Busy Bees

Last Thursday, Madelyn had her first playdate with sweet Meredith.  Meredith's mom, Lela, is the vice principal at the school I taught at last year.  She and I were both pregnant at the same time and Meredith was born about 3 weeks after Madelyn.  We have been trying to get the girls together ever since they were born, but our schedules just never worked out.  Luckily, we were finally able to arrange a get-together last week and I am so glad we did.  The girls had so much fun together!!! 

It was so nice to see Madelyn interacting with someone her age.  Garrett and I don't know many people here, so it's hard to find good opportunites for her to interact with other children of the same age group.  The girls had a great time in our playroom while I spent MUCH needed time visiting with another mommy!  It was so cute to watch them play.  Madelyn had a bit of a hard time understanding why someone else was playing with HER toys, but overall, she did a good job sharing her things.  It was nice for Lela and I to sit and talk about the joys and struggles of being mothers of toddlers.  They are soooo much work, but we both agree that wouldn't trade it for anything in the world!!!

On Friday, we packed up and headed to Austin for the weekend.  On the way, we dropped Garrett off in New Braunfels for David's bachelor party weekend.  The guys had a fun weekend of floating the river, cooking out, and doing "guy stuff".  Madelyn and I stayed at Grant and Missy's and Janet (Nettie) came and spent the weekend with us. 

Missy, Janet, and I spent Saturday afternoon shopping for dresses for upcoming weddings and I left Madelyn with a babysitter for the FIRST time!  I'm not going to lie....I was VERY nervous, but it went great!  She had her cousins, Ava and Grayson there to keep her company and from what the sitter said, they all had a wonderful time!

While we were at Grant and Missy's, Madelyn got to take her first "cousin bath!"  We thought it was so cute, but Grayson was not quite as pleased with the situation!  Hehe!  He got over it real quick though and we have some super cute pictures to document the cute experience.

Madelyn had a wonderful time playing with Ava and Grayson all weekend and all of their cool "grown up" toys!  I love watching her play with her cousins...it makes my heart happy.  It's always such fun visiting our family, but it is soooo hard to leave.  We miss living near our families so much, but we know that God has a plan for us and we will be living somewhere near them again someday!

Cheetos

Woot!  Woot!  Look at me go...2 days in a row of blog posts!!!  Don't count on this becoming a habit.  Finding time to brush my teeth has become a challenge these days.  HA!!!

We gave Madelyn Cheetos for the first time this afternoon!  Do you think she liked them?!?!? 

Please excuse her rosy red cheeks...we had just returned from a long bike ride in the south Texas heat!!!

FUN at the beach & NO FUN at the hospital

On Sunday, we took Madelyn to the island for her first REAL beach trip!!!  We took her when she was 2 months old, but she was obviously too young to enjoy it!  This time was a different story though.  I was so excited to finally have the chance to take her.  I couldn't wait to see her reaction!  She started smiling and waving her arms around the minute we stepped out of the car...She most definitely loooooves the beach!  I don't know why we were surprised...she loves being outside and she loves the water, so why wouldn't she love the beach?!?! 

She had so much fun playing in the sand, digging for seashells, trying to catch the water as it came up on shore, running after trooper, and watching the seagulls!  She thinks birds are the coolest thing in the entire world!  Every time she sees a bird, she points and yells at us in her baby language until we acknowledge that yes indeed, it is a BIRD!  We even got some bread out and fed the seagulls.  That was definitely a very exciting moment for miss M. 

Unfortunately, the beach was covered in seaweed from hurricane Alex, but we managed to find a spot that was not too bad.  If you look in the picture above, you will see it piled up along the seashore  Madelyn didn't seem to mind it though.  She had a lot of fun picking it up and throwing it into the wind! 

                      

Needless to say, Madelyn was EXHAUSTED by the time we were ready to leave.  We knew she would fall asleep in the car for the drive home, but we didn't want her sleeping with sand from head to toe.  Garrett and I decided to strip her down to her birthday suit and take her for one last dip in the ocean to get all the gritty sand off her body.  It was the cutest thing seeing her daddy carry her naked booty into the ocean. I quickly ran back to the car and grabbed the camera to capture this classic moment.  This will definitely be going up in a frame in my house very soon!

*Madelyn is in her birthday suit....GARRETT is NOT!!!*

Our beach trip went better than we could have ever expected.  I was a little worried about taking Madelyn out there, but she did so good!!! I have a feeling we will be making many more trips to the island this summer. 

Unfortunately, after a day of fun in the sun, I woke up the next morning at 8a.m. in the most horrible pain I have ever felt.  My back, abdomen and side area on the left side of my body felt like it was on fire!  I jumped out of bed and ran to the restroom.  I thought I might have an upset stomach, but as the minutes passed I got worse and worse.  I started throwing up, my hands and legs were going numb, and I think I was beginning to have a panic attack.  I could not stand up, lay down, sit, talk...nothing helped!!!   Garrett and I decided that I needed to go to the hospital.   Thank God we had our wonderful neighbor, Tina to come over and watch Madelyn.  She is a lifesaver!!! 

