Family Pictures

 

Tons of thanks to Jessica Kent Photography!

12 Month Stats

Maddie went to the doctor on Wednesday for her 12 month well child check.  She is growing beautifully!  She had 4 shots, including the first part of a flu shot.  She has to go back after Christmas to get the second half of the flu shot and have 12 month hemoglobin bloodwork done.  (Poor baby!)  Since she has not transitioned very well to whole milk, we are cutting out the juice for snack and serving milk instead in hopes that she will grow more accustomed to it. 

Stats for 12 months:
Weight:  18 lbs. 11 oz.  (between 10th and 25th percentile--petite like Mommy)
Height:  29 in. (50th percentile)

Celebrating Maddie's 1st Birthday

Yesterday was Maddie's 1st birthday!  We had a day full of fun!  Here's a quick account of what we did:

• Maddie ate some of her favorites for breakfast:  yogurt, eggs, waffle, and grated apple
• We went on a walk (it was so nice outside yesterday--mid 70s)
• We played with her toys inside
• We went to swing at the church playground and Daddy surprised us and met us there!  He had the rest of the day off!
• We played outside and walked around in the yard
• We opened presents and cards!  She got a swing, fridge phonics, pink blocks, and a ladybug pillow racer from Mommy and Daddy.
• We had cupcakes for dessert!  Daddy helped Maddie blow out the candle.  She didn't eat much of the cupcake, and somehow she stayed amazingly clean.
• We had lots of snuggle time!

Getting the hang of it and pulling out the tissue paper on her own

She was fascinated with the envelope

Slow, but deliberate

Playing with her new blocks

Yummy cupcake

Already excited about the cupcake

Blowing out the candle with Daddy's help

She loved the icing

 

Taking a big bite!

 

Happy 1st Birthday, Madelyn Claire!

I can't believe our baby girl is one already!  How can it already be a year since we were in the hospital with her?  It has been amazing to watch her grow and change over the past year.  Oh, how many special memories we have made!  She has brought so much joy and love into our lives, and we are so blessed to be her parents.  We love you so much, Maddie!

Here is what Maddie is up to at a year old:

• wearing size 3 diapers
• wearing 9-12 month size clothing and size 3 shoes
• She has become a very good walker.  She now prefers to walk instead of crawl (most of the time).  If she trips while she is walking, she just stands back up and keeps on going.  She was even doing pretty good at walking on the unlevel grass this past weekend.
• She loves being outside and will point at the door when she wants to go out.
• Maddie loves reading books and is constantly bringing books to us to read them to her.  Touch and feel books are still her favorites, but she loves just about all kinds of books.
• Madelyn is nursing only once a day at breakfast now.  (It's been hard for both Mommy and Maddie to give this time up....but it will be coming to an end soon.)  We've run out of frozen breastmilk as of last week, so we transitioned her to whole milk.  She drinks it, but not very much; she obviously doesn't prefer the taste of it to breastmilk.  I guess it will just take some time.  She eats a variety of foods, but it still a picky eater.  She is very hesitant of new foods. 
• She now has 8 teeth--4 on the top and 4 on the bottom.  The past 4 seemed to have come in all at once, and she has not been happy about it.  Tylenol and Motrin have helped, but I know she hasn't felt the best.  Her eating habits have suffered some due to sore gums.  She usually likes it when we brush her teeth, but here lately she doesn't want anything to do with it.  I believe she is working on getting some other teeth in soon too.
• Her naps have remained pretty consistent.  One morning nap for about an hour and one afternoon nap for about an hour and 15 minutes.
• Maddie's nighttime routine has become so much easier for all of us.  After storytime and snuggle time, we are able to lay her down in her crib and let her go to sleep on her own.  She only cries for just a minute or so before falling asleep.  She is also able to do this with her naps.  I am so proud of her for being such a big girl and going to sleep on her own!  Since we have been doing this, she has been sleeping through the night.  She may still wake up once (or very seldom twice), but she goes back to sleep on her own in a matter of minutes.
• I don't feel like she has picked up on much new vocabulary in the past month, but she is coming up with ways to express what she wants, mainly pointing at things and grunting.  We try to emphasize the words, saying, "Do you want your juice?  Say, 'Juice, please.'"  I'm sure she'll pick up more words as she is ready.
• Madelyn is going through a phase where she doesn't like to get in her car seat or high chair.  She holds on tight when we try to put her down and will usually fuss when she is put in the seat.  Once she gets settled in, she's ok...she just doesn't like being put in.  I think she would just rather be on move instead of having to sit still.
• Maddie goes to see Dr. Schmidt tomorrow for her well-child check and immunizations.  We'll post updated stats after the appointment.

