4 Years Ago Today...

I married my best friend on a beautiful Saturday afternoon.  We've had a beautiful life together since!

 

Lately we've been...

Hanging Out With Mom.

Brushing our two teeth.

Playing in our jumper.

Talking to Lexi constantly.  Lexi was really thrilled I made her sit to take a picture.

Sleeping all crazy.

Makin' a mess and loving it! 

Playing with her basketball.  (or...trying to eat it.)

Oldies

No I'm not going to talk about a favorite Beatles song...
These 3 month pictures were taken well...over 3 months ago.  I've been working on Mady's First 6 Months Photo Album over at Snapfish and I finally scanned in some of Mady's professional 3 month pictures.  

My Favorite!

Auntie Em

Mady is so blessed to have a great Auntie Em.  She is actually one of my best friends, Emily P, from back home in Oklahoma.  We've been friends since she was born 1 month and 3 days after me.  She is my opposite in many ways.  She always wears nice clothes and I always wear t-shirts.  She didn't own a sports bra till 11th grade and I can't live without them. You get the picture.  Anyway, Auntie Em always spoils Miss Mady with clothes and hair bows. You may remember this post about St. Patty's day.  The cute flower and skirt were all Auntie Em.  So last week, when we were in Oklahoma, Miss Mady received some adorable shirts from Auntie Em.  Here is just one example:

 Mady loves her new clothes and we can't wait to see you again Auntie Em!

To my Daddy...

I love the way we snuggle before bedtime.  

I love the way you always make me laugh by tickling my belly or my back.  I am super ticklish like Mommy.  

I love the way you spend time with me on the floor playing with my toys.  

I love the way you always kiss me goodbye in the morning before work.  I may look like I'm asleep but I know you're there.  

I love the way you love Mommy and always give her big hugs and kisses. 

I love the way you always tell me how beautiful I am.  

But most of all, I love that you're MY daddy.

Swimming!

Today Mady went swimming for the first time!  We had so much fun with my nephew and niece, Titus and Rielly. 


Before getting in the water!  Her expression looks like she's a little unsure...



Titus, Rielly, and Baby Mady.

First time in the water!

She did NOT like this floaty thing..

Mady loves her cousin Ty!

Papa and Mady!  (Sorry this picture is turned....)

Mady got tired quickly and it was time to go!

Sleeping

Jeremy and I always comment on how sweet Miss Mady looks when she sleeps.  Lately, however, it has been fun to see what kind of crazy position she is in when I peak in on her sleeping.  Since she has become more "mobile" in rolling over, it has been hilarious to see where she ends up in the morning or after naps.  Here's just a sampling.

This was yesterday when we should have been napping.  Instead we were rolling over and trying to take off our clothes.

Sorry for the night vision.  We didn't want little girl to wake up:-)

We thought it was fun to play with red bird instead of nap.  Sooo...red bird has officially been taken off the mirror.

Believe it or not, she actually is sleeping with the edge of the mirror in her mouth.  I guess it was better than her pacifier.

This is how we were this morning!  Feet up on the side of the crib. 

 

Best Buds

6 months of blessing

Since Mady turned 6 months last week, Jeremy and I have had time to really think through the last 6 months and how God has worked in our lives and in little Mady's.  

We thought about the times when she was 2 weeks old and we wondered if she would even gain an ounce before the next lactation consultant meeting.  At that point, it was gain an ounce or be put in the hospital.  We were so worried but God was faithful and helped our little Mady grow. 

Then at 1 month, we wondered if she would ever get back to her birth weight.  God so provided and a few days after hitting the 1 month milestone, we finally got past 7 lbs 7 ounces.

At 2 months we wondered why she refused to eat or was eating very little at times.  This caused our hearts to really cry out to God for help because we realized it was out of our control.  God, again, was faithful and provided us with fantastic people to help us through this journey.  

I still wonder about things.  Like will Mady sit up soon like the other kids her age?  Will she be able to crawl soon or will it take awhile? 

My always competitive heart gets the best of me when I want her to be the best at everything or meet all the milestones when she's suppose to or before.  I call it my inner soccer mom coming out.

But then I remember the 6 months of her life.  Like in all areas, God has provided and will do so again.  She will get there and hit all her milestones in her way and in her time.  I just have to let my pride go and trust God that he will protect, love, and help my little girl.  Like he's done so many times before.

A verse that I hung up in Mady's room before she was born has meant so much to me these last 6 months.  Little did I know how powerful these words would be in Miss Mady's life.

"For the Lord's lovingkindnesses indeed never cease.  For his compassions never fail.  They are new every morning; Great is thy faithfulness."

Lamentations 3: 22-23 

 

Here's a little look back on Mady's 6 months.

6 Months!

Miss Mady turned 6 months last week!  While it seems like we've had her a part of our lives forever, the last 6 months have gone by SO fast.  Our little sweet baby is turning into such a BIG girl! 

(FYI Our photos are quite interesting.  You'll see why.)

Here are some of the things we've been up to! 

~Rolling over: we are rolling from our tummy to our back and occasionally our back to our tummy.  For instance, Mady woke up crying the other day (which is VERY rare...she always wakes up happy) so I went in to investigate.  I found her on her tummy with her legs sticking out of her crib.  She was stuck!  

 

~Eating lots of Veggies (and some fruits):  Mady's favorites are sweet potatoes, carrots, squash, and green beans.  I have to "hide" her fruits in with cereal.  The fruits that she's tried are peaches, pears, apples, and bananas.  

 

~Talking!  The girl is a chatter box!  It's so fun to hear her many sounds!

 

~Experimenting with new facial expressions.  This is a new development over the last week.  She is now making silly faces and since she automatically gets a laugh out of Jeremy and I ,she keeps doing them.  You'll see one below.  They're hilarious!  

 

~Sleeping: we are seriously spoiled.  Mady's new bedtime is about 8:45 PM.  She sleeps until 7:45 AM.  She takes at least an hour nap in the morning, a two hour nap in the early afternoon, and a short nap late afternoon/early evening.  We realize we're blessed:-)

  

~Everything goes in the mouth. 

 6 Month Stats:

Height: 27 inches (80%)

Weight 15 lbs (20%)