inspired.

This morning, while my thoughtful husband spent some one-on-one time with Madelyn, I spent some time roaming around a few stores (braving the cold) with my mom. Our first stop was one of those stores that you don't go to if you have something that you "have to have" or want to "get in and get out" because it has no sense of organization to it and you never know what you are going to find. I found the most amazing 9,000 piece Cricut scrap booking kit for $14.99. It came with SO many great things. The best part about it was the fact that it came with two small albums that fit in to a shared box. It is just what I needed (and never knew that I did) to scrapbook Madelyn's journey in the hospital. Her journey of hope and healing.

I was inspired.

Next stop, Cribs Galore. It's an awesome new baby store in Tyler with a super friendly owner. Much like Storkland, but a bit more down to earth. It had the cutest bows. Frou-frou bows that I swore (even if not out loud) that I would not put on a child of mine. Big ones. Ones with lots of different kinds of ribbons and curls and rhinestones. I haven't been my crazy bow making self since the little one actually arrived (can't imagine why??).

I was inspired.

After that we headed to our go-to weekend shopping stop, Sam's. Every week (or every other week) as we walk through the doors I tell my mom what I need. "Don't let me buy anything else, OK?". How come I always come out of that place with more than what was on my list? I need to learn some tips on how to shop from a list. I did however only buy 2 things that were not on my list (and resisted the absolutely precious pink & brown outfit for Madelyn). We were busy checking out (along with the rest of Tyler) when I saw this familiar glowing face not far back in the line behind us. It was the face of a woman whose faith in her Jesus and courage has been in the forefront of my mind for some time now. In the fall of 2008, a 20 something blissfully happy newlywed of only a few months, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. I remember so vividly my sister telling my family her story. I was a blissfully happy 20 something who had just celebrated my 1 year wedding anniversary. I remember thinking, "People our age don't get breast cancer. We are too young. Newlyweds don't get breast cancer. We are too happy." Through my sister and more recently her blog, I have followed her journey of healing. Of an unwavering faith in her Jesus. In His power to sustain her in a way that only He can. I will never forget reading her blog just before Christmas. It was just a couple of months after her sweet father-in-law (that we do not know personally), who my sister works with, visited and prayed for Luke and I on our darkest day in the hospital as Luke and I sat in a private room trying to regroup (without scaring the rest of the Labor & Delivery patients) while we waited for the transfer team to arrive at ETMC for Madelyn. Just as she was at a place where she thought this battle was somewhat behind her, it came back. It came back in a big way. Again, she has exemplified Hebrews 11:1 to me. "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of things not seen." For a cancer patient, she was given the worst news. In the last week, her team of 50+ doctors have decided on a treatment plan that they think will work. Her name is Lindsey. I was blessed to see her glowing face today in the checkout line at Sam's and tell her in person how much God is using the work He is doing in she and her husband's life to challenge me. Challenge my prayer life. It has made Hebrews 4:16 which says, "Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need" come alive to me. Join me in drawing near with confidence to the throne of grace on Lindsey's behalf? Pray expecting great things. Expecting the God of all things miraculous to continue to heal Lindsey. You can read her story here.

I am daily inspired. You will be too.

This afternoon, my precious husband and I went to a matinee movie (thanks to my mom, who watched Madelyn). It was the first time in just under a year that we have been to the movies together. We went to see The Blindside. It was starting at 4:30 on a Saturday afternoon over two months after being released. We were sure we would be the only people in the theater. Much to our surprise when we rounded the corner to take our seats, it was a full house. We sat on the third row (which filled up itself as the previews rolled...as did the second and a few seats on the first). I have heard from so many what a powerful story it was. I had no idea how powerful it would be. How challenging. I really don't have many words to describe it. Nor have I wrapped my mind fully around what impact this true story had on me. All I can say is that you HAVE to see it.

I was inspired.

