Sunday, December 12, 2010

Time is flyin'!

Madyson is now 10 months old and growing so fast! Not just in size but in everything she does. One minutes she is just crawling around on the floor and the next she is able to pull herself up on her new little chair that Grandma B got her. Her personality grows as well. It is a strong one and no doubt my child. If she is finished with something, wants something or is frustrated by something, she lets you know! :) She is very alert and aware of her surroundings and still seems more interested in learning to talk than to walk, which is fine with me.

Other foods we have added to her repertoire: broccoli, chicken, mushrooms, spinach, garlic, onions, cereal puffs, turkey and green bean casserole! Slowly introducing the foods as they are instead of puree them to a mush. So far she seems to be adjusting very well.

She also had her first Thanksgiving and enjoyed all the news foods! We are very thankful for the many blessings in our lives.

Tomorrow we are going to be baking cookies and spending sometime with other kiddies and then in a couple of days we are headed to the east coast to visit with family and friends and we cannot wait. It will be a nice, but cold, vacation.

We hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Thursday, November 18, 2010

9 month check-up

Madyson is in good health! She just received her second flu shot (apparently they are giving two for the first year of life). She is growing like a weed; 81% head, 23% weight and 92% height. She is a long little girl! Her iron is a little low so we have started feeding her a few different things... the most interesting has been Chicken livers, which she seems to really enjoy! She is also eating egg yolks, broccoli, pineapple, and she even gnawed on a pretzel stick which I think she also enjoyed as it helped with massaging her top two teeth that seem to be pushing through. She is still sleeping well again... had a little lapse as the time change occured. Going to bed between 3:30-4:30pm and waking around the same in the morning. It was rough, thankfully we are back on track. :)




Saturday, November 6, 2010

VIDEOS!

Not for baby!


I can do it!


I love balloons!

Monday, October 18, 2010

Pregnancy questons...

Let me preface this post with this... I know I am not an expert and below are just some of the things that worked for me... hopefully they will work for you too. I am posting this as I have been asked about things related to pregnancy for a number of people. So here's a quick post on the things I found that made mine a little easier, obviously what works for one may not work for another but when you're pregnant, you will try anything that may work so here ya go!

-A body pillow is a must for sleeping; MUST, MUST, MUST! It's great for comfort and for your back.
-Give in to the cravings, you're having them for a reason just try to eat small portions
-Fish oil supplements are your friend; great for back ups (if you get me) good for your skin and hair and statistics show they help with the baby's brain development. If you have problems with the after taste, throw them in the freezer and take them with food. Carlson's brand is what I use.
-If you have heartburn and cannot seem to find anything to ease it, like I did, try this: Hot water with about 2 tablespoons of vinegar, some honey and lemon. It works wonders, doesn't sound very good, but you will feel much better. I tried this only after going through two extra large bottles of Tums and this did more for me.
-WALK, WALK and WALK some more. If there was one thing I did my entire pregnancy was walk! It kept my spirits up, my weight down and it gave my husband and I a lot of time to talk about things as he usually joined me with our dog Shaye.
-I admit I did have a couple of sips of wine while I was pregnant, after my first trimester. I also drank about 100 bottles of Sparkling Apple Juice... the stuff was like crack. If you are craving a little bubbly, try this for a substitute.
-Fun little thing to do: There is a over the counter Gender test you can take... it's only about 85% accurate but fun to do.

Hope these little tidbits help! :)

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Madyson is 8 Months old!

Holy cow, time is flying! Next week she will be driving! ;)

Madyson is doing extremely well. I think she eats better than Kevin and I. Here are some of the things she has tried thus far (all of which, we have prepared for her):

-Bananas
-Avocado
-Carrots
-Peaches
-Pears
-Apples
-Apricots
-Tomato
-Basil
-Corn
-Peas
-Leeks
-Onions
-Pumpkin
-Sweet potato
-Potato
-Cauliflower
-Zucchini
-Chicken
-Lamb (surprisingly, she really likes this one)

Tonight I am introducing her to asparagus and mushrooms.

