2 Funny Bunnies +2

Lanterns! and PMSP

2012-02-17T14:10:00.002-06:00

A few weeks ago we went with Ron and Judy to a festival called Lanterns! It turned out to be different than I expected, but we still had a fun time. Here we are visiting "China."

The whole group.

Kate and Max trying to touch one of the Lanterns in "China."

Max and Kate in front of the "Moon!"

As part of the "United States," they had this baseball mascot. We thought it was a moose, but I guess it really is a cow. Hard to really tell.

Kate is walking everywhere. I am so glad. Crawling all over is really gross to me. Kate also loves to be outside. Our back door has a big glass cutout, so she can see outside. I find her frequently by the door, looking outside, and telling me "Shoes. Outside!" When I tell her no, she starts to cry. One evening, we decided to take the kids to Pinnacle Mountain State Park (PMSP). It was cold and windy, but they were thrilled to be outside. Kate liked walking over the bridge.

We took a kite to fly.

Max was great at flying it.

He tried to show Kate how to hold the string. Kate didn't find it very exciting to hold.

Max has been really good about helping Kate, as you will see in the next few pictures. Kate now loves to go down slides all by herself. She has no fear!

Max is an explorer. He told me he was a big spider here.

I think Little Rock is starting to grow on me. :)

The Old Mill

2012-01-25T12:55:00.003-06:00

For playgroup yesterday, we went to the Old Mill in North Little Rock. It is such a picturesque place! We will be going there again to get family pictures. Here are some of the better shots from yesterday.

Here is a picture of some of the kids that came yesterday- Max, Thomas, Stuart, Annsley, George, Avery, and Kate. The others arrived shortly after we snapped this photo.

Axel and Logan driving the train.

We have really enjoyed having fun friends to meet up with for playgroup!

The Price of Running

2012-01-18T20:03:00.001-06:00

I have loved having a treadmill to do my workouts. It has been such a luxury to just jump on and go. However, when I do long runs the kids get bored. Really bored. I put shows on for them in the other room. I grab extra toys to bring into my room. Max gets snacks out of fridge to eat. But when nothing else works, I pull out the beans. We first got the container of beans for Kate's therapy, but they are now used for special occasions. The rule I have try and have my kids follow is, "The beans stay on the blue [sheet]." Typically they follow the rule pretty well. Except for when I go running. They know I will not get off the treadmill to put the beans away. I just have to watch as they spread the beans, dump the beans, throw the beans, eat the beans, and dive in the beans. I guess it is the price I pay for running at home.

A price I gladly pay.

Grandma and Grandpa Visit

2012-01-18T19:42:00.001-06:00

We were so excited for Grandma and Grandpa Madsen to come and visit us this month. I only have a few pictures from their stay because I forgot to put all the pictures Jane took on her camera on my computer! We were able to hike Pinnacle Mountain with them.

It was a great climb up and down. No major meltdowns from the kids, and the weather was quite pleasant. Max was a wonderful hiker and did a great job of independently hiking the last little bit.

We took Dan and Jane over to the Little Rock Zoo. Max has been dying for them to come. He has been wanting to ride the train with them! We had to run to catch it, and then we begged the operator to go one more time around! He complied and we had a fun time.

Kate has the curliest, cutest hair. I finally put it into pigtails the other day. She is such a ham in front of the camera. Thanks Amy for the darling outfit.

Santa and Garvan Gardens in Hot Springs

2011-12-22T13:41:00.001-06:00

Last Friday, before the church Christmas party, I took the kids to the zoo. As this is a fairly regular event, you may be wondering why I would include another post with pictures from the zoo. Well as you can see the kids are excited to go. They both have there hats on, and are ready to see the animals. We went from exhibit to exhibit, enjoying the empty pathways. While viewing the anteater, Kate was standing up and holding the rails to keep her balance. The next thing we know, her little white hat is down in the exhibit. Max was thrilled! He kept telling me, "A worker gets a ladder and find the hat!" We went to the front office and notified them of the incident, but we have not yet been back to retrieve her hat. All of the previous times of going to the zoo have been overshadowed by the excitement of Kate's dropped hat. Max is very curious to see her hat the next time we go to the zoo.

Here we are at the Christmas party. Max has been eagerly anticipating meeting Santa. He has been dying to tell him that all he wants for Christmas is trains. And train tracks. He can hardly contain his excitement as we wait in line. He kept on squeezing Rob's hand while he waited his turn.

He finally made it onto his lap. He gave Santa lots of hugs and loves. Told him about the trains and tracks and repeatedly thanked Santa for letting him sit on his lap.

Kate was not nearly as excited to see Santa. We weren't very surprised by her reaction.

Yesterday as I made breakfast, Max kept requesting my help in getting some stickers out of his coloring book. I declined helping him, so he took the initiative to figure a way to get them out. He peeled all the sticker edges off first (they are not pictured), then he proceeded to place all is stickers in a "train" on the floor. He was so proud.

I have wanted to go to Garvan Gardens in Hot Springs to see the Christmas lights all month. We finally had the opportunity to go last night. It was so much fun! The kids had a great time seeing the thousands of lights.

It was cold, so we bundled the kids up. Kate uses Max's old coat and hat, so everyone thought she was a boy. Oh well!

Watching the water go under the bridge.

There is a swan on the lake behind them.

A big bonus (in Max's eyes) was the train. He was able to turn the wheel....

... and pull its bell! Awesome!!

A rare photograph of all of us. I probably should have cropped the picture so we are bigger, but the gingerbread man on the right side of the photo was a highlight for Kate. She thought they were all trying to give her "high five!"

They were fascinated with the peacock.

3 more days until Christmas! Hooray!

Kate Turns 1

2011-12-22T12:52:00.002-06:00

My baby girl has turned 1! I still cannot believe it. She is such a joy in our lives.

Here are some things I want to remember about Kate:

1. We call Kate: Sissy, Princess, Baby Girl, and Kate Jane.

2. She loves her Mommy. She is still very attached to me and gets so excited to be with me, on me, or holding me.

3. Kate loves fruits. Her favorites: blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, peaches, strawberries, kiwi's, and apples.

4. Kate loves vegetables. Peas, corn, green beans, carrots, squash, and cucumbers top her list.

5. Kate crawls everywhere.

6. She can stand up and balance in the middle of the room. She cruises on all the furniture and walls.

7. She weighs 27 pounds (98.6%ile).

8. She is 31.5 inches tall (98%ile).

9. Her head is 18.5 inches around (92%ile).

10. Kate gets so excited to watch Baby Signing Time or Signing Time. She requests it whenever I go by the TV. She starts babbling and you can distinguish "baby baby sssss".

11. If you ask Kate to give you a high five, she smiles and puts her hand up to hit yours.

12. Kate's favorite book is Higher, Higher by Laura Patricelli.

13. Kate still takes a pacifier.

14. Kate sleeps with 4 blankets. 2 are the same blankets, just different colors. They are her favorite blankets because they have a silk edge.

15. Max is a great entertainer for Kate. She follows him around and tries to do everything he is doing.

16. Kate is allergic to eggs.

17. You never would guess that Kate had shoulder dystocia. She is completely normal.

18. Kate has naturally curly hair.

19. Her eyes are bright blue.

20. Kate loves taking showers and baths. Her latest thing is lying on her back in the tub and splashing with all her might.

21. Kate takes one nap each day for 2 to 3 hours.

22. Before she goes to bed, she always gives everyone an open mouthed, slobbery kiss.

23. She has excellent fine motor skills. If I give her a fork with something on the end of it, she can get it to her mouth no problem. She also can hold a pencil and color a paper.

24. Kate can reach the dvd player in our room. She has figured out how to open it up and take the dvd out.

25. Kate talks a lot. Some of her favorite words include: bubbles, Max, mama, dada, happy, ball, baby, uh-oh, no no no, ca ca ca (stinky/yucky), more, all done, and ba-bye.

Here she is on her birthday, beaming with happiness.

Opening her packages. She did a great job ripping the paper off.

Max was eager to help her.

Kate was fascinated with the candle. She didn't burn herself, although this picture is deceiving.

Apparently Kate was not a fan of the cupcake.

Thankfully, Max was a fan!

Grandma Milar gave Kate a little shopping cart to push around. Kate loves it! I realize she looks Jewish in this picture, but it is a new cashmere hat she is wearing! Kate loves to wear hats.

I attempted a Christmas photo shoot. I did it during the day. I was the only adult. I had to be the positioner, actress, and photographer at the same time. It didn't work out as well as I envisioned. Here are a few of the best shots.

Motley's Tree Farm

2011-12-01T20:37:00.001-06:00

Rob took the day off yesterday, so we decided to go to Motley's tree farm to cut down our Christmas Tree. It was a really fun place. They have a petting zoo area with goats, chickens, a pig and a donkey. Max and Kate were both in heaven!

Kate was really excited to have the animals right at her level.

I usually don't put pictures of myself put on here, so here is one for you Mom!

I'm pushing the kids on the horse swings.

Kate in a normal swing.

Max doing "airplane" on a swing.

Kate exploring the picnic table.

They had a really cute cow train. I was just posing the kids in them, when the driver came over to pull us around.

We were located in the rear of the train.

I had Kate on my lap, Max had his own car, and Rob brought up the rear. The driver was CRAZY! He put the pedal to the metal and drove on all the bumpy dirt roads, through the mud, and then (Rob's favorite), he drove in 2 or 3 tight circles to whip the last cars around! Rob was laughing and laughing. Max wasn't sure what to think until we ended the ride, and then he declared we should go again!

We watched a few pig races. It was pretty entertaining. Max felt like he needed to sit in that exact part of the bench. Maybe it was the best view!?

Go pigs go!

We hunted around, and found the perfect little Virgina pine. It is the smallest one that Rob and I have ever cut down, but it is a great tree.

We loaded the tree on top of my car, and headed home.

We decorated a lot of the tree last night, but today as I was snapping pictures, Kate was smiling and smiling for me! So cute!

The tree!

The mantle with the stockings. Max woke up this morning so excited to see stockings and a tree with ornaments! He is getting very excited for Christmas. Come to think of it, I am too!

Happy Holidays!

Pics

2011-11-18T14:42:00.001-06:00

We love going to the zoo. We have a season pass, and we go there frequently. Kate can finally pull herself up to standing, so she has loved seeing all the exhibits.

Fish

Penguins

Gorilla

Turtles

Flamingos

Tortoise

Giraffe

On Tuesdays/Fridays, we try and attend a playgroup that our church puts together. Here is a quick snapshot of part of the group at the Two Rivers Bridge.

Max insisted on walking that little plastic dog the whole time.

Max and Kate both love to play on the trampoline. We usually play a game that we call "To Kate, to Max, to Mom!" which consists of me passing a ball to Kate, she rolls it to Max, and he kicks it to me.

Max is pretty good about entertaining Kate. When she starts crawling around, he will get down there with her and either chase her, or lead her. He does it at the post office, Kohl's, or anywhere else I put Kate down on the ground.

Playing in the leaves over at Ron and Judy's house.