After blood work, a urinalysis, and a CAT scan, they determined that I had 3 kidney stones on the left side and 1 more on the right side!  (I had a kidney stone when I was 19 or 20 years old, but it was no where near as painful as this one!!!)  The ER doctor said that I had probably already passed one that morning and that was why I was in so much pain.  He said there was nothing they could do for me because the remaining kidney stones were so small. He said breaking them up with a laser wouldn't help anything.  So, he sent me home with Vicoden and some other pills for my nausea and told me that all I could do was drink plenty of fluids and wait for the remaining stones to pass.  GREAT!  The doctor said they could pass tomorrow or a week or two from now.  I have no way of knowing! 

So, here I sit...waiting to feel the awful pain again.  At least I will know what it is when it happens again and I will have some pain meds to get me through it this time!

THINGS ARE CHANGING

After another 2 month blogging strike, Madelyn has decided she no longer wants to be the author of this blog.  She is just entirely too busy!  So, she has turned her blog back over to me (her mommy) in hopes that I can keep up with it better than she could.

This is a big weekend for us!  Madelyn turns 1 YEAR OLD tomorrow!  I can't believe how fast this year has gone by and how much she has learned in such a small amount of time.  The entire family is coming down to help celebrate the big day! 

Madelyn- I am amazed by you everyday and am so blessed that the Lord chose ME to have the privilege of being your Mommy!  This is a picture of you 1 year ago....

And this is a picture of you now...

What a difference a year makes! 

-You weigh somewhere around 22 pounds

-You wear size 4 diapers

-You wear size 18-24 month clothes & size 4 or 5 shoes

You are extremely active!  You keep your daddy and I chasing you around all the time...especially now that you are a PRO at walking!  You love to get in the kitchen drawers, take everything out and then just sit in the drawer.   You enjoy opening every door in the entire house, which makes mommy worry all day long that you are going to escape someday!

You love ALL food (except bananas!), but you especially LOOOOVE guacamole and cheese! 

You would much rather be outside than anywhere else!  You love to go on walks with Mommy and Daddy, and go for bike rides in your new bike buggy, but your FAVORITE outdoor activity is swimming.  You are like a little fish...I really think you would live in the pool if I would let you.

You love to sleep, but only if someone is sleeping with you which means Mommy or Daddy always take a nap with you.  You HATE being by yourself...which mommy thinks is a good thing!  I love that you always want to be with me.  I hope it stays that way forever!

 You are such a funny, sweet, loving, angelic little girl and I am so proud of you!  Thank you for bringing so much joy to me and showing me my purpose in life...to be your Mother!!! 

 I thank God for you everyday!

You are growing WAY TO FAST though!!!!  SLOW DOWN!!!

I love you!

-Mommy

1st Easter and so much more

I'mmmmm back!  Yep, I'm back from yet another blogging strike.  I've been having so much fun, I just forgot that I have millions and millions of peeps out there who just can't stand it when I don't blog.  Okay, okay...maybe I exaggerated a bit about the amount of followers I have, but nonetheless, I am sorry to keep you all waiting for so long!

I've had a super fun time these past few weeks!  Our house has been buzzing with people. Nettie, Missy, Ava and Grayson came to visit me at the beginning of March....they got to stay for 3
whole days!!!  I looooved playing with my awesome cousins.  We played in my playroom for hours upon hours, went on walks, jumped on the trampoline, went down slides at the park, and played outside with my "brother", Trooper.  Unfortunately, I do not have any pictures of this fun weekend because my silly parents didn't take any...geez...what were they thinkin'?!?!  Even though there are no pictures, I can assure you that I had a super fun time during their visit.  I heard a rumor that Nettie is coming back again next weekend and I'm stoked!  I promise to make sure the parentals take pictures during her next visit!

My Mimi flew down on the 28th and she was here for 7 whole days!!!  It was a nice break for mommy.  She was able to get a lot done and not have to worry about me getting into any kind of trouble while she worked.  Mimi gave me 100% attention, which I never complain about!  She also brought me a big Easter gift bag full of new clothes and shoes....which always makes my mom VERY happy!  I'm not complaining either....I'm definitely one stylin' little diva!  Then, last Thursday I got another big surprise..........Poppy came down to see me too!!!  Wow, I am such a lucky duck to have so many loving grandparents who travel such a long way just to see ME!   When Poppy walked in the door, he was carrying a gift bag too.  This time, it was from my aunt Tata.  She couldn't make the trip this time, so she sent my Easter gift with Poppy.  I opened that sucker up immediately and found the most glorious surprise inside...ELMO!!!!  I was so happy that Elmo was hiding in that bag and he brought an Elmo book with him too!  Special thanks to my aunt Tata for that super cool gift! 

On Sunday, we celebrated my very 1st Easter!  I woke up and saw two Easter baskets, stuffed with goodies waiting for me in the living room.  My mean ole' parents made me wait until after church to get into them though.  We were a little pressed for time and I still had to get all pretty for my first Easter church service.  Mom put me in a beautiful dress, put a bow in my hair (which I immediately removed), and then she put on my pretty shoes.  I must admit, I looked sooooo cute!  When we got back from church, I changed into something comfy and finally got to get into those baskets that the Easter bunny left for me. Boy-oh-boy, they were filled with tons of fun! Thanks Easter bunny, you are one cool dude!  Next year, I'll be big enough to hunt those eggs you like to leave laying around everywhere.  Get ready, because I'm going to be the bestest Easter egg hunter you've ever seen!