Yesterday we went to Bates Nut Farm! This was our first trip to Bates and Madyson's first trip to a farm/pumpkin patch! We had a blast! We started off with a hayride around the farm, we even brought Shaye along and he loved it! After that, we headed over to the shade for Madyson's mid-morning snack, then over to the ponies and farm animals... Madyson wanted to ride the ponies but I told her she would have to wait until next year. :) We checked out the country store and then headed to the pumpkin patch. There were so many pumpkins! Itty bitty ones to Giant Pumpkin size, Charlie Brown would have been impressed. We walked through the bigger ones just to look around and take some pictures of Madyson and then we picked out our Jack-O-Lantern pumpkin and headed home. It was a great morning and it wiped all of us out!

She is still doing good with sleeping through the night, although her bedtime varies from 4:30pm to 6:30pm and generally wakes up around 6-6:30am. If only we could push both these times back a little we would be in there! Although, I am not complaining.

Lately, I have been trying to slowly introduce small bites for her to pick up with her hands and feed to herself. We started yesterday and she really was just moving the food around the tray. I would hold a piece for her, bring her fingers together around it and then guide it to her mouth for her. Today, we started the same way, but after about 10 minutes she was off on her own!

She has also recently started to crawl and by that I mean she has her face in the ground while kicking her legs in a frog like motion and slowly inches towards the toy (or the pine cones I have set out) until she reaches it. She is starting to figure out that it is much easier, and less painful, to keep her head up. Baby proofing here we come!

And the last update, but by no means least; she said "Mama"!!! She usually only makes this sound when she is upset, but just to hear it come out of her cute little mouth was enough to make anyone melt... I promise, you would have too. We are working on "dada" now. :)

Saturday, October 2, 2010

Busy day!

After running some errands this morning, I set up shop in the kitchen and I think I prepared enough food for Madyson to last the month!

We made:
Tomato, Cauliflower and Carrot with Basil
Potato, Leek Carrot and Peas
Sweet potato with Spinach and Peas
and
Chicken with Sweet Potato and Apple

I can honestly say each of these dishes were so yummy! Let me know if you would like the recipes.

Other than that, just chillin' with the baby and hubby and about to watch the Bama game!

Monday, September 27, 2010

Pumpkin and Leeks

I found this recipe in a baby puree book, but after tasting it, I WILL be making this a side dish for fall meals. It's easy and delicious! All you do is take the white part of a leek, wash it and slice it (about 1/2 cup) and throw it in a saucepan with about 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter. Saute under tender and slightly browned. Then add about 2-3 cups of chopped up (and this is important) FRESH pumpkin and about 1/2 cup of water (or Chicken stock) and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes or until the pumpkin is tender. If serving to baby, puree and you're done. If you are eating it yourself, as I will be the next time I make this delicious little dish, just move to plate and devour! Enjoy!
Madyson is sitting up on her own! One of the little boys in her daycare is about 2 weeks or so younger than she is and this kid is on the verge of walking! I am in no way jealous of his mother. I am completely content with Madyson taking her time becoming mobile. :) Although part of me thinks she will skip the whole crawling thing and move straight to walking. We'll see and I will keep you posted. For now, I am just happy she is self sufficient in the sitting department. It makes it much easier to take pictures of her when Kevin is not around.

Speaking of taking pictures. Steph and I are moving right along with the business. We are official in Virginia, just waiting on California and North Carolina business licenses and we will hit the ground running. Actually, I think we have already hit the ground sprinting! We both already have a couple of things lined up and I cannot wait to get started. It feels amazing to start something new, but even more so, something creative. For those that know me know I have an "A" type personality, but with that, I also have a very creative side that I have always nurtured in some way, whether it was throwing clay, working with watercolors and charcoal, pastels or woodburning. While in the Marine Corps, I think my favorite job, second to being the Flight Line OIC, was S-5. I absolutely loved planning for events such as the Ball, Christmas parties, and squadron events. I think my favorite thing in the S-5 though was putting together the Squadron's cruise book. We hadn't had one since Vietnam and with our 40th Anniversary coming up, the CO wanted one and I jumped at the chance. Plus, it killed a little of the deployment time that seems to drag on forever.

Anyhow, the website is currently under construction but I cannot wait until it is finished! I think we're headed in the right direction and we both love photography and composition. I just need a little refinement in the capabilities of my camera. More on this later...

