The Russo's

Ashley's arrival story

2012-01-30T23:49:00.019-05:00

I thought I would update everyone on how Ashley arrived early!

On Saturday morning, I was scheduled to have my maternity pictures taken at 10 am. On the way down there, I started to feel a few contractions. But since I was so determined to have these done before she arrived, I ignored them! Probably not the best idea I ever had, but it worked out ok in the end.

We got the photographers house a little after 10 am. My mom met us there to help with Madison while Rob and I got the pictures done. The pictures are going to be so cute, I cannot wait to share them once I get to, but that is another posting!

Towards the end of the session, they were coming more and more frequent, but I was still not timing them, as I was still hoping they would end by themselves. When I realized that they might not end by themselves, I thought to myself "Where do I want to have my 'last meal' before I have a baby?" That's right, I knew it was about that time.

If you know me at all, you know I LOVE mexican food. One of the best places in Atlanta is Jalisco's Mexican Restaurant, and we happened to be so close!

I most certainly over ate, but that thought of not eating real food again until Sunday night made me very sad. Once we got home, we put Madison down for her nap and Rob and I rested while I watched the KU basketball game. I started to really time them, and they were 8 minutes apart. 8 minutes apart isn't bad for a normal delivery. But since I was a scheduled c-section, 8 minutes was a little too close. However, I was stubborn and waited for them to get to 5 minutes apart, which they did!

At about 6-7 minutes apart, I called my mom and told her she needed to come on up to stay with Madison because I think we are having this baby today. She was very excited to hear those words, and was excited to get to spend some more time with Madison. Once my mom got there and confirmed that I was having contractions, we called the doctor and started to pack our hospital bag. The on-call doctor called back and told us to head to Labor and Delivery.

I started to feel nervous at this point. This was for real, we were going to have a new baby by the end of the day.

We got to the hospital around 5 pm; they got us in a room very quickly and started to monitor me and the baby. They examined me, and once they talked to the doctor again, we were scheduled to go into the operating room at 8...things were happening very quickly! I had my epidural put in about 7:30, and once I was numb, we headed to the operating room.

We arrived in the operating room at 8:05; she joined the world at 8:15 pm. I was wheeled into the recovery room at about 8:45 pm; it was a very quick delivery, which was great!

We had to wait in the recovery room much longer than we anticipated because the transport team took forever to get there! Which may have been ok because I was quite sick to my stomach while we were in there.

Once we got into our assigned room, NaiNai was waiting to meet her new grand-daughter! This was made possible by my best friend Amanda! She went over to sit at my mom's house while Madison was sleeping so that NaiNai could be here! That meant the world to me! Thanks so much Amanda, I love you!

We could not be any happier to welcome this sweet little princess into our family! We now feel complete, thanks to Ashley!

Ashley McIntyre Russo

7 pounds 6.3 ounces 19 inches

Saturday January 28 2012 at 8:15 pm

Welcome Ashley McIntyre!

2012-01-30T23:10:00.003-05:00

Ashley decided to join our family early! She arrived Saturday January 28, 2012 at 8:15pm. She weighed 7 lbs 6.3 ounces and is 19 inches! Here are a few pictures from her first 2 days with us. We hope to get more tomorrow, but we shall see!
Sweet kisses from daddy!

Me and my new little angel!

Me with both my baby girls! I am so lucky!

I hope you enjoy the preview. I hope to get more pictures taken tomorrow and get them uploaded.

Halloween!

2011-10-31T21:39:00.008-04:00

We had a great Halloween this year! First, we stopped by HIES for the Pumpkin Patch that they had the weekend before Halloween. We went with my friend Lindsay and her family, we had a great time, and got a pumpkin! Here is Madison and I in the "pumpkin patch" at HIES. This might be one of my favorite pictures so far!
On October 30th, we went to Boo at the Zoo at Zoo Atlanta. Madison had a great time. Here she is loving the elephants so much that she would not turn around for a picture with NaiNai. She LOVED it when the elephant made noises...she got so excited!Here is Madison in sitting with the pumpkins at the zoo...again, she LOVED everything about the event, such a great one!

Madison was so excited to see the pigs...it was adorable! Again, she would not look at the camera, but that is OK. I love that she was so excited to see them!

And here we have Halloween night...I was trying to get her to sit with me on the front porch, epic fail. She was too excited about everything; again, I was ok with that, because she was so cute!

Here she is at the end of trick or treating, she had a blast! She even carried her little orange pumpkin around the whole time. When we went to the front door of houses, she would go with me and "knock" on the front door as I rang the doorbell. She patiently waited for the door to be opened so that she could get her candy! She learned very quickly!

We had a great time taking our little ladybug around the neighborhood! I cannot even imaging next year when we have two little girls to parade around our neighborhood. Life is going to change so much in the next year, I cannot wait to see what it will bring! I hope you enjoy the pictures!!

Saying goodbye...

2011-10-31T21:30:00.005-04:00

Almost three weeks ago, we said goodbye to my sister and her family as they moved across the world to East Asia. It was a very sad weekend for everyone. Here are a few pictures that we took the last night we saw them.Here is NaiNai with her boys, doing what they love to do most...listening to NaiNai read them a book!

Here are my sweet boys, they stayed up so late that night; almost later than I did!

This is one of my favorites! This is me with all the kids...so hard to believe that next time we see them all, there will be one more kid in the mix!

I miss them all terribly, but glad they are enjoying their time over there. So glad also that I get to skype with them! I can't write too much because it makes me so sad to think about them being gone! We love them so much and miss them terribly!

More beach pictures...

2011-10-31T21:11:00.003-04:00

Here are a few more pictures from our beach trip! Hope you enjoy. We had a great time despite the chilly weather!

Beach Trip...

2011-10-24T12:41:00.003-04:00

In October, we ventured down to St. Simon's Island to my moms beach house. We always have a blast there! Here are a few pictures from our trip, more to come once I can get time at home to sit on the computer; hopefully tonight! Here is Madison trying to "read" my book! We were sitting on the front deck enjoying the nice weather, it was a bit chilly, but still so nice! And I put my book down for a minute, and she came over to my chair, picked up the book, carried it back to her chair, climbed up to the top of the recliner, and started "reading" it! It might have been one of the cutest things she has done!!!
We also took her on a bike ride while we were there. She was not the biggest fan in the beginning, mainly because of the helmet, she does NOT like things on her head. But in the end, I think she began enjoying to ride. Once she knew I was there, since she was on the back of Rob's bike, she did much better.

This picture was just too cute not to share. This was at the beginning of our trip leaving Atlanta. It was about 9:30 am. She had only been awake for maybe 2 hours. She was so tired, that she fell asleep for about an hour and a half on the way down there. She has not taken a morning nap in so long, it was kinda bizarre.

After she woke up, we turned on the DVD player for her, which was the best invention ever! She loved being able to watch Mickey and Minnie. She would get so excited to see the different shows come on (I bought a few DVDs for the drive)!

While we were down there, Madison tried some new types of food. She tried crab, which she liked, and shrimp. She was not a huge fan of the shrimp, just like mommy!

Some cute new pictures!

2011-09-15T14:11:00.000-04:00

The past few weeks have flown by. Here are some updated pictures of Madison that I took with my phone, so please excuse the graininess...

Madison and her cute little pigtails....

Maddie in her UGA cheerleading outfit! I don't have anything for KU yet, but I am working on getting her something!

Here is a picture of Maddie and I before Rob and I left for the UGA game...she is so cute!

There are more to come, but this is what I have at work with me! Hope you enjoy!

16 Weeks and 16 Months

2011-08-22T10:23:00.002-04:00

Wow...time sure has flown by. The past 16 months with Madison have been the best ever, which gives the new baby a big hurdle to get over!

I thought I would post about our daily life with a 16 month old and being 16 weeks.

First, we start off the day very early when she has to go to "school" because I have to be at work early. She gets up about 6:25-6:30, which means I get up about an hour earlier to get myself ready!

I drop her off at daycare, then head to work. She typically eats breakfast around 7:30, then has a snack around 9:00 am with her class.