So, that's what I've been up to these days.  Just livin' the life!  I've recently popped out another tooth, and I'm working on 3 more!  I will be so happy when these teeth are done coming in.  They sure are a pain in the posterior.  I still enjoy standing by myself for a minute or two at a time and "cruising" on all the furniture.  I'm not quite ready to walk yet, but it's coming soon folks...I promise! 

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter and got as many goodies from the big bunny as I did!

Good Grub

Well friends, for those of you who have been wondering what I've been up to lately, let me give you a little hint....NADA!  Seriously, we haven't done much of anything.  Although, after a few busy weeks on the road, it's been pretty nice to just hang around my casa, play with my toys and watch my good ole' buddy Elmo on the TV. 

During my downtime, mom and dad have been letting me experiment with new foods!!!  Let me tell you...I quickly got over that Gerber pureed mush and am quite happy eating big people food.  Mom still makes me eat the Gerber food for most of my meals, but she lets me have some "goodies" once in awhile too.  My favorite new thing is PICKLES!!!!  Yes-sir-ree...I love those super sour, green things!!! My mom had quite the obsession with pickles growing up, so I guess I never really had a chance.  I was born to love pickles! 

Mom has been experimenting with new recipes lately and I'm loving it because I usually get to try a little of whatever she makes.  We had my great-grandma Simcik's Easy Meat Veggie Pie last night and it was deeeee-licious!  I was allowed to have everything that was in it except the onions, but we all know that mom made those big enough to pick out since she doesn't quite care for them herself.  When mom dumped that plate of goodies onto my tray I thought I was in Heaven! Ground meat, peas, carrots, noodles, potatoes, green beans, and bread...yum, yum, yum!  I loved every bit of it, but I especially took a liking to the noodles and the carrots.  I sure hope mom makes that splended concotion again sometime very soon!

This weekend should be a pretty slow and relaxing one for us.  My dad has been working a whole bunch this week, so I know he is super ready for some down time.  We are going over to my buddies, Carla and David's house tonight for dinner.  Tomorrow, Wade and Angela are coming down for the day and my parents promised to take me to the Kite Fest tomorrow afternoon.  It should be super fun and I heard that the weather is going to be beautiful!  I can't wait to finally be able to spend some time out in the sun!!!  I hope you all have a super fun weekend...I know I will!

8 Months Old

Holy Smokes, it's been awhile!  To all my faithful followers, I'm sorry!  This little girl has been super busy lately and just hasn't had the time to sit down to blog.  I'm back now though and I PROMISE that I won't have another blogging hiatus again!!!

Today, I am 8 MONTHS OLD!!!  Everyone has been asking my mommy and daddy what all I can do, how much I weigh, what I am eating, etc., so let me just tell you myself:

-I weigh 19 lbs., 8oz. (75th percentile)

-I am 27 1/4 inches long (60th percentile)

-I got my 1st TOOTH (bottom, right) on February 4th and man, that sucker HURT!!!  Mommy says it won't be long before I get more because my gums are super swollen.  Infants Motrin has definitely become my best friend lately!!!

-I learned how to CLAP on January 29th!  I absolutely LOVE it when my crazy parents sing "If Your Happy and You Know It" or "Patty Cake".  I have soooo much fun clapping my hands! 

-I learned how to say "da-da" last night (February 10th) and now that's all I want to say...da-da-da-da-da-da-da.....ALL DAY LONG :) 

-  I am "cruising" on all the furniture and even attempt to let go and stand every once in awhile.  I can't stand for more than 1 or 2 seconds, but I sure am trying! 

-I am drinking 6 ounce bottles every 3-4 hours and eating 3 "meals" a day.  I usually have oatmeal in the morning and a veggie and fruit at lunch and dinner.  Yumm-O!

-I take 2-3 naps a day, but they sure don't last long.  I usually give my mom about 30-45 minutes of sanity time....max!!! 

-I am wearing 9 month tops, 12 month pants, and size 3 or 4 shoes.  No, I am not a chubby...I am just tall like my mommy and need pants that fit me properly and don't look like shorts! 

-And last but not least, I am OBSESSED with Trooper's food and water bowl.  If my parents would let me, I would much rather eat Trooper's food insetad of my own.  I don't know what their problem is.  They freak out any time I get anywhere near his bowls.  I'ts becoming quite the game these days.  I go for the bowls, they move me....I go back for the bowls, they move me again....!  You get the picture, right?  I think it's hillarious!!!

So friends, that's what's been going on in my world lately.  As I said, I'm a busy girl these days.  I hear that we have some road trips planned for the next couple of weekends.  Just great!  I look forward to the day we move out of the stinkin' Valley so I don't have to keep going on these 6, 7, or 8 hour drives.  Ugh!

Hope everyone has a wonderful Valentine's day on Sunday!  Make sure to save some kisses for me :)