I'm behind...

On Maddie's monthly pictures...Sorry, life just gets in the way sometimes...Enjoy! She's growing up quickly!

 

Quick share...

of a picture we took of Maddie yesterday! :)

Isn't that the sweetest thing you've ever seen!?

So....

I haven't been blogging much and I'm sorry. I absolutely hate the new Blogger layout (not a fan of change). And Maddie's been keeping me busy. She's almost 7 months old and she's just recently grown two teeth. And she's getting up on her knees and rocking! :) I love it! Here are the monthly pictures...Enjoy, and I'll try to be better about blogging more then just book reviews...

Maddie is 4 months!

Here's my sweet girl... :)

Isn't she just beautiful?! :) I'm in-love for sure.

God in my life...

So, here lately God has really been working in my family's life. Years ago I'd looked into a book, Your Money Map by Howard Dayton, and had felt like that was something we should do. But my husband wasn't being led in the same way. Well, about a month or so ago God started working on Jamie's heart about this certain book. Since then we have been blessed beyond measure. The book basically helps you toward leading a debt free life. You ask why does it matter if you have debt or not. Well, the Bible says that we shouldn't have debt. And both Jamie and I have always wanted me to be able to stay at home once we had child(ren). Right now that's not possible but I'm not putting anything past my God! I think one day, someday (all in His timing) we will be able to transition into a one-income family.

Also here recently I found a blog and on this blog she had a post about Praying for her husband, here's that post. And I felt lead to pray for Jamie more. So here is the list broken down - it's a list of 25 prayers for your husband that you could add 5 or 6 more to round out the month and make it more personal. Here is the first 5 from the list...go check out the rest of the list! :)

25 Prayers for My Husband

I pray…

1. that he continues to grow spiritually through the disciplines of Bible study, prayer, and quiet times. (Proverbs 4:23)
2. that his relationship with God will bear much fruit in his life, and that he will be a man who seeks wisdom and understanding. (Proverbs 3:7, Psalm 112:1)
3. that he would walk humbly with God, and would always be convicted quickly about any sin in his life. (Micah 6:8)
4. that he will continue to grow as the leader of our family, and that God would be glorified in our marriage. (Ephesians 5:25-29)
5. that he would have a teachable spirit and a servant’s heart, and that he will listen to God and desire to do His will. (Proverbs 15:33)

So I'll be praying for Jamie! :) And I'm looking forward to seeing what God has planned for our family!

All about Maddie....

So I'm a little obsessed I guess. But hey, to me she's the prettiest little girl I've ever seen! :) Can you tell I'm in-love? :)

Anyhow, last week I asked for everyone to vote for Maddie. Great news ----SHE WON!! :) I'm so excited and proud.

Also, here is her monthly picture...Well, actually I'm posting the last 3 monthly pictures. And I'm just going to add to it monthly, so ya'll can watch my sweet girl grow with me!

Please vote if you can...

I entered Maddie into a Cutest Baby (& Kid) Contest. The way you vote is through Facebook. You search for Murphy's Memories and Like her page. Then find this picture and vote :)

Thanks for any votes! :)

Six Word Saturday

What Maddie looks like upset/mad...

Haha...I read this book years ago to my class at work, The Pout-Pout Fish and then here lately when Maddie gets mad she'll make this face. It's so cute! So I asked my husband if he could turn the corners of his mouth down like that because I can't. Yep, she got it from him. They look just alike when they do it! Just thought I'd share! :)

Spending a rainy day with Maddie.

So it's raining outside. I'm really wishing that rain would turn into snow but I don't think it's going to happen this year. But at least I got to spend the day indoors with my sweet Maddie. I love spending time with her and miss her through the week while I'm at work so today has been a wonderful day. She's such a good baby.

Back with Six Word Saturday! :)

Spending the day with my Princess!

I went back to work on Thursday and I'm glad I only had to work Thursday and Friday before a few days off again to spend with my Princess, Maddie. Thursday and Friday were okay workdays. But I was exhausted Thursday from work. Hopefully someday, oneday I'll be able to be a stay at home Mom with her. I have always felt like that was what God put me on Earth to do, be a Mom and raise my child(ren) the way God would want me to, along with my husband of course! :) But when God sees fit for me to be able to stay at home with my sweet girl then I will, until then I've given it to him and I'll enjoy my weekend time with her!