Last Saturday we went to Memphis for several different reasons. The first reason was to meet Lolo's buyers (they came up from Georgia). Here we are saying goodbye to Lolo.

After dropping off Lolo, we went over to the temple. Rob and I were able to drop Max and Kate off at the church while we went inside. It was so nice to be in the temple together. From there we went to lunch at a fried chicken place (the name is evading my memory). It was really good (and VERY fattening) food. They had "corn nuggets," which is fried corn. Delicious, just super fattening. From there we went on over to one of our favorite stores- Costco. We dearly miss Costco. Sam's Club just does not compete against Costco in terms of quality or service. We left with a cart full of fun. We made one last stop on the way out of Tennessee- Harbor Freight. Rob made a few purchases, and then we started our trek back home.

Now that Lolo is gone, Kate can play on the sand table we have outside. She loves it. Lolo also really enjoyed it, so she would jump up and on it whenever it was open. Max could handle Lolo on the table, but not Kate.

Monday I raked leaves in the backyard. Max was my big helper.

Here Kate is hamming int up for the camera. She was so funny.

I realize she has cross-eyes, but she was very focused on looking at the camera. Such a cutie!

What was Max doing during this photo shoot? He was passed out on our bed. He had missed his nap earlier, so he was exhausted.

I'm really looking forward to Thanksgiving. We are getting together with our neighbors. We have really been lucky to have such wonderful neighbors. We planned the menu last night. I will be making a lot of bread! Yum!

Sold

2011-11-18T07:03:00.001-06:00

Lolo has been sold.

Rob is sad.

Max is neutral.

Kate doesn't say much.

I am CELEBRATING!!

October

2011-11-02T16:24:00.002-05:00

In October, we got a piano... for FREE! It's a little bit older, but it fills our needs.

We found the leather lazy boy at a garage sale. We rearranged our living room to make room for it.

Rob took Max to the emergency room one night after Max tripped on his way up the stairs. His top tooth went all the way through his bottom lip. Max had a great time waiting to see the doctor. They didn't get home until 1 am!

Kate started mimicking Max (he licked his lower lip after having it glued back together).

Max has been really creative. I was doing my workout upstairs, and when I finished I went into his room and asked him what he was doing. He said he was, "Building bridges." He is so smart.

Rob invited a couple of his work friends to hike Pinnacle Mountain with us. Tyler brought his girlfriend, Rachel (they are holding Max), and John brought his wife, Mollie. When we got to the park, there was a Mountain Man festival on, blocking the entrance to the west trail head. We had heard stories of the east side, but somehow we got off the trail on the way up and had a great hike. However, we found the correct trail on the way down, and it was a tough one. We actually had Lolo with us as well. I carried a screaming Kate down most of the way, but eventually Tyler took her as he was faster than me. John carried Lolo down for us, and Rob carried Max. Maybe it wasn't the smartest idea for us to take everyone, but we didn't know we would be going on the east side! We all survived, and I ran back home afterwards.

Ron, our neighbor, and Max doing "King of the World!" at the top of Pinnacle Mountain.

Max thinks it's fun to get in Lolo's kennel. I think it's' pretty gross.

Kate has learned to pull her self up to stand. She is a really quick crawler, but now is trying to do the walking thing.

Halloween Trunk-or-Treat at the church. Max, a "Rio-Bird" and Kate, a Chick-Fil-A cow, were thrilled to go through their pumpkins full of candy.

We went to a pumpkin patch with one of our neighbors. Max couldn't believe the BIG spider hanging from the ceiling.

Kate posing by the pumpkins.

We went on a hayride.

Max and Kate in the tractor bucket.

Max insisted on pulling Kate in the wagon.

There was a beautiful sunflower field behind the pumpkins.

They also had goats, among other animals, to look at.

I ran my first ever 1/2 marathon! One of my goals for this year was to run one, and lo and behold it is done! Rob didn't take any pictures of me actually running, but here I am with Max enjoying some of the post race food. It was a really cold start (in the low 40s), but by the end of the race I was able to run in just a tank, short, and gloves. I feel like I ran a smart race, but I would have liked a faster time. I finished in 1:51, an 8:31/mile pace. I placed 11th in my age group (there were 107 in it), and 250th overall (out of 1506). I think if I hadn't had surgery a month prior to the race, I could have completed my training and ran an 8:15 mile. My goal is to get to eventually run a 7:30/mile pace.

The kids on Halloween, just before starting their trick-or-treating. Max typically remembered what to say when he went door to door, but a few times he said, "Happy Birthday!"

Max and Kate emptied their pumpkins of candy in our room (several times). Kate was hilarious and kept on diving back into it when we would try and move her.

Lolo

2011-10-02T08:31:00.001-05:00

We added a new member to the family yesterday: LOLO!

She is a Vizsla. She is 3 months old.

Max LOVES Lolo.

Kate likes her.

Lolo and the family.

Something to Remember

2011-09-30T15:29:00.001-05:00

If Max ever sees Rob and I hugging, he immediately says, "Excuse me! Excuse me!" and comes over and tries to get in between us. We then do a Max sandwich, and hug with Max in the middle.

Kate: 9 Months

2011-09-30T15:14:00.002-05:00

I can't believe my baby girl is already 9 months! At her 9 month check-up, she weighed 24 pounds, 6 ounces (98%ile), was 30 inches long (98%ile), and her head was 18 inches around (89%ile).

Kate is a great eater! On the drive home from Utah, she decided she was done nursing, so she now takes a sipper of formula. She doesn't like to be fed, but would rather feed herself. She only eats table foods (with the exception of yogurt melts). She typically has Cheerios or Crispix for breakfast (with formula milk). Bread with avacodo, turkey and string cheese for lunch. She LOVES fruit and vegetables. Bananas, strawberries, raspberries, peaches, blueberries, apples, peas and corn in particular. She has crackers for snacks. She has exceptional fine motor skills, and 90% of what she puts to her mouth gets into her mouth. We believe Kate is allergic to eggs. We hope she will grow out of it.

Kate likes to talk, and says mamamamama, dadadadada, lalalalalala, and uh-oh. She says uh-oh when she drops something, so it has meaning. She will also yell for Max, "Maaaaaaa!" when she is looking for him.

Kate started crawling last Friday, September 23. She just decided she was ready, and she was off! She finished all physical therapy for her arm. There really is no difference whatsoever between her left and her right. She is right-handed, but will use her left to assist.

Kate likes to read books. She loves watching Signing Time. She has started sleeping through the night on a consistent basis. Kate's right tear duct finally opened, so we did not have to have surgery on it yesterday. Kate loves the swings, and laughs when she is on them. She does not like the elevator, and gets really nervous when we go up and down it. Kate's hair will curl if I put gel in it. It is long enough to put it in a twistie up on top.

Kate loves playing with Max. She tries to keep up with him. Max is typically pretty good about sharing with Kate, but Max would rather Mom plays with him than Kate. Max gets very excited when Kate wakes up in the morning and after her nap. He is always quick to go in and tell her, "Good morning Princess (or Baby Girl). How are you?" It is darling.

We love you Kate!

Utah Part 3

2011-09-30T14:40:00.001-05:00

Although I have been home from Utah for a month, I did not put the pictures onto my computer until today. There are a few more that are just too fantastic for me to pass by. Take this one, for example, that my sister Mary took of Kate. I love it! Kate has beautiful blue eyes. Her shirt is off so we can remember what a tubby tot she is.

As you can see, we posed her to be "Fairy Kate." This pose shows how flexible she is, even with her thighs! I know it won't last long. Max was a chunk too, but he has thinned out.

We took a number of pictures inside, but Kate started tearing everything apart so we moved outside. I do like this backdrop too.

I thought Kate might have sensory issues in the sand because of her arm, but it turns out she DID NOT! She loved everything about the sand, including the taste!

We visited my Grandmother Savage while we there. I don't think my kids will remember the visit, but we had a great time playing with her.

4 generations of women.

My mom's garden has been growing and producing like crazy. I try not to get jealous. We had high hopes for our garden here, but unfortunately it has not done well. There are too many critters eating our harvest, even with a net enclosing it. Max thought it was awesome to pull carrots out of the ground. He likes to bite carrots, but then he spits them out after he chews on them. Silly boy!

I celebrated my birthday out there. A tradition I grew up with (and still carry on) is decorating the mantle/fireplace area. It was a fantastic day, although I really missed my husband. Rob and his parents got me a treadmill! It has been so nice to have here. I can run in the leisure of my own home. Although I do prefer running outdoors, it was really hard to do with Rob's long work hours.

One evening we went with my family to American Fork Canyon to do a cook-out. We ate right next to the river. The mountains are so beautiful.

Blowing bubbles for Max to stomp on. He loves to use his feet. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that he will be a soccer player!

We visited with Grandma and Grandpa Milar. The kids had a fun time getting to know their Great-Grandparents. It was a nice visit.

We met with all the "cousins" at Thanksgiving Point a couple of different times. Here are most of the cousins together. Kate was taking a nap, so I know she isn't in the picture. Max had such a fun time playing with all his cousins. He still inquires about them on a frequent basis.

Last year when Max rode the horse at The Barn, he had a perma-smile. This year he was a bit more timid.

Posing by a bear in the cave at Thanksgiving Point gardens.

Floating a "boat" down the river at the gardens.

Grandma and Kate watching the boats float down the river.

Max is getting to be a great jumper on the trampoline. Although he is blurry, it shows how high he is jumping! Go Max go!

We had a great time in Utah with our families. Thanks for letting us come out and play!

Stomp Rockets and Swimming

2011-08-15T23:15:00.001-05:00

Grandpa took Max, Jack, and Davis over to the park yesterday to play with these stomp rockets. Max loves them. He couldn't resist pulling them out and playing with them again today.

Tonight for Family Home Evening, we had a BBQ and went swimming. Max loved having his uncles Mark and Andy throw him around in the pool.

Max really warmed up to Mark. When we got out of the pool to eat ice cream and brownies, Max wanted to sit with Mark, not me! It was so cute.

Kate even smiled at Mark. She has been really struggling these past few days. I hope she is just teething.

Max and Mark.

Kate, Mark, Megan, Courtney, Nicole and Max. The Powells were at the pool too, but they had already gotten out when I snapped the picture.

Tomorrow we head back to SLC. We will miss our St. George family.

Utah Trip Part 1

2011-08-14T23:58:00.000-05:00

After talking with my family, we decided to DRIVE out to Utah to visit. The kids did awesome on the 25 hour drive. Rob and I drove all through the night, and we couldn't have had better kids. We have had a great time out here. We went to Hogle Zoo with my family.

Max really thought this elephant was real as there is a speaker inside it that makes noise.

Max hatching.

Kate and Lexi. Kate has a really bad eye infection in her right eye. She developed it on the drive out.

We had a surprise party for my sister, Mary. Here Max and Paige are watching a balloon fly up in the sky.

Kate at the party. She is teething.

All my siblings, in order from oldest to youngest. Sara, Matt, Mary, me, Danny, Rachel, Ben, Sheri, Holly, Paige and Tiffany.

My family with spouses and kids. Adam, Sara's husband, is the only one missing.

We went to St. George for Rob's 10 year class reunion. Here Mark is having the kids race to Grandpa.

Max sharing his popsicle with Kate.

Kate deciding if she likes the popsicle.

Robert wrestling with Doug.

We went to Fiesta Fun to do the bumper boats. Max was in awe over the cars. Here he is watching the cars with Mark, Courtney and Megan.

Bumper boats with Grandpa.

Getting another snowcone with Grandpa as his first one fell out on the grass.

Max and Kate with his Madsen cousins.

Cheering for cousin Ben during his cross country race in Cedar City.

My family came to St. George for a few days. Here Max is playing with Grandpa Milar at the pool.

Going down the slide.

Grandma Madsen has these 5-gallon buckets in her pantry. Max likes to make forts with them.

Grandma and Kate. Kate is actually smiling! She has MAJOR separation anxiety. She screams when anyone but me holds her.

Utah Trip Part 2

2011-08-14T23:57:00.001-05:00

Max and his cousin Jack. They had a fantastic time playing together.

Davis and Kate.

Max has been taking swimming lesson from Alisha, my sister-in-law. She has done a great job teaching Max how to swim and float.

Diving for rockets.

We went to Red Cliffs for a hike. I had to carry Kate the whole hike- she hated the hiking backpack I brought. Max loved playing in the sand.

We found a tiny little frog.

Relief for my arms- Kate sitting in an iKea bag.

I took the kids over to the St. George temple for some pictures. It is tricky to get my kids to cooperate, but here are some of the better shots.

Max reading scriptures on the temple stairs.

I really wish my camera was in auto focus, not manual, for this picture. I didn't realize I hadn't switched it back when I snapped this. I will have to take them back over.

We are going to be going to Salt Lake on Tuesday, and staying there for a couple more weeks. It has been a lot of fun being out here with family.

Family Fun

2011-07-20T14:19:00.001-05:00

Side Note: The pictures are not in chronological order, or any order for that matter.

On Sunday, Rob and I decided to take the kids over to Pinnacle Mountain to walk the Kingfisher Trail. It is a scenic loop, with lots of opportunities to take photos. If only Max would have cooperated! A nice couple took this picture of all us. It was the only picture, so while we are not all looking and smiling at the camera, at least we are all in the photo!

I took a picture of Rob with the kids.

And Rob took a picture of me with the kids.

A couple of weeks ago, I realized that Kate loves to roll a ball back and forth. I will shamefully admit, I thought rolling balls back and forth was only a "boy" thing. However, I could not be more mistaken. Kate was all smiles as we played "pass." Kate also loves eating Max's tractors/cars.

I have been wanting to get out and explore all the things Little Rock has to offer. A couple of weekends ago, we decided to go to Heifer Village. It was very interesting. To sum up what they do, Heifer provides sustainable resources to those in need. Here I am showing Max and Kate a mosquito net.

Max turned two on June 24. He woke up at the crack of dawn (seriously- 5 am). Rob was up getting ready, so I decided to make Max's requested breakfast of oatmeal pancakes first thing. I also had Max open a few presents before Rob left for work. Max had a fantastic birthday. He was so excited with his gifts and the activities for the day he did not take a nap. We gave him a doctor set, books, clothes, puzzles, tractors, and a bat. He was thrilled.

I took him to the zoo for his birthday. Here he is posing with a tractor on a big rock found at the entrance.

Max and Kate both love watching the penguins. Typically, the penguins are in the water and enjoying looking at the people!

Make a wish!

We go to the pool a lot. I was worried that Kate would not like the water because of her arm, but she has loved it! For a long time she would not splash the water with her left arm, but as of 2 weeks ago that has changed. YAY!

Ron, our neighbor, came with us to the pool one evening. Max loves hanging out with Ron.

Judy, Ron's wife, also came up to the pool. Kate was surprisingly calm while Judy held her. Kate has "stranger danger" and cries when anyone but her parents hold her. You can see Max on the diving board in the background.

Max LOVES jumping off the diving board. Every time we drive past the pool, I hear him in the back seat saying, "Bye diving board. See you soon!"

We went to a Travelers baseball game with some tickets from Rob's work. It was hot, but the kids had a fun time.

We have a lot of family fun. It seems like the weekends always fly past.

6 Months and 2 Years

2011-06-16T15:45:00.001-05:00

Kate is now 6 months old. She went in for her check-up today. She is 22 pounds, 11 ounces (99%ile), 28 inches long (98%ile) and her head is 17.5 inches around (92%ile). She is learning and growing so quickly. She is able to roll from her stomach to her back. She is a food critic, using her tongue to see what we are having her try before she will open up and eat. Kate does not have any teeth, but I believe she is working on them now. She loves her brother, Max. She watches him and plays with him. She rarely cries if he bumps, pulls, or tries anything with her. She is sitting fairly well. She still goes in for therapy a couple of times a month. Kate likes to watch TV. She loves her blanket. She grabs her toes with her hands all the time. She is beautiful, and we love her so much.

Max went in for his 2 year appointment today. He was very excited to see the doctor. Max is 27 pounds (38%ile), 35 inches long (70%ile), and his head is 19 inches around (39%ile). He is learning so much every day. He loves tractors, cranes, fire trucks, ambulances, garbage trucks, balls, books, Curious George, Signing Time, and swimming. He is a great eater. He loves oatmeal pancakes, waffles, tomatoes, avocados, berries, bananas, and fresh baked bread (to name a few things). His favorite dessert (aka "special") is fruit snacks. We cut his pacifiers in half today, as he is getting a bit old to have one. He loves his blanket, and puts the tag in his ear. Max loves his little sister, Kate, and will tell her to "be happy" when she is crying/sad. He can play independently, but loves to play with someone as well. We love our handsome boy.

Happenings

2011-06-06T16:02:00.001-05:00

Life has been busy around here. I find that life is just that way. There is always something to be done. Today has been extremely productive for me. I got up at 4:30 this morning, nursed Kate, and headed out the door for an 8 mile run. Rob has been appointed my "coach". On Sunday, we figure out what my running schedule will be for the week, and then I have a goal and am able to do the runs. I am really trying to drop my weight. Since being pregnant with Kate, I have lost 60 pounds! Yeah, I was fat. I still have 18 pounds to go to get to my goal weight. I am feeling like it is a doable goal. Anyways, after the run, I was able to get the bathrooms cleaned, and the main floor dusted and polished. Max was awake when I got back, but he is a great helper. Eventually Kate woke up, I got laundry started, I fed the kids, we went to the doctor for Kate (she has thrush... again... so we had to go see a doctor to get her a stronger prescription), went to the grocery store, finished cleaning the house, made bread, browned meat, unloaded the dishwasher, and started preparations for dinner. While I was changing Kate's diaper, Max got really quiet. As a mother, I am always suspicious of what is going on when things are quiet. When I found Max, this is what I saw. I am guessing he tried the salt, didn't like it, so he moved onto the sugar! He told me, "Yummy Mommy!"

On May 26, Rob had his birthday. Max was fascinated by the candles, and would smile for the picture, but wouldn't look at the camera. He couldn't look away!

It has been super hot outside lately- like high 90's with 85% humidity. When we aren't at the pool, I have to find things for the kids to do indoors. Max has always loved playing in the beans, and now Kate does too! Kate hated the beans for a long time. We were told to get them as part of her physical therapy. You see, Kate hated taking baths (which she doesn't anymore!). The temperature change on her arm would make her cry and cry. We would rub the beans all over Kate, especially her arm, to overstimulate her. Then when she got in the bath, she wouldn't scream so much. I haven't used the beans for a long time with Kate, but I thought I would let her try them again. She LOVES them! She would try and "splash" them with her hand (only her right, not her left). It was fun for the kids to play in them.

I was invited to play on a 3v3 soccer league this summer. It is a short season, only 4 weeks long. Each week I have a couple of games, and then the last week we play a tournament. It has been a lot of fun. Rob, Max, and Kate have been great to come and cheer me on. Last week was so hot, but we had still had a great time. Max loves to "dribble, dribble, dribble, pass" the "yah-ko" ball with me.

Kate loves to grab her toes. I usually help her get her left ones, but then she will just hang out, holding her toes, for quite some time. I think it is pretty dang cute. Love this girl!

I think those are all the major happenings around here. Life is busy.

New Things

2011-05-20T14:09:00.001-05:00

I am having Kate try to eat baby food. So far, it has not been a positive experience for her. However, Kate is thrilled to sit in her high chair.

She is even happy to hit a teething biscuit on her tray.

But try and feed her, and she gives you a puzzled look and immediately turns away and spits out the food. She hates it! She also hates bottles. I had an episode last week where I wanted her to bottle feed as I had a lot of medicine in my system, and she wouldn't even try it!

Kate has been fussy lately due to her lack of mobility. The rolling has helped, but she really wants to stand up and see all around. We had an excellent exersaucer with Max, but unfortunately it didn't survive the move (a part was misplaced). Yesterday we found this on Craig's list. I picked it up in the afternoon, and Kate has been thrilled.

She liked the Johnny Jump-Up for about 5 minutes. She wanted to play with something, not just bounce.

My "little" girl is growing up quick! I am amazed at how time flies.

Rolling

2011-05-18T21:00:00.003-05:00

Kate is rolling! We have been working on it for some time in physical therapy, and it finally clicked for her! She is not a consistent roller, but she will get there. Max is always happy to show her just how to do it.

Last week I was really sick. I had Rob stay home from work on Thursday to take care of me. Kate had an ear infection too. Max was just getting over his sickness. I am finally feeling better. I think I will even work out tomorrow! Yay!

Our garden is growing. I had to replant some corn, but other than that everything is popping up. Hopefully we will have an abundant harvest.

I will sync my pictures to the computer for tomorrow's post. No pictures tonight.

All Boy

2011-05-07T16:05:00.002-05:00

Max is the very definition of boy. He loves:

Tractors (Little Rock Garden Expo)

Dirt (Thanksgiving Point Dinosaur Museum)

Trains (Amy and Casey Foote's House)

Balls (Discovery Gateway in SLC)

Drums (Discovery Gateway in SLC)

Helicopters (Discovery Gateway in SLC)

Water (Discovery Gateway in SLC)

Goats (Mary and Jeff's house in Alpine)

Drilling with Grandpa (in South Jordan)

Pliers with Grandpa (in South Jordan)

Deer (in Alpine)

Buffalo (in Alpine)

Horses (in Alpine)

Mowing with Daddy (in Little Rock)

Watching Curious George the Movie and Eating Popcorn

Hammering at Home

More Tractors (He really cannot get enough of these)

Lions (at Little Rock Zoo)

Firetrucks (in Memphis, TN)

Hiking (at Pinnacle Mountain)

Max has been talking more and more each day. He uses 2-3 word phrases, and we are amazed at how much he understands. The first 2 word phrase he used was when we were staying with my sister, Mary. Max found a cookie downstairs one morning quickly ate it. He then came and asked me, "More cookie?" It was pretty cute. Max is sleeping on a twin bed now in his "new" room. He usually has his striped blanket and 2 blue blankets each night, a stuffed cow, and a stuffed dog. He still has his binky, but hopefully we can break him of the binky soon. He is wearing size 4 diapers, but fits into size 3 too. Max is growing up so quick. We love watching him learn and progress.

