4 Wheeler Ride!

What We've Been Up to Lately...

1. Going on a 4 Wheeler Ride with Daddy!

(Video coming soon!)

 2.Wearing a cute dress for Easter.

3. Sleeping during the chaos of getting my picture taken with my cousins Rielly and Titus. 

4. Sleeping even though my cousin Ty is pulling up my eyelid. 

(It seriously happened...)

5. Trying solid foods for the first time!  

(more on that later!)

6. Pulling off a new look...PJs and a hat!

 

My little reader...

Letter to Mady

Dear Mady Girl,
I love these moments I get to spend with you, cuddling with you before you take a nap or go to bed.  

It's in these moments I start thinking about you and what you'll be like when you're older.  Will you be a tall, slender girl that doesn't have to worry about gaining a little "holiday weight" like you're uncle Justin?  Will you be super smart and driven like your Aunt Heather?  We all know you have a big head with lots of brains!  

Will you be stubborn like your parents or have a contagious laugh like your Aunt Tracy?  Will you be musically talented like your Uncle Chris or will you prefer sports like your mom and dad?  Will you have your dad's integrity and your mom's determination?  What will you be like my dear?  

After awhile of dreaming about your future, my thoughts quickly turn to prayer.  Why you may ask?  Because, my sweet girl, it's not a matter of what you do, where you go , or what your personality is like; it's a matter of WHO you give your heart to.  

It doesn't matter if you're the best basketball player at your high school or the kid that gets straight A's always.  It doesn't matter if you are a first chair clarinet in the band or , heaven forbid, cheer captain of the cheerleading squad.  

What matters is that you trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean on Him alone.  He is your creator and my prayer is that you will be a girl that knows the Lord, spends time with Him in the word, and serves others.   I pray that you'll realize the REAL reason for Easter and the saving power of Jesus Christ.  I also pray that your dad and I will show you how to walk in God's truth.  

So little one, rest easy.  The Lord your God has his hand on you. I will be here when you wake up and I look forward to walking with you in this life and showing you how wonderful, amazing, and awesome our Father in Heaven truly is. 
Mom loves you, Good night!

Pictures

AHHH...this is the life!

I love my frog even when I don't feel good and my teeth hurt!

**Mady likes to kick her foot in the air like this.  She'll leave it there for a minute or two.  I am quite impressed with her flexibility...she certainly didn't get it from me!

Uh oh...showing the leg!

Play time!

Here's a video of Mady's deep concentration when it comes to playing.  It's serious business you know!

 

Tummy Time!

I'm getting SO much better at being on my tummy!  I even can smile while doing it!

Look at my tummy time skills!

 Except I sometimes get tired....

Mady, in the last week, has improved HUGE amounts in holding her head up.  In a future post I'll show you her awesome strong neck muscles.  It's taken us awhile to get there but I think we've finally got it!!

DIY project day

So today, I channeled my inner Martha Stewart and started AND FINISHED a DIY project.  My inner Martha doesn't make an appearance much so when I'm motivated I try to seize the opportunity and tend to forget about things like laundry...which still needs to be finished.
Anyway, my DIY project today was making curtains for the window above my sink.  I do not sew very well at all.  I tried sewing when I made Mady's bedding for her nursery.  It takes me DAYS to finish things when sewing and I didn't want that so I googled "no sew curtains".  I found some great sites that were super helpful.  
I started this project when Mady was sleeping and finished it when she was playing on her floor mat.  This little girl was so helpful in letting her mom finish!

 Now without further delay, here are my curtains.  

Money saving=Money Making

When Jeremy and I found out we were pregnant, there was no doubt I would become a stay-at-home mom.  Being home with our children was very important to both of us.  With that being said, we knew we would have to be more aware of our money spending going from two incomes to one.  I figured the best place to start would be our groceries and general household maintenance supplies. I read several blogs and compiled my list of ideas to try.  

1. Couponing:  Wow you can save some big bucks here!  Yes it takes work, and yes it isn't always fun clipping coupons, but I've found several sites that basically do all the work for you.  I would highly recommend www.frugalfritzie.com.  A-MAZING.

2. Laundry Soap: seriously, the price is getting ridiculous right?  So I found a great recipe and I love it!  It costs a few pennies a load.  

