Recap....what you were doing at 10 months!

10 Months

 

 

You can CRAWL!!! At 9 months and 1 week, you finally took off! It has been SO much fun to watch you accomplish this. Ty and Macie really don’t have a prayer now. :)

We have cut out a feeding and now only nurse you 3 times a day. We have also started you on a very small amount of whole milk to prepare you for the big switch (per your pediatrician). You are doing really well with the weaning process so far!

You are starting to pull up on furniture too!

We have switched you to the big girl bath tub….no more infant bath for you!

You love to play with your bath toys and splash around.

You still don’t sleep through the night.

We are introducing more and more solids. You are doing GREAT with this!

You can now say “dada” and “dadee”.

We are working hard to teach you how to be gentle with the puppies. You have been doing wonderful! They are very careful with you too. You love to take their toys away from them and they let you. They sit patiently waiting for you to be done “playing” with their toys, so that they can carefully take them back. I LOVE to watch you interact with them.

You can understand the concept of playing a game with other people now. It is so much fun to watch you learn! When you crawl, I will come up behind you and say “I’m gonna get you”. You look back at me, smile, and then take off crawling as fast as you can (only stopping every so often to make sure I’m still coming). You usually don’t make it far because you are overcome by giggles!

You give us deliberate kisses…..which are like pure sugar. I could die.

You love it when we smell your feet and pretend that they stink. You get really tickled at us!

 

 

 

It's time for a revival...

To say that I have neglected my blog wold be a serious understatement. I have sat down to write numerous times, only to draw blank. It's not that I don't have things to write about, because my life has become the greatest, most amazing adventure....so what is it? I starting over thinking. I began worrying that I was starting to sound like one big cliche.....I worried about offending people....so then it became hard to write and to be honest, not veryfun. All that aside, I think it's time for me to give my blog another try. For the very few of you who read this, I promise to try to make it interesting!

9 Months!

Sweet girl, you are NINE months old! I am amazed at how much you are growing and changing every day. I am so blessed to be by your side to witness everything. Being your Mommy is the BEST gift I have ever been given. Your Daddy and I ADORE you. We talk all the time about the places we are going to take you and how much fun we are going to have. We want to give you everything, little one.

What you have been doing this last month..

You grew three more teeth!! You now have 5 total! Three on the bottom and two on the top. I can see where a few more are trying to come in.

We are still have issues with you not sleeping through the night. Hopefully once these teeth come in, it will get better.

You are rocking on all fours and are REALLY close to crawling! I know it won’t be long.

You have started saying “Babababa”, but still haven’t said, “Dada”. We are hoping you will soon. I know someone who will be thrilled when you do! ;)

Your hair is getting so long. You won’t let me put bows or headbands on you anymore, so it constantly stays in your face. I’m hoping that is just a phase because I sure love to dress you up with bows! Your Daddy thinks I have a problem with buying too many bows. :) Don’t tell him, but he may be right…

You LOVE to be outdoors. We bought you a little swimming pool to splash in and you have so much fun in it!

We have been planning your birthday (which is only 3 months away…wow) for a while now. I can’t wait to celebrate your life! Not just on your birthday, but every day that God gives me with you.

You love to zoom around in your baby walker now! Ty and Macie really have to watch out for you, because you tend to run into them when you get to going!

You now weigh 15 lbs 5 oz. You are my tiny girl!

We have started to experiment with solids, which scares and excites me at the same time. You really love to feed yourself and sometimes won’t let me feed your purees at all!

You still nurse every 4 hours and eat 3 “meals” a day. We are planning to wean you when you are a year old (since you absolutely REFUSE a bottle).

I look forward to each day with you, baby girl. You have brought more joy and laughter to our home than I could possibly put into words! I hope you can feel how much you are loved. 

Madeline Rose, I can't believe you are eight months old! What a busy little girl you have become! I LOVE to watch you learn about the world around you. You have become such a little ham too! It is such a joy getting to know you and learn about your personality.

You can wave bye bye, when you want to.
You are saying "Mama" ALL the time now! Talk about melting my heart...
At our last doctor appointment you weighed in at 15 lbs and 2 oz, 24 inches long.
You eat three meals at day, nurse every 4 hours, and snack in the afternoons.
You have 2 bottom teeth, which are incredibly adorable! I can see a third on the bottom trying to come in and a top one.You absolutely hate when I try to look!
We put a swing on the back porch and you LOVE it.
Peek a Boo is your absolute favorite game to play! I can get a smile out of you every time!
You love to see yourself in the mirror and nearly jump out of my arms every time we get in front of one!
You haven't been sleeping all that well and wake up several times during the night. I think it is because of all those new teeth coming in.
You are SO good whenever I take you out. Everyone always comments on what a sweet baby you are.
Your blue eyes get comments from strangers ALL the time. They are gorgeous!
You love playing with Tupperware, spoons, remotes, and cell phones the most.
I think that you are going to start trying to crawl soon!
You love to squeal and make loud noises. This tickles your Daddy and I!
We are still using cloth diapers and love them!