Our precious little 1 year old!

How can it already be a year?

Happy Halloween from the Flintstones!

Meet the Flintstones....

Dino

The Flintstone Family

Pebbles

I am proud to say that I made our costumes!  (Except Hershey's....I am definitely not about to try that!)  Besides messing up mine when I first cut it out and having to get more fabric, they really weren't that hard to make!

Our pumpkin, Gobby the Goblin, carved by "Fred"

Gobby

The Cutest Pumpkin in the Patch

We took a family trip to Briley's Pumpkin Patch so that Maddie could pick out her very first pumpkin.  She loved the pumpkins, especially the miniature ones that she could hold.  She picked out a mini pumpkin and held onto that thing for the rest of the day!  Cody and I picked out a big one for us to carve so that she can have a jack-o-lantern.  (We'll post pictures of the carved pumpkin later!)

 

 

 

Milestones and Maddie-isms

Taking more steps....

She is able to put some shapes in her shape sorter.  Although she doesn't get it in every time, she is pretty good with the circle.  She has also put the square in a time or two.  Still working on the other shapes.

She can point to certain pictures in her ABC book when asked.

For the first time today, she pointed to 3 correct colors (blue, green, red) in her colors book when asked.

She is starting to hold up books and ask me to read them to her pretty frequently.  She'll hold up a book and bring it to me, I'll put her in my lap and we'll read together.  She really likes Ricky the Raccoon (Chick-fil-a kids meal prize book), Elliot the Elephant (another Chick-fil-a kids meal prize book), ABC's with Elmo and Friends, Richard Scarry's Nursery Rhymes, and The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

Her 5th tooth peeked through her little gummies this morning!

Oh, Baby

I am now 8 weeks pregnant.....and still in shock that it happened.  What a wonderful gift from God! 

We went for a dating ultrasound with our reproductive endocrinologist about a week and a half ago .  Although we are no longer under his care, he offered to get us in for an ultrasound a LOT sooner than the regular OB office.  At that time, we were 6 weeks and 3 days pregnant.  He's going to do another ultrasound at the end of the month to get a more exact measurement and due date.  With the baby being so small at the first ultrasound, the dating may not be as accurate, so that's why he wanted to do another one when the baby is a little bigger.  It was such a blessing to get that ultrasound--it provided reassurance and made me smile to see that little baby and hear his or her heartbeat.  There is nothing like it!

I go back for another ultrasound on October 30, followed by the typical initial nurse visit.  I'd schedule with our midwife, Monica, for the next appointment.

So far this pregnancy has been similar to when I was pregnant with Maddie, although not quite as intense.  I've had nausea, pretty much all day and night....just not as bad as I did with Maddie.  I've had indigestion....just not as bad as I did with Maddie.  I assume some of that is due to the fact that I had all those extra hormones from IVF in my system with Maddie, and of course the fact that all pregnancies are different.  I've been tired, and sometimes completely exhausted.  I try to take naps during the day when Maddie is napping, which means that not much is getting done around the house.  Thank God for an awesome husband who is more than willing to take up my slack!

11 Months

Madelyn is getting to be such a big girl!  I can't believe she is almost one year old!  Each month brings a whole new kind of fun because she changes so much! 