Bread Day

2011-05-06T21:42:00.000-05:00

From 6:30 to 10:00 this morning, I made 2 loaves of wheat bread, 2 loaves of French bread, and 4 loaves of braided bread.

I wrapped up 2 loaves of braided bread and 1 loaf of French bread to auction off tonight for a church fundraiser for the youth.

Garden

2011-05-05T15:39:00.001-05:00

When we moved to Arkansas, one of the things we were really excited about was our backyard. It is huge! Max and Kate have a playset, a trampoline and plenty of space to kick a ball around. The previous owners had a fenced in dog run, but we saw it as a perfect place for our vegetable garden. Here is the space:

As soon as the weather was nice enough, we started to work. We didn't like the bush outside the fence, so we took it out.

Max was a good helper.

Next, we had to remove the grass. Rob rented a sod-cutter from Home Depot and whipped it out.

While he had the sod cutter, he cut an area on the side of our house so we could put berry bushes in.

After taking the dog house and cement pavers out, we put boards around the fence to keep the dirt from washing out.

I turned all the soil with a shovel.

We had a dump truck of supersoil delivered to our driveway to add to the garden.

Rob was up before 6 am one Saturday to start moving the soil to the back. Max was eager to help him when we woke up.

All the soil is now back, and the last board is screwed into place.

We put weed paper down, so we wouldn't have to do extra weeding, and then started planting. We have corn, tomatoes, peppers, tomatillos, garlic, shallots, onions, peas, beans, eggplant, pumpkins, watermelons, zucchini, and cucumbers all in the ground.

Rob designed a drip system for watering. He found a piece that will allow six drip lines to be connected at one spot.

I mentioned earlier that Rob cut the grass out on the side of the house so we could put berry plants in. Here is the area now. Raspberry, blackberry and blueberry (pots) bushes are in the ground and doing well.

This picture shows a contraption hooked to our facet. It will allow us to put the drip lines on a timer to water. It should work wonders!

I did not take a picture of my herb containers, but I have cilantro, oregano, basil and parsley growing in pots on the deck. They are doing excellent. We hope the garden really thrives. It is our first year trying a garden, so we recognize we may have over/under planted certain things. We are excited to be following the prophets advice and sowing seeds of self-reliance.

A Post a Day

2011-05-04T17:29:00.002-05:00

I am going to try and update my blog on a daily basis. It may be trivial things I put on here, but I want to remember what is going on in my families life. I will try and post pictures, but it may not always happen.

Yesterday Robert took a test for work called the Series 7. I will admit I was a bit worried about how he would do. Rob studied on Tuesday night until about midnight, and then Max wasn't feeling well and Rob decided he could sleep in bed with us. Max kept snuggling up to Rob all night (which was fine with me), but as a result Rob slept very poor. I fed Rob French toast for breakfast, sent him with a lunch and hoped he would stay alert while taking his 6 hour test. After a long day, Rob came home with good news. He passed! 84% He only needed a 70%. Hooray!

I decided to get a season pass at the zoo a couple of weeks ago, and it has been a wonderful investment. The zoo isn't far from where we live (about 20 minutes), and it is pretty small. We can fly through it and still have an afternoon! I took Max and Kate over this morning. Typically Max walks the whole time, but as he isn't feeling the best, I had him sit on top of the jogging stroller. We had a great time.

I am hoping to go running when Robert gets home from work. I am really trying to get back into a decent shape. 24 more pounds to go! I have a goal to run a 1/2 marathon this year, so if anyone wants to join me, just let me know!

Kate Update

2011-05-01T20:47:00.000-05:00

My Baby Girl is growing up so quickly! At her 4 month appointment (about 3 weeks ago), she weighed 18 pounds 13 ounces (99%ile), was 26 inches long (95%ile), and her head was 16 3/4 inches around (86%ile). We have switched pediatricians, and it has been sooooo much better. Kate is moving her left arm regularly. As you can see in the picure below, her left thumb is pointing down. The last movement we are waiting for her to do is suppination (turning her thumb up). She has come a long ways though. We are so proud of her.

I take Kate to physical and occupational therapy twice a month. These two ladies, Jenny (holding Kate) and Gladys (holding Max), have been awesome. They have taught me how to help Kate progress. THANK YOU GLADYS AND JENNY!!!

In March our family went to Utah for Sheri's wedding. While we were there, Rob blessed Kate. It was a beautiful blessing. We were so glad we could have her blessed with family there.

Kate loves to hide under her blankets. She thinks it is so funny. You can see her peeking out from the blanket, all smiles. Just this week Kate has started laughing. We love you Kate!

Moving Her LEFT Arm!

2011-02-07T21:14:00.002-06:00

Today was a great day in the Madsen home. Kate started off the morning by moving her left arm! I excitedly called Robert and told him the great news. Kate has repeatedly moved her arm today, and I have video evidence! You can watch the clip to see it for yourself!

I went to St. Louis a few weeks ago, and the team of doctors I met with were very positive about Kate's diagnosis. I met with a physical and occupational therapist afterwards, and they gave me more exercises and things to do with Kate. We stay busy each day working on Kate.

On another note, Max has been extremely busy. He is getting into EVERYTHING!!! He uses chairs to get up on counters, beds, dressers, etc. He found a pen the other day while I was blowing my hair dry, got the lid off, and colored me a pretty picture all over the glider cushion! He was so proud of his artwork. Max is adding to his vocabulary at an astounding rate. It is so cute. He says "love you!" when we put him in bed. Max entertains himself really well. Yesterday when he was supposed to be napping, Max was playing in his room. Rob went and checked on him after 30 minutes or so, and Max had pulled everything off his bed, put his fireman hat on, and was crawling on his furniture. When he saw Rob, he climbed out, and said "Hat!" So silly! Max can be a picky eater. He didn't want taco soup or chicken fried rice, but he did want black beans, chips and yogurt! He dipped the chips in the yogurt, and ate them! Yuck! Yesterday Max stayed in nursery all by himself! It was a first. There were many tears shed (by Max), but he did it. Hopefully this trend will continue. Max is strong enough to hold and push the vacuum now. He thinks it is awesome to vacuum the house.

Brachial Plexus Palsy

2011-01-14T14:45:00.007-06:00

Things have been busy since Kate was born over a month ago. Although Kate was not large when she was born (7 pounds 12 ounces), she got stuck when trying to come out. As a result, when the doctor pulled Kate out, he stretched her neck, causing shoulder dystocia. Shoulder dystocia causes birth brachial plexus palsy.

The brachial plexus is a bundle of nerves located under your collarbone. It controls your arm movement. Fortunately, Kate's shoulder was NOT dislocated and her clavicle was NOT broken. She has had x-rays to confirm.

The brachial plexus nerve has many different branches. The C5 and C6 nerves control your shoulder and bicep. C7 controls your tricep. C8 and T1 controls the wrist and hand. Kate has been able to move her wrist and hand since birth, so the C8 and T1 branches are normal. She regained use of her tricep (C7) within a week or so. However, Kate has not been able to move her bicep or shoulder yet, so we know the C5 and C6 branches are damaged.

There are three possible options for how the C5 and C6 branches are injured. We know it isn't normal. We are hoping it has not been severed (avulsion or rupture). We also hope it is not the neuroma option (partial severe). We would really like it to be neurapraxia, which means stretched. If the C5 and C6 branches are stretched, then we don't have to do any "repairs" (i.e. surgery). In 90-95% of infants that have birth brachial plexus palsy, by the time they are 3 months old they will be able to move their shoulder and bicep if the nerve was only stretched.

At this point, we take Kate to occupational and physical therapy each week. We have seen a pediatric neurologist and a pediatric orthopedic surgeon. We saw the neurologist first, and she suggested we take Kate to St. Louis Children's Hospital as they have a brachial plexus palsy center. We then saw the pediatric orthopedic surgeon. She was very familiar with brachial plexus palsy. We felt very comfortable with her, so we have not yet decided if we are going to go to St. Louis or not. Kate has follow-up visits every month with the orthopedic surgeon. If we go to St. Louis, they will also want to see her each month. We are going to see if our insurance will cover the medical bills there or not.

We are praying that Kate will bend her elbow. If she can do that, her nerve was just stretched and with therapy she should make a full recovery.

Acts of Love

2010-12-28T18:03:00.000-06:00

Max is my sweet boy. He is very tender hearted.

I put Kate on the bean bag yesterday, and he wanted to give her loves. I did not prompt him or anything. He just gave her kisses and hugs.

Here he is making ice cream for his dad. He is smashing the Oreo's.

This shows the ultimate act of love. He is sharing his blanket with Kate. It was a sweet moment for me to capture on camerea.

Max has been adjusting well to life. He has done a fantastic job transitioning lately. Texas to Arkansas. Crib to toddler bed. Only child to big brother. I am so thankful for my Max.

Beautiful Girl

2010-12-26T14:07:00.000-06:00

Kate is a beautiful little girl. She has been adjusting to life rather well. Typically she prefers to suck her thumb over a pacifer, as seen in this picture.

I like the pink background, but had a difficult time getting the shot I wanted.

For Christmas, she got this adorable hat. It is so soft. Her eyes are so big here.

I liked this one too.

Merry Christmas!

A Few More

2010-12-14T15:06:00.000-06:00

Max doesn't mind holding Kate for a few seconds. He isn't sure what to think of his new sister. He knows her name, but he has no desire to "play" with her.

Today we changed Max's crib to a toddler bed. Rob put him down for his nap, and we could hear him playing in his room. When things finally settled down, Rob went in to see where Max ended up. He is asleep on the chair with his blanket on his head! Too funny!

Although Rob is not a huge fan of these pictures, I like them. It shows just how small Kate is.

I have seen this done in a collage where her feet are the V in LOVE. I thought it was a cute idea.

Photo Shoot

2010-12-14T15:00:00.000-06:00

Taking pictures of a newborn can be tricky. I am going to do another photo shoot tomorrow, but here are some favorites from today.

Kate Jane

2010-12-10T12:26:00.000-06:00

Kate Jane Madsen was born at 12:38 am on December 10, 2010. She weighed 7 pounds, 12 ounces. She was 20.25 inches long. She has a head full of hair. We are so glad she joined our family. Here we are right after the birth.

Here is a picture of her first bath. I included it because you can see all her hair.

Max giving his sister a kiss.

Max saying hello to Kate. He is not sure what to think of her at this point. He knows to be soft, and he is amazed by her crying. I think he will be a great older brother.

Kate does have shoulder dystocia, which means that when I was trying to push her out, she got stuck! The doctor had to pull her arm or head (not sure which), and it stretched a nerve in her shoulder. She currently does not use her left shoulder or elbow. However, she is able to move her wrist and fingers. We will be starting physical therapy with her today. Hopefully she will be able to regain use of her arm completely.

I still need to do a photo shoot of Kate. I have been trying to catch up on sleep in my "downtime."