Sweetheart, you bring so much joy to our lives. We thank God for you EVERY day. I can't believe that He would bless us so richly! You are fearfully and wonderfully made, indeed.

Mother's Day

I have always known that I wanted to be a Mama. I felt like it was a part of me, like a role I was born to play. I have always anticipated the day that I would hold my baby in my arms for the first time. I wondered what I would feel the first time that I looked at you and how my life would change. I had no idea then, that my journey to motherhood would be a challenged one. I want you to know, everything that we had to overcome to meet you was undoubtedly worth it. Every month waiting, every disappointment, every tear, every injection, every night spent not knowing what the outcome would be....only praying that I would have the chance to hold you. I would do every bit of it again, without blinking. You are worth so much more to me than any fear or pain that I have ever experienced.

Being your Mama is one of my greatest joys and I love, love, love you. I love being the one to get up with you in the middle of the night and comfort you back to sleep. I love being the one to nourish you and to help you grow. I love your sweet, slobbery kisses and how they make me feel like the most special person alive. I love how you laugh and how it can't help but make my heart smile. I love the way you smell and the way your fuzzy hair tickles my face. I love how your face lights up when you see me. I love how you fit so perfectly in my arms, like we were meant to be together. I love your curiosity. Most of all, I love how you are a daily reminder of God's love and knowing that you are a precious gift, just for us. You, baby girl, are our miracle and being your Mama is one of my biggest blessings.

Thank you, Lord, for giving me this beautiful gift of motherhood. Thank you for the magical experience of pregnancy. And thank you for giving me the best partner I could have ever asked for to weather those storms. I have no words to adequately describe the feelings in my heart...I am eternally grateful. On Mother's Day, I honor and thank you for these beautiful blessings.

Traditions and Trading

Canton Trade Days is a pretty well known (famous to some of us) event in our area. Oh, how I love this place! So much so, that I am dedicating a post to it! A little history first….

How the Trade Days began

“In the earliest days of Van Zandt county, the District Judge arrived in Canton on the first monday of each month to conduct court. As we have seen in the old Western movies, court was a spectacle then (much as it can be now on TV) so the people would come in from their farms for the entertainment. Once together the people began bringing their goods for trade and the trades day became a custom that survived the civil war and all the social upheaval that ensued.

The image above, "The Trade," which is featured at the East gate of the original trade grounds, is an example of the simple trades that took place 150 years ago. "Will ya trade your dog for my gun?" After an inspection of the gun, the deal was made.

Perhaps some trades are still made the same way, but now literally millions of dollars change hands at each market in Canton. From a few traders pre-Civil War, to the quarter million that is now common over a four day weekend, Canton Trade Days has prospered.”

History was quoted from http://cantontradedays.com/town/

I can’t recall the first time that I went to Canton, but over the last 5 years, my mom and I started going yearly. It has become a tradition for us and we look forward to it each year. We pack our own lunches and purchased our own carrying cart (you see tons of these in Canton), and have mapped out our favorite places. The smell of dew on the grass and coffees in hand, we arrive early in hopes of finding good treasures! These trips aren’t JUST about the shopping (though that is a fun part of it). It is about making memories with my mom and carrying on traditions of the past. There is a part of me that loves how the trade days are a link to history. So many things have been lost to the modern convenience of malls and shopping online. Don’t get me wrong…I love to shop in malls and online, but this is special and different.

My mom and I at Canton in fall of 2010.

You can see how many cars are behind me. It's kind of a big deal around here...:)

These annual trips are something that I hope to carry on with Madeline. I look forward to creating wonderful memories with my little girl at this historic place. This year was her first trip to Canton! My mom was not able to make it on this occasion; however we were so blessed to have the company of Madeline’s Mimi! 

The food court....a funnel cake is mandatory!

Madeline and Mimi checking out shiny stuff!

One of those handy carts and one of the MANY pavilions.

Baby girl chillin' in her stroller....

She has been officially inaugurated to Canton! :)

Seven Months

Rocking you to sleep tonight, I tried by best to memorize your face as you slept. So sweet and peaceful. It is hard to believe that there was a time that you weren’t in my life. Could it really have been only a year and a half ago that I was hurting so badly for you? I know that God is using these moments to heal my heart. I sit in awe at the gift of you and know that I am completely undeserving. I am so grateful that our Father loved me so much that He gave me you. I silently thank Him as I kiss your forehead and pray that I never forget this feeling. I wonder if you can feel how much I love you? I want you to always know that there is nothing in this world that will tear you away from me or the love that I have for you. You and I are bound in a way that I can’t explain, little one. I will always be there to protect you, comfort you, and love you unconditionally.

