and three of the 4 hostesses- Jennifer, Dana and Valerie (Mrs. Burnett is missing from the picture)

Me at 33 weeks!

Baby Shower in College Station

2009-02-16T19:00:00.001-06:00

Adam's grandmother, mother and sister were very nice to have Madelyn a shower. It was in College Station. It was a lot of fun and Maddie got many cute things!

Getting a lot of help opening presents from my nieces!

The Diaper Bag!

The hostesses-Adam's Mom, Sister and Grandmother

Playing the Baby Food Guessing game. I did not do very well.

Meghan with Brooke at 30 weeks and Me with Madelyn 32 Weeks!

The Crib and Bedding

2009-01-23T15:22:00.010-06:00

This is a picture of the crib that we hope will arrive mid-February. This is the color and style (but not our bedding). We ordered a matching chest of drawers that we will place the changing pad on.

Window Treatment

Cribskirt

Side Crib Bumper

End Crib Bumper

Wall Letters that will hang over the crib. They are not finished yet. I am going to attach a ribben to each of the letters to hang them on the wall.

33 Weeks!

2009-01-22T21:33:00.003-06:00

Here we are at 33 weeks! I went to the doctor today and everything is going well. She said that Maddie has dropped a little and that she is head down! I am going to the doctor every 2 weeks now. Time is flying by so fast!

I had two wonderful showers the past two weekends and I will post the pictures once I get them.

Also, my mom was in town last week and worked very hard on the bumpers, crib skirt, a window treatment and sheets! Everything turned out SO CUTE. I will post pictures of those soon! Thank you mom for all of your hard work :-)

Happy Birthday Sully!

2009-01-14T21:41:00.011-06:00

Our first born's 5th Birthday was last week and we decided to celebrate with some ice cream!

Here he is waiting patiently for his ice cream.

Checking out the ice cream.

He would lick the ice cream, but he could not get enough so.....

We put it on a plate for him........

and the ice cream kept rolling off of the plate. Finally, he picked up the entire scoop of ice cream and took off with it (I did not get a picture of that). I think he liked it!!

30 Weeks!

2008-12-31T08:54:00.002-06:00