Merry Christmas from Madilyn :)

Snow in MS

Thanksgiving

I can't even begin to name all of the things I'm thankful for but I can say one of God's greatest blessings to us is Madilyn. Not only have we watched her grow a ton over the last 8 months but she has had several changes just over the Thanksgiving holiday...she's army crawling, pulling up and now her first tooth is finally peeking through. We are blessed beyond measures with the experience of parenthood! We continue to thank God for this blessing and seek his guidance to be the best parents we can possibly be. God is so good!

Spending time with Pawpaw

I'm not sure who enjoyed this more??

Halloween

October

Sweet Potatoes!!

Mommy's happy girl!

Granny came to visit :)

Madilyn shows off her Petal outfit!

Snuggled up with mommy @ the game!

Mitchell Farms - Pumpking Patch

Mmmomma

Sounds like "momma" to me! Of course she has only done this when she's been tired/fussy AND when Pete isn't at home so I recorded it last night for proof :)

6 months old!

We spent some time in Slidell during Labor Day weekend since Pete was able to have a little extra time off...which is very rare during football season! Although he is an Ole Miss fan we did "allow" Madilyn to wear her LSU onesie for the day since it was a gift from Bubba & Granny. 

Madilyn is very active and so much fun! She is rolling over a ton and scooting a good bit but not crawling just yet. She is still a drooling machine and gnaws on everything but no sign of any teeth yet. She still loves bath time too so I tend to take lots of pictures during that time (2nd picture). She had her 6 month check- up last week which was so sad to watch but thankfully she was her normal fun self after she took a long afternoon nap! The doctor confirmed she's eating and growing really well. She now weighs 18 lb, 14 oz and is 26 5/8 inches. He also gave us the go ahead to start spoon feeding her so we've been trying out rice cereal the last few days. 

I still can't believe she's already 6 months old. These have been the absolute best 6 months of my life!! "Light of dad's life" (photo 3) is also very true!!!

I was hoping to take Madilyn to most of the football games but the rain has prevented us from doing that, however, she did really well at the game on Friday night which is where she wore her adoreable red/white polka dotted outfit.

The last picture was actually after church today. Pete had already gone to work so I decided to do a quick photoshoot just b/c I thought she looked so sweet in her houndstooth dress :)

We thank God each day for blessing our lives so much by giving us the opportunity to be parents to such a precious baby girl. 

These are several of my favorite pictures from the last month or so: 

Peek-a-boo

Jump Jump Jump

In the beginning she didn't quite know what to do with this but I would say she has the hang of it now :)

Giggle Girl

Madilyn enjoying some daddy time after the Ole Miss game.

Big events = Big emotions

Madilyn is growing up way too fast! I cherish every minute I get to spend with her and it amazes me how I can love her more and more every day!

This past Sunday we had her dedication at church. We honor God for blessing our lives with her! She did really well for the dedication and seemed to enjoy the lunch with family & friends at our house afterwards. She is such a sweet baby!

Monday was a big day for Madilyn and I...first day of daycare! I knew this day had to come but I was still unprepared as I drove to work in tears!! Each day is getting a little better as I know she's in good hands (and right around the corner). It's also encouraging to walk in to pick her up everyday and see her playing with a huge smile on her face.

Alot of things happening to keep us busy but we wouldn't trade it for the world. Thank you God for continuing to bless us everyday!!

Summer Vacation & Update

So we packed up (what felt like the entire house) to take a trip to Destin last week but we had an amazing time. Although Madilyn is still a little young to fully enjoy the beach, she was a joy to have there with us, as always! I wanted to post several pictures from the week so everyone can see how much she's growing & changing.

She loved laying in the beach pack-n-play the Reynolds let us borrow (as you can see in pic #1). She wasn't a big fan of the bikini OR the hat but I couldn't resist a photo! She loves the game of peek-a-boo with her MiMi and seemed to enjoy her first time in a big pool. Overall she's just a wonderful and happy baby so I am constantly snapping pictures!!

I was also fortunate enough to celebrate my birthday while in Destin and my sweet hubby suprised me with dinner reservations so MiMi kept Madilyn so we could have a date. So sweet!!

