Yummy to My Tummy!!!

Well we made the decision to start Madelyn on cereal!  I stressed over this for some time and felt like the time was right.  For those of you asking why the stress?  Well if you are not a parent of a little one you might not realize the big debate out there on when to start solids.  I made the choice based on the fact that she is eating more and more formula and sometimes still not satisfied and she shows interest in our food.
So the camera and the video camera were standing by...
We tasted...
We made a horrible face...
and then wanted to lick our fingers!!

The Goods

All Ready

The face!!!!

The fingers!

The second time for solids was the next day.  She made it clear she HATED it!!!!  I tasted it and I didn't think it was that bad but what do I know!

So the journey on solids continue!  Stay tuned..

Baby Dedication

On November 21st Mary Madelyn had her Baby Dedication service or as some call it Parent Commitment service at Green Acres Baptist Church. For those of you who come from other faiths or are not familiar with this, this is a special time when the parents promise to raise a child in a Christian home and friends and family stand up and promise to help support the parents in their decision. It was a very beautiful day for all of us. Here are some pictures of our very special day!!!

Claire and Madelyn.  Madelyn wore the same dress Claire wore 10 years ago to be dedicated.

Her very own cake!  Although she can't eat it!

She wanted to taste!

This teapot was my great great aunts.  This was our way of including a 5th generation to the special day!

More Flowers

Mamaw and Papaw gave her this gold baby ring!  I had one as a baby too!

It was a very special day!  Thank you all for sharing it with us!  A very special thank you to my dad, Poppa, Thank you for coming over 600 miles to share this day with us!!! 

Maddie is 4 months

Today was Maddie's 4 month wellness check.  I can't believe it has already been 4 months.  Everything went great!  My Mom went with me because Chris couldn't make this one.  She weighed in at 14.1 putting her in the 58th percentile for weight.  She measured 25 1/4 putting her in 93rd percentile in height.  She had a huge growth spurt!  At her 2 month visit she weighed 11 lbs and her length was 23.  Her head was 16 and 1/4 at 2 months and is 17 now putting her sweet little (or not so little) head in the 93rd percentile! 

Wow they grow so fast!  I have already had to pack away some of her newborn clothes :(

The Dr. said her development was GREAT she is even ahead of schedule on a few things! 

All in All we had a great report!

Maddie before her appt.  We woke up to a chilly morning in East Texas!

Halloween 2010

Well Maddie's first Halloween was a blast!  After searching and searching for the custume to fit her that wasn't a lady bug or a pumpkin we found a purple butterfly!  We dressed her up and went trick or treating with the Chesley's.  We have been trick or treating with the Chesley's for years but this year we a got to include Maddie in on our tradition!

SO CUTE!

The Butterfly costume got hot!  Cade and Maddie!

This was the first year I haven't dressed Prissy up!  She was not complaining!!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Halloween!

wow a year ago...

I can't believe how fast this year has gone by.  A year ago yesterday I found out I was pregnant.  It seems like yesterday.  It has been a year of many ups and downs!  Chris and I knew that our life were about to change but I don't think either of us knew to what extent or the joy that we were about to experience!  I am very excited for the holidays this year!  Since I was prego last year for holidays I spent most of my time with my head in the potty and didn't get to enjoy the good food!  Don't get me wrong I am not complaining because it was ALL worth it! 

Yep...Maddie was baking away!

Mary Madelyn Thiem we love you and are so very blessed to have you in our lives!

Stay tuned because I will be anouncing exciting news in the next few days!  You will want to be a part of this!!!! (no I am not prego!)

Moving on

I apologize that it has been so long since my last blog. Our internet has been down do to all the storms we have had. We have a lot of catching up to do!


I wanted to share this story with you.

