Well, It's About Time!

That is what some of you (mom and dad) are saying right now. I cannot believe it has been over a month since my last blog. Madalyn was almost two months when I last blogged. Now, she is over three months! Time has flown by. I will try to update you on the last month, the best my memory will let me.

Since Madalyn was 2 months old we have done A LOT! We were gone 3 weekends in a row! She has been a traveling baby.

June 26th-28th Ryan, Madalyn, and I went to Shreveport, LA. There was a fire at the refinery where Ryan works, so he got 4 days off! It was such a great treat for us. We travel the hour and a half to Shreveport. We shopped at the Boardwalk, ate some great food, and of course, we spent most of our time at Bass Pro Shops. It was extremely hot outside! Madalyn was a trooper, letting mommy and daddy shop. She did get a treat though. We made her a Build-A-Bear! We actually got her a rabbit and named her Mary Susan! That has always been Ryan's joke nickname for me...we thought, why not? It will give us a story to tell Madalyn when she gets older. One funny thing about the trip...I actually fed Madalyn (not bottle, I am a breastfeeding momma) on the floor at Bass Pro. I was planning on sitting in one of their comfy, cozy recliners, but they were all taken up by all the other ladies that had men shopping in the store. So, I went over to the bedding section, sat in between two displays, used a plastic wrapped comforter set as a pillow, put the stroller in front of me, and leaned against the wall. Can you picture it??? I had a few looks, mostly smiles from ladies that knew exactly what I was doing. I didn't care though...I was proud of myself.

The next weekend, we headed to TEXAS!!!! That's right, I said TEXAS!!!! It was fourth of July and Ryan had a three day weekend...where else would we have gone. It was so nice to be back in the homeland! We miss it so much. It was Ryan's first time to be in TEXAS since Christmas! That is way to long for a good ol' Texas boy. We got to spend some time with my family and Ryan's brother Jason and his wife Catherine. Ryan and I actually got to go on a date! We chose a double date with Jason and Catherine. We had a great dinner and movie night! Thanks mom and dad for babysitting the princess. We spent most of the 4th in the pool at my parents' house, and headed back to El Dorado on Sunday. Oh, Ryan got to go to the shooting range with his brother on Friday. I was so glad he was able to go. Can you believe they don't have a shooting range anywhere around us in Arkansas??!!!

4th of July with Aunt Christy and Uncle Ronald


Papa and Madalyn


Mama and Madalyn



Papa and Mama with Madalyn


The LORD is so good to us! I started getting sick Sunday morning, and ended up getting a summer cold I am still fighting. The amazing thing is that Madalyn started sleeping through the night THAT NIGHT! The LORD knew I needed a full nights sleep. She did it on her own...no stirring in the middle of the night, no crying, nothing, nada! That was July 5th...she was 11 weeks and 3 days old!

I fought that cold hard that week...I had a trip planned the next weekend and wanted to be able to go...there was a point that I thought I was not going to make it, but we did. That's right, our third trip in as many weekends. Madalyn and I went to Mobile, Alabama for Robert and Amy's wedding! We were so excited to be able to attend. We not only got to see Robert and Amy wed, we also got to see Ronald and Christy (for the 2nd weekend in a row) and Madalyn got to meet one of my best friends Kandace and her hubby Steven! We had the best time!

Madalyn and I at the wedding.


Madalyn with Kandace and Steven.


Not that I want to bore you (this is more for my memory than for your enjoyment, although you might get a kick out of the stories), but I need to recount two things that happened on that trip.

On the way there, I stopped at a Shell station to feed Madalyn, get gas, get a drink, etc. When I tell you we were there for an hour...I am not exagerating at all. I pulled in, ran inside and went to the bathroom (with Madalyn of course), came outside and fed her in the backseat. Pretty uneventful, huh? Then, and I mean a BIG then...we pulled to a pump and got gas. We pumped, and then we went inside to get a drink. (Remember, I have a cold) I start choking. not choking on something, just coughing uncontrollably choking. I run to get a big water and start chugging! I can't stop coughing! I am snotting all over the place. Madalyn, who is on my shoulder, throws up all over the floor. I have to sit her on a Bud Light with Lime display. I wipe her up, use her birp cloth to wipe my nose. Finally I stop coughing. I have mascara running down my face from my eyes watering, and I have just chugged 32 ounces of water! I go to the counter pay for my water, walk out to the car, move it, and nurse Madalyn a little more before we get on the road again. whew! it was insane!

