Maddy's Firsts

It is so fun experiencing the world through Maddy.  I love watching her discover new things, and her fascination with little things.  Over the past 7 months, here are some of her discoveries and firsts:

 First time playing with a styrofoam cup and not being able to get enough of it! 

First time sitting in her bumbo by herself and really excited about it.

 First time Daddy feeding baby girl with a bottle - and has been done lots of times since!

First of many smiles.

First time playing hide and seek - with herself!

First time falling asleep in the Bjorn.

First time flying with Daddy - nice posture!

First time swimming in the pool in Florida last March.

First time watching Elmo and completely captivated.

First time driving with mom!  Shhhh don't tell!!

First time her tootsies popping out of her pjs - growth spurt!

  This was one of her first times sitting - now she is  a pro!

 Well, this is definitely not a first, but hopefully it won't become such a regular occurrence...

 First time eating carrots - we'll see how long the love for vegetables lasts.

First time loving the bouncer - thanks Aunt Katie (we promise to give it back)!

First time enjoying a spatula - I told her it tastes much better with brownie mix on it.

First time falling asleep while sitting up - she doesn't sleep near as much anymore!

First time trying out the Jump-a-Roo; she didn't quite get how to use it

 - maybe she'll like it better next month.

First time somehow ending up on the ground when she fell asleep in the carseat - 

and then she did it another time.  This girl likes to move!

Not a first - but a complete fascination with tags.

First bathrobe - too cute!

First time holding and later eating grass.

First time taking a bath in a sink and splashing all over and having Harry make "Maddy soup"!  (He was the only one that wanted to taste it for some reason.)

First time eating a banana out of her little mesh food ring 

- which is a really great idea, but disgusting to clean!

First time crawling backwards and ending up under the couch - and really upset about it!

Oh there are SOO MANY more - it's hard to choose some, 

but I know there will be lots more to come!  

Difference Between Mommy and Daddy

In one picture daddy fed Maddy, and in the other mommy fed her - I'll let you guess which is which.  

(And she was eating prunes because she had her first bout with constipation 

if your wondering what she was eating!)

Happy Mother's Day!

Words cannot describe how incredibly magical and wonderful it is to be a mother.  I always knew that I wanted to be a mom and couldn't wait to start a family.  What I didn't know was how difficult it was going to be to get pregnant.  Mitch and I were so fortunate when I got pregnant with our first round of IVF.  We didn't know if we were having a boy or a girl, so the whole pregnancy was filled with excitement of what little miracle was inside me.  And then the day came when Madeline Annette entered this world.  Our lives were completely changed forever.  We simply can't get enough of her.  And I cannot get enough of being a mother.  I have never felt my heart swell they way it does when I hold her in my arms and look into her eyes.  She definitely was sent from Heaven.  I am so fortunate every day that Heavenly Father chose me to be her mother.  I know that there are so many things I could and should be doing better.  But my love for her is indescribable and grows deeper and stronger everyday.  I am so thankful and grateful to be Maddy's mother.  I am so grateful for the mothers in my life and the impact they have had on me.  So, for this, my very first Mother's Day, I just feel so completely blessed - as my mother would say, my cup runneth over.

Maddy, I love you so much.  You give my life new meaning and I am so grateful to be your mommy.  

I feel so lucky to spend everyday with you and watch you experience the world.  

Thank you for letting me love you and shower you with kisses nonstop.  

You are the best girl a mommy could ask for and have made me the happiest mommy in the world.

Trip to Chicago!

Maddy and I had so much fun visiting Aunt Erin, Uncle Christophe, Harry, Isabella, Squatty (Bakunas number three due in July!) and Grammer (who came a day early and surprised us!).  So much fun, but as always, goes by WAY to fast!  We spent lots of time going to the park, the weather was so gorgeous the whole time.  Isabella and Harry were such great helpers too - Harry maybe too much, we would come in the room and see him carrying Maddy around!  It was so fun to see how much they have grown; Isabella still has her spunky personality, all of the pictures that she painted were "so beautiful", and Harry was still loving wearing his Iron Man costume and playing with his Spiderman.  My mom surprised me and came a day early!  It was so much fun spending time with my sister and mom.  I spent my first Mother's Day with my sister and her family.  It wasn't planned that way, but after we got the airplane tickets, we realized I was going to be there for Mother's Day too.  Christophe made breakfast for all of us in the morning and then we went to the park and had a picnic.  It was so wonderful being together - I was not ready to go home!

Maddy loved the park so much she had to take a nap in the sun!

I wish I would have thought of this - a necklace that is made for babies

to chew on it.  It was a total lifesaver on the plane ride -

and great Mother's Day present!

Yes, Maddy stayed awake all but 20 minutes out of our 5 hour plane ride. 

But she was in a great mood the whole time!

Isabella and Harry loved taking turns feeding Maddy -

that were such great helpers!

Harry loving pushing his cousin in the swing!  This was Maddy's

first time on a swing, and she could not stop laughing when I

would run towards her trying to grab her tootsies!

Such a big girl!  Loving eating mommy's apple - although had

to keep a close eye on her because she had some scary choking moments!

Maddy was loving Uncle Christophe scruffy face and couldn't get enough of it!

 Isabella, Harry and Maddy had the best time playing together.  

We wished we could play with them all the time!

Maddy's realized how to splash when taking a bath in the sink and she couldn't get enough of it - Erin's kitchen and anyone standing near her were covered in water.

 Loving the park!!

 This was Maddy's first time sleeping in an actual crib.  We have her still in a Pack n Play - so she was all cozy in the crib and loved sucking on the ribbons on the bumpers - if there are ribbons or tags on a toy, Maddy will find them!

 Such a fun treat being with my mom!

I think Maddy was a little thrown off by Aunt Erin's and Grammer's sunglasses.

As you can see, Maddy had a horrible time with her Aunt Erin.  

We definitely weren't ready to go home!