Last Thursday I was watching Private Practice and a baby was born that wasn’t breathing. Suddenly everything that we went through with Madelyn came back to me and I lost it. I couldn’t stop crying. The next day I went to lunch with my Mom and I was telling her what had happened the night before. I asked her when I was going to be able to get over it all. She assured me that it would take some time. She left to go to the bathroom when the waitress walked up and asked how old Maddie was. I told her and she continued to tell me that she had three boys but the youngest one died 11 hours after his birth. Suddenly it hit me. That was God working!!! He was telling me to get over it! We have a healthy beautiful baby girl and things could be so much worse! We don’t know all the damage if any that Maddie suffered from her horrible birth and we won’t know until we see if she reaches her milestones and how she develops as she gets older. But I can’t go around waiting for the other shoe to drop or living in the past! I must live for the day and enjoy the moment!

This is not easy for me to share with you but I wanted you to see how God placed this waitress in my life at the perfect time to teach me a lesson. He is amazing.

I know thinking about her birth will still bring tears to my eyes from time to time but I know that we are so blessed to have our beautiful baby girl.

East Texas State Fair

Last week we went to the East Texas State Fair with Mamaw, Papaw and the Chesley family!  Madelyn loved looking at all lights and taking in all the sounds.  I wanted to share some pictures of our night.

 She really wanted to eat some of the good food we were having but she settled for a bottle.

 Chris playing Mr. Mom while I rode a ride with Claire and Cade.  It had been over 10 years since I have been on any kind of ride!  My body felt a little old afterward!  We had a blast!

 All the excitement wore her out!

 Claire Bear on a ride.  Cade liked all the Fun houses more than the rides.

The Thiem Family!

Birthday Wishes

I woke up last year on my birthday crying because I wasn’t pregnant and I had begun to think that an illness I had in the past was going to keep me from getting pregnant. One short year later I woke up on my birthday to my husband and beautiful daughter singing me Happy Birthday! Wow God is Good!


Top 5 Reasons this was the best birthday EVER!!!! (For the record I have had some AMAZING birthdays!!)

1. Madelyn was here to spend it with me!!!

2. I spent the whole day with my husband and daughter. A privilege of having your birthday on a weekend. NO WORK just FUN!

3. Baylor beat KU 55 to 7. I think it is because Madelyn has been practicing her bear claw.

4. PERFECT Fall day! Fall is my favorite season and on Oct 2, 2010 we had a beautiful fall Texas day!

5. My wonderful husband choose to skip the opening day of bow season to spend my birthday with me! Thank you Boogie!! You make me feel so special!

Well, my birthday has come and gone and I am another year wiser! It was a wonderful day. Chris and I took Maddie to the pumpkin patch and then we had dinner at Mamaw and Papaw’s house with the family. We had a great dinner and my favorite frozen strawberry cake. On Friday night Chris and Maddie took me out for Sushi! I love Sushi and I couldn’t eat it while I was pregnant so I have been trying to make up for it!
Thank you everyone for all the birthday text, facebook post and cards. My birthday was one of the best ever!

Thiem family update!!

September 16th was Maddie’s 2 month wellness check. Chris and I both went to the Dr and were so surprised to see the scale top off at 11 lbs and 13 oz. Yep our baby girl doesn’t have any trouble eating!! She is 23 inches long and starting to get rolls and creases on her cute little legs and arms. Over the last week she has started teething! Yep already! She is drooling buckets of drool and at times a little cranky. It is not uncommon for teething to come with a cranky child, fever and drool. She is trying to put anything and everything in her mouth. She can hold her rattle, teething toys and her new favorite toy, her giraffe. She goes everywhere with her giraffe and loves talking to it. Here are some of her milestones.


She holds her toys.

More talking and cooing.

Teething

Sleeping 6 to 7 hours at night! (Praise God)

Sitting up in her Bumbo.

Trying to sit up on her own.

Turning her head to follow people and objects.

Yes Our baby is growing up so fast.

In our lives…

We have been very busy. I had my first MOPS meeting last week and fell in love with it and all the moms. Chris made senior lineman at work! Congratulations Boogie!!! This normally takes about five years and Chris did it in less than three!

This weekend I am decorating the house for Fall! Stay tuned!!!