Then, around 11:00, they all eat lunch at the table, in a big girl chair(for little kids), which is just adorable! Around noon, they all take a nap on the floor on mats. This was very scary for me in the beginning as she has never slept anywhere but her crib. But Ms. Francis said she is doing GREAT at her naps, and usually sleeps for the full 2 hour nap time.

Once all the kids have woken up, they all get another snack. Then, they either play outside, if it is not too hot out, or have fun inside.

I try to pick her up around 5:00, but sometimes I am running late and do not get there until 6:00. Which means that she is at daycare sometimes 11 hours! I feel so bad for her on these days, but she does not seem to care at all. She loves her "school", which is GREAT!

Once I have picked up my munchkin, we head home for dinner, which sometimes I pick up on the way home...but who has time that late to cook a full meal! After dinner, we play for a bit, I try to get her outside if it is not too hot. Then, about 7:45-8:00, sometimes earlier, sometimes later, we head up for a bath and bed time.

She LOVES bedtime, because we read to her her favorite books. She can pick out her books from the top of the bedside table. If she does not want that book read, she will shake her head no. Her favorites right now are Barnyard Dance, Pajama Time, and Five Little Monkeys.

After her books, I try to read her a prayer from her children's prayer book. Then we say our prayers before I put her in bed for night with ALL her monkeys, bunnies, and blankets that she MUST have in bed with her! She might be a tad high maintenance!

New words...

I feel like she is saying new words daily, which I know is not true. But here is a list of all the words that she can say and that we can understand!

Please, Thank you, Bailey, Dada, Mama, baby, diaper

When she wants more, she does the baby sign language and says please! If she is hungry, she will go to her high chair at our house and say please. When tired, she will sit on the bottom step and point up for the bed, so sweet! She most certainly knows how to communicate what she wants!

At her 15 month check up, It old the doctor that she is really wanting to take her diaper off at night and during nap time. She can also tell you when she needs a new diaper or when she has poop in there. She told us to try to potty train her over one weekend; we have not tried it yet, but hoping to this weekend. Keep your fingers crossed.

She weighed 20 lbs 5 oz at her appointment, which was in the 10th percentile, while she is 31.75 inches tall, which was in the 90th percentile. The dr wants us to come back for a "weight" check appointment. I cannot believe it with all the food that she eats! I guess she is so active these days at school. Her calories are going to her height, not her weight!

Back to the new baby...

We are expecting to find out the gender of baby number this Saturday, August 27th. We will keep everyone posted once we find out...I am trying to come up with a creative way to tell people, so check back!

I know that this was long, but we had a lot to catch up on!

Exciting times ahead...

2011-07-28T09:32:00.002-04:00

Rob and I are very excited to announce that we are expecting baby number 2 in February! We cannot wait to see what this little one is, and see its cute personality grow. Madison does not quite get the concept yet, but that is expected since she is only 15 months old. There are going to be tons of new changes that come along with this one...the main one is that Madison will not be the only child anymore!

We ask for prayers for a healthy pregnancy for me and for the healthy baby! I will keep the blog updated with weekly pictures of my quickly growing belly, and any other updates that we have.

Maddie's One Year Pictures....

2011-06-14T10:18:00.006-04:00

Last Thursday we had Madison's One Year pictures done at Peidmont Park. They turned out fabulous, but I had no doubt that they would since the photographers are AWESOME! Here are a few of my favorites...I hope you enjoy!

Our little family! Here she is trying to walk up the hill...her first hill ever!

Is she a natural or what?!?!?

So excited...

Giving her monkey some loving...she loves that monkey, it goes EVERYWHERE with us!

I love the police smocked dress...my sister gave her this for her birthday and I LOVE it...she can wearit next summer too since it is so long on her!

Hamming it up!

So small in the big city! Great place for pictures!

I could never have imagined that I could love someone as much as I love this little girl! She truely is a blessing to us!

Enjoying the sun...

2011-05-27T15:54:00.003-04:00

A few days ago, we enjoyed some time outside since it wasn't sooo hot. We walked around with her babydoll stroller, thanks Aunt Kristen! She loves to walk around and is getting so good at changing directions and moving the stroller if she hits a curb. Here are a few pictures from our adventure outside! This is pure precious! She wanted to carry her babydoll and try to push the stroller. She actually did very well pushing with one hand!

Nothing like a little girl and her daddy!

Madison trying to play with the bubbles! Not sure she got the hang of it, but maybe after a few more times she will really love it!

Beastly Feast...Zoo Atlanta!

2011-05-25T19:40:00.006-04:00

Here are a few pictures from the Beastly Feast that we attended a few weeks ago. I love this event, as the Zoo is my favorite place in Atlanta. The Zoo is completely closed so that you have the best view of all the animals. I LOVE the pandas from Chengdu, which is is awesome because I have been there and seen them in their habitat there. The gorillas were awesome! They feed them apples so they are front and center and all "fighting" over the apples.
The Zebras were prancing around...

And here is my favorite animal of all! The ELEPHANT! This creature amazes me, with its size and how they eat.

So Sweet...

2011-05-25T08:22:00.004-04:00

The last week, since Maddie has really started walking, has been a joyous time. The new things that she does are precious. One if my favorite might be that she will be standing and she will want to walk, but first she will reach up for your hand. Make my heart melt! Another great thing is that she will now walk over to the chair that her highchair is in and reach up when she is hungry. I love she can now tell me what she wants more than just sitting there and screaming!

We have been battling with the molars and her eye teeth, and still we have not seen them come in! I am so ready for them to come in, so that my sweet baby will come back.

Also, she has now started throwing tantrums...which is not a good thing. We have learned to just ignore her when she does this, but sometimes that is easier said then done. When she throws her entire body on the floor and starts kicking her legs...I thought this wasn't supposed to happen until she was 2! I guess one is the new two!

Here is a picture of Maddie in her pigtails that her teacher put in her hair!

Maddie absolutely LOVES her daycare teacher! I am so thankful to have such a wonderful place with such caring people. She has no separation anxiety when I drop her off, which is great!

I will try to get more pictures up soon! Life has been very hectic for us lately!

Maddie is WALKING!

2011-05-16T21:15:00.002-04:00

That's right...she is WALKING! I cannot believe that she is old enough to be walking. She will be 13 months next weekend, and my how the time has flown by! The past year has been a wonderful and crazy year. We have been so blessed with our little angel!

As I look back over the past year, I giggle and almost cry. We truly have had a wonderful year! It is so hard to believe that she is now a toddler, it is CRAZY! We are enjoying our time with her and experiencing everything with her.

All the wonderful things that we have experienced over the past year make all the late nights and midnight feedings and even her new tantrums worth it all!

On another note, she now has some good walking shoes for the summer! We made our first Stride Rite purchase yesterday, we are loving them! Hope you enjoy the video!

Birthday Party!

2011-05-01T21:32:00.003-04:00

On May 1, Madison had her official birthday party! We had a blast planning it, and then when it finally came, it went by way to fast! We had so many friends there to help her celebrate, it was awesome! She loved the cake again, except I think that she ate almost the whole thing her self this time. Here she is going at the cake again...she might start thinking that she gets a cake every week!
All the kids loved climbing the stairs...especially sweet Dominic! I loved Madison's outfit for the day, thanks to Aunt Kadie!

Here she is pushing her new babydoll stroller that "Aunt" Kristen gave her! We love it and she pushes it around all the time!

Hoping to get more up soon! We have so many pictures and videos to sift through. I hope you all enjoy!

We sure do love our little munchkin so much, it is hard to believe that she is a toddler now!

Happy Birthday part 2

2011-04-25T20:47:00.002-04:00

Happy Birthday to my sweet Madison! I cannot believe that she turned 1! It seems like just yesterday that we went to the hospital to have her. For her birthday, she wore a shirt that said "I'm the birthday girl!" with a cupcake on it and a pink tutu! I loved the outfit, too bad she can only wear it once! This was her trying her first cake ever! And she loved it...she ate it all and very quickly! Here are some pictures that show the progression of her eating the cake...enjoy!

All mushed up...

Shoving it in...

All gone...