Here's what Maddie is up to (as of her 11 month birthday):

• wearing size 3 diapers
• wearing 6-9 month clothing and size 3 shoes
•  She is very good at standing on her own and can stand for long periods of time.  She can even squat to pick up a toy and stand back up on her own.  She can go from standing to a sitting position easily.
• She is a little mover!  If she is awake, she is on the go.  She even kicks her legs a mile a minute while she is in her high chair. 
• She loves being outside.  We take a walk at least once a day and will often take a blanket outside to sit on while we play.  She also likes sitting on the front porch to blow bubbles or going to get the mail.  She also loves going on jogs with Daddy.
• Maddie likes Hershey.  She loves when he wants to play with her.  She will hold up one of his toys and he will nose around at it and eventually get it.  She thinks that is so funny and she will just laugh and laugh.  She thinks it is funny when he wags her tail in her face.
• Madelyn still enjoys books a lot but doesn't sit still long enough for us to read one to her most of the time.  She just wants to turn the pages and look at them on her own.  Occassionally she will hold up a book to one of us and ask us to read it to her.
• She laughs when she gets powder put on her bootie during a diaper change.  Daddy makes her laugh even more by saying, "Bootie, bootie, bootie, bootie!"
• Maddie's eating habits have changed this month.  Due to her getting teeth, we are starting to wean her from nursing.  She is down to nursing at only breakfast and dinner; she is offered a cup of milk instead at lunch and snack times.  She has done great with transitioning to a sippy cup.  I know she is not drinking as much milk as she was, but I think she is making up for it with her meals and snacks.  However, she is starting to be somewhat of a picky eater.  (Wonder where she gets that from?)  She doesn't like meat, except turkey lunch meat.  I'm assuming it is the texture.  She doesn't like green beans--which we eat a lot of in our house so she better start liking them!  Some of favorites are yogurt, fruit, cottage cheese, broccoli, cheese, bread, and corn. 
• Maddie has 4 teeth--2 on the top and 2 on the bottom.  She is working on getting another tooth on the bottom.  Her little gum is white, but the tooth hasn't popped out yet.
• She is taking some steps on her own.  She will take 4-6 steps to one of us, but she has to get her balance first.  She gets so excited that she will take off running before she has her balance and end up falling.  During the past week or so, she has gotten brave enough to take 1-2 steps towards the couch, coffee table, or to a toy she wants.  She is a little more slow and deliberate with these steps so she tends to do pretty good.
• She is still taking 2 naps--one in the morning and one in the afternoon.  She naps for about an hour in the morning and around 1 1/2 hours in the afternoon.  I am able to lay her down, turn on her Sleep Sheep, and rub her back while she goes to sleep.  She may cry just a little bit, but she does a good job most of the time.  We are so proud of her!
• Nighttime sleep habits have also gotten a little better.  We have started laying her down instead of rocking her to put her to bed.  Although she does really well with this method at nap time, she still has some resistance to it at night.  She cries more, but usually settles down within a few minutes.  I rub her back, turn on Sleep Sheep and usually end up singing "Jesus Loves Me" while she falls asleep.  For the past week or so, she has been sleeping almost all night, usually only getting up once.  We even had a couple nights where she has slept all night long.
• Madelyn found out she is going to be a big sister!
• New words she can say are:  "milk" but it sounds like "mamamama", she is now using "I'm done" to mean "I'm hungry" and "I'm finished eating" which can get a little confusing, and  "okay"  
• She understands the word "no" and will sometimes stop what she is doing.  Other times, she thinks it is funny when we tell her no so she will laugh and keep doing it.  What a little stinker!
• She makes a motorboat noise when she gets mad or is not getting her way. 
• Maddie goes back to the doctor next month for her 1 year check up.

Sweet smile!



Wild child!

I'm a big girl!

Here We Grow Again!

Cody went on a medical mission trip with our church during the week of September 22-29 (more to come on that later), and while he was gone, Maddie and I went to stay with my parents.  So thankful to my dad for coming to pick us up and for Cody's mom bringing us back home!!