Sisters

When I found out I was pregnant I was very worried about my first child Prissy. She is 8 years old and we have been through thick and thin together. I hated everyone telling me she would suddenly be forgotten. I knew that could never happen but I worried how she would adjust to having a little one around and not getting 100% of my attention. I prayed that she would adjust well and love her new sister. Chris reassured me that she was going to do great and be very protective of Madelyn. Once the nursery was complete Prissy new something was going on. As I got further along in my pregnancy she became even more protective of me. There were days that she would lay on my stomach and Maddie would start kicking and Prissy could feel her. Prissy didn’t like that but she accepted that this was now part of life. The first time the two met Prissy knew she had a new member of the family to guard and protect! After returning from outside she goes to the cradle, her room, the bouncy seat and the swing until she finds her sister. When I rock Madelyn to sleep in her room Prissy is right there with us. I feel so relieved that she loves her sister! She has been so good with her. I know sometimes she must get jealous and a little peeved but she is doing great! She has had to adjust. We no longer play fetch after 9 pm because we are trying to calm things down for Maddie and sometimes she has to wait for Maddie to finish her bottle before she is fed but overall she is adjusting well!

Splashing Around!

Sunday we decided to let Maddie experience the pool for the first time. Nanny (Michelle) gave her a swimsuit at one of my showers and I have been dying to see her in it! So Sunday morning I ran to Wal-Mart and purchased a baby pool. Chris blew it up and filled it up with water and let it set in the sun for a while to warm up the water. By early afternoon we were all ready. She was dressed for the occasion with a swimsuit, cover up, sunglasses, and a hat! My Mom and Lavonda came over for the occasion. I think we all had more fun than Maddie. She seemed to love the water. All smiles and no crying were our clue! Prissy was dying to get in the water too but she was fresh from the doggy spa and I didn’t want her getting yucky. After Maddie’s little swim we all came in from the heat and Maddie took a nice long nap while we finished the day with football and homemade seafood enchiladas.

This week is going to be a busy but great week!  It will be my first time to volunteer at the ccc sale (a semi- anual childrens consingment sale at Harvey Hall), Maddie has her 2 month Dr visit, Chris' birthday, Friday is date night, and next Monday is my first MOPS meeting!  So much to look forward to!

Learn more about the ccc sale at

cccsale.com

Find a MOPS group in your area

mops.org

Updates to come on how the family survived the week! 

Looking like a star!

Her pool full of Dad's hot air.

Labor Day Weekend!

Labor Day Weekend we went on our first trip with Maddie! We traveled to Houston to visit our good friends Tim and Randi Jones. They have a beautiful little girl , Tessa, who is 3 weeks and 3 minutes older than Maddie. The trip was a wonderful experience. We learned a lot about traveling with a little one. I was never good at packing light but packing with a little one was a whole new experience. We did manage to fit everything in the car without needing a trailer!!!! Maddie slept most of the way there with one pit stop for a feeding and a clean diaper.
Saturday we all woke up and let the kids play and we did some shopping at Costco. (Chris and I love going to Costco since we don’t have one in Tyler). Saturday night we celebrated Chris’ birthday with steaks and cookie cake. Sunday the guys went fishing and Randi and I took the girls shopping at the outlet mall. Sunday we all went and great dinner. It was a great weekend! We love spending time with them and I am always sad when our visits have to come to an end. We have all been friends for a long time and we hope the girls grow up as close friends too!

 

The girls in the car.  Tessa is on the left and Maddie is on the right.

 

Maddie on Tessa's tummy mat.  She loved it so much we had to go buy her one.

Randi with both girls.  Maddie is on the left and Tessa is on the right.

Chris' birthday cake.  It was supposed to be a hunter and it looks more like a baseball player!  Every time we get together with the Jones' we find a reason for cookie cake!

The boys caught blue crab! 

Chris and his flounder!

 

Well coming home took a bit longer than getting there.  We had to stop 3 times for diaper change, twice to eat and burp, and one bathroom stop for Mom.  We also had a few more items to bring home since we did some shopping!  Thank goodness for SUVs.

