Happy Belated 5 month birthday Maddison!!!

Well, I can hardly believe that Maddison has been in my arms for over 5 months. I wish that I could slow things down, but I can't. So I'm going to enjoy every single minute!!! Things have been super crazy around the Creighton household. I'll do my best to catch everyone up on our life!

Alec has quit working for Regions in Jackson, TN and has started working for Wachovia! YEA!!! I will finally have my husband back in our lives. Alec did a wonderful job trying to be apart of our lives while he was commuting, but let's face it. Spending 2 hours driving every day, not to mention the driving around town, was wearing him down. Needless to say it is a blessing that Wachovia came to him with such an amazing offer. Our lives are getting back on track. There was a point where we didn't like to be around each other at all. I was having trouble figuring out what I was supposed to do work wise and needed help with the baby in the evenings and Alec was just too tired to deal with us when he did get home. BUT we have gotten over that bump in our lives and are much happier!!!

I am now in the midst of training to do medical transcription from home. (I am supposed to be training right now, but I needed a break.)I am enjoying the studying right now. It is very time consuming and is forcing me to manage my time a whole lot better than I used to! I study while Maddison naps and in the evenings when she goes to bed. For the last two weeks, I have been searching for something. I'm not sure what that something is though. I told Alec that I wanted to be more than just Maddison's mummy or Alec's wife. I want to be something....that's probably what I miss the most about having a job. But I'm working on that as we speak!!! A work in progress...that's what I am!!

Now onto the news that everyone wants to hear....MADDISON!!! What an angel! She is sooo much fun. We started solids about a month ago and what a treat!! She loves everything we give her. I have started to make some of her food. I'm starting slow, but am hoping to keep going!!! She has such a personality. She is sleeping through the night and has been for almost 3 months. She is starting to scoot around on the floor. Won't be long until we are crawling! I don't know what I am going to do when that starts. Maddison and I are spending more time with Aiden and his mommy Jodie. They live 2 doors down from us. Aiden is 9 months old and is Maddison's boyfriend! They are soo cute together. I really enjoy Jodie's friendship. I really need a friend in my life that I can relate to and is sooo close at hand. Jodie works part time so we have time for coffee in the morning, lunch run to the mall, and walks around the neighborhood in the evening. We are both trying SOOOO HARD to lose the baby weight. YIKES!! Summer time and I refuse to get in a bathing suit this year. Maybe next year!!

Well guys...I promise to work harder at keeping this blog updated. I will post some pics tonight of Maddie! We also had our photos done at Target. The pictures are fabulous!!!

Just some more pictures!

Well guys, I don't have much to blog about. Maddison is such a content and happy little baby. The 4 month checkup has come and gone. I will post where she is at later. I just don't have the paper in front of me. I thought I would post more pics of us. ENJOY!!!


I love moments like this! This is the best part of mommyhood!!



Here we sit waiting for the train in Birmingham, England. This was the first time I ever heard Maddison giggle and laugh properly! It was soo precious! I almost cried!


Poor Alec and Maddie were ABSOLUTELY exhausted when we got back home from England.


Maddie loves her Daddy sooo much!!

Pictures of England

Ok...Mummy has taken a VERY long time to get these pics posted. Probably because I keep her so busy. Here are just a few pictures of our trip to England. Hope you enjoy them!


Mummy, Daddy, and me on our first full day in England. Here we are after lunch at the Jepherson Gardens.


We had beautiful weather for most of the trip. Here I am patiently waiting to see the sights of Oxford.


Here are Mummy, Daddy, and me in Oxford. I just loved this city! It's absolutely beautiful.


Here I am with my Great-Nana. 4 generations: Daddy, Auntie Amy, Nana, Great Auntie Catherine, Great Auntie Allison and my Great Cousin Daniel. I had so much fun meeting my family. There were all so nice and brought me presents.


Here I am with my Great Grandma Millie. Another 4 generations picture: Auntie Amy, Daddy, and Grandpa.


It's bath time. One of my favorite times of the day! Nana and Grandpa gave me my baths while we were in England. What a nice treat!


I LOVE MY DADDY!!!


Here I am with Grandpa, Auntie Amy, and Nana at a coffee shop in Cambridge. It rained and rained!! But we still had lots of fun!

There are lots more pictures for Mummy to post. She's going to to take a break and feed me and post more later today.

Well...we've been home for almost a week and I've been told by several people that I'm way behind in my blogging and posting of pics. But first of all, there are several CONGRATS that need to be said.

Congrats to Jeremy and Nicky. They welcomed their little girl Sydney into the world a week ago today! Alec and I are soo happy for the two of you. I know that all you will hear is about how fast they grow up and boy is that true! I hope the three of you are as happy as Alec, Maddie and I are. There will be times when you wonder why you ever did this, but then you will look at Sydney and you won't remember what life was like before her. It's the absolute best thing in the whole wide world.

Happy belated Mother's Day to all! I spent my Mother's Day trying to recover from jet lag. Alec and I spent a full 24 hours awake and traveling trying to get home. It's a very long story and not one that would interest anyone. The important details are of Maddison. One the way to England (an overnight flight) Maddie slept the entire way! Except for an explosive poop diaper and a change of outfits before we could leave Chicago airport, we had a very uneventful trip. I loved it and only hoped that our trip back to the states would be as uneventful. Not our luck. It was a day flight and for the most part Maddison was an angel. We had a few little outbursts, but nothing a little walk up and down the ailse couldn't remedy. We did have another expolsive poop diaper and a quick outfit change. It must be something about the flight. LOL!!!