Asking daddy for more...

My hair needs something more...

That was yummy, can I have some more...

We had a great day with her! The past year has been a crazy one, but I would not change a thing! I never thought that I could love someone as much as I love her!

Today, we went to the doctor for her 1 year appointment. Once we were there, I was talking to her about Maddie's ears. While at the beach, she started draining fluids from both ears; we took her to immediate care and they said that she was fine. However, after the doctor looked at both ears, she said that they were both punctured due to ear infections! I cannot believe that she has two ear infections, my poor little girl! On top of that, she is getting two molars on the bottom and her eye teeth are coming in; not to mention all the other teeth that are trying to get through.

Her statistics for 1 year are as follows:

Weight 18 lbs 12.6 oz, 10th percentile

Height 29 inches, 50th percentile

Happy birthday sweet baby girl, we love you so very much! We look forward to celebrating many more with you!

Happy Birthday part 1

2011-04-21T14:43:00.004-04:00

Fun playing in the sand and sun for my birthday! She had a blast playing the sand, I think she ate more sand than anything!She loves to splish splash in the water! It is like a giant bathtub to her!

There are more pictures to come after her birthday celebration tonight! Enjoy!

Beach Week

2011-04-20T14:59:00.003-04:00

This week are at St. Simons for my oldest nephews spring break. We are having a great time. My grandmother, Mimi, and Aunt Diane are here as well. I got a few pictures Monday at the pool with Maddie in her bathing suit sitting in her flower float. And some more at the beach playing in the sand with daddy. I hope you enjoy! Here she is sitting in the big girl chair at the beach under the tent!
She loved playing with the shovels and bucket in the sand...

Here she is examining the shovel, she loves to think about things!

We are looking forward to celebrating her birthday tomorrow. However, I am having a BIG problem with my little one turning one! We will see how I do tomorrow.
Look for mor pictures tomorrow of the birthday celebration!

Updates!

2011-03-25T20:28:00.007-04:00

My best friend Camie came down from Chicago this past weekend. We had a blast seeing her and spending time with her! We didn't do too much, since Rob was working and we had Madison. But, on Monday before we took her to the airport, we headed to the zoo! Here are a few pictures from our adventure.

Here she is with Camie, doing what she does best and absolutely loves to do, sucking her thumb!I really wanted to get some pictures of her with the bronze elephant, but since it was sooo sunny(which I am not complaining about :) ), there were not that many that came out well. But I thought that this one was very cute!

I absolutely love these types of pictures! Camie held her behind there so she could stick her head in there and be with the lions!

I know this one does not have my child in it, but I love the pandas, and thought this was a great picture of one!

So, here we have a picture of Madison with Rob. Unfortunately, Rob had to attend to police officer's funeral and was in his "dress blues". So We thought that it would be a great opportunity to get a picture of the two of them! It turned out great :)

She has been doing a lot of things new lately! One being that she started growling like the dog when is plays! She loves her Bailey, and now she can call him by his name! That's right folks, she has started to talk! She now says Bailey, kitty, NaiNai, and Bunny! And of course she still says mama and dada. Another new word is "dat" and "dis"! It is adorable when she looks at something and reaches out and says "dat" and then puts her hands together, which is sign language for please!

She is only on table food now, which makes going out to eat much more fun, since we do not have to carry baby food anymore. Her favorites are veggies(corn and peas mainly), chicken, hot dogs, and mac 'n' cheese! If she is anything like her mama, she will absolutely cheese!

The past 11 months have been the best of my life! I can picture my life without my sweet angel! I cannot wait to celebrate her first birthday at the beach with my whole family, including Madison's great-grandmother, Mimi, and her great-aunt Diane. We are looking forward to the trip, which will be a much needed break for both mama and dada!

Here is a video of Madison crawling and trying to chase the dog. She loves playing with that box, it might be the best thing ever! She is also laughing up a storm in the video, enjoy!

Mmmm...candy!

2011-03-10T19:55:00.004-05:00

A few weeks ago, my dad, Poppy, came up to watch a KU basketball game with us! It was fun to see him and Maddie had a great time. She wore her jayhawk dress, which I love! Whenever the camera is out, she is always looking at it, which is adorable! When he came to visit, he also brought her a candy cane, which she LOVED!

The first time she got it to her mouth, she was so excited and didn't want to put it down. She still loves it!

The picture below is her on the Little People's car that she got for Christmas! She loves it!!

New Pictures

2011-03-10T19:30:00.002-05:00

One of the reasons I love our day care is that they have people come in and take pictures of the kids. These pictures are from February, but we just got them back. I absolutely ADORE these!! They dressed her up in this outfit and had all the props. When I saw the pictures, I just fell in love. They did such a great job! I love that you can see her bottom teeth and that she smiles all the time. The look in this one is classic Madison!

The name of the people that took these pictures is The Portrait Cafe, which did a great job!

Sick...

2011-02-15T16:59:00.002-05:00

We we have our first baby flu...that's right, baby Maddie has the flu! Rob had it first and gave it to her. Hoping we don't continue to pass it around the house. Luckily, I have not gotten it yet, and hoping I won't!

On a better note, Maddie is now getting her fourth and fifth teeth! So on top of being sick, we are battling teething. We have one heck of a household right now. The upside, if there even is one, is that I get to spend more time with her since she cannot go to daycare!

Hope everyone is enjoying this wonderful weather we are having in Atlanta right now. Here is to spring coming early this year!!

Happy Valentines Day!

2011-02-14T16:50:00.001-05:00

Heart Florets Border Valentine's Day Card

Unique party invitations and announcements by Shutterfly.

View the entire collection of cards.

Grandpa's Birthday...

2011-02-09T20:30:00.005-05:00

A few weeks ago, we went to Rob's parents house for grandpas birthday celebration! We had a blast celebrating him and the wonderful grandpa that he is. Here are a few pictures from that afternoon. Enjoy!

Swinging...

2011-01-31T19:34:00.004-05:00

This past Saturday, we went the the playground at Wills' Park in Alpharetta. It was so nice outside I couldn't keep her indoors all day! We stayed for a few minutes because it was absolutely packed with kids of all ages. But, I was able to capture some great pictures of her swinging for the first time. I also had a blast watching her experience this new and exciting thing. I cannot wait till it is warm every weekend, so that we can go back! Miss Lindsay Baker came with us, and we love hanging with her, all girl days are awesome! It is also a plus that Maddie loves her too! I hope you enjoy the pictures below, they were taken in sequential order.

I love that she started to stick out her tongue in the middle of swinging, her funniness never seizes to amaze me. She is doing something new everyday, and I just LOVE it!

Hoping for more pictures like these once spring officially hits, hope it will happen so very soon!

Swinging..part two!

2011-01-29T21:15:00.002-05:00

Update...

2011-01-29T17:22:00.009-05:00

This is Maddie crawling...yes i said crawling! She has been doing this for about a month now. I cannot believe that she is getting this big! She LOVES to crawl all over the place. This does seem to put a hinder to what we can keep on the coffee table now. She also loves to pull everything off the table, and just throw it on the floor! She is also now pulling herself up to her feet. With that also came her starting to walk around her toys and furniture. Yes, I just said walking around furniture. She is doing great at it too! The first time was about a week ago. I was talking to my mom after I had put her at her learning table. I looked up, and she was on the opposite side that I had put her! It was awesome, but also so scary...she is growing so fast, I can hardly believe it.
I just love the look that she gave me when I called her name. She has the best faces, when she giggles, it is a full body giggle! Listening to a baby giggle makes my heart melt. It is so innocent and pure. When Baily kisses her, she will giggle and smile, then try to get to him to pet him. Maddie and Bailey have a special relationship, I just love that she will grow up with a dog!

I just LOVE this face. It looks like she was caught off gaurd and was doing something bad. I don't think that she was, but I had to share the picture!

She is growing up so fast. She is now on table foods...yes real people foods. She loves mac and cheese, turkey, and steamed veggies! She also tried cantaloupe for the first time today and loved it too. She loves bananas, carrots, peas, corn, and apples. Those are her favorites!

Also, she has gotten her first top tooth, which makes three in total!