 

We came home Monday evening and went to my grandparents house to celebrate my grandmother's birthday.  It was a special treat because my Dad came in town to see Maddie.  We all had a great time at Mamaw's and Dad got to catch up with Maddie!

 

Mamaw with the Grandkids and great- grand!

Happy birthday Mamaw!!  We love you and are so thankful to have you in our lives!  Maddie is so blessed to grow up and have you to look up to.

Learning lessons

Last Tuesday was my first day back to work after having Maddie. First of all let me start by saying that I do realize how lucky I am to have such a flexible job and that I only work 3 days a week. I am also very lucky that I do not have to put my darling in daycare. She stays with my mom, Michelle, and mamaw while I am at work.
Even though I have the best care a mother could ask for this day was extremely hard for me. I no idea this would be so very hard. I learned a lot this week and grew a lot as a person.
I dropped Maddie off Tuesday morning at Michelle’s house. I knew she was in the best hands but leaving her was hard. I have left her for short periods of time before but not like this. I did good till I had to drive away. I had to keep reassuring myself that she would remember me and know that I was her mother when I returned. I was so worried that I was going to miss so many milestones that I forgot to be grateful for what I had. The day went great and she did amazing! I didn’t miss her first crawl or walk and the world didn’t end.

What I learned…

I learned that everyone wishes something about their situation was different. (stay at home moms need an outlet, and working moms feel guilty)

I learned that wasting time worrying about what I missed that day took time away from being the best mom I can be to her.

I learned that I may miss certain things but to cherish each and every moment I have with her and be thankful for the milestones I can witness.

I learned that her spending time with my loving amazing family will expand her heart and make her an amazing woman that many will love.

I learned that things could always be worse!

I learned that sometimes we have to take a moment and remind ourselves how great God as been to us and to stay confident in the person he created!

Play Date

Last Wednesday Maddie had her very first play date!  My friend Randi Jones, from Houston came in town with her 7 week old daughter, Tessa.  Tessa and Maddie are 3 weeks apart.  We got them together for a "play date".  There wasn't much playing going on...more sleeping and eating with the occasional diaper change.

Tessa is on the left and Maddie on the right.  Maddie had to take a little nap. 

We couldn't seem to keep them awake at the same time. 

Tessa wanted to try on Maddie's huge bow!

Our Birth Story

Mary Madelyn Thiem arrived July 1, 2010 at 8:02 pm. She weighed 6 lbs 15 oz and was 19 ¾ inches long.

On Wednesday June 30th Chris and I checked in to Mother Frances Hospital at 6pm for a scheduled induction. My Dr wanted to induce me because I had been so ill that I was dehydrated. That night I received two doses of a drug to soften the cervix and dilate me. At 6 am the next morning I was dilated to a 3 and they started a drug to start the induction. Madelyn did not tolerate the drug very well so they had to slow the drip way down. Sometime late that afternoon I was dilated to a five. I started to progress quickly once I was at a five. Once I was at an 8 I felt an uncontrollable need to push but I had to wait. Chris and My mom were in the room with me.  I was finally at a 10 and they let me start pushing but Madelyn was turned facing up instead of down. The Dr. turned her once and I started pushing again and then she turned back around again. After an hour and a half of pushing and turning I started running a fever and Madelyn's heart rate sky rocketed We went in for a c-section. They gave Chris his scrubs and took me in the room to start my spinal block. The amazing staff already had the NICU standing by. They started the c-section and brought Chris in the room. Madelyn was born but Chris and I didn’t hear any crying. We could hear the nurses talking and trying to get her to breath. They rushed her and Chris to the NICU and left me with the Drs to finish the surgery. After they got Madelyn stable Chris came back to recovery with me. At 11 pm on the way to taking me to my room they wheeled my bed through the NICU and I got to see and hold by beautiful baby girl!!!! Madelyn was doing well. They started her on an antibiotic because she received an infection during birth.
After six nights in the NICU we got to move her to the pediatric floor and sleep in the same room as our baby like a normal family. We got to bring her home the following Friday. This was the best day of our lives. We are all doing well now! She is beautiful and healthy!!!

waiting on her arrival

she's here!