My next story comes at the wedding. They had the wedding in a really cute chapel (think A Walk to Remember). The problem was there was no aisle except the middle aisle. I did not want Madalyn to start crying during the processional and have no where to go. SO, I went into the bathroom (it was at the entrance of the chapel). I stood in there with Madalyn while the processional happened. As soon as Amy walked in the door Madalyn started to whimper. I immediatley shut the door and starting feeding her (I wanted to say, stuck my boob in her mouth, but, well I just did) :) So, I watched (listened) to the wedding from the bathroom with the door cracked. That's right folks, I drove all the way to Alabama and didn't even get to see the wedding. If anyone but my sweet girl had prevented me from seeing it, I would have been mad. But, i can't get mad at that face!

We drove back home on Sunday, just in time for me to get ready for Vacation Bible School the next week. My friend Amanda and I co-taught the first graders. It was awesome! There were about 30-40 of them on any given day. One day was completely out of control, but overall we had a great week. I got to pray with a little girl as she asked Jesus to forgive her of her sin! It was a sweet moment. She was so excited to go home and tell her dad. He actually read her the pamplet that we gave her that night before bed.

Thursday, July 16th was Madalyn's 3 month birthday. She is currently 16 lbs. 4 oz and is 25 inches long. (just to remind you, she was 9 lbs. 7 oz. and 22 inches long at birth). She is growing so much, so fast! She is still sleeping through the night...all except for two days (growth spurt). She stayed in the nursery during church for the first time on July 19th. I figured, she had been in there everyday the previous week for VBS, she could handle a couple of hours on Sunday morning. She has done great! She has also started grabbing at her toys, holding her hands together, laughing a lot more, chewing on her hands, and so much more. We also had her first photo shoot (pics to follow)! She is the most beautiful baby if I do say so myself. :)

Funny Madalyn at 3 months old.


Ryan is about to start the turn-around at the refinery next Thursday. Since he is going to be working 7 days a week, 14 hours a day until it is finished (hopefully no more than 60 days), his company is giving him 4 days off before it starts (how generous of them...insert sarcasm here.) We decided that we are going to take a little trip to the beach! We are leaving Sunday and will be back on Tuesday or Wednesday...we haven't decided yet. It should be wonderful! I will update with pictures when we get back.

Here are some pics of the last month. Sorry the post is so long...I should have probably broken it down...oh well. Love you all.

Father's Day 2009. Her onesie says "Jesus Loves Me and So Does My Daddy".


This was after church on Father's Day.




Sometimes she has what we like to call Conan O'Brien Hair.

I Want To Hold Your Hand

No baby yet. I am anxiously waiting for her to make her grand entrance. I am not uncomfortable and I am definitely not complaining, I just want to hold my baby.

FYI - when I went to the doctor last Thursday, I was 2 cm dilated. The doc said that her head was not engaged yet, but that was most likely due to the fact that she is a large baby and she needs my uterus to contract to move her down. She estimated (from the ultrasound) that Madalyn was already around 9 lbs.

Because my doctor is estimating her to be large (and she seems to be in charge right now), she doesn't want me to go over my due date too far because she knows how much I want to have a natural/vaginal delivery. She mentioned giving me a small amount of pitocin by the end of the week if I haven't gone into labor.

I go to the doctor Monday morning to check progress. I will let you know what she says and let you know what we decide as far as induction goes.

My hope and prayer is that I will spontaneously go into labor and won't have to make the decision to induce or not. Would you pray that with us?

In other news, the sermon today at church was great! We talked about God's grace and that we, as Christians, need to be Grace-full. I am so thankful for God's great grace and what it means in my life. I don't deserve it, and I am thankful that God sees to it that I have the exact amount the I need no matter what the circumstance. He is so faithful!


Here are a couple of pictures from today. 39 weeks and 4 days pregnant.

Updates

I know it has been a while. Life has been a whirlwind. I felt the need to get on here and post a few updates (pictures coming soon).

Since my last blog so much has been going on as we get ready for Madalyn's arrival. It is going to be here sooner than we can imagine, and we are so excited! We can't wait to meet her!

I spent some time in Houston over the weekend. I got in on Thursday night. Friday, my dad and I ran errands ALL day. I was beat! There are so many things that I cannot get in El Dorado that I had to get in Houston, and this was the only day to do it all.

Saturday we had our first baby shower. Unfortunately, Ryan was not able to be there because he had to work. But, I did use our wonderful new video camera (which, btw we got a STEAL on) to capture everything for him and Madalyn. It was such an amazing and overwhelming experience for me. I was blown away by the generosity of so many loved ones. I will share a few stories (with pictures included) in a future blog. Big props to my mom, my two wonderful sisters, my bro's girlfriend, and one of my besties DANNA! They did such an amazing job hosting the shower. It was more than I could have ever imagined. Oh, and a shout to my baby brother for providing the Starbucks!

