Photography...

I have not posted in a while because we do not have a whole lot of news to share. We are currently attempting to get days and nights all sorted out with Madeline... no easy task :) But she is doing pretty good. Once we can get the Wii fit set up we will update you on her weight, we do not have a lot of concerns in this area because she is looking sooo good. So in an effort to update you on something, here is what I have been looking into during my "spare" time. As most of you know Jeff and I both really enjoy photography. Up until recently I would say that I can take a decent picture... nothing professional but I would like to think that I am decent at composition. Having Madeline has inspired me to REALLY learn how to use my camera. I am not even close yet but here are the first attempts. I think my future investments will be at least one really good lens, some lighting equipment and maybe, if I feel like I really understand what I am doing, someday a new SLR with a ton of megapixels (Jeff and I have been drooling over the Canon 50D).

Big Girl Clothes

Jeff and I have been noticing Madeline getting bigger and bigger every day. It really does seem that there is a marked difference between morning and evening. When I dressed her for the baby shower a week and a half ago I thought she had grown enough for me to try a newborn size dress... I was sadly mistaken, it hung like a potato sack. Today we tried a newborn outfit that was given to her by our friend Jenny on the day she was born and it fits perfectly! In the same breath we rejoice over her growth, the chubby cheeks, thighs, the little belly that is forming, and we mourn the passing of the beginning phase... our sweet little baby girl is growing up already and we are trying to cherish every moment. Here is a picture of her very first "outfit", the rest have been sleep n plays (pajamas).



Our dogs are somewhat exasperating at times but are also hours of entertainment. They are constantly in competition, what one has the other wants (i.e. food, rawhides, toys, socks and, the important one, beds). We have a large dog bed for Ruger, bought mainly because we allow Otis on the couches but not Ruger due to their sizes. A daily occurrence lately has been our little 8 lb dog steeling the big dog bed from our 50 lb puppy... causing no end of distress for our big puppy. In an attempt to alleviate this stress we bought a small bed for our small dog. Immediately upon bringing it home what you see below is what happened... always wanting what the other has :)

Today is the Day

Today is the day, or it was supposed to be the day that Maddie was to be born, but she had other plans. It's hard to believe that it's been five and a half weeks since she was born. We both think she is getting so big but when we take her out everyone comments about how tiny she is. Today we took her to the hangar so she could meet my coworkers and, big surprise, they all said she was tiny. I suppose it makes sense since she should just now be getting born. It's been really nice to take Maddie out in public but on the downside, she has contracted her very first cold. In fact, we all have said cold but we are on the mend.

It seems that LeeAnn and I hardly see one another anymore even though we see each other every day. I've been building a dog house (which the dogs won't use) and working. LeeAnn's day is of course filled with caring for Madeline and keeping the house running. We look forward to the weekends when things slow down a bit and we can actually hang out like we used to (with one awesome difference of course). Here are some pics.

Checking email with daddy


Snuggle time


The sleeping bag from the dog house!

Go Broncos! and thanks friends :)

Sunday we had a great family day. We started with church where there is a great series on Ephesians we are thoroughly enjoying. We then rushed home in an attempt to feed Madeline a "quick" bottle so we could meet a friend for lunch... the quick bottle turned into enough spit up for all three of us to change our clothes :) After lunch we did a little shopping to get Jeff some much needed jeans and me some much needed tennis shoes. We then hurried home, not only because it was time to feed Maddie once again but also to catch the rest of the Broncos game. Jeff and I spend most of our days trying to accomplish certain to-do lists as we care for our young infant, most of which is not done together. Sunday was so restful and sweet because we just spent time together without even looking at our lists. I know that our house would be unbearable if we ignored these lists every day but I also know how necessary this time was for us. You can see our little Broncos fan below :)





Last Friday night my two sweet friends Kori and Abby threw me an impromptu baby shower, They had been planning on doing this for quite some time but the early arrival of Madeline Mae threw a wrench in their plans. We had a great time with good food and quality hang out time, I am so grateful for their generosity! Here is a pic of the three of us, Kori is on the left and Abby on the right:

Awake Time

Madeline is spending a lot more time awake these days. She is content to just lay in your arms and look around while she makes here little noises. It's cute and we love it. Here is a video.

Grandpa's Visit

This weekend Madeline was able to meet her Grandpa Rowland for the first time and I think they were pretty impressed with each other! My Dad arrived on Saturday night and left early this morning. While he and Gerry were here they proceeded to spoil all three of us by buying breakfast before church on Sunday, cooking a ton of food for our freezer, buying Madeline a mattress and a wipe warmer. We had a wonderful time and look forward to his next visit.

Madeline had a couple of firsts this weekend. When we went to the pediatrician last Monday one of our questions was how careful to be about taking Maddie out of the house. Our doctor was emphatic in her opinion that it is better to take her out than to keep her at home all the time, we just need to make sure that everyone who wants to touch her washes their hands first and to make sure that if someone is sick they do not breathe directly on her. With that in mind we made some trips this weekend, Saturday morning our church had a women's brunch and fashion show so Maddie and I had our first day out with the ladies :) Sunday we went to breakfast and then church for the first time, I spent the majority of the service in the nursing mothers room but it still felt good to go after being away for so long. We had our first snow of the season yesterday and today it is sunny but still pretty cold so Maddie and I are staying indoors for now.

Here are a few pictures from the weekend: