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!