1 cup of Borax

1 cup of Baking Soda

1 bar of soap shredded

3.  Household cleaners:  I use to be that person that would use a coupon and try to get my household cleaners for less than $1.  Well...I found these recipes and not only do they cost pennies, they are also safe for children and pets.  Now I'm not one of those  "environmentally friendly, go-hug-a-tree, save the earth" type of people.  The fact they are safe for the environment is a bonus.  The big thing is they are CHEAP to make!

My favorites are:

Window Cleaner

4 cups of water

1-2 drops of Joy dish soap

Dust Spray

2 cups of water

1 cup of vinegar

4-5 drops of essential oils (for smell reasons)
2 drops of olive oil

Soft scrub

Mix equal parts baking soda and dish soap 

(this is amazing for cleaning electric stove tops)

4. Cloth diapers:  Mady is now big enough for her cloth diapers.  I'm getting to the point of hating to buy disposables.  The cloth work so well and they really aren't that much harder than disposables.  I use the Grovia brand with snap inserts.  Google them...you'll love 'em!

5. Homemade diaper wipes: seriously awesome!                         

1/2 roll of select-a-size paper towels

2 tbsp. baby oil

2 tbsp. baby shampoo

2 cups of water

So those are just a few ideas that have helped tremendously to cut costs at our house.  I know there are a lot more ideas out there and would love to try more!

 

He's not surprised...

Sometimes this mommy brain starts to worry.  I worry about whether Mady is meeting all her milestones? Is she gaining weight? Is she sleeping enough? Am I giving her enough stimulation or too much? Is she on a good schedule?  Am I helping her grow into a Godly little girl? The list goes on and on...
Then I have to STOP.  
I have to remember that God is ultimately in control.
He is not surprised that Mady was slow in gaining weight.
He's not surprised that she still can't control her head very well at 4 months.
He's not surprised that the doctor isn't happy with her progress. (seriously doctors should realize not to use the words "genetic disorder" or "genetic testing" with a first time mother unless it is proven absolutely necessary for the babies development.)
He's not surprised that she is an absolute beauty with her big blue eyes.
He's not surprised that she is an excellent sleeper and has been from day 1.
He's not surprised that she is such a happy little girl.
He's not surprised with anything.  
He is ultimately in control, and when this mommy brain starts to worry, I have to constantly remind myself that He made her and He loves her and He knows her infinitely more than I do or ever will.   

Giggles

Geez I hate hearing my voice on this...and please excuse me singing Patty Cake over and over again...she was just so darn cute I couldn't stop!

4 Months

A week ago, Mady turned 4 months old!  She is getting so big and so much fun!  We went to the doctor on Friday and her measurements are:

Length: 25 1/4 inches long (80%)

Weight: 12 lbs 8 oz (20%)

Head size: (81%)

  Mady is definitely one long and lean girl, just like the Ellis side of my family!  I guess being her mom, I also never realized that she has a gigantic head.  I mean I see it all the time and her cute little petite face hides the fact that her head is HUGE.  No wonder we are still having trouble with head control...it's like she's trying to control a bowling ball head with a toothpick body!  Jeremy and I are SO excited about her weight gain though!  When we went in at 2 months, she was in the 5% for her weight.  20% is MUCH better.  

  At 4 months, Mady is such a smiling happy little girl.  She gave us her first giggles in the last few weeks.  That is pretty much the best sound I've ever heard!  She still loves to be cuddled when she's tired and she is sleeping so well throughout the night.  (except when she got those dang shots but really it hasn't been too bad.)  

  We have now transitioned to wearing size 3-6 months in clothing.  I never thought I'd have a kid that would actually wear the size that she should at her age.  For some reason I always thought my babies would be big and fat.  I mean, look at Jeremy and I...we aren't super skinny like this little chica! 

  Here's our monthly photo shoot.  Once again, Mady decided it was not time to smile when I brought the camera out.  However, once I stopped shooting pictures, she gave my the biggest, most ornery grin...I think I'm going to have my work cut out for me in a few years!

Yep, we're trying to roll over...can't figure out how to get the darn arm out of the way though...

Oh yes, and our new trick is to stick out our tongue...it's cute but creates gallons of drool!

 

Busy, Busy, Busy

I haven't updated the blog in awhile, mostly because we have been extremely busy!  We spent 6 days in Oklahoma with my parents last week while Jeremy was traveling. So between seeing our Mimi and Papa, March Madness, Jeremy traveling, running a 12K race, Mady turning 4 months, there hasn't been much time to blog.  But....I think life is finally slowing down a bit so I hopefully I can get caught up. In the meantime, I'll leave you with a picture of the sweetest little girl in the world...