Sunday was my nephew Dawson's 7th Birthday. We had a little family party at my sister's house to celebrate. One thing to mention about his birthday. He had a Star Wars themed party. His grandma Judy made him a Jedi cape just like Luke Skywalker has! It was seriously one of the coolest things I have ever seen.

Monday, I was planning on driving back to Arkansas, but I caught a stomach bug and was forced to stay one more day curled up on the couch. It was not fun! I focused on drinking a lot of water and eating the BRAT diet (bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast). By Tuesday morning I was good to go and got to come back to Arkansas.

The trip was uneventful and it was wonderful to get to see Ryan. I missed him so much. We also got to go through all of the things we were blessed with at the shower. He was in shock at the amount of pink that had been moved into our house!

I will post about my doctor's appointment in a minute. Thanks again to everyone who made my shower something that I will remember for the rest of my life.

Love to you~

Natural Childbirth

I feel the need to let y'all know that Ryan and I (well, mainly me) are going to have Madalyn all-natural. We are using The Bradley Method. I have many pregnant friends right now, and a few of them are using The Bradley Method as well.

For a quick synopsis, The Bradley Method focuses on husband-coached relaxation during first-stage labor, and a completely drug free delivery. It also focuses on preparing your body for child-birth by doing certain exercises and ensuring that you and your baby get proper nutrition.

Of course there is more to it. You can check out their website www.bradley birth.com

There are also two books that I recommend reading:

Husband-Coached Childbirth by Dr. Robert Bradley

Natural Child-birth the Bradley Way by Susan McCutcheon

If you have any questions or comments about why we are choosing to birth the baby in this way, please ask. I would love to talk to you about it.

I hope everyone has a great weekend.

31 Biblical Virtues to Pray for Your Kids

I recently came across a pamphlet in our churches prayer room with the same title as this blog. I thought it would be a great idea to type out the virtues and pray one for each day of the month for Madalyn. I would encourage y'all to do the same. Of course, you can switch them up or add things that you think might be more beneficial. I would love to hear if anyone ends up doing this or has any other ideas. Also, if you would like the Word Document instead of cutting and pasting, let me know and I can email it to you.

31 Biblical Virtues to Pray for Your Kids
1. Salvation – “Lord, let salvation spring up within my children, that they may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory” (Isaiah 45:8; 2 Timothy 2:10)

2. Growth in Grace – “I pray that my children may grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18)

3. Love – “Grant, Lord, that my children may learn to live a life of love, through the Spirit who dwells in them” (Galatians 5:25; Ephesians 5:2)

4. Honesty and Integrity – “May integrity and honesty be their virtue and their protection” (Psalm 25:21)

5. Self-control – “Father, help my children not to be like many others around them, but let them be alert and self-controlled in all they do” (1 Thessalonians 5:6)

6. Love for God’s Word – “May my children grow to find Your Word more precious than much pure gold and sweeter than honey from the comb” (Psalm 19:10)

7. Justice – “God, help my children to love justice as You do and act justly in all they do” (Psalm 11:7; Micah 6:8)

8. Mercy – “May my children always be merciful, just as their Father is merciful” (Luke 6:36)

9. Respect (for self, others, authority) – “Father, grant that my children may show proper respect to everyone, as your Word commands” (1 Peter 2:17)

10. Biblical Self-esteem – “Help my children develop a strong self-esteem that is rooted in the realization that they are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:10)

11. Faithfulness – “Let love and faithfulness never leave my children, but bind these twin virtues around their necks and write them on the tablet of their hearts” (Proverbs 3:3)

12. Courage – “May my children always be strong and courageous in their character and in their actions” (Deuteronomy 31:6)

13. Purity – “Create in them a pure heart, O God, and let that purity of heart be shown in their actions” (Psalm 51:10)

14. Kindness – “Lord, may my children always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else” (1 Thessalonians 5:15)

15. Generosity – “Grant that my children may be generous and willing to share, and so lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age” (1 Timothy 6:18-19)

16. Peace-loving – “Father, let my children make every effort to do what leads to peace” (Romans 14:19)

17. Joy – “May my children be filled with the joy given by the Holy Spirit” (1 Thessalonians 1:6)

18. Perseverance – “Lord, teach my children perseverance in all they do, and help them especially to run with perseverance the race marked out for them” (Hebrews 12:1)

19. Humility – “God, please cultivate in my children the ability to show true humility” (Titus 3:2)

20. Compassion – “Lord, please clothe my children with the virtue of compassion” (Colossians 3:12)

21. Responsibility – “Grant that my children may learn responsibility, for each one should carry his own load” (Galatians 6:5)