One minute, I was just laying in bed, dreaming of this sweet girl...The next I woke up worrying about things that don't deserve my time. I thought about how silly it was that I was even thinking of them at this hour when I should be resting. I looked over at my sleeping husband and thought, "Thank you, Lord, for my best friend." Then I glanced at my sleeping baby and thought, "Thank you, Lord, for the miracle of new life." I thought about all the marvelous ways He has shown Himself to me. His faithfulness in all situations, if only we trust Him. It was as if He woke me tonight to remind me of all He has done. To remind me that those worries, although He hears them, are nothing that He can't take care of. "Trust me, Kathryn. Lay your worries at my feet."

I am inspired.

friends like that

Four and a half years ago, when Luke and I were dating and he was just starting out as the Student Pastor at Martin's Mill, we made the hour long drive from our houses to the Mill several times a week. Some days it proved to be pretty exhausting. We were full time students with part time jobs on top of Luke's work at the church. It was also SO fun. We would have our best conversations on the car ride over. We spent time between services at the parsonage, hanging out with Nathan and Jenna and their blonde headed, blue eyed toddler. Today we hung out with Nathan, Jenna, their blonde headed blue eyed five year old, plus their curly red headed 2 year old, precious little bald 8 month old and our little Maddie, of course. It was like old times, plus three.

Everyone needs friends like that.

I was so into enjoying their company, that I did not take many pictures.Madelyn looked on with jealous eyes as the boys decorated cookies.
Kolson is so handsome! He is also such a happy little guy. He has reflux like Madelyn and it broke my heart to hear him making the sounds that she makes when it's acting up.The sweet girl (who rubs her eyes and forehead when she gets really sleepy) was tired from watching all the action around her this afternoon and evening.Not too tired for a little finger holding with her Mommy...or a little play time on the floor before bed time...

Cereal, really??

This morning I needed to get out of the house and walk around. Madelyn and I packed up and headed to the mall. I thought she would sleep for a few hours once we left the house considering she did not get her usual 12 hours of sleep in. I was wrong. Despite the lack of sleep she was still a smiley girl. She had a false alarm when we were walking in to the mall. Everyone was looking around trying to figure out where the sound was coming from. It sort of made me laugh a little.

I love when she laughs so hard that she curls her body up. It is so precious. This afternoon she didn't even really nap that well (unusual for my little one who naps for 3 hours at lunch every day and then an hour or so mid afternoon). It was kind of funny trying to figure out what to do with all that awake time. Good thing she loves her exersaucer.

She definitely has some room to grow into it though.

I have this thing where I feel guilty if she is awake and I am not constantly talking to her. I know that is silly and that it would be better for her if I left her with a little time where she is not being entertained, but then I feel bad. My mind works over time some days and over analyzes everything.

My sister picked Em up from school today and brought her to the house. I am in complete awe of what a precious girl she has become. She is so big and full of personality.

Witty and charming.

Sassy and sweet.

I won't ever tell Allison this, but Emily has such a special place in my heart that no other niece or nephew will ever hold. She will always be "the first" or "the original" as she calls herself sometimes. The one we were able to love on and spoil with sleepovers and shopping trips. Not that we won't have that with Allison, but it won't be the same as it was with Emily. She was the first baby that I ever felt that strong connection and love for. Our whole family saw the world through a fresh perspective when she came along.

Tonight she asked me, "...if I remembered that time I got married at Green Acres and she was rose dropper girl?". "Yes, Emily. I remember that time."

Today was National Blueberry Pancake Day. Our house loves any excuse for blueberry pancakes. Naturally, we chose to celebrate. Since Emily was over it was that much more fun because she is our pancake buddy! We tried out the Pancake Pen from Williams-Sonoma that I bought while in OKC and it did not disappoint. (Emily had already eaten dinner but that did not stop her from devouring a few pancakes.)

I was in shock when we returned home from Madelyn's four month appointment on Monday with the usual packet of papers that they give at each well child checkup because most of the packet was devoted to feeding her cereal.