Six weeks...

flies by very quickly...Exactly six weeks ago today I was in the hospital in labor with Maddie. Sadly, tomorrow I go back to work :( Part of me will be glad to have adult conversation again and get back into a routine but then I have to leave her. It'll be the longest eight hours of my life and I may just come home on my lunch break to see her. Tomorrow and Friday she'll be with my husband. Then Saturday and Sunday she'll be with me. Monday and Tuesday she'll be with my husband again. Then Wednesday and Thursday she'll go to Mawmaw and Pawpaw's (my parents) house. THEN next Friday my mom is having surgery again so please keep her in your prayers, and while she is having surgery Jamie's aunt Denice is going to keep Maddie. Here is a picture of my sweet girl on December 30th at exactly 1 month old! :) (Her face was a little broke out, she had an allergic reaction to the formula but it's clearing up nicely since they switched her.)

On to other things...My birthday is February 1st. And my husband, Jamie, told me he wanted to go out and get my birthday present before I went back to work so he'd already have it and wouldn't have to think about when he was going to be able to get it later on. So I said okay and he went out yesterday. Well, things got a little messed up and he had to give it to me early. Or part of it early. He came home and he told me that I couldn't look at our bank account because I'd see where he'd been and then I'd know what it was. Um, I pay the bills and write the checks and make sure everything is going right so I have to look at the bank account. So he said that's true I guess I'll give it to you. So he gave me a Nook Tablet!! :) I love it. It was a gift from my parents, sister, his mom, dad and step-mom and him too. It is so cool.

That's my life right now though. Mostly just being a Momma to Maddie and when I get a chance reading my Nook Tablet. :)

Some pictures and....

Here are two pictures of Maddie. They are done by Murphy's Memories. She's awesome!! Our plan is to go back and have her take Maddie's pictures at 3, 6, 9 and 12 months. 

But I really posted to say....

Merry Christmas!!!

I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year. Remember the reason for the season! We are doing our Christmas Jar tonight and I can't wait! :)

Madelyn "Maddie" Rae

From this...

To this...

So as you can see I had my baby girl! :) Madelyn "Maddie" Rae was born on November 30, 2011 at 11:34pm weighing in at 6 lbs 11 oz and measuring 20 inches long. Isn't she a beauty?!

I was induced on November 30th at 8am and after 3 cervic softner pills and 12 hours later I was still at 1cm and 70% effaced. They actually called my doctor and she was on her way in to do a c-section (I would have had to been put to sleep if they did that.) Well, all the pain meds I had had were IV pain meds. They talked me into an epidural but I'm allergic to the "Caine" family drugs so I couldn't have one! So basically I was knocked out when I wasn't having contractions and I'd come to just for the contractions. While it wasn't the best experience I've ever had it was all worth it. During labor though I didn't think so and I told my husband as much. At one point I told him I didn't know why people did this to themselves and that this would be our only one. I also told him I wanted him to hurt like I was hurting and that's why I was squeezing his hand. He also told me that I kicked him at one point! (haha. I don't remember that) But I went from 1cm to 4cm, to 7cm, to 8cm, to 9cm (and I stayed there for what felt like FOREVER!) and finally at 10cm! We stayed in the hospital till Friday and came home Friday evening. We are doing pretty good and sleeping okay too.

This is a whole new and overwhelming experience but I couldn't share it with a better person, my husband Jamie. And we are so thankful for Maddie! :) Of course come back, I'm sure I'll be posting more pictures of my sweet girl!

Update on Maddie and her room...

I just realized I hadn't posted on how Maddie is lately so I thought I'd share...

I'm 38 weeks and 4 days and very uncomfortable but completely okay with it cause I know it'll be well worth it. Last week I was having Braxton Hicks contractions pretty regularly and then on Thursday night around 11 or so I started having these pains in my back and around to my front. The way I describe them: felt like a kidney stone in the back and cramps in the front. So we went to the hospital cause I was hurting bad. I told Jamie that even if I wasn't pregnant these pains would make me go to the hospital because they were weird and painful. They said I wasn't having contractions and that I very well could have a kidney stone but everything else looked normal. So it's like a double whammy as Jamie says kidney stone pain and then the Braxton Hicks contractions were painful too. Came home and slept pretty much all day on Friday. BUT the Braxton Hicks contractions have pretty much stopped :( So now it's just waiting until God and Maddie are ready for her to be apart of this world. I have been very anxious, nervous, scared, excited, (pretty much you name it I feel it) about her arrival. But after an emotional breakdown yesterday I feel some better about it. She'll come eventually and I won't be pregnant forever (even though I feel like I will). haha.

After all that chit chat here are some pictures of her room...

So that's her room in a nutshell! :) Not the best pictures I know but I never claimed to be a photographer! My favorite part of the room is probably her name or the wall decals. My favorite part of the room that won't always stay in the room is the quilt on the rocking chair. My best friend Erica made it for me and I'll always treasure it, as I'm sure Maddie will.

Opps...