9 months...

2011-01-25T11:26:00.015-05:00

My how my little one has changed over the past few months. She has started doing many new things and is growing like crazy. We went for her 9 month check-up yesterday and she was 28 inches tall, which is in the 75th percentile, she weighs 17 lbs and 3 ounces, which is in the 25th percentile. She has consistently stayed in the same percentiles since she was born.

She is now eating some table foods! She loves deli meat, mainly turkey. She also loves her some cheerios. It is adorable to see her eating them, the way she picks them up is too cute! Here is a picture of her trying to pick them up, she is so serious about her food!

She also has started to drink juice from a sippy cup! This is the most adorable of them all. The way that she holds the cup with her hands and tilts it up is adorable! The picture below doesn't really do her justice with how good she is at, but it is the only one that I have been able to get so far...I will work on that!
This past Saturday, we were lucky enough to be able to watch the Kansas Jayhawks play on TV! This is a big deal down here, because they are never on TV in the south. So, I decided to put Maddie in her wonderful KU dress! I was so excited to get her in this thing...I have been waiting for her to wear it. I love it!!! I cannot wait to get more gear for summer/fall! Anyone close to Lawrence, beware, I may be asking for some purchases!! The only bad part of the game was that we lost, but I still enjoyed being able to watch them! I cannot wait to take her there for her first basketball game, she will fall in love with it like I did!

Rob's best friend from New York came down to visit last weekend. He and his bride-to-be brought Maddie this awesome basketball toy. She loves it! She dances to the music when she gets it to play, it is adorable!

SNOW!

2011-01-14T20:24:00.002-05:00

Most everyone knows that we had a severe snow/ice storm earlier this week. It was beautiful to wake up to the snow...until the freezing rain started and made ice! We took Maddie out in the snow for a few minutes so that she could experience it. This first picture was the end when we came in, she was so cold...I don't know why, she had one three layers of clothes! She was the most unhappy baby in the end, but a great one n the beginning! Here is Maddie holding the snow ball that daddy made her!

She was trying to eat the snow ball...I told her to only eat clean, white snow. NO yellow snow!

Here is a picture of Maddie and daddy in the end, she was so tired of being outside in the cold!

We had a great time playing in the snow. The only down side was that we were stuck in the house for three days! I was able to get to work on Wednesday for a few hours, the roads were not great, but the highways were ok... Daycare was closed all week until Friday, I was able to get in a few hours then as well.

Atlanta is just not equipped for 5-7 inches of snow, and an inch of ice. Hopefully we learned our lesson for the next time!

New Pictures...

2010-12-27T15:06:00.003-05:00

This is the snow that we had in our neighborhood! There was so much, it was awesome. It was great for Maddie's first Christmas to be a white one! This is Maddie playing with her new toy...she loves all the sounds it makes and loves making them!
I took this picture because she was so interested in the laundry basket, I thought it was fascinating. If only I was this interested in it, laundry might get done faster! Maybe she will help with it once she gets older...

Here is Maddie standing holding onto the window ledge watching the snow fall. She could have stared for hours watching it snow. Since she is such a serious baby, she kept looking up to see where it was coming from, which was adorable!

Aunt Kadie gave her the table below for Christmas. She loves it and all the sounds it makes! If only she could get her feet to move at the same time as her hands. She wants to move around the table so badly, but gets tripped up when her feet don't move!

These were all taken on my phone, so they are not the best quality, but I wanted to share them with you! Hope you enjoy!

Christmas...

2010-12-26T14:57:00.005-05:00

Madison had a GREAT first Christmas. Every Christmas eve we go to my in-laws. That is when they celebrate with their big dinner! Since they are Italian, they make a huge amount of seafood, including lobster tales, mussels, scallops, and shrimp. Of course, since I don't eat seafood...I usually eat pasta or something else. This year, they made so much food, it was crazy! Here are a few pictures from that night. She had a blast until she pasted out around 9:30. But she enjoyed all her new presents that she saw! Especially here new"ride" from cousin Sophia. Also, her first Christmas was the first White Christmas in Atlanta since 1882, which makes it so much mroe memorable! It is too cold her to be out, but we did go out for a few minutes last night while it was actually snowing and she LOVED it. Hopefully she will see more snow in her lifetime, becuase if she is anything like me, she will LOVE it!

This is her on her new "ride". She loved it and knew exactly where to put her hands and what buttons to push to make noise. Thanks again cousin Sophia! I cannot believe that she really is almost big enough to play with that...she is getting way too big for momma! On another note...Madison is now crawling! She started on her 8 month birthday, but has slowly picked it up. She is also cutting one of her top teeth, which has made her not very happy.

We have had a great 8 months with her, and cannot believe that she is getting so big! We look forward to so many more wonderful Christmas's with her! Now it is time to start planning her first birthday, I cannot believe it!

One of my Favorites...

2010-12-26T14:51:00.002-05:00

This is one of my favorite pictures from our family pictures. Not quite sure what she doing, but it is just so darn cute! Enjoy!

Sick baby...

2010-12-20T20:44:00.004-05:00

I had to post this picture of Maddie from when she was sick. She is such a sweet little girl, and even more so when she is sick. She had a fever for a few days and she was just a cuddly little bug. We tried to give her a new toy to see if that would make her feel better, but it didn't work at all. But at least we tried!

Christmas Time...

2010-12-20T20:11:00.004-05:00

Everett makes Maddie laugh and I love it!

I loved seeing Maddie and Rylie "playing" together. It was so cute, they were playing with Maddie's new tea set! They also were wearing the same shirt, which was so cute, and not planned!
She looks so little next to the giant teddy bear! I would like to thank Miss Sherry for the giant teddy bear and the tutu!! So cute!

She just looks so innocent in this picture, love it!!

Trying to get at the Christmas tree, she loves all the lights and ornaments!

We had a great Christmas with the Laughlin's. It was great to see them as always! Maddie got tons of new toys thanks to Aunt Kadie and Uncle Matt and the boys! Rylie gave her an adorable outfit so that they can match, which is awesome!

Christmas is my favorite time of the year, I love the decorations and the love that is shown this time of year. I love that families get a chance to get together and create memories! I love all the memories that I have of holidays from when I was younger! Hope everyone has a wonderful holiday and a very Merry Christmas!

Food...

2010-12-20T11:39:00.003-05:00

Well, this past week we hit a big milestone with Madison. She ate her first real table food on Thursday at my office Christmas party, which was some crackers and some rice. Then, on Saturday night, she ate some meatball! She loved them all! She would have eaten the whole meatball if I had let her. She is now a cracker addict, which is nice because it occupies her while we eat. I will get some pictures up soon of her eating real food, but wanted to share the excitement. She is getting so big way to quickly, I miss my little bitty baby! But I absolutely love her personality and the person she is! Treasure every minute because it goes by so quickly!

Just laying around...

2010-12-11T20:08:00.002-05:00

I am trying to get better at taking candids of Maddie. Some of her facial expressions just make me want to laugh! But they are the sweetest things ever... This one looks like she is thinking: "Stop taking pictures of me mommy, I'm not doing anything special!"

Bailey just loves "playing" with Maddie; he will lay next to her on the floor while she plays! He even lets her grab his hair, but kindly cries when she gets it too hard; the best part of that is that she knows that when he makes that noise, she needs to let go of him! So precious how they play together. I cannot wait for her to get bigger so that they can really play together! They will be best of friends for life, I'm sure.

Now that the holiday season and parties are under way, there will be tons of pictures to come!

Thanksgiving

2010-12-11T15:15:00.003-05:00

For Thanksgiving, we went to the beach at St. Simon's. We had a blast! Here a some pictures from the beach. This is one where she found the leaves very interesting...
I love this one because it shows her little tiny foot!

Love the pictures from the side, she looks even more innocent in them!

Here she is looking at her daddy!

We took her down to the beach for some pictures, and I thought it would be really cute to write her name in the sand and have her sit there...except that the ground was wet and she didn't really have fun at all doing this. But the name turned out really cute... We had a blast at Thanksgiving visiting with Kadie and the family; as well as hanging out with Mimi! We miss everyone so much, but it makes the time we have together so much more meaningful. We are very blessed to have such a wonderful family! We love you all!