Cody's return flight was to land in Raleigh on Saturday night around 11:30 p.m.; since Sherri was going to stay the night and could watch Maddie, I decided to go pick him up at the airport.  I had missed him so much over the week and couldn't wait any longer!  Plus, I had some huge news to share with him.

Saturday evening around dinner time, I decided to take a pregnancy test--although I knew I was NOT pregnant.  I mean, what would the chances be considering we had to do IVF to get pregnant with Maddie and we weren't even really trying to get pregnant?  I was completely floored when it turned out to be positive.  I couldn't believe it!  I was shaking with excitement and shock!  I think Maddie thought I had gone crazy.  With God, all things are possible!  {Matthew 19:26}

Sherri had gone out to pick up some Chinese food for dinner when I took the test, so I had a few minutes to compose myself before she got back.  I didn't share our good news with her yet, because I wanted Cody to be the first to know.  Cody called a little later to let me know he had gotten into Miami and they were getting ready to board their next flight to Raleigh.  Oh, how I wanted to tell him so bad, but I wanted to share it with him in person.  This secret was such a huge and wonderful secret, I was about to bust because I wanted to share it so badly.

It was finally time for me to leave to go to the airport.  Of course it was raining like cats and dogs, but I was thankfully able to follow another guy from our church who was going to pick up his wife.  The whole way there I just kept thinking about how Cody was going to react when I told him.  I knew he'd be excited, and I just wait!  I decided to wait and tell him in the car when it was just the two of us.

I felt like we waited and waited after we got to the airport for their plane to land.  Finally the group arrived, and it was so good to see Cody!  We hadn't been away from each other for that long since our sophomore year of college.  Life just wasn't the same without him!  As much as I missed him though, I was so proud of him for going on this trip!  It took a lot of sacrifice to go on this trip, but I know it made him a better person and deepened his walk with God.

We unexpectedly had to take another person back home with us.  I usually wouldn't have minded, but I didn't know how I was going to be able to keep my secret much longer.  I wanted it to be just the two of us when I told him, so my secret was going to have to wait a little longer.  We dropped Dr. Watson off at the church and started home.  We hadn't gone about a block when I told Cody he needed to pull over so I could show him something.  Before he even got off the road he said, "Are you going to tell me what I think you are going to tell me?"  "What do you think I am going to tell you?" I replied.  "Are you pregnant?" he asked.  What?!?!?  How did he know?  It took me completely by surprise.  I told him I was pregnant and showed him the pregnancy test.  I wanted him to see it to make sure I hadn't looked at it wrong--I was still in disbelief.  The crazy thing is that Cody proceeded to tell me that he had a dream while he was in Belize that I was pregnant!  I guess that just goes to show that God talks to us in all kinds of ways.  It's funny because Cody technically knew I was pregnant before I even knew. 

We are so excited and blessed to be pregnant with this baby! 

Baby Kinley

I have a new little niece!  My sister had Kinley Elizabeth on September 27, just a day after her own birthday.  What a great belated birthday gift!  I just so happened to already be at home when she went into labor (not that I wouldn't have traveled home to be there anyway!), which worked out perfectly!  I was able to see sweet little Kinley just moments after she was born.  I love this sweet baby!

Aunt Mel and baby Kinley

My beautiful sister and me

Maddie was so interested in Kinley--already best buds

Congratulations, Mary, Jeremy, and Connor! 

Maddie's First Steps

Maddie took her first steps on September 19!  We're in trouble!!!

