oh sweet girl

 

 Everyday gets better and better! I love this little girl so much! I feel so blessed to be her mommy!

A little of this, a little of that

 Happy Valentine's Day!

Just wanted to give everyone out there an update! Madi has been sleeping through the night like a champ! She has gone down the past 2 nights at 9 and slept at minimum for 7 hours! I am so proud of her! We have really been working hard to remain consistent with our bedtime routines to that she can continue to make positive associations with sleeping! The weekend was crazy busy with Jenn's surprise shower (pictures later to come), day in Nashville and brunch with Allen and Jessica, and of course our normal, crazy Sunday festivities! Here are some pictures of the past few days! 

 It feels really nice to have Mercy only a few months younger than Madi. After Jennifer's shower on Friday night Madi had quite the explosive diaper twice- Once before the shower and once at Ryan & Jennifer's house. So, after using all the outfits we packed we borrowed one of Mercy's sweet sleepers. So cute! We are so excited to welcome Mercy in a just a few short weeks to our family!
Here are some pictures on Saturday morning of Madi waking up in Mercy's sleeper....and in her crib!

 And yes, in case you are wondering those are pandas are on her feet. Thanks to a good friend at church, Michele, Madi was welcomed with an adorable Valentine's onesie! I love all the 1st moments that we get to share with Madi this year!  Although her AR was really acting up this morning, I still managed to capture a few happy faces while sitting in the bumbo!

HELLO!

My neck is getting stronger and stronger everyday. Mom says before long I'll be sitting up all by myself!

so this is what sleep feels like

I have to say, I am one proud momma. Joshua and I have really been inentional with trying to make positive associations for Madi and her crib. At first Madi hated the crib and would scream if we even tried to put her in it, but each day I have been trying to lay her down for naps to see how she responds. Some days Madi will only sleep for 20 or 30 minutes and then she wakes up crying while other days she has slept for an hour or more. After having a pretty awesome night with Ryan and Jenn, Madi was REALLY wound up and VERY overtired. We were convinced she was not going to fall asleep at all. Going through our normal routine of bedtime we tried to put her in the bouncy but she was not having it. Attempt after attempt ended with multiple trips into her room with no success. While Josh was checking his email, I went into the room picked her up and gently rocked her. After only a few minutes her eyes got really tired and she begin to fall asleep. I thought I would change things up (which could either go really good, or really bad) tonight and see if she would sleep in the crib. I put her down gently and she cried for a minute, but after turning on her mobile she stopped crying and layed there very peacefully. I turned around, shut the door, and walked out. The next thing I know it's 6:15 and she's crying for her morning bottle. Wow, a full nights sleep!! I could not believe it when I woke up this morning. I can't remember feeling this rested in a LONG time! I am so, so, so proud of her. It seems like things are beginning to turn around and I am so thankful that she is resting like she needs to, and we all seem to be a little happier around here because of it...

Bumbo

Well, it's official. Madi can sit in her bumbo (sp) all by herself. The last experience with the bumboo ended with her in tears and me feeling like a horrible mother. I tried to put her in it on the counter and she wacked the back of her head, so we thought today would be a great opportunity to try again. She for quite a while and watched me as I folded laundry. Got some good pictures and video! Enjoy!

 

 

Shoes

A friend of ours at small group found these brand new shoes on the front porch of their rental property! They still had the price tag on them and in perfect condition! I cannot wait till Madi's feet grow into them.

They musth have been from a boutique because the price tag on one of the boxes is $26.00...seriously, that's crazy for a kids shoe! The last pair looks quite boyish, so we'll have to pass those along to our friends Mike and Adrian because they are expecting a little boy soon! I thought the shoes were very adorable  myself!

our weekend

This weekend was quite busy! Friday we vegged all day then had dinner with Ryan and Jen at Olive Garden and Saturday Madi spent the day with her Nanny so that Joshua and I could have  a date day! We had lunch at Panera and then saw Sanctum 3d. Thank you Nanny for letting us have a day! It was so needed and appreciated! Sunday was spent at church and then we dedicated Madi! Great time with lots of friends and family! Pictures shortly following!

So behind

on the blog that is...

This week has not been exactly easy, but thus far I have been VERY dedicated to updating the blog with pictures and videos, so sorry for the lack of postings! This week has been uneventful with lots of crying and tears but today has been fantastic. As many of you know, Friday is our favorite day of the week, and yet again another wonderful Friday is here!

This morning I went to  MOPS and I had a fantastic time. I was very skeptical and cautious because I have heard mixed reviews from different moms about MOPS, but the Lord really put my fears to ease as soon I was entered the parking lot. If you know me then you know that going up and talking to people on my own and striking up conversation is not my gift. However, this morning was very different. I found some ladies in the parking lot and asked for directions to where MOPS was being held. They asked me to tag along so they could show me the children facility and the process involved with dropping Madi off for our next get together. It was great! I was very impressed with the whole process! What a great experience... Thanks Lori!

Madi also hit another milestone in my book, making me a super proud momma. She is sleeping in her crib. I thought after 2 days without a bath she could use one and she was not happy about it one bit. She cried for almost 20minutes afterwards, so I swaddled her (crossing my fingers it would help her settle) then placed her gently in the crib with her propped up on her side and she drifted off to sleep. I think I am stil in shock.

We also celebrated Madi's 2 month old birthday yesterday by letting her hang out with the Palmers. Joshua and I took dinner to some friends who just had a sweet baby girl last Saturday. It was crazy to think that just 9 weeks ago we were in the same place as them. All the fears and excitement flooded my thoughts as we sat with them and talked about their experience.

Here are some pictures of Madi with Christy and Brooke.

I found my fingers this week! They are so tasty!