SANTA!

2010-12-05T20:09:00.004-05:00

Madison went to visit Santa on Saturday at Perimeter Mall. She did really well; she didn't cry or get upset or anything. She did like him, he talked to her before hand which was great! It was exciting to see her reaction to Santa Claus. Hopefully she will continue to do well with him! On another note, she loves our Christmas tree! She could stare at that thing all day. All the lights and different colors seem to fascinate her. She has also made some fun things at daycare the past month. For Thanksgiving, she made a hand turkey, which was adorable! For Christmas, she made a mitten aornament, a Christmas wreath amde out of her hand print, and a snowman where she "painted" it white! We have such an awesome daycare, which is a big blessing for me. The teachers love her and hate to see her leave at the end of the day!

Nothing really new to report, except that she has her two front bottom teeth now, which makes it even more adorable when she laughs! The teeth broke through on her 7 month birthday weekend. She can now crawl backwards, which is the cutest thing ever.

The Russo's: Maddie at work...

2010-12-03T11:03:00.000-05:00

The Russo's: Maddie at work...

New Bathtub

2010-12-03T11:01:00.002-05:00

Maddie got a new bathtub last week since she will not sit in her infant one anymore. She just wants to sit up like a big girl! She loves this one, she gets to splash her little feet in the water, sit up like a big girl, and play much more in the water. I love this bathtub too! To much easier to wash her, and it suctions to the bottom of the tub, so it doesnt slip and slide all over the place. Great investment!

Maddie at work...

2010-12-03T10:56:00.004-05:00

On Wednesday, Maddie had to come to sit with me at work for a few hours. Rob had to go to court downtown, so he dropped her off. We went and visited people, which was so fun! Then, Rob called and he said he was going to be a bit longer, so up to the 25Th floor we went to my office. I had to do some work, so I plopped her on my floor, on my jacket, to play. Here is a picture of her in her makeshift pack'n'play. I had a blast having here her with me for a few hours. It brightened my day.

Seeing her can make any bad day so much better. Work has been very stressful lately, and having her there, made my day! She was helping me with the debits and credits! Sometimes I think that she could do better than some of the adults I work with :) But I had to share this cute picture with everyone!

Family Pictures!

2010-11-16T19:59:00.002-05:00

Here are some pictures that we had taken last Thursday by Picture This Photography, who are awesome. They did such a great job and took so many wonderful pictures, I had a hard time choosing which ones to put up here. But I hope that you enjoy the ones I chose!

I can not beleive that my sweet angel is almost 7 months old, she is getting big and changing everyday. As of today, she cutting her first tooth! Exciting, but scary. It means that she really is growing up so fast. I love every second of every day that I have with her. She is also sitting up by herself. Another big milestone that we hit last week. She also looks like she really wants to crawl, but can't seem to get both her hands and knees to move at the same time. I will keep you all posted to let you know when she gets her first tooth!!

Christmas Time

2010-11-08T12:08:00.004-05:00

Those who know me, know that Christmas time is my favorite time of year. I love the smell of Christmas..but more than that, I love getting everyone's Christmas cards with pictures of the kids/family and an update about everything. This being said, I always try to get mine out early with the wonderful designs from Shutterfly (www.shutterfly.com). Whether you like the traditional cards, modern, or abstract, they have them all here:

http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/holiday-cards

They also have cards for every event, like birth announcements, birthday parties and celebrations:

http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/baby-cards-stationery

Any type of card you could possibly want, they have! They are great quality and beautiful.

They even have address labels, which are adorable!

http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/address-labels

We have been using them for years for pictures, calenders, photo books, and much more. They have everything you need for every occasion.

Right now, they are having a 20% off all cards and free shipping for orders over $30. Act fast and take advantage of their savings. Get pictures, photobooks, calenders, and any other gift ideas while they are having the sale and save tons! Hope you all enjoy them as much as we do in our house!

This one is a front runner for our cards... look in your mail box soon to see which one we actually chose!

http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/holiday-cards/snow-flurries-cocoa-christmas-card-5x7-flat?sortType=1&storeNode=93476

And have a wonderful and joyous holiday season!

"Trick or Treating"

2010-11-02T21:07:00.003-04:00

Sunday night, we went to my sweet friend Keri's parents house to "trick or treat". All we did was walk to a few houses where Priscilla's friends live to show off the babies. We had a blast. Here are a few pictures from that night! Above is sweet baby Charlotte, 9 months old. This is one of Maddies friends!
Doing our best to get a picture of the two of them in their costumes. Maddie was not wanting her hat at all, thus it is missing!

At least one smiled!

Sweet baby Charlotte smiling, such a sweet smile when they are that age, and just learning how to really smile at things!

Halloween

2010-11-02T20:54:00.002-04:00

Maddie was a pink bunny! Since bunnies are the theme in her room, it seemed fitting that she be one! I do have to say that she was the cutest little bunny I have ever seen. Also, we had a big weekend. You may notice that she is sitting up by herself in these pictures, that is a new thing for her. She cannot do it for a long time, but long enough. Since I was by myself taking the pictures, this was a good thing. Rob had to work that night and missed her first Halloween; but he was sent tons of pictures!
This is her sitting on the front porch in her AWESOME pumpkin shirt that Aunt Kadie made for her. I am so sad that Halloween is over and we can no longer wear the shirt. But looking forward to many more shirts from Aunt Kadie*wink*!

Pumpkin Patch

2010-11-02T20:29:00.003-04:00

Last weekend we took Madison to pumpkin farm. She loved the pumpkins! We went on farm tour and saw baby calf's, but she was not too interested in them. The above picture was taken at our house when we got back, she was laughing at her daddy!
Here she is in the pumpkin patch with daddy!

Sitting all by herself in the patch, such a big girl!

Anniversary trip

2010-11-02T20:13:00.003-04:00

In October, we headed down to the beach for a long weekend to celebrate our wedding anniversary. Here are a few pictures from that weekend. The one above is Rob teasing Maddie with a piece of bacon, and she would have eaten it if she could have!
These are pictures of Maddie in her bathing suit just relaxing in the chair; and with daddy in the pool swimming.

We had a great time and can't wait to get back for more weekends!

6 month stats...

2010-10-28T21:56:00.003-04:00

On Monday, we went to the pediatrician for Maddie's 6 month appointment. Here are her stats: weight 15 lbs 4 oz, which is in the 25th percentile, height 26.5 inches, which is in the 75th percentile. I have no idea how we have a tall skinny baby, but we love every inch of her!

It is so very hard to believe that our sweet baby girl is 6 months old. Time has flown by way to quickly. Some of my favorite memories of the past six months: the first moment I saw her, which was a weird experience since I had a c-section; the first time I actually got to hold her, which was truly amazing; her first smile and giggle which warm my heart to this day; the first time she rolled over, which was both exciting and scary at the same time; seeing her try to eat real baby food, which she loves :) ; seeing her truly laugh at something; when I pick her up from daycare, the way she smiles at me when she sees me walk in the door, makes me smile; and now, the newest thing she is doing is saying dadadadadada, which makes me sad that it is not mamamama, but it is precious seeing her talk!

Those are just a few of a my favorite memories of the first 6 months. Motherhood truly has changed everything about me. Life is no longer mine, but Madison's, and I would not have it any other way.

Grants Wedding!

2010-10-28T21:38:00.003-04:00

My cousin Grant got married October 16th in Tulsa, OK. We had a great time, but it was way to quick of a trip. Here are some of the best pictures from that night that I have. Here is one of Mimi and Greg at the reception at the Oklahoma Aquarium, which was really fun because they kept open the main areas, and we were able to walk around a bit and look at all the fish! This is Aunt Holly with Madison at the reception! We love Aunt Holly!! Wish we lived closer to hang out more!

This is Rob with Madison and Mimi right after the wedding. Madison and my niece Rylie were in the wedding as the flowergirls; they did a great job while Everett rolled them down the aisle in the wagon that Aunt Kara, Grant's wife, made for them.