The first time I saw and held her!  Our first family photo.

Doctor Appt

Today was my first "check" at the doctor.  I go every week now.  Today the doctor told me that he didn't think I would make it to my due date.  He said for my sake he hopes I don't because she is HUGE!  He thinks she is already 6.5 lbs.  That would put her at 8.5 lbs on July 3rd.  Wow!  She gains more weight every week than I do.  I have been gaining around 1/2 lb a week to every two weeks.  This is on the low end but it is because I still get sick atleast twice a week.  As long as I'm not losing weight Madelyn should be fine.  He says that we will see how things go but he thinks she will come early.  I asked what the plan was going to be if she didn't because if she is like me she will not be very predictable!  He said that if she didn't he would induce around July 4th.  He also assured me that  he was going out of town this weekend but after that he would be around to deliver. 
Everytime I turn around I feel like someone is telling me that she can't come this day, she has to wait till or she needs to come before...well I have news for you...she will come when she wants to.  If she is anything like me she will not listen to demands and she will most likely want to make a statement with her arrival!
I will keep you updated!

Prayers for my friend Lindsey!  Tonight she is being induced and like all first time moms is scared to death.  I know she will do great but pray for her peace of mind and a safe healthy delivery!  I LOVE you Lindsey.  I know you can do it!!!!  We can't wait to meet Lillian :)

License to Carry!

Well as of last Tuesday Chris and I have completed all of our "parenting classes".  They included birthing class, newborn care class, and breast feeding.  Tuesday night when we left our last class and I felt very good about all that we had learned.  Chris said he felt good too.  But something was missing!  We left without a parent certificate, parent license, or a money back garentee!  You can't have a hand gun or drive a car without a license but they are going to let me have a baby!!!  Something just seems wrong with this picture!!! 
All joking aside...We feel very confident that we are going to be just fine!  We can change diapers, bath the baby, feed the baby, swaddle her, and we know what to expect durning delivery.  We are ready!  We just need her to arrive.  Thank goodness we got to practice with a plastic baby so our little angel is not our ginny pig.  We may not have license to be parents or carry her around like a hand gun but we have love and knowledge that will do just fine.
Tomorrow we go to the doctor for out 37 week check up.  I will keep you posted! 

Showers Galore!!!

I want to start this blog by saying how sorry I am for letting so much time go by since my last blog. I blame it on the tiredness that goes along with pregnancy. Since it has been so long I am going to try and catch you up on the month of May.

May was filled with shower galore! I had three baby showers given by dear friends. Here are some pictures of my shower that was given by my girl friends. I will post pictures of the other showers when I get them.

These were the hostess.  (from left to right) Jodi Jones (friends since highschool), Lindsey Spraggins (Friends since 4th grade, she is also having a baby girl very soon!), Sheri Thornton (friends since 9th grade), Angela McCool (Friends since 6th grade), and Carol Starnes (Sheri's Mom, was another mom to me in highschool).

This beautiful cake was done by Angela McCool.  Her cakes taste as good as they look!  She does amazing work!!!

Lindsey made this adorable banner which is now hanging in Madelyn's room.

me opening gifts

Thank you all so much for a perfect shower!

I promise to do better at keeping my blog updated!!!  I will post pictures from the other showers when I get them.   Stay tuned .....Pictures of Madelyn's completed room coming soon!

Our weekend in Houston!

This past weekend  Chris and I went to Houston to visit our friends Tim and Randi Jones.  They are also expecting a little girl!  They are due at the end of May.  We went down Thursday night and stayed up way too late for two pregos but we had a lot of catching up to do!  Friday we did some shopping for baby stuff (even the boys) and Friday night we celebrated their dog Molli's birthday!  I think it was just an excuss for us to have cookie cake!  Saturday was Randi's baby shower that I was helping give!   It was a great success!  She got a lot of much needed baby items.  We came home Sunday very sad to leave our friends :(   Here are some pictures of her shower and Molli's birthday! 