Until then, here's a little Madyson fix:



Wednesday, September 15, 2010

TEETH!

This is late, however, Madyson has teeth! Yes, I said teeth and not tooth. Originally, we only noticed a tooth, but a couple days later while checking on the first one, I "noticed" (which means while checking on the first one she bit down and I felt the other one). She seems to be doing okay with them for now. A little fussy here and there, and sleeping about 12-14 hours a night (occasionally waking for her paci) but otherwise good! You may be thinking that it's amazing that she sleeps that long... what I find amazing is that she isn't sleeping during the day! Maybe 15-45 minutes, but that's it folks. I guess she is too interested in the things going on around her. She's happy and healthy and that is all I ask. Being so cute you just want to eat her up is just a bonus! :)

This weekend I plan on taking her to the pool, we'll see how that goes. She is fair skinned like me and I will definitely be putting SPF 250 on her and myself!

The only other thing is that she is darn near close to crawling! Someone help me! :) I am actually looking forward to it. I know it will mean we will have to be more careful about the things at her level and both stairways, but it should be fun, if not interesting! Next week she should be walking and by Halloween maybe talking! :D I kid, I kid.

Other than that, not much going on. Here are a few photos, enjoy!












Wednesday, September 1, 2010

East Coast Vacay



Madyson and I have just returned from a whirlwind trip back east. As you can see from the post below, the trip out was a little frustrating, however, once we got back to mom's house we were both in great spirits! Madyson stayed up until about 7pm and was ready for bed. Who could blame her, she had a very long day that began at 0430!

The next day we drove up to Maryland to visit with Dad and Sharon. Madyson even got to meet one of her uncles, David, for the first time. They got along great!



Both Madyson and I were pretty jet lagged. Madyson napped quite a bit while I relaxed on the couch. It rained most of the time we were there with some great thunderstorms at night. They did not seem to phase Madyson and she slept pretty good through the night, until about 0330 where she didn't go back to bed until around 0500 or so. Rough!

Once we left Maryland, we headed back to mom's to take a rest from driving and stayed the night. The next day we drove down to Norfolk to visit with Paw Paw and Grandma Marlene. Madyson had a great time visiting and loved the carrots they fed her!





After Norfolk we headed back to mom's where we would stay for the remainder of our visit. Madyson still had a lot of people to meet! She met another one of her uncles, Kenneth. They both seem to share a fondness for electronics.




We went up to Georgetown to visit with a friend of mine, Meredith. Madyson got to meet her and her two beautiful children, Nattie and Jakob!





We also went over to Dottie and Willie's for some crabs!!!! Now this was a treat as I thought we weren't going to have crabs until Saturday's picnic, but we had them on 3 separate occasions!





Madyson also met Mitch, Pat, Cindi, Sheri, Sean, Brad, Brandon, Jenny, Brian, Hayley, Hudson, Claire, Elaine, Beth, Susan, Jenny, David, Dylan, Nathan, Kimmie, William, Avery, gosh, she met almost the whole family and then some!





It was a very tiring, yet awesome trip! Definitely good to see everyone!! We missed visiting with a few people as we ran out of time, but hope to make the rounds again in the fall. I definitely miss being back in Virignia, but I was ready to be home with Kevin and Shaye and to have a good night's sleep in my own bed. I am looking forward to Christmas!

Monday, August 23, 2010

AirTran

The morning started very early, 0430! Kevin, Madyson and I were out the door by 0500. All of us exausted but ready to go. Kevin would not be going with us as he is off for a "man-cation" with his buddies to hike Yosemite. Madyson and I am headed east to visit family and friends. Very excited and nervous. Excited to see everyone, but nervous because this will be the first time Madyson will be flying. How will she do?

As I got to the ticket counter, I began pulling up my reservation, with no help, or greeting, from the women behind the desk. Once complete with my check-in, I ask if I can get a gate pass so that my husband could help me and Madyson through to the gate. Mind you, I have her stroller, her car seat, my purse, a camera bag and her diaper bag. They have a discussion behind the counter. One states she would not give me one if it were her and as if that were enough, the woman then looks at me and says she can't give me one for security reasons. What is a gate pass for? They exisit, but for who? Not a big deal, I am a big girl and I have dealt with much worse things.