22. Contentment – “Father, teach my children the secret of being content in any and every situation, through Him who gives them strength” (Philippians 4:12-13)

23. Faith – “I pray that faith will find root and grow in my children’s hearts, that by faith they may gain what has been promised to them” (Luke 17:5-6; Hebrews 11:1-40)

24. A Servant’s Heart – “God, please help my children develop servant’s hearts, that they may serve wholeheartedly, as if they were serving the Lord, not men” (Ephesians 6:7)

25. Hope – “May the God of hope grant that my children may overflow with hope and hopefulness by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13)

26. Willingness and Ability to Work – “Teach my children, Lord, to value work and to work as it with all their heart, as working for the Lord, not for men” (Colossians 3:23)

27. Passion for God – “Lord, please instill in my children a soul that ‘followeth hard after thee’, one that clings passionately to You” (Psalm 63:8)

28. Self-discipline – “Father, I pray that my children may acquire a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair” (Proverbs 1:3)

29. Prayerfulness – “Grant, Lord, that my children’s lives may be marked by prayerfulness, that they may learn to pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests” (Ephesians 6:18)

30. Gratitude – “Help my children to live lives that are always overflowing with thankfulness and always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:20; Colossians 2:7)

31. A Heart for Missions – “Lord, please help my children to develop a desire to see your glory declared among the nations, your marvelous deeds among all peoples” (Psalm 96:3)

Busy, Busy, Busy

I have been trying to think about things to post on here that would be of interest to y'all. In my quest to think of something profound to post, I realized that although nothing profound has happened in the last week, I have been BUSY!

So, all y'all are going to get is a run-down of my week, sort of...

Friday was spent making a blanket, finishing our Christmas cards (minus the return labels and stamps) and attending a birthday party for some sweet 13 year-old girls that we know. Their parents are actually the first people we met in El Dorado. The blanket was part of their gift. They had a "dance" party complete with a DJ and shirts their mom made to commemorate the event.

Saturday, Ryan worked and I did stuff around the house, including finishing the Christmas cards. Overall I had a pretty lazy day. (I was pooped from that party! I have realized I am no longer 13!) Saturday night, Ryan and I went to Home Depot to get a few things (not before us locking the door, thinking the other one had the keys, and having to break in to our own house to get our keys. This also led to us buying a couple more items at Home Depot while we were there.) We came back home and watched the Heisman presentation, almost knowing that Colt McCoy wasn't going to win, but having hope that he might...we were sad, but not shocked at Bradford's win.

Sunday morning we went to church. I love our church! The people are wonderful, the message was great, and the music is always amazing. Plus, they have it decorated so beautifully for Christmas. I will have to get a picture so y'all can all see. That afternoon we fixed our door (see Saturday night) and Ryan poured some concrete (we are closing off some of our yard with a fence so our dogs have more room to run). Ryan went hunting and I went to church for an Orchestra concert - it was AWESOME! I recorded it to share with my family because I knew it was going to be so good!

Monday...I went to the Post Office, went to the bank, cleaned around the house, tried a new recipe (it was ok), worked out...that is all I can remember. Monday is kind of a blur.

Tuesday was my super busy day, and I am kind of paying for it this morning. I left the house around 10 (after some house work), went downtown to get Christmas gifts for the twins i mentioned and their sister, then I went to Wal-Mart for some shopping until it was time to take Ryan his lunch. I then went to the church for my prayer time. Went to JCPenny, the hardware store, a cute little store we have here called Especially For You (to get another present), and to the grocery store. I got home around 4:30, cleaned the kitchen, checked the mail, and started supper (homemade Tomato Basil soup...it was yummy). When Ryan got home, we ate and headed back to Wal-Mart for a few more things I didn't have time to get my previous trip. By the time we got home I was ready for bed. I had been on my feet so much, I didn't realize how necessary it is for me to take a break and relax for 10 minutes every few hours. Growing a baby takes it out of you!

This brings us to today...I woke up at 7 and read for a while. Fell back to sleep until my momma called. Felt the urge to blog, and now I am going to eat and get ready for the day (at 10:30!).

One more thing I didn't mention...I have been trying to register online for the baby...we were going to only register at Babies 'R Us, but since the closest one to us is in the Woodlands, we decided to register at Wal-Mart too since we have one in town. Our computer is so slow, that it takes forever, so I have given up until we come to Houston over Christmas. I am going to attempt to do some registering in person while we are there.

I apologize if this was a bore (and LONG!) and that I didn't have anything profound to blog about. I will try harder. :)

Happy Wednesday!