This was a candy buffet.  Guest got to take home candy!

The Theme was tropical.  Just like her baby's room!  We even served drinks with little umbrellas!

Molli is the cutest dog ever!  Chris and I tried to bring her home with us!  This was her second birthday!  Happy Birthday Molli!  The cake was great!!!

Happy Birthday Mom!

Saturday April 10th was my Mom’s birthday. I will not tell you have old she is but I will say she doesn’t look her age! I hope I get those genesJ I just wanted to take a moment and tell the world how special she is to me. My Mom is my best friend. I talk to her daily and trust her with my everything. She has been such a role model to me through the years and continues to be. I am so grateful to my grandmother for giving birth to her so that she could later have me and I would have my best friend. Through thick and thin she has always been there for me. I can’t wait for my daughter to meet her and realize what a great person she has for a grandmother.


Mom, I am so proud of you and love you with all my heart. Thank you for everything you have done for me over the years. I can’t wait for you to meet Madelyn. I know you will be an amazing Mimi!

Happy Birthday!

Love Erin

What a weekend!

Wow what busy weekend we have had! First of all it was such a treat to have my Dad in Tyler for the whole weekend! We got to spend some great time together! On Saturday we had breakfast with my Dad and spent the day with him. We went to Cade’s first T-Ball game and got to cheer for him! He looks so cute in his uniform! Saturday night we went to Mamaw and Papaw’s house for my mom’s birthday dinner. It is always good to have home cooked food and birthday cakeJ Then on Sunday we ate breakfast with my Dad before he had to head out of town and then we were off to the Dallas area for a couples baby shower for one of my best friends. Yep we are pregnant at the same time and we are both having girls! We got back home about 6:30 Sunday night and we both crashed. It was a very busy weekend but very fun!

Third Trimester!!!!

Well I have made it to my Third Trimester! Yep I am 7 months Prego!!! I went to the Dr. on Monday and got the results of my glucose test. I process sugar just fine. He said that everything looks great! She is growing very nicely. She is breech but he is very positive that she will turn on her own in time. I only gained ½ pound last month but that is most likely because I have started getting sick again. On the positive side it may be because I started Prego water aerobics. Yes me and my belly got in a swim suite! It was so much fun!!!! She loved the water and moved around the whole time I was in the pool! I loved being in the water. I feel weightless!! The Dr. has moved my appointments to every 2 weeks. I feel like I live in his office. We don’t have much time left and the time that we do have is full of baby showers, birthing classes, breastfeeding classes and newborn care class. I did find a pediatrician . I met with him a few weeks ago and we really clicked! That was a big relief since he will be a big part of the birthing process. So everything is going great! Chris and I can’t wait to meet our little angel!

Fishing Trip

Over spring break we went on our anual trout fishing trip.  It was a great relaxing trip.  It was colder than I would have ordered but we had a great time anyway.  We all caught are limit (5 per day) within 45 min each day!  Try telling a 5 and a 9 year old they have to quit fishing after so many!  Cade didn't quite understand this.  We had a fish fry Saturday night and got to enjoy what we caught! 
Chris and I can't wait to take Madelyn!  Next year she will not be old enough to use a Snoopy fishing pole quite yet but I know she'll love it anyway!  These are a few pictures from this year.

Chris out in the river.

Cade in his fishing outfit!

Claire wanted to do it all her self!  She can bait a hook, take the fish off the hook, and even put it on the stringer!

She even kisses the fish!

Cade finding something else to do since he caught his limit! 

Chris with his big catch!  He caught the biggest he has ever caught on his fly rod!  He had a blast.  I didn't get to go out in the river with him.  My waders didn't fit over Maddie!  Plus I usually fall several times on rocks so it was safer for me to stay on the river bank.