I thought, "Nah...they don't do that until they are six months old. This has got to be wrong." Sure enough, they were right. I called the nurse to ask her about it since the doctor had not mentioned anything (I am sure it was because we went over treatment options for the reflux due to the recent apnea and things of that nature...not just the usual four month stuff), and she gave us the go ahead.

Can you believe my baby girl is old enough to eat cereal??

Since then I have debated when would be the best time for Madelyn to introduce her to cereal. Not knowing if it would have an impact on her reflux, I wanted to be cautious. I was also sort of sad thinking about the fact that soon she will not rely solely on me for her nutrition. Silly of me, I know. Again...my mind over thinks most things. She still seemed hungry after feedings for most of the day so Luke and I decided to give it a try tonight.

I have to say, Luke looked SO sad when we were getting ready. I think it was hard for him to accept that she was old enough and ready (according to all the signs they tell you to watch for) for cereal. His little girl is growing up too fast for him I think.

In goes Madelyn's very first bight of cereal...

Do you think she liked it?? Haha. We were laughing hysterically for most of the feeding.

Eventually she warmed up to it a bit, but the faces she made while trying to figure it out were hilarious.

I have never seen a baby with so much expression before. She is constantly raising and lowering her eyebrows at us and I am convinced she rolled her eyes at me this morning when I was acting goofy trying to get her to smile. If I put a caption with this picture...

it would be..."Seriously, Dad. Is that really necessary? Enough with the cameras. I don't take pictures of you when you eat."

Luke was juggling the video camera and the DSLR at the same time!

We still had a happy camper when we were finished, so I think I would call our first night of cereal a success.

The best part about it...she hasn't had any added reflux problems so far. She is snoozing in her nap nanny. I have a feeling she will sleep really well tonight considering she was off her schedule today.

I am looking forward to a Friday at home with my guy, our little girl and not a lot going on.

missing it

This afternoon as Madelyn was asleep in my lap (something I am learning to cherish more and more on a daily basis as she likes her independence more and more) I was really bummed that we were not on our way to church.

I had planned on taking Madelyn to see all of the students tonight, but could not bring myself to do it. She has had a tough go of it the last week or so. Apnea episodes, 3 shots, a rash from one of her new medicines...a lot of unpleasant happenings for her. I kept playing over and over in my mind what I would do if her alarm went off on the 30 minute drive over there. "Pull over. Jump in the back seat. Unbuckle her. It scares me. If it was a bad episode, would I get to her fast enough??" My mind works that way. I play the bad "what ifs?" over and over again in my head. I know that is ridiculous, but that's just the way that I work.

Then I thought about what would happen when we got there. She would probably be too loud and too much of a distraction to keep in there while Luke was trying to teach (especially if her alarm went off), but I definitely do not see myself leaving her in the nursery anytime soon.

I need to get over some of these fears. And excuses. I am just not sure when the "right" time is. The last time I took her around a big group (besides big groups of family) she ended up with a cold and congested and struggled more than normal because of it. I felt horrible. Like I had let her down and taken her out too soon because I wanted to.

Here we were tonight. My precious four month old in my arms, sleeping so sweetly and all I could think about was how badly I wished I was at church. When we were in Martin's Mill I was able to be really involved with the Student Ministry. That's the way I liked it. When we moved to Chandler, I was working a full time job 40 minutes away and going to school full time at night. I really missed out because of that on Wednesday nights. Since I am not working full time or in school, I am so ready to get back. Serve with my husband. Get connected again.

I know the "right" time for Madelyn has a lot to do with me overcoming my fears and being smart about things too. But today, I just really wanted to be driving out to the church when instead I was sitting at home.

I turned off the 5 o'clock news. Turned on some music. Cherished the time holding my baby girl.

I know that someday soon we will be busy (too busy I am sure). I need to really take in these moments when our schedule is clear. The ones where our days are filled only with the slow pace of life at home. If not, these moments will pass us by and I will be wishing for a day of doing nothing more than sitting at home, holding my sleeping girl.