The Waiting Game

2010-12-02T14:22:00.002-06:00

Today I went to the doctor. I am used to waiting at OB/GYNs, but I have now had several experiences of waiting in the waiting room for 2 hours (with Max) before being called back. It is very frustrating. I try my best to be patient. In the waiting room there are signs that instruct you to talk to the front desk if you are waiting more than 15 minutes. The front desk tells me that the doctor is doing his best, but will be a while longer. Oh brother! Today after my long wait in the waiting room, I was called back. The doctor examined me and I am extremely close to having this baby. I am dilated between a 4-5. Yes, you read that correctly. Between a 4 and 5! He said closer to a 5. I am 80% effaced and the baby is almost at a 0 station. Basically, this girl could come at any time. It is now a waiting game.

On another note, last night Robert, Max and I went over to Home Depot and got a Christmas tree. I started decorating the house yesterday for Christmas. It is so much fun to pull everything out. Rob is going to put the lights on the tree tonight. Hopefully we can decorate the branches too. Once we have the tree up, I will take pictures of the house (now that it is unpacked) and post them.

The Natural State

2010-11-29T13:46:00.001-06:00

Arkansas is called the Natural State. A few weeks ago, Robert, Max and I went hiking at Pinnacle Mountain State Park (a mere 15 minutes from our home). It was a really pretty hike. As you can see from the picture, we had a spectacular view of a lake (not sure which one it is).

The terrain was a bit rocky. Max liked to climb and play on the boulders.

We are loving our backyard. We have a few trees in our yard, but behind the fence is a "forest." It has been so much fun to watch the leaves change colors. Grandma Madsen came out to help us move in, and she taught Max how to rake up leaves. Here he is having a great time with his little rake.

We now have a yard big enough to hold a trampoline! Some of our friends from Texas had ane extra one, and so they gave this one to us. It has been a lot of fun to play on.

We are expecting our little girl to come anytime. Today she is considered full-term. I am hoping to have her before her due date on December 20. I believe I will, but I guess only time will tell. In the meantime, I have plenty of things to do around here to get ready for the holidays.

Things to Do

2010-11-06T13:01:00.001-05:00

We have had to try lots of new things to do to keep ourselves busy. Fortunately, we have found something Max loves to do. Painting! He is so proud of his pictures. It is darling.

We frequently go on walks at the Big Dam Bridge. At the top of the bridge there are flags. He loves to see the flags waving back and forth.

He also loves to climb on the benches at the top of the bridge.

I have been making a lot of adjustments here. We are still not settled into a home. Hopefully by the end of today we will know where we will be living next week. Our home in Texas has still not closed. The buyer has finally been approved with coniditions. We are now trying to get the sellers here in Arkansas to let us move into the home early. We should find out by this afternoon if that will work. Otherwise, we are going to be finding a home to rent. Things are looking really positive for us to get into the home early. Keep your fingers crossed for us!

I went to the OB/GYN this week. I was surprised by some of the advice he gave me. I told him I haven't been sleeping well (which is normal when you are 8 months pregnant), but I wanted to make sure the baby would be alright. He said the baby wouldn't be affected by the sleeplessness/stress. He then proceeded to say that if I needed some help getting to sleep, I could take some Ambien (which I don't have). I could also drink the occasional beer or glass of wine. Now here is where I have a problem. Aside from the fact that I don't drink, I have issues with the fact that an OB/GYN would okay having alcohol while being pregnant. Is this normal advice? I am curious to hear what you have to say.

Fireman Max

2010-11-02T10:36:00.001-05:00

For Halloween, Max was a fireman. It was the perfect costume for him. He kept his hat on and carried his bucket so well. We tried to find Halloween activities on Saturday, but due to the Razorbacks football game, it was hopeless. We ended up going to the store, buying candy, and then Rob took it around to the people in our building (there were only 2 home!). Max thought it was grand. We kept it simple, and had a fun time.

Streetcar and The Peabody

2010-10-25T22:15:00.000-05:00

Saturday the weather was perfect. We decided to get out of the apartment and go downtown. First off, we went to the Farmer's Market. I bought some fresh vegetables. I cannot wait until I can grow my own. Our new home has an area in the yard that will become our garden. Yay! Anyways, after getting the veggies, we decided to go on the streetcar. It takes you around downtown Little Rock, and then over the Arkansas River to North Little Rock. The streetcar was decorated just darling. It was fun.

Rob took this picture of Max. I thought it turned out really cute.

Looking at the sights.

Max telling his dad some very improtant things.

Once we got off the streetcar, we looked at the time and realized that if we walked quickly, we could make it to The Peabody Hotel by 11:00 for the ducks. For those of you who have never heard of the ducks at The Peabody, let me tell you it is quite a sight to see. Each day at 11:00, the "duckmaster" chooses an individual to help him go and get the ducks from the 2nd floor. The ducks arrive by elevator, and then scurry down the red carpet and into the pond. There is music playing in the background (I don't remember now what song) so the ducks know to perform. At 5:00, the ducks are escorted back to the elevator and up to their room. We were able to witness the whole ordeal. Max was thrilled to be able to see the ducks in the fountain. Max was also delighted to go up and down the elevator in the hotel.

Jumping Video

2010-10-25T21:57:00.002-05:00

Here is Max "jumping" on the coffee table in the apartment in Little Rock.

Climber

2010-10-25T21:56:00.001-05:00

Max LOVES to climb right now. He climbs on everything. Yesterday, after we gave him dessert, he was on a bit of a sugar high. He climbed onto the coffee table and started to "jump." His jumps are mostly him stomping one foot. It is hilarious. We also told him to "SMILE!" and that is the first picture you see here:

Here he is climbing up:

A natural smile:

Right now I am back in Frisco. I drove back this morning. We close on our home here this week, so I needed to come back to wrap things up. I will admit, driving for 5 hours when you are 8 months pregnant is not a fun experience. I stopped 4 times, but the baby is getting big enough that she pinches my nerves when I sit in the same attitude for too long. Max did really well on the drive though. I was proud of my little boy. Hopefully the drive to Little Rock on Thursday night will go smoothly.

Trip to Utah

2010-10-20T12:48:00.000-05:00

Max and I went to Utah a few weeks ago. We had a great time being with family.

Swings

2010-10-20T12:09:00.000-05:00

Max LOVES to go to the park and swing. We are excited that our new home has a swingset in the backyard.

Arkansas

2010-10-20T11:59:00.002-05:00

Robert, Max and I are in the process of moving to Little Rock, AR. Robert has started working as an associate stock analyst for Stephens. We are closing on our home in Frisco, TX at the end of the month. We are closing on our home in Little Rock, AR at the beginning of November. It has been a bit crazy. However, we are still finding time to enjoy our time together. We went to an air show a couple of weekends ago.

We have a park really close to the apartment we are in. Max loves the bridge. He throws any and all leaves, pine needles, pine cones, etc. into the river.

It has been a lot of change, but I think we are adjusting fairly well.

By the Way...

2010-08-12T09:50:00.002-05:00

We are having a girl! I realized I have not posted our great news. She should be joining our family around December 20.

Fun Pics

2010-07-08T20:18:00.000-05:00

I took this picture yesterday while Max was riding his zebra. This picture captured Max's true smile.

Max really loves the rain. Tonight I took him out and let him splash in the puddles. As you can see, he is soaked. He also loves to eat dirt and grass. All boy through and through.

My mom got Max this Fill and Dump Wagon for his birthday. Here he is exploring.

Last Friday we went to the zoo. Max's favorite exhibit were the birds. He has no fear.

Almost One

2010-06-17T22:01:00.001-05:00

I can't believe my son is almost one! His birthday is next Thursday. The year has flown by. Rob and I have both loved being parents. In fact, we love it so much we are going to add to our family in December! That is right, I am pregnant. :)

Today I tried to take some pictures of Max talking on the phone. Max picks up remotes, phones, and other toys and says "Hi!" all the time. However, when Max saw the camera he got a mischievous grin, dropped the phone and went for the camera instead.

Rob went and checked on Max during his nap the other day, and found Max sleeping in a very comfortable looking position.

I have increased the number of kids I am tutoring during the summer. As a result of having more students, I need to make more copies. It was to my great delight that I got a new copier/printer last week. Max loved the box.

Max is a fish in the water. He has absolutely no fear- which is both good and bad. He loves to swim and go to the splash park. Here he is enjoying the splash park.

Max loves to read books. I need to get a picture of him reading. He reads all day long, and brings me his favorites to read aloud. If he is reading a peek-a-boo book, he says out loud "Peek-a-boo" when he opens the flap. It is so cute.

Rob has just been made the Elders Quorum president in the ward. He had his first presidency meeting last Sunday. He is going to do a great job.

Pictures

2010-04-11T23:44:00.004-05:00

I am so far behind, that I have almost given up on my blogging efforts. However, this is my attempt to show what our little family has been doing for the last few months.

Little Walker

2010-03-17T13:16:00.000-05:00

Iguana

2010-03-08T22:14:00.003-06:00

Fort Worth Zoo

Max and the iguana were both very curious about each other. The iguana was actually on its belly until Max came over, then it stood right up and tried to touch him! Max was just as anxious to try and touch it back. We had a great time at the zoo. We will be visiting frequently as I am now a season pass holder.

Funny Face

2010-02-05T16:43:00.000-06:00

Max likes to play with this toy. He makes the funniest faces while trying to push down all the things.

Growing Boy

2010-02-05T14:24:00.008-06:00

My growing boy is just over 7 months old.

Time sure does fly.

I had such a fun time in Utah. I will be updating the blog soon!

Santa

2009-12-20T00:06:00.004-06:00

Tonight Max met Santa at the annual Santa Party! I was worried he would be scared of him, but it turns out that he was thrilled to see Santa AND his beard! I felt bad for Santa, who lost a good number of real hairs to Max's firm grip.

Max received a really fun present from Santa- Busy Balls!

It certainly was a fun night.

Tis the Season

2009-12-15T08:14:00.003-06:00

The other day I asked Rob to go get Max in his pajamas, and this is what he put him in! These are actually size 3-6 month, and Max actually wears 9-12 month clothes! We quickly took a few photos of him before putting him in pajamas that fit.

Rob couldn't resist taking a picture of Max's unusual sleeping position. After the photo, we moved Max around to sleep in what we would consider a more comfortable position.

6 Month Check-up

2009-12-12T15:45:00.004-06:00

Next week Rob, Max and I are all flying out to Utah for the holidays! We are really looking forward to seeing our families and friends. Before we can go, Max needed to get his 6 month check-up (he is really only 5 and 1/2 months old). I took him yesterday. He weighs 20 pounds 2 ounces!! That is in the 95%ile! He is 26.8 inches long, which puts him only in the 50-75%ile for height. The doctor was not worried about Max's heavy weight. Max is pretty active, and the doctor thinks once Max starts to get really mobile (he rolls both ways right now, but not across the room) that he will thin out. Max is ahead of the game when it comes to sitting independently. I guess most babies are not able to sit independently until about 7 months.

Our smilie boy!

We just love our little one!