Playtime with the Sweet Baby Girl

Yogurt Fingerpainting

Rainbow Spaghetti Sensory Play

Post-it Pull Off

Playing ball with Hershey from one of my favorite spots

 

Lime Jello Sensory Play with Daddy

 

10 Months!

10 months old!  I think this month just flew by even faster than all the rest of them!  Here's what Madelyn Claire is up to now:

• wearing 6-9 month clothing and size 2/3 shoes
• wearing size 3 diapers
• She can stand on her own for a few seconds at a time. 
• She is constantly on the go.  She loves to walk around the house, chase after Hershey, or just get into anything and everything!
• One of her favorite things to do is to get into Hershey's toys.  She will pull every single one of them out of his basket and hold them and look at them (and occasionally try to put them in her mouth...yuck!...we are working on trying to break her of that!).  She can throw a ball to Hershey; of course it usually lands right beside of her, but they still have fun playing together.  She also likes to tease Hershey by holding up one of his toys and reaching it out towards him.  They usually end of up in a tug of war that Hershey always wins...thankfully she lets go first!
• Maddie loves music!  She enjoys listening to Mommy and Daddy sing to her; and if she is upset, singing to her usually calms her down. 
• Madelyn loves being outside.  She loves riding in the jogging stroller while Daddy runs, going on walks with Mommy, playing outside on a blanket in the front yard, going to the church or park to go swing on the playground, rocking in a rocking chair on the front porch, or just walking to the mailbox.
• She loves books, especially interactive ones.  The touch-and-feel books are her favorites!
• Maddie's eating habits have stayed consistent.  She nurses every 2 1/2-3 hours, eats 3 solid meals (in addition to nursing) and 2 snacks each day.  However, she is getting to where she would MUCH rather feed herself than have one of us spoon feed her; so, the quantity of her finger food has increased and the amount of pureed food has decreased.  She does not like rice cereal anymore, so we switched to oatmeal.  Some of her favorites are bananas, cheese, cheerios, and grapes.  She also really likes cucumbers and turkey.
• She has three teeth and one more on the way.  Her top right tooth just popped out about a week ago, and her top left tooth is working on peeking through.  She has been a drooly baby lately.
• Maddie just learned to clap a few days ago.  I've been working on this with her, but she has had no interest in it.  She was in her high chair the other day, and I clapped because she was trying a new food, and she copied me.  It so suits her personality that she would have to decide to do it on her own--she is becoming little Miss Independent!
• Madelyn is napping twice each day, usually around 1 hour in the mornings and 1 1/2-2 hours in the afternoons.  In the afternoons, however, she has gotten into the habit of waking up after an hour and then falling back asleep in my arms while I rock her.  I've just been holding her for the rest of her nap and enjoying the sweet snuggle time.  Those days will come to an end too soon, so I am going to soak it up while I can!
• Madelyn's nighttime sleep habits are....well, let's just say there is room for improvement.  Cody and I are so ready for her to sleep through the night, but she apparently is not.  She goes to bed around 7:30-7:45 p.m., waking up multiple times per night (usually 2-4 times), then getting up around 5:45 a.m. each morning.  *Although she did sleep ALL NIGHT last night!!  Hoping for more of those nights!*  We have a consistent bedtime routine--dinner, bath, snuggle time while reading books, Sleep Sheep comes on, and she gets rocked to sleep.  We've tried only giving her one nap, putting her to bed later, letting her cry for 3 minutes (I can't go any longer than that...it breaks my heart!) when she wakes hoping she will go back to sleep on her own, but nothing has seemed to make any difference.  Anyone have any other ideas???
• Maddie's vocabulary has expanded some.  She can say, "Mama," "Dada," "Daddy," "Ee-she" for Hershey," "I'm done," and "bye."  She talks to us a lot, but most of the time we don't know what she is saying.  It's funny though, because you can tell when she is fussing at you by the tone of her voice if she is mad about something.
• She is a very sweet and loving baby.  She gives hugs and kisses throughout the day.
• She has recently become attached to her blanket.  Cody was reading a book to her and the character had a blanket, so he got out her blanket and gave it to her.  Since then, she has wanted to snuggle with her blanket while she falls asleep and after she wakes up.  She will reach for it if I don't give it to her.
• She will return to the doctor for another check-up when she is a year old.

It is getting harder and harder to keep her still enough to take pictures!  She is a little rascal!

Big girl!

Showing off her new skill--clapping

Giggling at Daddy--a constant thing in our house!

Funny face!

Dora the Explorer

Showing off my new top tooth with my blankey