These are pictures of Maddie and her daddy. They have a bond that no one can explain, which is awesome!

New Pictures...

2010-10-28T20:20:00.002-04:00

Here are a few new pictures! Sorry for the delay, but our computer was down for awhile, but we are now back up and running. I will post more very soon! Enjoy!

This one below is her eating carrots for the first time...she loves her some carrots and sweet potatoes! But she does not like green beans at all, oh well!
This is Maddie plating in her walker, which she absolutely loves! All the noises are awesome and keep her entertained so I can do some things around the house!

This is another one of Maddie before she starts to eat her food! Much cleaner!

6 months old...

2010-10-21T10:18:00.005-04:00

It is so hard to believe that my sweet angel is 6 months old today. My how time has flown by. Below are pictures taken on her month birthdays! 6 months...

5 months...

4 months...

3 months...

2 months...

1 month...

And birth!

Maddie, mommy and daddy love you so very much and you bring such joy to our lives. I could not picture my life without you in it! You truly are my angel!

Update: our computer has been down for a few weeks now. I have not had the opportunity to add nay new pictures. I apologize, but hopefully it will be working again shortly.

Some new pictures...

2010-09-22T09:25:00.003-04:00

Here are a few more pictures of sweet Madison. I was hoping to get some video up of her rolling and talking, but I am having trouble loading them. I will try again tonight.

Last week, Maddie had a milestone, a very big one. She started to rollover from her back to her tummy. Now she does it all the time...except when her grandparents are around...She wakes up on her tummy. And now she can roll from her tummy to her back! Very exciting and yet very scary, it means that she is growing up so quickly. Next she will be crawling and then walking. Mommy is not ready for that at all!

Here is a picture of Maddie and me at the beach Labor Day weekend. We are excited to head back there in 2 weeks to celebrate our 2 year anniversary!

One more...

2010-09-21T12:28:00.004-04:00

Here is a picture of her new Georgia shirt! Thanks Aunt Kadie, we love it! This was also at the beach for her first football game. At least we won that game...

This is one of my favorite pictures of her. We were at the beach for Labor Day weekend. Here, we were on our way to the beach for the day, and I couldn't resist snapping this photo with my phone. She is just such a sweet pumpkin. I never knew I could love someone so much!!

New Pictures

2010-09-21T12:03:00.005-04:00

Here are some new pictures of Maddie.

Here is she trying to eat a stacking block that she loves to play with and get in her mouth! Her nainai is holding her, which she also loves!! This is a picture of her sitting and playing int he bumbo... playing with her stacking blocks!

This one was taken on her 4 month birthday when she woke up from her morning nap. How could you not love that face looking at you with such innocence?!?!

This is another one taken on her 4 month birthday.

I will post some more tonight once I load them onto the computer...we have many more fun ones to post from the beach and her 5 month birthday, which happens to be today! She is getting to big, I cannot believe it.

Mornings

2010-08-26T09:12:00.003-04:00

As some of you may know, I am back at work and have been for a while now. I take Maddie to daycare three days a week, the other two daddy stays with her. I love/hate waking her up in the mornings at 6:30am. Love it because I get to see her before work, but hate it because she is not getting an entire nights sleep. I took this picture this morning when I went in to wake her up, so cute and completely innocent. I love the mornings because she looks at me with such excitement and a great big smile. Melts my heart every time.

4 Months!

2010-08-26T09:07:00.004-04:00

First of all, I cannot believe that my Madison is already 4 months old. The time has just flown by way too quickly. Everyday, I love her more and more. I never thought that I could love something so much. She is changing so muvh everyday it is crazy. She has gotten so big, but yet still seems so small. Here is a picture of her I took on my phone on her actual 4 month birthday. I will post some more from the camera, but I only had this one handy to post.

We went to the doctor on Tuesday for her checkup. Everything was good! Her 4 month stats are 13 lbs 5 oz, which is still in the 50th percentile, 25 inches tall, which is in the 75th percentile. She is growing like a little beanstalk. Her head is still on the small side, but no worries there. We are looking forward to seeing how our littel angel grows and develops her own little personality and traits. Mommy and Daddy love you so very much Madison!

Update

2010-08-26T08:59:00.003-04:00

Here is a picture of Madison sucking on her thumb. That's right folks, she has found her thumb. I know it is very cute to watch, but I was hoping that this would not happen. I prefer the pacifier for her, but she clearly wants her thumb or fingers. Oh well, here comes the battle! Here is my sweet angel after her bath last night. I just want to cuddle with her for forever when she is like this. I always want to cuddle with her, but especially when she is my sweet bunny!

Wrong team...

2010-07-29T21:49:00.002-04:00

This is what my child looks like in the morning... Looks like she might a Longhorn fan... We cannot have that happen, must change immediately! If she is going to cheer for any team in the Big 12, it will be KU, Rock Chalk Jayhawk KU! She needs to learn that cheer. She also needs to learn Gooooo Dawgs... sic'em...woof woof woof woof! An if NaiNai knows the cheer for Northwestern, she can learn that, I'm not too sure of that one. She is going GREAT! She looks like she might be rolling over soon, she is almost there; just can't quite get the momentum with the leg. She turns over on her side and gets the leg going, but just not enough. I am OK with that for now, because once she learns to roll, she will learn to crawl. And then it is all over! She is growing up too fast for me, but that is ok. I am loving every different stage. Especially that she sleeps for 11-12 a night! Can't beat that.

July 4th

2010-07-29T12:10:00.003-04:00

Here is a picture of Maddie and me on the 4th of July. We had a great time at the fireworks, and she was a great little one. She was a little scared when the finale happened with the loud bangs, but other than that, she was great!

Grandparents

2010-07-29T12:05:00.002-04:00

Here is a picture of Grandpa Russo with Madison. He won't admit liking to hold her, but I know he does. He is great with her when they are over. Here is Grandma Russo with Madison. She just adores her little granddaughter and cannot get enough of her. Can you blame her, look at Madison :)

2010-07-29T11:56:00.005-04:00

Here are a few new pictures. I have more to share, but I cannot seem to find the time at home to get on the computer and get them up. Madison is growing so quickly. I cannot believe that she is just over 3 months, where has the time gone. My sister took these pictures for me while they were here last time. I love them!This is our first non-hospital family photo! I love saying "our family", it means so much to me. This is one of my favorite pictures. It has all four generations of women!
This one has all the women, except Aunt Diane, in our family. Four generations in one room, wow!Thanks Kadie for taking the pictures, I love them! Hopefully many more of these to come in the future.

The Bumbo!

2010-07-19T10:34:00.002-04:00

Here is a picture of Maddie using a bumbo; we visited my friend last night and we put her in her sons, Jonathon, bumbo. She was just hanging out in there. So cute! I will hopefully have a better picture to post once I get to look at the camera, but thought this was cute!

Fun Pictures!

2010-07-10T08:45:00.004-04:00

Here is a picture that my sister took of Maddie and me when they were here last week. Since I am always the one taking the pictures around here, there were only a few pictures of just me and my baby girl. There are more to come, but thought I would post this one since I have this one already! Here are two pictures that make me smile everytime I see them. I love her smile/giggle, it melts my heart! I would stare at her all day long if I could.

She has changed so much from when she was born, it is crazy. She looks nothing like that anymore, she is growing so much, and so quickly. She is starting to grab at things, like my hair! But she will grab your fingers, her toys, and even her pacifier.

She is sleeping through the night, 10-12 hours of sleep, which I am loving. I am going back to work this week, which makes me so very sad, but I know that she will be in good hands at the daycare, but I will miss her so much. The past 11.5 weeks has flown by way to quickly. So word to the wise, treasure every minute that you have with them before you have to go back to work. And if you are a stay at home mom, I am so jealous of you!

She is already in size 3-6 months, and some 6 months clothes. I cannot believe how quickly she has grown out of her 0-3 clothes. Made me so sad when I had to pack those away, luckily my friend is having a girl next month, so maybe I will be able to see them again soon!

Once I get more pictures, I'll post!