Thanksgiving

2009-12-12T15:31:00.004-06:00

Thanksgiving was a quiet event for us this year. Rob and I ate a beautiful Thanksgiving dinner, while Max played nearby. I was extremely grateful that I had my husband and son close to me this Thanksgiving. My thoughts were with Emily Jones all day. Her husband, John, died in the Nutty Putty Caves on Thanksgiving. My sister is best friends with Emily, so the tragedy really hit home.

Max and I right before the feast began!

Max is fascinated by leaves. We took him over to the pond to feed the ducks, but he was much more interested in the trees. Here he trying to grab them.

Swings

2009-12-12T15:21:00.003-06:00

In November, I started taking Max to the park to swing. It was a big hit. He loves to swing, and watch other kids swinging.

My happy boy!

Too bad it is too cold to go to the park and play now.

Rolling!!!

2009-11-16T20:48:00.004-06:00

Max is officially rolling on his own. He rolls from his stomach to his back with ease. He timed his performance perfectly. I was doing tummy time with Max when Rob came home from work. We watched him do a couple of fake-outs, and then he did it! He just tucked and rolled. We cheered and clapped for him, to which he just smiled and smiled. We then proceeded to place him once more on his stomach, to which he quickly rolled over. On the third roll, we got the camera out and recorded it. Here he is about to roll over.

I took this video a little while after his first roll. I included this one because you can see all his fat rolls! (Sorry for the shaky camera work.)

Here is another funny thing that Max likes to do. He arches his back and scoots backwards. You can see in the following sequence how far he has scooted. He was eyeing the blue play mat, but then I distracted him and he never quiet made it over there!

Big arches!

You can see part of the blue mat here!

Distracted by me!

We are proud of our little boy for mastering the roll from belly to back! Good job Little One!

Boo Game

2009-11-11T18:19:00.003-06:00

Max has been putting things on his head- burp clothes, clean diapers, blankets, bears, bibs, etc. He puts it over his eyes and then starts kicking like crazy! Occasionally he will add a scream in there as well. Then he will pull it back over his eyes. We say "BOO" to him and he thinks it is the funniest thing.

Here Max pulled the blanket over his head:

He is peaking to see where I am:

The blanket is almost off!

His head is free once again. Unfortunately, the flash does not get a smile from him. He just stares at the camera and tries to figure it out.

What a simple joy!

Friends

2009-11-04T22:31:00.005-06:00

Yesterday we watched one of Max's friends, Carson. Carson is 5 days younger than Max. They had a great time together. They read books and played with toys before they both fell fast asleep.

Reading books:

"Carson, can we be friends?"

"Yes, we can be friends Max!"

Now many of you reading this may think that we staged this photo. However, this was a "kodak" moment. They did this on their own accord. We just happened to be there to catch the moment on camera!

Feed Me!

2009-11-01T22:42:00.004-06:00

We cannot seem to feed Max fast enough! He has his mouth open wide as he eagerly awaits his next bite of food. I have increased the amount and consistency of his rice cereal, but he still wants more! What a good little eater.

Do you notice a theme?

Hint: Gaping mouth!

We have a play mat for Max, and his favorite part is the corner. He reaches over, grabs it, and puts it in his mouth. It is so tasty to suck on! Yum-Yum!

Little Monkey

2009-11-01T20:43:00.007-06:00

Here is our Little Monkey. He is sucking his bottom lip in this picture. Rob is hiding right next to him because Max kept falling over! He has not learned to sit up by himself yet. I had Max sit on the blanket instead of the bark... hmmmm... maybe I am a bit too paranoid about him getting grubby!?

Max looks like he has spotted something grand! Maybe a banana?!

This is Robs favorite picture of Max. He gave up doing "tummy time" on the grass, but before I could pick him up, I had to snap a picture of him from this angle!

Rob helping Max up after "tummy time."

Another favorite: Max's thinking pose. He had a great time standing up by the big rock!

Rob and Max by the water.

Max and me! Although he is not smiling, he is actually looking at the camera in this picture. He was pretty distracted most of the time by cars, water, leaves, birds, etc.!

Overall, it was a fun activity for us to do.

Rice Cereal

2009-10-30T23:15:00.003-05:00

I think Max has loved being a "big boy!" He LOVES to eat his rice cereal. We couldn't get it in him fast enough. The first bowl was really liquidy, but since the first feeding it has gotten more and more solid.

We had a Trunk or Treat at the church tonight, so we dressed Max up in his monkey costume. I am planning on doing a better photo shoot with him tomorrow. Before I left, I had the brilliant idea of dressing up like a tree! Then Max would be a monkey in a tree! However, it was just an idea as I didn't have the things I needed to make myself into a tree! He is just the cutest little monkey!

Here is the video of us feeding Max the cereal for the first time.

Bedding Set

2009-10-30T23:05:00.004-05:00

On Wednesday night we moved Max out of our room and upstairs to his room. Max is a mover when he sleeps, so I told Rob I wanted a bumper in his bed so he wouldn't hit his head on the wooden slats. We ended up finding this fun bedding set at Babies R' Us. Max has slept so well in his room. He sleeps at least 8 hours at a time (he would probably go longer, but I get him up to nurse him when he makes any sort of movement). Here is the bedding set:

I hung this today. I think it adds to the room

Diaper thing. We don't have diapers in it right now.

Max in his bed with the bumpers. He likes to look at the ships. I just realized I don't have his fun sheet in there!

It has been a harder transition for me to have Max out of my room, then for him to be in his own room!

Big Boy

2009-10-27T17:27:00.004-05:00

Max is now 4 months old! He had his doctor appointment yesterday, and we have one big boy! He weighs 17 pounds, 12 ounces- 95%ile! However, he is proportionate as his height is 25.8 inches long- 90%ile! His doctor has cleared him to start having iron fortified cereal. Rob and I are going to give it a go tonight. (We are planning on recording it, so be on the lookout for a new post soon!)

We tried to do a photo shoot with Max, but he was not too happy to be on his stomach. Here is one of the better shots.

Rob loves to read Curious George to Max. Max usually enjoys listening, and adding his comments to the story, but here he just kicked over until he could rest his head on Rob's shoulder and fell asleep. Awwww! So precious!

Max has started putting EVERYTHING in his mouth. Here he found the mobile thing fit perfectly!

Max was watching football with Rob, but when I said "Max!" he turned and smiled right at me.

Max has also started to laugh. It is so much fun being a parent!

Tutoring

2009-10-06T21:12:00.004-05:00

I have started to tutor out of my home. You can check out my tutoring blog, Madsen Tutoring, to find out more information!

Yard Sales!

2009-10-06T20:56:00.002-05:00

Our neighborhood had their bi-annual yard sale. Rob woke-up, got ready for his long run and headed out the door bright and early. About 20 minutes later he was back. All the neighbors were setting out their items. I got dressed in my running gear, got Max ready, and we were off. We ran from yard sale to yard sale, finding great deals. We picked up a coffee table and two side tables.

Our best find- a running stroller! Max loves to go for runs in it. It also has a bike extension.

We bought a bike (for $5!), and Rob has fixed it. We took the bike, with the trailer, for a ride on Sunday in between conference sessions. We also bought a bunch of picture books and Disney movies. It was a great day for us. We found lots of treasures and we got a great workout in as well!

Last Little Bit

2009-10-06T20:18:00.004-05:00

Here are some of the things we have been up to the last little while.

Tummy time! Max hates it, but we still do it with him. He is getting better at holding himself up. He has ALMOST rolled over a couple of times.

Johnny Jumper. He doesn't really kick and jump, but he likes to sit and eat it! He also enjoys looking all around.

Max came to my indoor soccer game with Rob last Saturday. Rob says whenever he stood Max up, Max would start yelling at the game! He watched the ball go back and forth.

Max met his Uncle Daniel for the first time. Max is still in his pajamas because we had a long night with him (he was up and down and fussing the entire night!).

Max likes sitting in the Bumbo for a few minutes. He is starting to arch his back and straighten his legs in an effort to get out of it, so I have to watch him like a hawk. When he sits in here I can work around the kitchen and he watches and talks to me.

Eating toys is a new favorite for Max. He loves to put anything and everything in his mouth. I don't think he is teething yet. We used to put a blanket up over his head and he would kick it off, but now he tries to get it in his mouth (so we have stopped playing that "game")!

I need to take pictures of Max standing up and looking all around. It is one of his favorite things to do. Max also loves to read stories (and tell stories), look at himself in the mirror (nothing but smiles for himself), sing songs, grab toys that are hanging on a mobile, and eat. He always has a healthy appetite! Rob and I feel so lucky to have such a good boy.

CPA Test

2009-09-22T11:26:00.004-05:00

Robert has been studying and studying for his CPA test. He took the Regulation section of the test in August. He needed at least 75, but he passed with a 91! I am so proud of him! He is studying for Financial now, then he will study Audit, and finally Business. All the early mornings have paid off. Great job Rob!

Blue Lightning

2009-09-20T23:11:00.006-05:00

Truck? I don't think so! Blue Lightning will get the job done.

Extension ladder:

Drywall (more about this incident to come):

Whiteboard:

Christmas Tree:

I sure hope this car never dies!

BYU versus OU

2009-09-17T14:32:00.004-05:00

The BYU football game at Cowboys Stadium was an AMAZING game to go to. The stadium is incredible. It was a really fun evening. Dan, Jane, Mark, Robert and I were all there to enjoy the victory.

The seats are all like this:

It was a full house. The large screen is incredibly clear.

What a beautiful score!

Oklahoma fans were quick to leave the stadium before the game ended.

We were impressed with the OU fans. As we left the stadium, many of the fans congratulated us on the victory. I realize this post should have come before the tragic game last night, but I am running behind on my blog. Better late than never!

Max at Midnight

2009-09-02T22:42:00.006-05:00

Max was bright eyes and big smiles last Saturday night when he should have been fast asleep! It is a little bit long, but you will hear him jabbering and see him smiling! He has a lot to say!

Now can you understand why I can't get upset with him? He is just so happy!

2 Month Check-up

2009-09-02T21:51:00.004-05:00

Max had his 2 month check-up last Wednesday, August 26. He weighed 12 pounds 11 ounces (75%ile). He was 23 inches long (50-75%ile)! He is growing really well. Max has started to really voice his opinions. He will jabber all day long. I have some video of it, but I will put it on another post. He is also trying to suck his thumb. Usually it ends up being his finger, knuckle or fist though.

Here is is just being happy. He gives me lots of smiles every day!

I can't believe how quickly he is growing! I am frequently asked how he is sleeping at night. Generally speaking, he goes to sleep between 8-9 pm. He sleeps until between 2-3 am. He then goes back to sleep until 6-7 am. Although I wish he were to sleep through the night, I cannot complain. Max is so cute when I am changing his diaper that I cannot help but love him all the more. He will smiles and looks at me with his bright blue eyes. I just love my little boy!

Projects

2009-09-02T21:38:00.003-05:00

I am going to start tutoring out of the house in a couple of weeks, so I have transformed my front room into a classroom. Here is our front room (yes, it really was that empty) before we started our work.

Here is the room afterwards! Rob did all the work on the whiteboard. He also helped me spray paint some of the shelving pieces white.

I ended up wrapping the shelf boards with fabric. Here is a closer look at them!