I missed yesterday...So sorry...To be quiet honest, and this may shock some people, I only got on the computer for maybe 15 minutes yesterday. My husband and I spent the day together which was nice although he was frustrated at the car place (they were supposed to fix his car and didn't!) and I was uncomfortable. BUT he took me to get a pedicure. It was AWESOME! He said that he'd remember me saying that I wanted to have a pedicure before Maddie got here and that was his anniversary gift to me. Then we went out to dinner last night to a new restaurant and it was very tasty! I love that man! Anyhow, moving away from the gushy talk and onto the thankful list.....

November 1st - I'm thankful for my house.
November 2nd - I'm thankful for my Momma.
November 3rd - I'm thankful for my Daddy.
November 4th - I'm thankful for chocolate.
November 5th - I'm thankful for being able to read.
November 6th - I'm thankful for food to eat.
November 7th - I'm thankful for a car to drive.
November 8th - I'm thankful for my sisters. Although they can be a pain (I mean they're sisters!), I still love them and I'm glad that God put them in my life. There is a pretty long story about how Jessi and Jamie (not my husband Jamie, sister Jamie! haha) came to be my sisters, maybe I'll post it one day...

November 9th - I'm thankful for my husband. Four years ago today I married the man of my dreams. Besides my dad I don't know a greater man. I can honestly say that we've had ups and downs but God made us for each other. I can't wait to see him be a really good Daddy to Maddie and I'm sure it'll make me fall-in love with him all over again.

Pregnancy Highlights - 35 weeks

Monday when I went to the doctor she wrote me out of work to watch my amniotic fluid. My family, work, myself, and everyone knew it was coming we just didn't know when. So it was no big surprise but it's still kind of a shocker. Anyhow, I worked the rest of the day on Monday and now I'll go back after Maddie is born. I went on Tuesday for an ultrasound. She wouldn't show her face cause she was facing my back but we did learn that she weighs 4 lbs. 14 oz AND she has LOTS of hair...We've seen a little bit of hair before one ultrasounds but this time we saw a bunch. It's so amazing that there's a baby in there but then to see all the "stuff" they can see on an ultrasound is amazing too. We went back to the doctor today and my amniotic fluid went up some from Tuesday, so being at home is agreeing with the amniotic fluid, which is awesome!
 
Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 35 weeks (I'll be 36 weeks on Monday, 10/31/11)

Total Weight Gain/Loss: 13 lbs!!! WOW...the big gain was last week when I gained 3 or 4 lbs.

Maternity Clothes: I'm wearing them and hating them. But only because they are clothes...Not a fan of pants these days...The shirts feel comfy though!

Gender: A girl...Madelyn Rae "Maddie"

Movement: For this little girl to be 4 lbs and 14 oz (almost 5 lbs) she's a strong little thing! She has her head down ready for delivery and her booty is usually on my left side...She'll stretch out though sometimes and you can feel her booty on my left side and her feet poking my right side...It hurts at times but it's such a sweet feeling!

Sleep: Getting harder to do...Thankfully I can sleep anytime I want to now.

What I miss: being comfortable, not peeing every 5 seconds (it feels like),

Cravings: Chocolate mostly...And coffee some still. (I wonder if Maddie will like chocolate?)

Symptoms: Indigestion and heartburn...Contractions every now and again...sometimes they hurt (which is scary) and sometimes they don't. Oh yes, another symptom is I'm on an emotional roll a-coaster!

Best Moment this week: Packing the bag for the hospital (her's is all ready, mine - not so much) and having our last birthing class and the tour of the hospital.

Size of baby: 17.2 to 18.7 in, 4.2 to 5.8 lb (We know she weighs 4 lbs and 14 oz she's right on track :)

Baby is the size of a: Honeydew

Maddie at 32 weeks...

So have I mentioned I'm pregnant?? haha. If you are new to my blog I'm pregnant with my first child. It's a girl and her name will be Madelyn Rae but we'll call her Maddie. And I'm in love!

I posted a few days ago that while in Wilmington to see Jamie's mom and brother we went to a 3-D ultrasound place called Womb's Window. It was pretty cool cause when I was 18 weeks we went to a place called Watch Me Grow with his mom, dad, step-mom, aunt, my mom, dad, and grandma all to find out if the baby was a girl or a boy. I was convinced it was a boy, imagine my shock! Anyhow, here are some pictures from Womb's Window where we went on Monday, October 3rd when I was 32 weeks pregnant with Madelyn! :)

 Is that not just the sweetest little face you've ever seen?? Okay if you have children of your own you may think your child is cuter but I'm partial, what can I say! haha

 

Her sweet little profile...I love the profile pictures in 2-D...

And below are her feet...You can count five toes on her right foot but you can't really see her left foot to count them.

Hope you enjoyed probably the last preview of Madelyn Rae that you or I'll have! :) We have an ultrasound each week to check the amniotic fluid BUT it's not one where the doctor shows us much of the baby at all.