Ups and Downs...literally!

Have you ever just felt like rather than having a "no good, very bad, day" you were having a "no good, very bad, week"? That is how I felt this week. It started out with me running late and ended with me still trying to catch up...lol!

However, by Saturday evening, I realized that I need to get off the "pitty potty", stop being selfish, and be grateful for all the blessings in my life. So, this week I am thankful for... (in no particular order)

1. Sunday naps with my "little" man

2. A healthy baby boy...5 days into crawling, Maddux is pulling up on furniture....pretty sure we need to take "baby proofing" the house a bit more seriously....

Maddux starting to pull each and every toy he has from the boxes to spread all across the living room

Maddux playing "hide-n-go-seek" with with his favorite puppy toy!

3. A wonderful family who is supportive and loving...A husband who is compassionate, considerate, and makes every effort to be the best father to our son...

Family snap while eating at "Grubs"...If you haven't tried the "Grub's Sauce", I HIGHLY recommend it!

Daddy holding Maddux so Mommy could eat....

4. Andrew's dad ("Pops") who, even in his mid-70s, finds time to come and visit and play with Maddux often. We are so grateful that he puts such a high value on family time.

5. An amazing job through Arkansas Children's Hospital where I get to work with families who have children and loved ones with hearing loss. I love building relationships with these families and children. I am so grateful for the family support organization Arkansas Hands and Voices www.arhandsandvoices.org. This weekend they held their Northwest Arkansas family meeting at the University of Arkansas Speech and Hearing Clinic. I am always amazed and encouraged by these families' stories, courage, and strength. I hope I can continue to have the strength and energy to serve these families for years to come.

So, all that being said....there are so many things to be thankful for...my family's health, the amazing examples of living by faith so many of my family member's are, the many blessings God has and continues to provide for our families....I could in no way name all the things I need to be thankful for....I do plan to make a better effort at trying to remind myself of these things rather than letting negative thoughts creep in my days. No more "pitty potty" for this young lady!..lol!

What about you? What are you thankful for? Do you have scriptures or "go-to" songs/books that you seek out for your "no-good, very bad, days"?

On the move and super dad!!

Guess what Maddux decided to to this weekend?! He turned 7 months old last week and this weekend...he is crawling!!!

Of course he thinks this is hilarious!

He is also really starting to chat...check out this quick clip..

I must also share about how lucky I was to find and marry Andrew. He was such s trooper to stand in the cold while waiting to get in to Rhea Lana's this weekend. Then, he carried and sorted the stacks of clothes for Maddux. This was no small task and I could not have done it without him. He was amazing! Then, after lunch he tells me...."You need to be ready at 5:45. We are going on a date and I have already arranged childcare."

What??!!

Can you say "luckiest girl in the world"? I think so. Yes, we likely will not have another opportunity to go out on a date until June since baseball is now in full swing. (He helps coach the high school tram at Fayetteville); however, tonight was great!

He was also being a super dad when we shopped at Sam's this weekend...He an Maddux raided all the free food samples while mommy finished all the shopping.

So, any ideas on how I might be able to surprise him for our anniversary in June?? This year will mark 5 years of marriage and 7 years as a couple!! Time has flown! I'd really like to do something sweet for our anniversary, but I will definitely be on a budget. Any ideas? How was your weekend?

Rhea Lana's!!!!

Our house has been super busy this week. Rhea Lana's is this weekend and I spent my Monday evening after work helping to set up for the event to earn a worker's pass to shop early. It was sooooo worth it!
Check our the great stuff we were able to snag for Maddux!

Sticks and sickness, but still smiling!

Just before Christmas, I came down with I'm not even sure what...It was the flu, it was bronchitis, it was AWFUL!! Thank goodness my mom (Mimi) and Paepee came to visit and help us take care of Maddux for a few days. I'm not sure we would have made it without them.

A couple of weeks and trips to the doctor's office later...Maddux had the flu. He didn't feel well, but was still smiling.

Still smiling! Look at those rosy (feverish) cheeks! Poor baby!

Still loving to stand up and play!

Maddux was soon back to his usual self (an sleep pattern - thank goodness! - it was ROUGH for a few weeks there).

He has been growing, growing, growing!! Thank goodness Aunt Hannah and Uncle Jonathan were gracious enough to let us borrow their son's gently used baby clothes. It was such a blessing for us not to have to buy clothing during these months. Plus the clothes were SUPER CUTE!!