I think it turned out really well.

Birthday Celebration

2009-09-02T10:51:00.005-05:00

My birthday was on August 24. I had a great birthday. Rob spoiled me with a new camera (which he was supposed to get for his birthday, but when he ordered it online in May, it turned out to be a big mess). It is AWESOME!!! We got a Nikon D5000. It is an SLR camera. As we didn't know how to use it, we are taking camera classes. We have gone the last couple of Saturdays. They have been very interesting. On Saturday evening, we went over to Frisco Square to practice taking pictures. It has been a fun present. I also got workout equipment. The hardest thing about being pregnant was the weight I put on. I realize I put on more than I actually needed to, but at the time I felt like I was doing my best. However, I am not determined to take the weight off. So, I bought dumbbells and workout videos so I can start to get back in shape. I played around with the idea of getting a gym membership, but I don't feel comfortable putting Max in daycare while I work out. Not that there is anything wrong with them. I just don't want Max to pick up any germs from the other kids, especially with all this crazy swine flu going around! I have also found that I don't workout at the gym unless I have someone to go with. It has been nice to workout at home. I have been able to take Max in the stroller and go running, and then come back and lift weights. I still have a long ways to go, but I have started the process. On my actual birthday, Rob had training bright and early, so I did my own thing at home. Rob got home earlier than he expected, which was a great surprise, and he brought me some beautiful roses. The directions on the roses were to cut the stems and put them in a vase with one half water and one half Sprite/7up (and then repeat every couple of days). I have never used Sprite in my flower water, but I did and they were bloomed really well. For dinner, Rob took me to Chili's. I really love eating there. I love the Quesadilla Explosion Salad. I highly recommend it.

It was a wonderful birthday that didn't stop there. On Wednesday, I went to the Cheesecake Factory with a bunch of women from my church. Thank you ladies for the thoughtful gifts. It was so much fun to celebrate with all of you!

Predatorial Bird

2009-08-30T19:20:00.005-05:00

I went out the garage the other day, and I heard a bird in the tree. Thinking it was a dove, I continued around the back of the car. That is when I saw this bird flying out of our tree. I grabbed Max, ran back inside, found the camera, and took this picture of the bird on our neighbors roof.

Anyone know what kind of bird it is?

Smiles!

2009-08-15T16:52:00.005-05:00

Max is typically a very happy boy. He smiles at us all the time. Here are a few pictures of him smiling. Which one is your favorite?

#1

#2

Yard Work

2009-08-05T16:12:00.005-05:00

A few Mondays ago, the yard was given a make-over! Dan was thrilled to be given the sheers and the freedom to prune the shrubs to his hearts content! He worked and worked all morning long while Rob mowed the lawn and cleaned up the cuttings. I was inspired to go outside and do some yard work myself. Below are some action shots.

Dan giving the shrubs a haircut.

Rob took this video footage of Dan working on the tree!

Rob mowing the lawn with the reel mower.

This is a picture of some flowers that I transplanted from the pots to the backyard.

More transplants!

Thanks Dan and Rob for all your hard work!

Sunday Best

2009-08-03T22:31:00.002-05:00

We took Max to church for his first time on Sunday. I had a friend give us this cutest little outfit. I made Rob match Max. Aren't they just so handsome?!?!

Max is yawning in this picture. He slept for the first couple of hours of church, but was hungry right before the third hour. Luckily, I did not teach primary this week, so I was able to slip into the Mother's Room to nurse him.

Jane and Max:

Dan and Max:

We took the Max's tie off and unbuttoned his top button before we left for church. He still looked so darling.

Frisco Heritage Museum

2009-08-02T23:16:00.005-05:00

Rob's parents, Dan and Jane, came into town this last weekend. We have had a fabulous time (and I have taken lots of pictures which means I will be adding lots of other posts)! We started the weekend by going to Babe's Chicken for lunch. It is a good restaurant. Max thought it was a bit loud. After lunch, we went next door to the Frisco Heritage Museum. As the name indicates, it is all about the rich heritage in Frisco. The museum starts with a covered wagon. We had to take a picture as our niece, Sydney, loves anything that pioneers used.

Dan loves cars. The museum had an old Model T. It was fascinating to read all about the car. A couple of the fun facts: The Model T got 20 miles to the gallon! The Model T was originally painted red, green and blue. It wasn't until later that they were almost exclusively black.

Frisco was a farming city. Cotton fields were abundant in the area. As a result, quilting was a favorite pastime for many women. Here we are looking at some of the quilts.

This is a room called "The Den." It is a family room from 1960. By 1962, 90% of American households had a television set. Here you can see Rob, Max and Jane watching a variety show.

There was also a section that talked about the doctor's that practiced in Frisco. The display showed the medicine cabinets that they had. Unfortunately, I only glanced at this exhibit (and did not take a photo) as I had to have a "talk" with Max.

We enjoyed looking at all of the artifacts that have been collected and placed on display. We had a great time at the museum.

One Month Check-up

2009-07-30T16:11:00.009-05:00

Max is over one month old! I just took him to his one month appointment, and he is doing great! He now weighs 9 pound 14 ounces (at 2 weeks, he was 7 pounds 4 ounces), which puts him in the 50%ile. He is now 21.8 inches long (at 2 weeks, he was 20 inches), which puts him in the 75%ile. I am so glad he is eating and growing, but we have loved how little Max is! Robert told him the other day that if he wants to stay small forever, he could. However, Rob is not getting up and feeding Max at night! The last 2 nights Max has slept in 4 hour increments, rather than 3. It is incredible how much better I feel with 4 hours of sleep. Actually, I guess after I finish with Max and get back to sleep, I am getting 3 hours of sleep. Big difference though. Max was also given a Hep B shot. When he got it he started to cry and he looked at me like, "How could you let them do this to me!?!" He settled down pretty quickly after getting the shot. I am sure his leg has been sore, but he continues to kick his leg all around. I am not looking forward to all the immunizations he will need, just because it breaks my heart to see him get a shot and be in pain!

Here Max is helping me with the laundry! Don't worry Mom, the dark sheet was not in the wash with the light load- it was around Max!

I am bound to get a clear picture of Max smiling one of these days. Until then, this will have to do!

Happy Boy

2009-07-25T12:53:00.004-05:00

After Max eats, he is usually really content. I tried to take a picture of him smiling back at me after eating one morning. You can see he is looking right at me. This picture is a bit fuzzy, but you can see his little grin.

Although his mouth looks to be gaping open in this particular picture, the corners of his mouth are turned up.

I thought this was a cute picture of my boy. He really is growing up so fast. Yesterday he turned one month old!

I am slowly adjusting to life as a mom. It is quite different to think that this is not just a phase of life. I am used to having different endpoints to look forward to. For example: graduating high school, graduating college, finishing a mission, ending a school year, etc. However, with being a mom there really isn't a finish. I am trying to figure out how to grasp the concept of being a mom forever. It is a wonderful thing being a mother, don't get me wrong, just a bit overwhelming to think of the commitment and responsibility that comes with it. Lately the days have felt long. Rob has been waking up at 5:00 each day. He usually leaves the house by 5:45 and heads into the office to study for the CPA (Certified Public Accountant) test. He doesn't get home until about 6:30 at night. Trying to figure out what to say and do with Max for the whole day is difficult. I try and find productive and constructive things to do. I try and go on a walk with Max if it isn't too hot outside (I am still not allowed to exercise the way I would like to). I make meals. I clean the house. I do the laundry. I feed Max. I bubble Max. I hold Max. I read. I try and find an errand to do each day. I watch TV. I try and think of things to post on my blog! However, right now there isn't a lot of variance from day to day. If anyone has any suggestions of things to do each day with Max, I would appreciate it!

Growing Boy

2009-07-14T12:56:00.003-05:00

I took these pictures last Saturday. It is really tricky to get Max to look at the camera, keep his hands down, and his head in position! He is starting to fill out a bit more. I think he is going through a growth spurt right now- he is starving every 2 1/2 hours! I don't think the 100+ temperatures help either.

Here Max is sticking his tongue out. He mimics us when we stick our tongue out at him!

Last night one of our AC unit's broke. Rob was up until 2 a.m. trying to fix it. Luckily our upstairs unit still works, so we turned the temperature down upstairs, and then we turned all the fans on in the house to circulate the cooler air. We have the AC people coming over today to fix it. Hopefully it will be a quick fix.

Report Card

2009-07-07T12:24:00.004-05:00

Max had his 2 week check-up at the doctor yesterday. He passed with an A+! He now weighs 7 pounds 4 ounces- which means he has been eating well! He is a funny little eater. If Max is done eating, he will close his eyes and pinch his lips tight. He stays like that until I either give him to Rob or put him down. Then he opens his eyes wide and moves his lips. It is quite humorous. Max has also grown taller. He is now 20 inches long, which means he has grown 1/4". He still seems so tiny to us. We went for a walk to our friends house the other day. They have a 9 month old baby. When we saw their boy, Rob and I were both shocked at how BIG he looked! We are used to our little Max.

Max has been learning new things. If you stick your tongue out at him, he will stick his back out at you. It is so cute. He is still learning to use his hands. We do not swaddle his arms down- he will fuss until he gets them out. You can see from the pictures below, his arms are always up when we sleeps. He is still figuring out how to suck his thumb- he usually puts his whole fist in his mouth. On occasion he will find a finger to suck on. When I try and feed him, I have to battle his hands! He isn't sure what he really wants to eat when he is hungry!

The last couple of nights Max has slept like a champ. I feed him between 9 and 10 pm, and he sleeps for about 5 hours before waking up! I am like a new woman when I get 5 hours of unbroken sleep. I hope this trend continues.

Next week Rob starts back to work. It has been so nice to have him home these last couple of weeks. He is a great dad. He usually bubbles and changes Max's diaper for me. I have been spoiled to have such a good husband.

Labor and Delivery Timeline

2009-07-02T16:05:00.004-05:00

Here is the timeline starting on June 23 and continuing to June 24:

10:00 p.m.- Checked in to Baylor
10:30 p.m.- Given Cytotec to help induce labor
11:00 p.m.- Given Ambien to help sleep
11:30 p.m.- Sent Robert home to sleep
11:45 p.m. to 5:00 a.m.- Slept on and off; watched Planet Earth
5:00 a.m.- Started on Petocin; dilated to a 4
5:30 a.m.- Called Rob to come back over to the hospital
6:30 a.m.- Given an epidural (I wanted it before the shift change at 7:00)
6:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.- I slept on and off (I was so relaxed from the epidural); Rob watched Burn Notice
8:00 a.m.- Doctor comes in and checks me; dilated between a 4 and 5; Dr. breaks my water
9:30 a.m.- I felt continuous pressure, so I asked the nurse to check me; dilated to a 10!
10:00 a.m.- Doctor and nurses come in and get everything ready
10:15 a.m.- I start pushing; I pushed for 4 or 5 contractions; Rob was by my side coaching me
10:27 a.m.- Max was born; 6 pounds 15 ounces; 19.75 inches long

After Max was born, Rob was able to cut the umbilical cord. Then Max was weighed, measured, and cleaned up. Rob was given a shirt, and they put Max's footprints on it. They gave me Max, but I was not in a position to hold him (I had a lot of tearing- Max threw an elbow on his way out!). Rob held Max and stayed close to me. We actually did not decide on Max's name until around noon, after the room had been cleared out and we had a quiet moment to look and decide what we should call him. We were given lunch around 12:30. About 1:00 or so, we were able to go over to the postpartum room. By this time, my epidural had worn off and I was anxious to be up and about. I ended up walking down to the room, pushing my wheelchair, while Rob brought Max. Everything went extremely well.

