Happy 1st Birthday, Baby!

GUESS WHAT???

Madison has reached a new milestone...She's going to be a big sister! (her shirt in the picture was mine that I wore when we brought home my sister from the hospital...24 years ago!)

Surprise doesn't even begin to describe what we felt. More like shock....and then complete overwhelming joy and thanks to God for this miracle. You see, we got pregnant naturally, with no infertility help! At one time, we were told we had less than a 5 % chance of obtaining a pregnancy on our own. In the last 5 months, we tried two minor infertility procedures that were not successful. Then, a week after we move to Beaumont, we got pregnant. We are so excited. We are due January 23.

Because of our complicated pregnancy with Madison, my OB is also having me see a Perinatologist in Houston regularly. I've already had several ultrasounds and the baby appears very healthy so far. We are excited, but naturally a little (ok, more than a little) nervous. But God has been so faithful to us and we will trust and walk with Him.

Please pray for us this Thursday. I'll have a minor surgery that afternoon to ensure the baby stays in the uterus. However, there is risk (as we've been told several times) that if membranes are hit, it will result in spontaneous abortion. But, the risks of losing the baby later are much greater if I don't have this surgery done. So, if you will, please pray for us and I'll update y'all on Friday.

In addition to this post, I want to write a BIG CONGRATULATIONS to my cousin Nicole and her husband Pat on the birth of their precious baby girl, Averie Elizabeth. She was born on 6/22, weighing 7 lbs 14 oz and 21" long! We love you!

Happy 1st Birthday, Madison!

Happy Birthday!

Madison in her special birthday dress with balloons and her monogram and a special birthday bow to match!
Time to undress, blow out the candle, and eat the cake!
Mmm, Yum!
Some of the party decorations

We excitedly celebrated Madison's first birthday while at the beach. She had a Baby Einstein themed party and especially liked her presents and cake!

Our Beach Trip

I love it here!

Wrightsville Beach, NC: in front of the sand dunes EARLY one morning...because someone woke up extra early...

All nice and clean from a day on the beach

A pool just my size!

Having fun at Margaritaville at Broadway at the Beach in Myrtle Beach, SC

Family pic
Would play in the sand, and especially the ocean, all day if she could!

We had a great time at the beach last week! It was SO wonderful to get out of town and relax. First, we drove to Houston to spend the night at a hotel near the airport. We caught an early morning flight to Wilmington, NC. We then rented a car (and rented a car seat - you can rent any kind of baby equipment, food, diapers, etc. from many companies these days that drop them off where you need them!) and drove to Wrightsville Beach, NC for Elam and Brynn's wedding.

All of the groomsmen (which included Mark) and their spouses/sig others stayed in a house on the beach. There was one other couple there with a baby. It was a very hectic weekend, juggling wedding activities and a baby - all by myself - because Mark was MIA with his friends hanging out and doing the necessary wedding stuff. We will only do it again if we have someone to watch our child! It was just too much. Anyhow, we did secure babysitters Fri and Sat evenings for a bit, which was nice. The rehearsal dinner was at a resort on the beach. The food was amazing, beautiful decorations, and a steel drum band to match. The wedding was gorgeous. The bride walked down the aisle to an amazing accoustic version of "Great is Thy Faithfulness" - it was so cool.

Sunday afternoon (6/15), Mark, Madison and I drove down to Myrtle Beach, SC and hung out at Barefoot Landing and then Broadway at the Beach. Madison loved eating at Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville restaurant - so much to look at! We then met Mark's family at their house on Litchfield Beach. It is so beautiful there and we love going! We had great weather most of the time. I have to say, it is VERY different going on "vacation" with a child. We actually wouldn't call it a "vacation". :) Needless to say, I didn't come back with the fabulous tan I had wished for. But, Madison had a blast (and we enjoyed it, too) in the sand and on the water. She constantly wanted to be in the ocean and was not scared at all!

We celebrated Madison's one year old birthday (pics to come in another posting) on Friday with a Baby Einstein themed party. We can't believe she is ONE now already. We sadly left to come home on Saturday afternoon...and arrived home around 1 am the next day!

You can see more pics of our vacation here.

Mommy and Maddy

Aw, she's my little buddy

Yay! We found a playground with baby swings!
Every morning, Tyson comes with me to get Madison out of bed. He sits with me on the same chair to feed Madison breakfast (and every mealtime thereafter)...hoping to get some himself? Then, Madison "plays" with him. He's a great sport and lets her grab him, etc.
Hmm, I don't know about this slide yet.