Madelyn and I did make a trip a little later over to my parent's house for dinner and a little "outing" since Wednesday nights are so late for Luke and it's just the two of us all day at home. He met us over there though after church.
When we made it home, she was sleeping so good in her car seat that we left her there for a while. Right now, it's a different story. It is almost midnight and she has decided it's play time. I think the "four month wakeful period" has officially arrived at our house tonight.

Are you supposed to let them play? Or try to ignore it? I can't do the "cry it out" method of sleep training so that isn't an option, but I am sure the experts would cringe if they saw that our four month old is currently playing on her mat and pulling at all of her toys at this hour.

Parenting is all about trial and error though, right??

4 months

My Sweet Madelyn,
You turned four months old on Sunday. We were traveling home that day from your first road trip to Oklahoma City so I am just now writing you your four month letter. You were definitely loved on and doted over by your Great Grandma (MeeMaw Fee as her Great Grandkids call her), Great Aunts and Uncles, and cousins! Every morning we were there, you would talk to your MeeMaw Fee while she and I ate breakfast at the table. You are such a good traveler. I hope that you continue to enjoy riding in the car because your Daddy and I have many places we would like to take you.

This month has held so many new and exciting things for you. It has also brought us closer to the peak of your reflux problems (we hope)! Yesterday we went to your four month appointment with your pediatrician. You weighed in at 14 pounds 12 ounces!!! My goodness you have grown! You are 24 & 3/4 inches long! (Can you let Mommy have just an inch of the nearly SIX inches you have grown in just four months? Thanks in advance!) The doctor said you were the perfect height for your weight and in the 75th percentile! We are so thankful that with all your reflux problems you do not have a problem gaining weight :) You have a little flat spot on your head. You have always favored laying your head to the right side so we have to work on that. It's going to be tough considering you got pretty mad at me this morning when I wedged your head to the left. I showed you a picture of a "baby helmet" like the one you will have to wear if we don't work on this on the computer today and you laughed. I told you it wasn't really a laughing matter and you laughed harder. Silly girl.
Everywhere we go people try to see who you look more like. At first you looked just like my baby pictures. Now, I think you look just like your Daddy! Especially when you makes faces like that...You have started to laugh a lot. I thought your were laughing before...but those were just precious little giggles. Now, you laugh and laugh at the silliest things. Everyone around you loves to try to make you laugh because it is just about the most adorable sound ever. Lately you don't even need anyone else to make you laugh...just a mirror...You adore your Daddy. In the afternoon when you hear his voice, you grin from ear to ear. I can tell you are delighted that he is home. Every night the two of you share some play time together on the floor. He calls you his "Baby Boo". You have him wrapped around your little finger already and I pray your bond only continues to grow with time.
It seems like every day you are doing something new. You don't like to be leaned back when you are held unless you are really sleepy. You are constantly grunting and trying to pull yourself into a sitting position. It's been quite some time since you sat in your bouncy seat (because you don't like to just lean back) so I finally put it away last night. You seem to like your exersaucer a lot. Next we will get out the jumperoo!
You are now on three different medicines (you take two three x/day and one two x/day). One of them has to be dissolved in water for you to take it so we give it to you in a little medi bottle. Lately you have been wanting to hold it yourself!
Last week I thought you needed to move up to size two diapers but after a few leaks I realized you need to grow little more before we move on from the 1-2's. You are mainly wearing 3-6 month clothing with a few 0-3 outfits that still fit and look adorable on you!

You love to play on your back and when we hold you up to stand on your feet. You always seem so happy that you are able to accomplish this task! We keep joking that you may walk before you roll over! You jabber constantly. No more coos for you. My favorite is when you say, "mamamamama". Such a sweet sound to my ears!

This month you also starred in a commercial for Mother Frances Hospital. We love Mother Frances and are so proud that you are a part of something to bring awareness to how excellent their patient care is...