2 Months!

2010-06-29T10:17:00.003-04:00

Last week, Madison had her 2 month check-up. I cannot believe that she is already 2 months! She is doing very well: she weighed 10lbs 11.6 oz, and was 22.5 inches tall. She is in the 50th percentile for both. Her head circumference was 38 cm, which was in the 25th percentile. The doctor said we may have a petite little girl on our hands, which is hard to believe, but we shall see.
Yesterday, we had to go back to the doctor because she now has acid reflux and a terrible diaper rash. She weighed 11 lbs 4.6 oz, it was hard to believe that she has already gained that much weight. She is already wearing 3-6 months clothes, which makes me sad.
She is giggling and smiling more everyday, which I cannot get enough of these days. It makes me smile every time. I will get her 2 month picutres up soon!

Great Pictures

2010-06-29T10:07:00.002-04:00

Madison sleeps just like her mama, with her hands next to her head! I could stare at her all day while sleeping, it is so precious! There is absolutely nothing more precious than a daddy and his little girl! This is truly one of my favorite pictures ever!

Great Grandmother!

2010-06-29T09:53:00.002-04:00

In June, we went to Tulsa, OK for Madison to meet her great-grandmother, Mimi. We had so much fun seeing everyone out there and visiting. Here is a picture of Mimi and Madison:

Here is a picture of Madison playing on the floor and smiling at something:

Madison got to meet everyone while we were there. She met her great-aunt Diane, her cousins Holly, Greg, Grant, Jennifer, and Kara. Madison was the hit of Montreau, where Mimi lives. Everyone just loved seeing her.

Friends...

2010-06-05T21:45:00.003-04:00

Last month, our good friends Mark and Sue Ann came in town. We were luck to be able to visit with for a little bit. They have a son who was born December 14th. We got some cute pictures of her son holding Madison, which was priceless.

Cute Outfit...

2010-06-04T22:32:00.003-04:00

Today, Madison had on a very cute outfit and I couldn't resist taking some pictures of her. They turned out great. Here are a few of them.

Beach...

2010-06-04T21:32:00.003-04:00

For my birthday, Rob took us on a vacation to Amelia Island, Fl. It was a total blast and it was Madison's first trip. I had fun becuase that is where I used to go when I was little. It was fun showing Rob things and telling him how much it had changed since I had last been down there. Madison stuck her toes in the water at the pool, but becuase it was cold water, and she is used to her warm bath water, she wasn's such a fan of that. We also got her in the ocean, but since that was also cold, she didn't like that so much either. But she was a good baby the whole. Here are a few pictures from that trip.

This is one of my favorite pictures from the trip. There is nothing like a dad and his daughter.

One Month...

2010-05-24T15:44:00.002-04:00

I cannot believe that my little angel is one month old already! It is so hard to believe. Here are a few pictures that I took of her.

The past month has a true blessing. I couldn't have asked for a better experience.

Her month check-up was this week. Here are her stats: weighed 8lbs 11oz (75th percentile) and she was 21.5 inches (50th percentile). She is such a big girl now.

Madison and her Teddy Bear

2010-05-12T08:26:00.003-04:00

My grandmother, Mimi, Madison's great-grandmother, gave her a teddy bear when she was born. This is somewhat of a tradition. She gave me teddy bear when I was born and I still have it. So, once I got the teddy bear, I had to take some pictures of Maddie with her bear. So here are a few...

First Bath

2010-05-03T19:46:00.003-04:00

On Sunday night, we gave Madison her first bath. Needless to say, she was not a happy camper during the bath. She was ok until I had to rinse her hair off. That is when she decided to scream...
After the bath, we wrapped her up in her bunny towel. This was adorable, except when she continued to scream until she dressed. This child does not like being changed, or naked.
I tried to get a picture of her not screaming, so here is the best one.

It just breaks my heart when I hear her scream like this...

Meeting "Aunt" Keri

2010-05-03T19:39:00.004-04:00

On Friday night, Keri and Brice came to meet Madison. I cannot wait until August when their little girl is here. I see tons of play dates in the future with Charlotte. It was good to see Keri, I hadn't seen her in a few weeks.

Madison and her daddy...

2010-05-03T19:34:00.001-04:00

I love pictures like this. These are my favorites. A daddy loving on his little princess. They are priceless pictures. I just wanted to share this one with everyone.

Big Days...

2010-05-01T09:55:00.007-04:00

On Thursday, we went to visit Rob's work. Everyone loved meeting Madison. Then we were off to the doctor to get weighed again. For those who don't know, Madison lost more weight than is normal while in the hospital. She lost 9 ounces. We had her first doctors visit on Monday, but she had only gained half an ounce since we had left the hospital on Saturday. So the doctor wanted to see us again on Thrusday. We were hoping that she had gained enough weight. Well... she had. She gained 3 a half ounces, which the doctor was only hoping for 3. Way to eat like a champ! After the doctor, we went to visit my office. It was very exciting and I enjoyed seeing everyone. Needless to say, Madison had a very eventful Thrusday.

Yesterday was also eventful, but we didnt travel anywhere. Madison lost her umbilical cord, which means that I can give my sweet little girl a bath soon; we went for our first walk outside since it was so nice out; and Keri and Brice came to meet Madison. Oh, and she had her first sponge bath too.

Last night also marked a milestone: she slept for 6 hours straight during the night. What a blessing. Mommy has missed sleep like that! Way to go baby girl! I will get some more pictures up soon.

Here are some pictures from the hospital...

2010-04-28T10:08:00.000-04:00

My first official picture with my baby girl!

Nai Nai holding Madison for the first time!Madison's first visitor that is not family, Kristen. Madison and her Poppy!

Madison and her "Aunt" Diane!
Madison had so many visitors during her first few days. We are so blessed!

The night before...

2010-04-27T10:01:00.002-04:00

Here is a picture from the night before we went in to the hospital to have Madison.

Wow I was big!

Madison Elizabeth

2010-04-25T22:17:00.003-04:00

On Wednesday April 21st, Madison Elizabeth made her arrival. She was born at 9:00am exactly, weighing 7 lbs and 8 oz, measuring 20 inches long. We have ourselves a little stringbean here. Maddie is such a blessing; she sleeps so much, which mommy loves. We have to wake her to eat. She most definitely already has her daddy wrapped around her itty bity finger. We came home on Saturday, and the first night went smoothly, hopefully this will continue.

The picture above was taken in the hospital, I love that she has so much hair, wonderful for little bows.
This is a picture with her daddy, he loves to just hold and cuddle with her, so do I. Who wouldn't want to cuddle with this cutie?!?!

I will get more pictures posted soon, but mommy is so tired.

Thanks for all the prayers and good thoughts!

Mommy and Daddy couldn't be happier and could not be more in love with this little bundle of joy!

Promotion

2010-04-09T13:03:00.002-04:00

Rob got some very exciting news this past week, he was getting a promotion at work. This was great news, except that he was going to be moving back to patrol and working 6pm to 6am. The timing could not be worse since I am due at the end of the month and he starts April 25th at his new position. It is very good news, just really bad timing. He is excited about this opportunity, but he doesn't really want to go and work back on patrol. This new position is a supervisory one, so he will not have a specific "beat" to drive all the time. He is sad about leaving CID, which is the detectives unit, but happy for the opportunity.
We hope that the transition to the new hours and having the baby will be smooth. Only time will tell...

Sleepwalking

2010-04-09T10:21:00.005-04:00

So, after being together for over 6 years, we experienced something new last night. At about 3am, I was woken up by banging. I rolled myself out of bed to make sure that everything was OK. I get to the kitchen, and there is Rob reorganizing the pots and pans. He had taken them all out of the cabinet and was restacking them on the counter, thus the banging. I asked him what he was doing and he replied "nothing". I stood there for a few seconds and then asked him again, but got the same answer. I was confused, but decided to go back upstairs and try to get back to sleep, since it was the middle of the night. He must have fallen asleep on the couch last night, cause he never came to bed until about 7 this morning. I asked him then if he remembered what he did, and he had no idea what I was talking about. I concluded that he must have been sleepwalking. I thought that this was too funny not to share. Hope you enjoyed my story for the day.
After speaking with him this morning about it, he realized this is most likely not the first time he has sleepwalked; just the first time someone has seen him.