This week was also very eventful...on Wednesday, Madilyn had her 4 month check up, which we are thankful is over! Poor baby turned purple she cried so hard after getting those shots, it was heart-breaking for mommy & daddy to watch! On a good note, we did find out not only has she gained alot of weight but she's grown alot as well which is wonderful, so at 16.5 weeks she weighs 16.2 lbs and is 26 1/8 inches long - wow! Also, yesterday Pete & I celebrated our 4 year anniversary. I can honestly say these last 4 years have been the most incredible years of my life. I am so thankful that God has blessed me with such an amazing man to be my best friend, my husband and the sweet daddy he is to Madilyn. I look forward to many, many more years of love and laughter with Pete by my side!!

time flies

I cannot believe Madilyn was 3 months old yesterday! Everyone was right...time flies after they're born!! We are having a blast getting to talk and play with her. Her little personality is really starting to shine! The butterfly in the pictures is something I got her before she was born and just introduced to her last week and she LOVES it. It's soft, has crackly wings and even plays music so the 3-n-1 toy is perfect for her. She's not quite ready to pull the cord to make it sing but she loves to hang on to it...especially while she's sleeping. It has been so amazing to have her come to work with me these last few months. I love being able to watch her sleep, hear her play/talk and hold her during my lunch breaks!! :)

Who knew something so tiny could bring so much joy and love. What a blessing from God!!

Father's Day

God has truly blessed me with two amazing men in my life. I was raised by one and I'm married to one. I look forward to watching Pete raise Madilyn and bless her life like my father did mine. 

COLDPLAY

Althought it was our first time to leave Madilyn overnight, which was VERY hard, we did have an amazing time in New Olreans! 

We had dinner at Hard Rock, enjoyed a four hour concert featuring Howling Bells, Snow Patrol and COLDPLAY and to top it all off we were able to get a full night of sleep which felt incredible!!

A night to remember...

Happy Birthday Pete

I want to wish Pete a very happy birthday. He's my best friend, the love of my life and he father of our precious baby girl. I'm so grateful for him and everything that he means to me!

Nine Weeks Old

It's so hard to believe Madilyn is already 9 weeks old. Everyone was right...time FLIES even more after they are born so I'm trying to cherish every moment we spend together! I love her more & more each day and feel honored to be her mommy. She is now smiling and cooing a good bit which is so exciting.

This weekend was her first shopping experience and her first time out to dinner with us and she did great with both. Although we'd love a little more sleep @ night, we honestly couldn't ask for a better baby. She's our angel!!

The past few weeks

Well we've had an eventful past few weeks so I wanted to share a few pictures...a four generation photograph with my grandmother, mom, myself and Madilyn, a photograph of sweet Madilyn asleep on her great aunt Nancy's hand and a photograph of us celebrating my brother's graduation!!

My grandmother, aunt Nancy and aunt Lori traveled down from Virginia to help us celebrate Adam's graduation from nursing school AND of course came to meet Madilyn too!

Yesterday was a BIG day for Madilyn - she survived her shots and so did I! She weighed 10lb. 6oz, 22 3/8 inches at 6.5 weeks old so we're thankful for a healthy and growing baby girl!!

I also started back to work this week so that's been a big challenge!!

Photoshoot - 1 month old

I thought time flew by while I was pregnant but it flies by even quicker these days! This last month has been the most challenging and rewarding time of my life and I thank God for blessing us with Madilyn every day!! She basically eats, sleeps and poops ALOT but I could stare at her all day long and never get enough. We've been able to catch a glimpse of her smiling but only in her sleep...wonder what she's dreaming about at such a young age?! Although she spends everyday with me, she perks up when her daddy walks in the door every afternoon. It's so sweet that she already notices the sound of his voice and loves it when he talks to her. I'm so lucky to have such a sweet husband and father to our child. I can't wait to see what is in store for us during the next month :)

The BEST Easter Ever!

Madilyn Lea Holeman

March 30, 2009 @ 9:14 a.m.

6 lbs, 10 oz and 19.5 inches