Recently you gave Mommy and Daddy a scare. Your reflux has been so much more painful for you lately and I always wish that I could make it better! I wish it was my problem-not yours. I know that is not possible for now, but I hope you know how much we pray for your healing. For God to take away your pain and make you feel better.

You are my sunshine little one. You light up my life. Happy four months, Madelyn Kate. I love you.

Love,
Mommy

So much to say...

**Finally figured out what was wrong with my blogger account-something to do with picture sizes so I finally can post the blogs from the past couple of days**

I feel like I have a lot to say. Nothing highly important. No earth shattering news. Just several different things that are pretty unrelated in nature. I guess the only thing that ties them all together is that I have something to say about them. Here it goes I guess...

Sunday my sister, Madelyn and I made the trip home from OKC together. It was sad leaving, but once we were on the road I was so ready to see Luke! I always love the time I get to spend there with family. Madelyn enjoyed some play time with her MeeMaw Fee before we left.
I love this picture of Madelyn and my Grandma...She was giggling and burying her face in my Grandma. So sweet.

My Aunt Nancy came to make us breakfast and see us off too.
We hit the road a little after noon and Madelyn was asleep pretty quickly after that. She is such a good little car rider. Aside from one horrible reflux episode near Terrell that left her screaming (worse than I have ever heard-so sad) for about 15 minutes, she did really well. Her alarm went off once in the middle of bumper to bumper Dallas traffic. A little nerve racking but she recovered from it quickly and on her own.About 10 minutes after we made it to the house, Luke walked in the door from church. Swoon. I get that little feeling inside that makes me all nervous every time we are apart and I see him again for the first time.

Madelyn was super excited to see him too. She had the biggest grin when he started talking to her. He sure does love his girl. My mom came by also to see the little one. I am thinking it will be a while before we even consider moving. Ha!

Despite sleeping all day in the car, Madelyn slept all night! She is a sleeping champ (she gets that from her daddy)!!

A couple of years ago my mom discovered that Kohl's has a program called "Kohl's Cares For Kids" (click it and you will see more info about the program). Every so often they put out a set of hard back books with a matching stuffed animal for $5 each!! You can't even buy a paperback book for $5 these days. They are almost always really good, timeless books and the stuffed animals are pretty big! The best part about it is that 100% of the profit goes to the Kohl's Cares program. Mom got these two Dr. Seuss books for Madelyn since they already seem to be her favorite.

I love children's books. I love a good deal. I love the Kohl's Cares for Kids program that they have set up. They make great gifts ($10 for the set) and they go to a great cause!

Madelyn had a surprise in the mail today. I really had a surprise in the mail today. There was a big box from Pottery Barn Kids on the doorstep tonight that was addressed to Madelyn Kate Bilberry. I kept thinking, "Did I order something in my sleep?? How am I going to explain this to Luke?". My eyes started to water when inside the big box was one that read, "First Year Frame". On the invoice it said, "We can't wait to meet you!!! Lisa, Kyle, Hadley and Baby Holland". Some sweet friends ordered Madelyn the first year frame that I have oohed and aahed over since the day I found out I was pregnant. I couldn't believe it. When I opened the inside box to look at the frame, her name was at the top. I am teary eyed just typing about it. This is something that I know will be treasured for many years to come and I cannot believe we can already fill four of those slots.

Thank you, Holland family. Your thoughtfulness won't soon be forgotten. We love you guys and anxiously await the arrival of your second little one.

Issues

Blog issues, that is.

I am sort of bummed. My sweet hubby and my precious girl went to bed a couple of hours ago. I wanted to catch up on my blogging so I stayed up. I wrote 2 rather lengthy blogs and saved them both. I was going to just publish them at the same time and for some reason they won't post. Boo. I tried some trouble shooting tips and now they have disappeared completely. Maybe I can figure it out tomorrow.