I'm stuck...this happens on a daily basis. She's been known to do flips over toys, chairs, etc. And rarely cries!

Early birthday celebration

Think I'm wearing enough frosting... Okay, time for bath!
Tearing into the cupcake...before we could even start singing.

Not wanting to sit still for mommy's picture
Hehehe...I know I look pretty in my new birthday outfit.
Swimming with Hayden
Opening shower gifts
Yipee, this is fun!

We had a great weekend with some of our friends from Katy! We only had two days, so we plan on going back next month for a longer time. It was so nice to catch up with our old friends. We stayed overnight with Mark, Tana and Hayden. We swam, shopped, and played. Oh, and we ate fabulous food all weekend! I mean, crawfish fettucini, steaks, quesadillas, etc. So yummy. Anyhow, on Saturday night, we went to the Wittens house to get together with them, the Tuckers, the Carters, and the Quinlans. The kids played and played. Since Mark and I won't be able to attend their joint showers (yes, three of the ladies are due within a month of each other), we celebrated early with gifts.

And, since Hayden and Madison's birthdays are only a couple weeks apart (Hayden will turn 2 and Madison will turn 1), we celebrated today with cupcakes with hot pink icing. Madison tore into hers before we could even sing "Happy Birthday". It was all over her face, legs and tummy. Then she decided to sit in it.

Memorial Day Weekend

Mark's parents were in town for over a week and just left today. They KINDLY drove a U-Haul down all the way from the NC/VA border, where they live on Lake Gaston. The trip took about 24 hours, total. They brought us furniture we inherited from Mark's grandmother. We are now the proud owners of a beautiful dining room set, a bedroom set (finally we have a queen size bed for our guests to sleep in and they won't be cramped in a full!), and another bedroom set with twin beds - sooo cute, too, for when our kid(s) get older. They helped us out so much finally getting settled into our home. All of our rooms are organized and unpacked, except for our office. We bought new rugs, draperies, shades, and wall decorations. Everything is hung on the walls and decorated. We are SO relieved and SO thankful.

We had a fun Memorial Day cookout with our new fabulous neighbors. It was great to get together again and watch all the little kiddos play. Madison especially loved the blow-up jumping thing. I don't have any idea what it's called, but it was big and she loved it. Daddy bounced her in it. She is doing well and we celebrated her 11 month old birthday! I CAN'T believe how fast time has passed. I know everyone says it, but I didn't truly know what they meant until now. I can't believe she'll be one year old soon! She is still cruising around everywhere and doing a good job trying to walk with a bit of our help. :) Her new favorite thing is bouncy balls. She loves any type of ball - baseball, rubber ball, etc. And of course, her Daddy just loves that. :)

Unfortunately, Madison got another ear infection. Hopefully, they'll subside after she turns a year old, but if not, her doctor said she'll most likely need tubes put in. That sounds scary, but I know so many kids who have them. It seems like every time she's in the church nursery (oh yeah, we've been visiting churches here!), she catches some sort of illness. So, of course, I have it now...not an ear infection, but a sinus infection. It is fantastic. I love being sick in the hot, humid weather. Sweet.

Mark is still working like crazy and working late hours, but he really enjoyed having the long holiday weekend to spend with friends and family. He is going on a fishing trip with one of our neighbors - it's some kind of tournament - next weekend, so he's psyched about that.

Ryan's Graduation

We had a wonderful time in North Carolina last weekend! It was SO great to get back "home"!!! Man, you really learn to appreciate the place you came from once you move! We enjoyed the beautiful weather, the hills, the trees, the landscape...I mean, we love Texas! But, North Carolina will always be our favorite!

We all had a fantastic time celebrating Ryan's graduation with his Ph.D. It was fun to go back to NCSU's campus. We visited the school bookstore...this time with a kid in tow...which was a neat feeling. Of course, we bought Madison a few shirts and stocked up on some gear for ourselves! Now that we live a few houses down from Brian and Jamie Jones, friends from college, we'll be sure to get together for some football games - that rarely come on TV here! Anyway, we enjoyed going out to a wonderful dinner on Friday night. The next morning, we attended the big graduation at RBC, across from our football stadium. The ceremony was huge, but Ryan and the rest of the doctoral degree grads got to walk across the stage. After a great BBQ lunch, we attended a second ceremony for the college of Psychology - in which Ryan got his degree. The advisors of the doctoral grads said really nice things about them and it was really intimate. We were very proud of him. Afterward, we drove to Mark's parents house to spend some family time together on the lake. The next afternoon...we flew back to Texas!