Things you have been doing...

You have become SO aware of everything! You love to look around and explore all that is within your reach.

When I go into your closet, you are busy trying to pull all the clothes off the hangers. You have really started to enjoy dropping and throwing things!

Meal time is becoming so much easier. You LOVE your cereal and have started to like your fruits and veggies! Your Daddy and I make all of your baby food right now.

Sometimes you like to “help” feed yourself, in which more food ends up on me, you and the floor. Ty and Macie don’t mind, of course!

You bottom front teeth are really trying to come in this week and have been hurting you so bad. My heart aches for you!

You have slept all night in your room! (But this doesn’t happen every night….actually it happens rarely!)

You love to flap your arms like a bird….which is incredibly adorable!

Sounds make you smile the most…especially kissy sounds. 

Speaking of kisses….you give the BEST slobbery ones to your Daddy and I! They completely make my day!

You can sit up very well now!

You will sit and play with your toys in the floor. You have several favorites that you will reach for! Sometimes you get carried away and will face plant into your blanket. I know it is only a matter of time before you figure out how to brace yourself and crawl.

We bought you a walker this week, but you are still too short to use it. I know that you are going to love it when you can move around. Ty and Macie get really excited when I put you in it!

You love to go outside and swing on the back porch. These are some of our favorite times with you.

You don’t like being around a lot of people that you don’t know. It scares you and you usually cry.

The mobile in your crib makes you grin really big. I love to sit you in it and turn it on to see you smile.

Bath times are still a hit! You have now found your rubber ducky and chew on him most of the bath. I have to be really careful though, because you have tried to dunk yourself a couple of times reaching for him!

We finally had to take the bumpers out of your crib now that you can roll over!

That’s right! You rolled over at 6 ½ months! Both ways! You still aren’t a fan of it, so it doesn’t happen often. Your favorite is rolling to your side.  

You love to nibble on those precious baby toes of yours! I am amazed at your flexibility.

We love watching you grow and change every day! I am so excited to see what the next month holds for you. I love you to the moon and back, baby girl!

A few pictures from this last month...

 

Eating at our favorite restaurant! (Of course, Freddy the Firefly came too!)

  

Hanging out with Mimi

 

Ty and Macie

  

Meeting your cousin Dillan and Haley

  

So sweet!

  

Our family

A Little Bit of Cuteness...

 We had pictures Madeline's 6 month pictures made recently. I am in love with them! Here are a few from her session!

Six Whole Months!!

You have been a part of our lives for six months, Madeline Rose!! Time has flown by so quickly. So many evenings, your Daddy and I talk about how this is the best time of our lives. I can’t tell you how much I have relished watching you grow. The love that I have for you cannot be matched.

You have REALLY found your voice and love to squeal and make new sounds. Your Daddy and I get so tickled at you!

You are now eating oatmeal in the mornings and cereal at night. It is definitely not your favorite. You usually make faces at me when I try to give it to you!

You are wearing 3-6 and 6 month clothes! Some are still a tad too big, but you have definitely outgrown 3 months.

You have really started to look for me when I’m not by your side. When I come into the room, you just light up. My heart melts!

You have really started to grin and giggle at us. I don’t think there has ever been anything cuter!

You absolutely LOVE to be rocked. I think I am spoiling quite well when it comes to that!

We have started to transition you to your crib (again). J It has been going pretty well this go around! You bathe at 7:00. I read you a book or two. We say a prayer and then it is lights out for a little bit of rocking. I lay you in your crib and you stay there until around midnight. After that, you usually come back to our room.

I have to admit, I miss you when you aren’t with me. I just lay in my bed watching the monitor.

You love to laugh at Ty and Macie now! We are always calling them over so that you can have a good look at them. We just love to hear your sweet voice. It is like honey to our ears!

You can stand (with a little help).

You can almost sit up by yourself. You haven’t quite mastered the art of balance yet!

You are still chewing on everything, but no teeth yet!

You still have no interest in rolling over, but can wiggle your way around.

It is amazing how perfectly you fit into my arms. It was a match made in heaven. J

Every day I fall more and more in love with you, even though I don’t think it is possible to love you anymore than I already do. You have captured my heart, little one. I thank God every day for blessing us with you. I hope you can feel how much I love you.

A few pictures from this last month...

I cherish every minute with you...

Those eyes...... 

Daddy makes her happy! 

She chews on EVERYTHING... 

How could you not smile at that face?

Six months!

Can't believe she is mine!

She LOVED sitting in the grass! We could hardly get her to look up!

How will we ever tell this face no?

God made you so perfect!

I adore you, Pooh Bear..

Madeline chillin' in my old rocker. So thankful my mom kept it all these years. It so special to me and I am thrilled to pass it along to her!

Our perfect family of three