After I typed that, I found them. Well, they just reappeared actually but will not post.

Like I said before, maybe I can figure it out tomorrow.

Dear Kirk's Mom...

This morning when I saw this...I was thinking, "It's a good thing Madelyn decided to rest in place of her usual two hour play time on the floor, because we are going to have a busy day." We did indeed have a busy day, but it did not phase the little one at all. She slept through both outings!

Even after taking a morning nap, this was what she looked like the entire TWO HOURS we spent at Super Target this afternoon. I think I embarrassed my cousin when I asked to get a picture taken in front of the Jelly Bean display. I am sure they have a book started up here about the "Texas cousins". I bet it's titled, "You know you are from Texas when...". The most recent entry would be...you whip out your Digital SLR in Super Target to get a picture with your sleeping baby in front of the candy section.If you know me at all, you know my favorite place is Target. The Super Target we went to had the BEST baby section. It also had lots of sales and fun things to look at that our Target does not carry. I think Tyler needs a Super Target! Although I am confident that if Tyler had a Super Target, we would not call on the cashier we had the pleasure of meeting today to help train employees for it's opening.

His name was Kirk. According to him, "Kirk may be my name...but most people call me Captain." Kirk was a tad (I say "tad" in order to be polite) full of himself in the way that made you laugh at every cheesy and ridiculous thing he said...and each laugh unfortunately fueled his ego enough to come up with yet another equally ridiculous thing to say. This encounter has led me to write Kirk's mom a little letter.

Dear Kirk's Mom,
It seems you may have missed some things when it comes to teaching your son how to interact with the opposite sex. I have compiled a short list (trust me it could be longer) of things you may choose to address for his own safety before he heads off to college.

1. When talking to three 20-somethings, please let your almost 18 year old know that it may be offensive to them to hear him refer to Star Trek as a show from "you guy's generation". The last time I checked, Star Trek was a product of the 60's (leaving me to guess that you were even a wee tyke when it debuted).
2. While you two are discussing age, please also inform your son that when he asks a lady her age (first mistake) and she responds with one that only makes her six years his senior, it might be it is incredibly offensive to her if he drops his jaw then exclaims, "Well I guess you aren't that much older than me" as if he is in utter shock.
3. I know that this is difficult to teach any teenager, but please show him how to properly place a garment that is on a hanger in to a sack. Flipping it around your wrist violently and shoving it in to a bag is not exactly something people want to see just after they have paid for an item. It may also lead to Carpal Tunnel and we would hate that for your son.
4. On that note...let him know that an appropriate response to a customer's concern over such handling of the clothes is not, "My thing is, you'll get over it". Although when he said that, he thought he was cute because we were laughing...we were not laughing with him...I hate to admit, we were laughing at him.
   
   While your son has great potential (I do not count anyone out or as a lost cause), I think the four items listed above are a good starting point before you allow him to talk to strangers again. I know you have probably tried your hardest and done all that you know to do, so in that case please refer him to the movie, "Hitch"...it may do him some good.
   
   From one mother to another, Kathryn
   

Now that we have gotten that out the way...on to the rest of our day.

Madelyn has loved spending time in her MeeMaw's lap this week. Here they are playing with Madelyn's new lap top...

Apparently people will do anything to get a baby to laugh. My cousin Beth and my sister Rachel were having fun trying to entertain Madelyn from across the room...

After a visit from Aunt Nancy when we made it back from our Target outing, we went to Pei Wei for dinner. Favorite store and restaurant all in one day. It was pretty much amazing.

Crazy cousins...

Madelyn slept from the time we left the house until we returned home from dinner. I am thinking Luke and I need to take her on a dinner date and see if she does that well for us!!

When we made it back to the house she enjoyed being loved on by her Great Aunt Sharon, Great Uncle Mike and MeeMaw Fee of course...