Madison did so well on the trip - even with hardly any naps!! She's so good. And, she was a perfect angel on the plane rides. Thank you, Lord.

She just makes us laugh every day. She wants to walk SO badly! She is cruising around everywhere, saying "Dada" and talking in her own language.

We have been extremely busy since we've gotten home, trying to get more settled in. Mark's folks arrive on Tuesday - they are driving down some furniture for us!! Will write again soon.

Our new house

The front of our new house
Walking into the entrance
Master bedroom
Part of the kitchen

We've Moved!! (and we're finally online...)

I'm 10 months old! (picture was taken about a week and a half later, though...)

At the BBQ given for us by our new neighbors! The kids had a great time.
Lots of fun to be had!

At our going-away BBQ in our former neighborhood in Katy. Such love!
We will miss our neighbors so much!
The BIG moving van...we filled it up!!
Hayden playing with Madison to keep her busy!

Resting on Daddy's leg
Some of our friends at our going-away dinner after-party.
What great girlfriends!
Jenna is such a great babysitter! :)

Hi everyone!! Wow, it's been a little over two weeks that we've been without the Internet...so I'm so sorry for the delay in keeping you updated! So much has happened and our life has been extremely hectic...but hey, it's part of our every-two-year adventure, right?!

On Saturday (4/19), our friends threw us a wonderful dinner at a fabulous Italian restaurant, Azzarrelli's. Over 20 of us gathered in a private room and had a great meal and great conversation. They gave us the sweetest gifts, too! On Sunday, our neighborhood friends gave us a fantastic going-away cookout. We are going to miss them tremendously!

Our movers arrived two weeks ago Monday to start packing up everything in our house. Mark was already down in Beaumont, so it was just Madison and I at the house. The movers were so nice and respectful and very conscientious about having a baby in the house. So many people came in and out of the house that week - the new buyers, our friends, other workers, movers, etc. It was a zoo. The worst part?? I got THE FLU. It was awful. I would never wish that on anyone...taking care of a baby by yourself, coordinating a move by yourself...and having the flu? ugh. On Wednesday, the movers finished loading everything onto the truck. That afternoon a cleaning crew came in and cleaned our house, getting it finally ready for the buyers. Tana was my saving grace!!! She took Madison for me, so I could finish doing things at the house. She is so wonderful to us. That morning, Madison woke up...sick. She was so lethargic, she slept almost all day long, bless her heart. That evening, we were in a hotel down in Beaumont. The next day, Thursday, we closed on our new house in the morning. Afterward, Madison was feeling so much better, she didn't even want to take a nap. So, we went to our new fitness center - The Wellness Center, which is connected to a hospital and fabulouse - and signed up for Mommy and Tot swim classes! (for July)

Friday (4/25) was the big move-in date. The movers unloaded all of our stuff and unpacked most everything. Since this house is 1000 square feet smaller than our last house (but same price, can you believe?), we have A LOT of stuff to sell and donate...our garage is packed. However, we love the house. It's a custom home and the craftmanship inside is really nice. Since the move-in, we've been up to our ears getting everything in its place...we have a LONG way to go. Our house is again a zoo, with everyone coming in and out...all the utility workers, satalite people, audio installers, security system installers, etc. Soon, I hope, it will all be over. Needless to say, I'm really looking forward to Mark's folks coming down to help us at the end of this month.

We've met most of our neighbors...and God has blessed us again so much! They are wonderful! Our friends from N.C. State, Jamie and Brian Jones (they were Chemical Engineering and Paper Science majors with Mark) with Avery (4 months), live about 7 houses down from us. They threw us a BBQ this weekend to get to know everyone. It was so nice of them. Mark is really liking his new position here, but it is greatly challenging. He still has a lot to learn about this division, but it's a challenge he looks forward to.

On Friday, we are flying to Raleigh for a whirl-wind trip to attend Mark's brother's graduation! He is graduating from N.C. State with his PhD. We are SO excited for him!!! We'll be in Raleigh only overnight, then going to Mark's parents' house for Saturday night. We leave to fly back on Sunday!

So until then, everyone have a great weekend and I'll post when we return from N.C.!!

Our Recent Photo Shoot