As I kiss Kevin goodbye, Madyson and I are ushered to a different line for those with things to claim, such as formula, medications etc. I put everything in the bins like I know I need to do, take Madyson out of the car seat and put that on the conveyor belt and ask the attendant what I should do with the stroller as I don't think it will fit through. She tells me it will and to fold it up. Ummm, I have a baby in one arm and cannot fold this thing down, but she insists that I do so, until finally a man decides to help me. Mmmmm, I wonder if THIS is when a gate pass would have been helpful?

We get to the gate and they start boarding the plane "Zone 1". They don't even let the elderly or those with small children needing assistance get on first. Long story much shorter than it really could be, AirTran has horrible service all around. To top it off, at the end of the flight, after getting home, my personal laptop was stolen from my baggage and they basically said, Oh well, you should have taken it on the plane with you. Really? Flying AirTran was like riding a very dirty bus. I felt like I needed a shower afterwards. From here on out, I promise I will never sacrifice good service, comfort and experience for cheaper fares. It's worth a little extra money to deal with professionals.

Oh and Madyson did awesome! She had many passengers flirting with and constantly smiling at her. She slept during both take-offs and landings and played quietly in between. She even won over a tough cookie sitting next to us on the second leg. He didn't even acknowledge we were there but by the end of the flight I caught her looking at him and when I looked over he was making silly faces at her. I have an awesome baby!

Sunday, August 15, 2010

Daddy and Madyson

With an upcoming trip to Virginia, we thought it best to wait and start Madyson on solids until after we returned. That did not last very long and we decided to break out the BabyCook from Williams Sonoma... this thing is awesome! Dice up some fruits, veggies and even potatoes, throw them in the steamer basket, hit the steamer switch and it cooks the food in about 15 minutes (depending on the food, could be less), then transfer the food to the bowl beneath and hit puree and it makes a nice, smooth tasty little treat for the little one!

First, we started her on Rice Cereal and then we introduced her to sweet potato!










I think she really enjoyed it, what do you think? hahaha





Monday, August 9, 2010

New things to come

Today we were going to have our first real play date with little Miss Aly and Miss Olivia, but Madyson is feeling a little under the weather and we do not want to go spreading something around. She's not too bad as of right now she has a slight fever at 99.4 and a bit stuffy, but she is in really good spirits. Plus, I am making her sleep as much today as I can, one, so she'll rest and two, because she didn't sleep very well last night, poor thing.

As for me, I am sitting in front of the computer editing some photos and going over some website inclusions. For those of you that didn't know, my sister and I are looking to start a photography business. She is still in school and I am at home with the little one, so it's nothing too ambitious just yet. Just a creative outlet that I have been dying for since about 10 years now... just wasn't sure which path it would lead me to; marketing, interior design, staging, or advertising. To tell you the truth I had never thought about doing photography. In school I always loved the arts; watercolor, pastels, stippling, throwing clay or my favorite, as I later discovered, wood burning. Recently, and this is probably due to the new addition to our family, I have really fallen in love with taken photos. Playing with composition and the different settings of the camera and seeing what effect you come up with. On top of that, my mom got me photoshop and I am excited about the possibilities. This program is amazing. After dinner and Madyson is put to bed, this is what I look forward to, while Kevin is "killing people" on Call of Duty, I get to play with Adobe and I love it!

As for the business portion of our endeavor, it's a work in progress. The foundation is there, now we just need to tie all the loose ends to make sure we are doing things properly and Uncle Sam doesn't come after us (anymore than he will already anyhow).

I am just so excited to get this started I cannot stand it. I have already completed one photo shoot and it really was amazing. The shoot went great and we got some really good photos. To highlight, the photos were taken of a mother and child to be sent to the father while he is currently deployed with the Marines. Even better! I truly hope they brought a smile to his face.

Until my next one, I will be thinking up ideas, practicing with my camera and possibly signing up for some classes and putting some finishing touches on products and packages we will be offering. I am so excited you have no idea, but please keep checking back as I will keep you posted on where we are in the process and hopefully with a website link shortly! =D

Sunday, August 8, 2010