Madelyn had to get a picture with the one who coined her "Mad Kat" nickname, Uncle Mike. Notice the bottom left picture in the collage above where Uncle Mike was trying to get Madelyn to smile for the camera by making "birds" above it!!

Madelyn and I with the Ammons (minus John) plus Grandma...

Beth was trooper and braved changing an explosively poopy diaper! It was pretty impressive. AND she did it with a smile on her face...video to come at a later date!

I am sad to be packing up our things tonight but cannot wait to see Luke. I know Madelyn cannot wait either because she all but eats the phone when she hears her Daddy's voice.

Tomorrow my little princess will be four months old. She is growing so fast right before our eyes and I am so glad that she was able to make her first trip to OKC at such a young age. I know we will do it again soon!!

Yesterday

Since I was too tired (<--understatement of the year) to blog last night, I have to play catch up a little bit. My #1 reason for blogging is for Madelyn. It's her scrapbook of sorts. So I want to make sure I get as many pictures and details of her first (of many to come-I'm sure) trips to OKC recorded for her.

She met many more of her extended family members yesterday. A Great Uncle, many second cousins and two precious third cousins (or at least I think that's how they are classified?). This week has confirmed my love for big families. There are so many unique characteristics that come together. It keeps things lively and interesting and I am constantly laughing when in their company. So many different personalities. Some reserved and quiet, others witty and loud...pretty much all stand-up comics in their own right...those whose love is to work hard and serve in their free time. A common bond in an incredible woman, my Grandma. I really do love big families. I love my family. I have loved every minute of this past week. Madelyn has met some of my favorite childhood playmates, two of my amazing Aunts and their awesome husbands, and my cousins' little ones too. It has been a blast. It has been memorable in a way that makes me sad she is too young to soak it in yet grateful that I have a way to jot down the highlights for her.

On Wednesday night my Aunt Sharon spent the night with Madelyn and I at my Grandma's house in case she had a night like the previous one. As much as I hated that she was away from the comforts of her home, I was SO thankful. I was missing Luke's calm nature and my mom's nurse know-how in a big way that night and day, so to have her there if we needed her was like a weight off of my shoulders. The next night my sister was here which brought some sense of home and normalcy to this tense mom. By yesterday morning I was feeling good about how things were going. I knew Madelyn was doing better and was just excited for the day ahead.

Her Great Uncle Mark stopped by on his lunch break to see the little one...
She seems to know when there is a new person in the room when she hears their voice because she just tracks the "new voice" like a hawk. It's pretty cute. So were all the grins she flashed Mark. After a few minutes I guess she flashed him enough of her cute smiles that he rescued her from the floor...After lunch she had bath time in MeeMaw Fee's sink again. The first day I gave Madelyn a bath here, my Grandma told me to put a towel in the sink to make it a little more comfortable for her and so she did not slide around on the bottom of the sink. I took her advice. Actually she had the towel in the bottom of the tub before I had the chance to think twice about it. Grandma's know best though. It was much easier than the one time I tried giving her a bath in our sink at home without the towel.

After getting cleaned up, she and her Aunt Rachel had a nap on the floor in the living room.

They had to get their rest for an evening of fun.

These are my cousin Kristen's beautiful girls, Kaitlyn and Kallie.

Madelyn checking out her cute little onesies from my cousin Sara. The one I am holding says, "Little girl, Big dreams". I have the perfect blue, pink and brown bow to go with that.

Thanks, Sara!

So cute. For the record...I did not know (and still don't do a great job for that matter) how to do my hair in the sixth grade. Check out how cute Kati's hair is...

I love this picture because you can see how into them Madelyn is...

Hanging out on the floor with Lauren...

and then with Kristen...

When those two were not holding the baby they were busy making all of us laugh. I laughed so hard yesterday that my side hurt.

Madelyn seems to be getting back to her old self. No more alarms. More time between feedings. I am hoping that the reflux was just flaring up due to something I ate or did rather than just getting that much worse that fast.

More to catching up to come soon...hopefully!