We were impressed with Baylor. They always brought me AND Robert a meal. In fact, on Thursday night, we had our celebration dinner. Rob had steak and lobster, while I had steak and chicken. The hospital has more of a hotel feel to it. All the machines are hidden behind cupboards. They staff is all well-trained. I had the lactation specialists come in a few times to help me get started breastfeeding (things are going well now- Max and I are finally starting to get in sync). Rob had a pull-out bed to sleep in at night. We actually sent Max back to the nursery a few times so we could try and catch some sleep. I found that if Max was in the room, I would listen to every single sound Max made, rather than sleep. When we sent Max back to the nursery, he was always really good- he just slept (and didn't cry!). We feel so blessed to have Max in our lives.

I really couldn't ask for a better experience for my first baby. It has been a life-changing experience for our little family. It has made us a stronger, better, more loving family.

Baby Comparisions

2009-07-02T15:57:00.002-05:00

Here is Robert as a baby:

Here is Max:

Here I am as a baby:

I realize that the photo quality is not the same for Robert and my baby pictures, but I think it is safe to say that Max definitely looks like Robert, not me!

More Pictures

2009-06-29T20:19:00.002-05:00

My sister, Mary, took these pictures of Max. My mom and sister surprised us and came out last Thursday. It was so much fun to have them here! Rob, Max, and I took them to the airport this afternoon. We will miss them!

We think Max is just the most beautiful baby.

Max Spencer Madsen

2009-06-24T22:20:00.003-05:00

Max is here! I will post more about the labor and delivery later. Max was born today, June 24, at 10:27 a.m. He weighed 6 pounds, 15 ounces. He is 19.75 inches long. He is just a little angel!

Tonight

2009-06-23T16:24:00.002-05:00

I went to the doctor today. The good news is I am healthy, as is the baby. However, I have not dilated at all. So, I will be checking into the hospital tonight to get things started. If all goes well, which I am assuming it will, tomorrow Rob and I will be parents! We are both so excited to start this new phase of our lives. We have done everything we can to prepare ourselves for his birth. Wish us luck!

Sprinkler!

2009-06-20T10:42:00.004-05:00

When the sprinklers came on last night, we were talking with Devon (we had been babysitting his daughter), and Rob happened to notice that one of our sprinklers was more of a fountain! We laughed and laughed. Have you ever seen a sprinkler spray so high? Rob now has a project to work on today...

Lily

2009-06-14T22:06:00.001-05:00

Isn't it beautiful?

Friends

2009-06-14T21:57:00.002-05:00

Today our good friends, the Furse's, had a layover in Dallas. We were able to pick them up from the airport and spend the morning/afternoon together. It was so much fun talking with them and hanging out with them. They have another layover in a couple of weeks, so they will be able to see the baby after he is born. At most, I only have 10 days left! I feel I am ready to pop! I hope the baby will come this week, instead of next, so keep your fingers crossed for me!

Storms

2009-06-11T12:57:00.002-05:00

We have had severe thunderstorms in the area- lots of wind and rain and a possibility of a tornado. Luckily our house and trees have held strong, but our next door neighbor was not so fortunate. As you can see, the tree has about touched down. Others in the neighborhood had fence damage. The worst we experienced was knocked over trash/recycle cans!

On another note, I went to the doctor today. I am 50% effaced, but I have not started dilating yet. The baby is still in the proper position, and I am hoping he will come sooner rather than later! I am very anxious to see him! My doctor noticed that I have been spending a bit of time outside (I am starting to get some color), and he reminded me to increase my fluid intake. I feel like I already drink a lot, as I am up and down to the restroom all throughout the night, but apparently I need to drink more during the daytime hours. Other than that, everything looks good for both the baby and me.

Baby Update

2009-06-03T17:20:00.004-05:00

I went to the doctor today for my checkup, and things are looking really good! The baby has definitely dropped, but my cervix is still closed. I asked the doctor if he still wanted to induce me on the 24th, as Rob is not traveling any longer, and he said yes. He asked if I wanted to be induced any earlier. I expressed concern over the baby, and so he had me go and get a sonogram right then! The baby is looking healthy. His heart beat was 128 bpm. He weighs 6 pounds, 8 ounces. He is 18.5 inches long! The baby is still clearly a boy. He is in the 50th percentile. Here are some of the pictures from the sonogram:

The baby's foot- heel is on the left, toes are on the right:

Here the baby is sucking his thumb- his hand is on the left, you can see his nose and then his brain on the far right:

Here is his face- his eyes are dark, top of his head on the right side, and chin/mouth on the left (I believe his thumb was still in his mouth, which is why his nose/mouth are kinda squishy):

Here is a profile shot- he is still sucking his thumb, starting on the left you can see his fist, then his nose and on the right is his brain:

After the doctor looked at the sonogram results, we talked again about the induction. He told me that we would keep the induction date on the 24, but he honestly didn't think the baby would wait that long! He thinks I will be about a week early! I am thrilled to hear that. Overall I have felt really good. I have tried to stay active my entire pregnancy by working out. My biggest complaint is having to sleep on my side. I am NOT a side sleeper- I am a back sleeper! Rather than having lower back pain, I get in-between-the-shoulder blade pain! My hips also hurt from sleeping on them... but it is bearable. I am just so excited that the baby looks healthy, and that I have had good health. My mother has asked me to post a picture of myself, so when Robert gets home I will have him snap one of me and I will add it to this post. Just a couple more weeks to go!

Rob's Birthday

2009-05-26T17:31:00.005-05:00

We celebrated Rob's birthday a day early as we were both home and together on Memorial Day (unfortunately, he is out of town on his real birthday, which is today). When I asked him what he wanted to do for his birthday, he replied that he would like to finish up some projects around the house. He has been wanting to finish cutting the vents bigger on the roof, but it has been raining off and on each weekend. Yesterday he got up bright and early and headed to Lowe's to rent a tall ladder. A really tall ladder! Our Little Giant is not tall enough to reach the roof on the west side of our house. He strapped the ladder onto Blue Lightening and zipped on home!

He spent the majority of the day up on the ladder and roof, cutting out bigger vent holes. He has now successfully completed that project! Our attic should now have sufficient ventilation to keep cool during the summer.

I ended up getting Rob a few gifts, but one that he has been asking for for a long time is the 2nd edition of Advanced Marathoning. Now that he is able to run again, I am hoping that he can run a marathon. It has been a goal of his for a long time now.

Rob is not a cake person. However, he absolutely loves ice cream! For his "cake" this year, I ended up getting him one of his favorite ice cream flavors- Moose Tracks! It was the easiest "cake" ever!

All and all, I think it was a fun birthday for Robert. I sure do love him! Happy REAL Birthday today Rob!

Love & War in Texas

2009-05-12T17:07:00.004-05:00

Daniel, Robert's brother, had a layover in Dallas for about 3 hours last Thursday. We were able to pick him up and take him to Love & War in Texas. The food was good, but the company was even better. We always love it when family and friends come and visit, even if it is only for a few hours. It was good to see you Daniel!

Tidbits

2009-05-03T22:51:00.011-05:00

Rob and I have continued going to baby classes. Last night we attended Baby Care and Infant Safety and CPR. The instructors were great. They shared some interesting tidbits with us. One of the funny (and yet shocking) stories they shared with us was about nails. When babies are born, their nails are attached to the skin. You should NOT clip there nails when they are born as it will cut their skin. They recommended bringing a nail file to use instead. I guess grandparents (most often) have a hard time leaving the nails alone. The nurses said they have gone into a room on many occasions to find grandparents BITING the nails of infants in an effort to tear them off! They do NOT recommend this activity.

Rob has been really great at helping around the house. We go to Costco each week when he gets home. He always loads and unloads the cart (doing all the lifting). We have made a big effort to start our food storage. Here is some of our most recent food storage work (we also have a closet upstairs with cans from the cannery). We still have a ways to go, but we are putting a dent in it. We are also starting to stock up on diapers and wet wipes. We are not sure how fast our baby will grow, so we have tried to have a good variety of sizes. We had radiant barrier sprayed in our attic. It should help keep our attic cooler during the summer, thus saving us money on cooling the interior of our house. However, the insulation blocked up all the vents outside. When Rob looked more closely at the vents, he realized they are cut way too small. We have bought a jigsaw and new vents, and Rob has been cutting out bigger vent holes and blowing the vents clear so air can circulate through the attic.

Rob cleaning the kitchen:

Some of our bulk storage:

Diaper storage (and clothes sorted on the shelves by sizes):

You can see the size of the vent cover, the actual cut out section, and the insulation inside:

I have been very neglectful of my hair for the last 8 months! I finally scheduled a time to go and get it done. I figured that because I am so horrible about getting my hair touched up, I may as well do a full color and go back to my natural color. It has been a long time since I have had all brown hair. On another note, we bought a car seat. It is a Chicco Keyfit 30. We have a car seat class at the end of the month. I guess car seats are usually not correctly installed in the car.

Although I do not care for pregnant pictures of myself, I felt brave and had Rob snap one of me. I am 32 weeks along in this picture (and I do not have any make-up on).

Last little tidbit: Rob can finally start running again! He has been going to physical therapy for his knee. Basically the ligaments and tendons in his left knee have been inflamed and super tight, so he has had to take an anti-inflammatory and then do all sorts of stretches. He went running for the first time in 8 months last Thursday, and ran 3 miles! (In the past, when he went running he could only go less than a mile and then his knee would cause him so much grief he would have to stop.) I am so glad he is able to run again!

Flower Crazy!

2009-05-03T22:43:00.004-05:00

On Valentines Day, Robert and I made a trip to Costco. Rather than getting freshly cut flowers, I picked up A LOT of bulbs. Rob knows I have a weakness for flowers, so he told me he would trust my judgment in picking out how many bulbs I wanted, as well as what I wanted. BIG MISTAKE!!! I ended up getting a lot more flowers than he thought I would. Much to his astonishment, I have found a place to plant them all (my mom and sisters helped me put them in the soil). Here is what has come up so far...

These two pots are FULL of bulbs... they will be VERY full when everything comes up and blooms:

The green stems will bring colorful flowers this summer:

Here is the other side with LOTS of soon-to-be flowers!

I took these pictures at night because if I didn't take the picture now (at night), I don't know when I would ever get around to it!

Tulips

2009-05-03T22:30:00.004-05:00

Here is a sequence of the life of my tulips! They are now trimmed and waiting to come up again next year...

Here they are poking out of the ground:

The stems are getting a little bit taller:

The flower is thinking about opening:

Blossoming so beautifully:

I just love flowers!

I cannot wait until they come back again next year...