Baby Shower

2010-03-09T19:30:00.002-05:00

Camie, this one is for you girl!

A few weeks ago, I had my baby shower thrown by my wonderful friends. It was a blast to see everyone together and in one place. I enjoyed it so much. I feel so much more prepared now for her arrival, which could come any day now. Here are a few pictures from that day.

Snow...

2010-03-09T19:14:00.001-05:00

We had some great snows this year down in Atlanta, yes, I said Atlanta. We have had 3 winter storms this year already. Here are some good pictures from the second one a few weeks ago.

Christmas

2010-01-07T20:24:00.004-05:00

We had a great holiday season this year. We got to spend some good time with family and friends. Here are a few pictures from our holiday.

Sorry for the delay in the postings. I have been very busy and oh so tired. Hopefully I can try to keep up better.

Baby Madison

2009-11-15T08:36:00.005-05:00

And for those who don't already know, we found out that we are having a little girl in April. We are very excited, ready to start planning and painting. Here is a picture from our 3D ultrasound yesterday

We are excited about the addition to our family. I will post more updates as we get any more news. Thanks for all the prayers and well wishes, it means the world to us.

Update...

2009-09-27T16:03:00.000-04:00

I promised more of an update... so here it is! We are expecting our first bundle of joy next April. I have been feeling great so far, so just praying for an uneventful pregnancy. We are very exciting about adding to our faimly. I will post some pictures of our little "peanut," as it has been called as soon as we get some good ones that actually look like a baby.

Delay...

2009-09-27T13:44:00.003-04:00

Sorry for the lack of posts lately. Life has been crazy around here. The last time I updated was after our first trip to New York in July. In August, we went back to New York, except that this time it was to Buffalo for Rob's friends wedding August 8. We had a good time. I was able to go to Niagara Falls with Rob and I will post pictures soon, I promise. We had a good time celebrating Stephanie and Tyler's wedding. Three weeks after that, we went to Chicago to visit my best friend ever, Camie. Camie finally moved back to the city so we went for a long weekend. We got to eat real Chicago pizza, yummy!!! We got to see Wrigley Field and the Cubs game, where they beat the Mets, which is always fun for me!! We also got to see the bean and walk downtown for little while. It was great to see her and I miss her dearly, she needs to move down here pronto... I will post pictures from everything shortly. I don't have any pictures with me as I am house sitting and have been for the month, I am done next weekend. I will be glad to be home with my husband and animals. I miss the chaos that was my life. I am super exited about next weekend. Not only is it my one year anniversary but I get to go the UGA v LSU game with some great friends Stephanie and Scott.
More updates to come soon!

New York, New York

2009-07-21T20:12:00.005-04:00

This past weekend, Rob and I went to New York for his best friends 30th birthday party. It was a blast. I got to be a tourist on Saturday for a bit and we went to the Empire State building. That was awesome. Here are some pictures from the trip.

My Birthday...

2009-07-21T20:07:00.003-04:00

For my birthday, Rob surpirsed me with a surprise party at this great restaurant Cinco in Cumming. It was a blast. Thanks to Kristen and facebook, Elizabeth and Tisha were able to make it. Thanks again for a great night all!

Zoo Feast

2009-06-11T18:30:00.005-04:00

This year, we were invited to go to the Beastly Feast at the Atlanta Zoo. We had a blast, since one of my favorite places in Atlanta is the zoo. Here are a few pictures from thenat night!

Bailey's New Collar

2009-05-15T17:32:00.002-04:00

So my exciting day yesterday was that I got my puppy Bailey a new collar. I know you are jealous, but try not to be. And it is a UGA one. I was very excited. i was wanting to get him one for awhile, but I was waiting for him to be almost full grown before I did. He is 8 eight months now, and they vet says he wont get much bigger. I was very excited when I made my purchase. It was at this great store in Alpharetta called Tumblers and Totes. They have everything from cups to napkins, to dishes and flags. It is a great store, and I have to thank my husband for finding it and telling me where it is. I love it! Unfortunately, Bailey will not sit still long enough for me to get a good picture of him wearing it. I will try harder though and post one soon.

Casino Night!

2009-04-26T08:37:00.003-04:00

Last night we went to a casino party for out friends dad. It was a blast. I forgot how much fun playing with fake money was. At the end of the night, I had $14,300 in chips, too bad it wasnt real money, that would have been awesome. I played blackjack most of the night. This is a picture of all the ladies, I will try to post more once I get some more from Keri.

Celebrations all around

2009-04-26T08:28:00.004-04:00

In one night, we celebrated Jamie Len and Steve's engagemnt, her birthday, and our friend Brice's birthday. It was one interesting night. We dont go out that often so I forgot what it looks like when people get crazy drunk and dance with random people. Very interesting and glad that I am not single anymore.

Cruise

2009-04-26T07:59:00.007-04:00

In March, we went on a cruise to the Mexican Rivera. We had a blast. We wen to Cabo and did some whale watching and Rob went para sailing... too scary for me. Then we went to Mazatlan where we just did some shopping and sight seeing on our own. The last stop was Puerta Villarta(spell?) where we went on a tour to see little towns that were only accessible via boat, but they were worth it. We also went snorkeling at one of the towns, which was ok, the water was very murky. Here are some pics from the whole trip. Enjoy!!

Pets

2009-03-17T22:10:00.005-04:00

Here are a few pictures of Bailey, wow he has grown so much in the last months since we got him. And the other picture is Busgy the cat sleeping in the sink, I like to say "fat cat in a little sink". For all who get that reference, you rock.

Cabin

2009-02-22T18:36:00.006-05:00

This is a picture from weekend at teh cabin for our friend Mark's birthday. We had a blast with everyone. Kristen and Andrew also came up but left early. Here are some pictures of the view.

And here is a picture of Rob playing the Wii with Andrew, it was too funny...

And one more...

Delay...

2009-02-18T09:39:00.002-05:00

Sorry for the delay in updating the blog, but things have been crazy around here. Work is so very stressful and life in general is crazy. Good news is though that my mom is almost done with chemo, only one more treatment on Monday. That is very exciting. Also exciting that I am going to be an aunt again to a sweet little girl in July. Very exciting. I promise to update more often once life gets back to normal, if that can ever truely happen around here.
No offers yet on the house, but it is still on the market. Just trying to see if there are any nibbles.
Hope everyone has a great week!

Update

2009-01-26T08:19:00.002-05:00

Things have been a little crazy for us lately. After the holidays were over, and things got back to normal, we decided to put our house on the market to see if there were any nibbles. It offically goes on today, so we will see how things work out with that. We are excited about the possibilty of a new home, but somewhat scared that ours will not sell, as there are 7 for sale in our little strip of the neighborhood. Please pray that we can seel our house and get that dream house that we found, cause with the market the way it is right now, we will need a miracle to sell ours.

Hope you all had a wonderful holiday and a great new year.

New Puppy!

2009-01-26T08:12:00.003-05:00

This is the newest addition to our family, our new puppy Bailey. We joined our family November 30th, and we cannot get enough of him. Having a puppy at home has for sure tested our patience, but at least I came out with more. Below is a picture of Bailey and his sister, Paisley. Paisley is our friends puppy, and she inspired us to get Bailey. Bailey and Paisley have play dates every coupls of weeks which is fun to see him playing with a dog, instead of the cat(even though that is funnier to watch).

2008-11-23T19:45:00.000-05:00

This is another great picture from after the ceremony. We had a blast during the whole thing, especially during the ceremony!

We all had a blast at the reception... escpecially Reid, he was dancing it up all night!

This is one of my favorite pictures from the ceremony... they did a great job of the photography.

Everything about this day was wonderful. The best part was that at the end of the day, I married my best friend!

Our Wedding

2008-10-19T16:52:00.005-04:00

So many of you know that we got married on October 4th. It was everything that I could have ever dreamed. And now I get to spend the rest of my life with my best friend. I am so grateful for Rob! Her is one of our wedding pictures. I will post more soon!