Trying on his 12 month sandals...
What?? Already fit!!
Look at those toes!!!

Check out Maddux pulling up 

on his "Jump-A-Roo" below!

Trying to be mobile!
Thank you Mimi and Peepaw!

Headed to church! Looking dapper in a vest,
but I'm pretty sure I have a biased opinion;)

Chatting it up!

Maddux at his first Razorback baseball 
game with his Daddy.
Daddy was pretty excited about this day. 
Thank you to Mimi and Paepee for all Maddux's Razorback gear!

This past week, we had our 6 month check-up at the doctor's office. He weighed in at 20 pounds (80th percentile), 29" (95th percentile), and 18.5" head (95th percentile). He has been having 4-5, 6 oz. bottles and 2-3, 4oz. containers of baby food daily. However, since our weight isn't in the 95th percentile like our height and head, what are the doctor's orders?

FEED HIM MORE!!!

What??!! We were told we can officially feed him anything that he won't get choked on (with the exception of dairy products of course). What was Maddux's reaction?

"More food sounds good to me!"

So, we are trying to follow the doctor's orders. We moved up to stage 3 baby foods and are now mashing up fruit and veggies for meals. 

Do you have any recipes or suggestions for foods for this stage? I would love to hear any suggestions you might have. This is definitely a new stage for us, so any advice is always appreciated! 

Months 3 through 6...fun times!

October 2012 was when I had to go back to work full time and Maddux started daycare full time. It was definitely tough going back to work. It was also hard to make the decision about whether or not I wanted to pay someone to take care of Maddux when that is time I would LOVE to have with him. After praying and crunching "the numbers", we decided that it would be best for Maddux to attend daycare and me to go back to work full time. Have any of you faced this same question about childcare or choosing to be a stay-at-home mom? If so, what was you decision and how did you come to that decision?

All I know is, I have no idea how moms with more than one baby ever make it to work on time or manage to stay awake throughout their entire work day. So far I am managing, but it is definitely tough with just one little one, I can't imagine more than one. Any suggestions or advice is much appreciated.

OK....enough about the tough stuff....let's get back to the cute stuff! 

At 3 to 4 months, we:

Were really starting to crack up..A LOT!
Big thanks to T'Sah and Peepaw for my cute
Red Sox shirt. It was definitely a daddy favorite

Had our first shots....Handled it pretty well,
but were NOT happy about it

Said "see you later" to Aunt Jennifer before she went to
Ethiopia, Africa for a mission trip...
We miss you!! (Yes, this picture is from when
he was a bit younger than 3 months, but it still works.

Hung out with "Pops"

Started having much more fun at bath time....

Started story time...Maddux is wearing his Woombie
The Woombie was a LIFESAVER for our sanity
and sleep during these months.

Weren't super sure about rice cereal in the beginning,
but can't get enough food now!

Started holding our bottle...
Another blessing for mommy and daddy.
Thank you Lord!

Cheered on Daddy at his first Tri-Athalon!

Got to snuggle with Granny Great!

Feeling like (Great) Papa today!

Hung out with Granny Great and PeePaw over Thanksgiving!

Peepaw playing with Maddux an "George". Thanks again Granny Great!

And hung out with Pops over Christmas!

We had lots of fun times, laughs, and not too many tears. Time is certainly flying! Do you have any favorite stories of your little one(s) when they were this age?

Months 1 through 3, help is key!

The first few weeks we had lots of help. My mom came and helped with cooking, cleaning, and giving us a break....I think Maddux may have gotten the better of her a few times..lol

YUMMY!!

Ok...maybe he got the best of everyone at times..lol!

My husband is a big baseball fan and loves to play when he can. He loves the Boston Red Sox and couldn't wait to start teaching Maddux the ropes...

Maddux was NOT a huge fan of bath time at first, but Daddy always made it interesting

I am so thankful that Andrew is a daddy who wants to be involved. He helped with taking turns feeding Maddux, diapers, bath time, you name it...He was there.

Our little guy has been a character from the beginning...

On our way to Aunt Susie's Baptism

Uncle Tim and Daddy trying to measure how much Maddux had grown..lol!

First Day of Daycare, October 2012

Not happy about the flash on mommy's camera!

Thanks to Aunt Amy Hunter for getting Maddux his first Arkansas Razorback T-shirt! WPS!

Ready to praise the Lord...headed to church!

This one pretty much sums it up. We are IN.....FOR....TROUBLE!!!!