We had a lovely time in England. I will post pics this weekend. Maddison had so much fun with her Nana and Grandpa. Maddison slept every night for atleast 8 hours. Sometimes more. We're having trouble getting back into our routine since we got back to the States, but every night is getting better. She is starting to roll over from BOTH her back to her front and vice versa. I can't begin to explain how much I love watching her. Grandpa even taught her how to blow raspberries. This has been her morning greeting ever since. I must admit that the morning is probably the best part of the day. I get a huge grin and a raspberry to tell me good morning and how excited she is to see me. Maddie is starting to talk more and more. Ohh the stories she could tell you!

I promise there is more to come....but little bit is getting hungry and I'm off to fix her a bottle. I promise there will be pics this weekend or you can call me to remind me. LOL!! Hope everyone has a wonderful friday!

A String of Bad Luck....

Many of you know what kind of luck Alec and I have been having lately. Well...it looks like we might be seeing the sunshine soon. For the last two weeks, I have been on the phone with the Passport Agency Call Center trying to get Maddison's passport for our trip to England on Friday the 27th. We sent the application off in the beginning of February. I think she was only 10 days old when we took her picture and sent off the application. The govt deposited my check on March 8th. So where was her passport??

I decided that I needed to call and find out what was taking soo long. Our travel date was coming up and we couldn't afford to reschedule our tickets. The govt has it set up to where you can only speak to someone if you are traveling within 2 weeks. Kind of scary if you ask me. I don't like to wait for the last minute to figure out my plans at all. I called 2 or 3 times a day for two weeks. The only answers I ever got were, "Ma'am, the application is being processed. You still have plenty of time to get the passport before you leave." Finally on Wednesday the 18th, someone told me that there was a problem with her birth certificate and asked if i had received a letter in the mail. I told the woman there I had received no letter and this was the first time I had heard of there being a problem. I couldn't imagine what problem there could be. I asked to speak to a supervisor. The supervisor apologized for the agent and told me that there was no problem to hold up the application process and then suggested making an appt for the New Orleans office on Monday the 23rd just in case I had not received the passport. I took her advice and made the appt. I also got a little worried about the birth certificate and went to the Health Department with Jessica on Friday to get another copy of the birth certificate, just in case.

On Saturday, after calling and calling and calling, I was finally told that her passport had NOT been shipped out and that there WAS a problem with the birth certificate, or lack thereof. (apparently, someone had misplaced the cert.) And that we WOULD have to travel to New Orleans on Sunday for an 8am appt Monday morning. I got home that night and found a hotel online and starting packing our bags for the trip. Needless, to say Alec and I were NOT looking forward to such a long drive with a 3 month old. But Maddie surprised us as always. She was a perfect angel!!!

We got into New Orleans late Sunday night. Found out that I had booked a room with the Iberville Suites (which happens to be the Ritz)two streets from Bourbon Street. We had to use the valet service because we didn't know where to park and didn't want to tote all the STUFF around the city. We got upstairs to check in and they did NOT have our reservations. The booking number that I had wasn't in the system and I couldn't remember which website I had used to make the reservations. Could it get any worse? I had reserved a room for $125. The usual rates were $250 per night!!!What were we going to do? It was too late to go and find another room.

I called Jessica for HELP!!! She got online and looked at the website and couldn't find the info for us. Then she checked Alec's email and got the confirmation email and faxed it to the front desk. WHAT AN ANGEL!!! I don't know what I would do with her!!!

We got up yesterday morning and went down to the Passport office waited for 2 hours and then were told to come back at 1130 am to pick up her passport!! HOORAY!!! We were finally going to have her passport in our hands. We walked around the city to pass the time and see the sites. I don't think Maddison was too impressed with what she saw because she took a nap in her stroller!! We FINALLY picked up the passport and headed to the hotel to feed Maddison and got ready to leave. I really thought that things were starting to look up! WRONG!! We got the valet guy to get our car ready and loaded everything up. He asked us if we knew where we were going and we said yes, but asked if he knew a better way. WHAT A STUPID IDEA!! He told us a "short cut" that ended up taking us 1 1/2 hours out of our way and another phone to Jessica to help us get out of the mess the valet guy got us in. Finally, we got home last night at 8pm. We are all tired and exhausted, but it was all worth it! Because Friday we are getting on a plane and heading to ENGLAND!!! Sorry for such a long blog. But I had to get it off my chest and share our string of bad luck with others!!!

The Worries of a Parent

I can't complain about worrying about Maddison. She has been an angel for both Alec and I. But we are a week away from traveling to England with her and have NO PASSPORT!!! Her passport application was sent at the beginning of February and my check was deposited back in the beginning of March. So my question is....WHERE THE HECK IS THE PASSPORT!! I have been calling the 800number since last week to find out about the status and I keep getting the same answer...."Ma'm, we still have plenty of time to get the application processed and sent to you." Pretty soon, you won't have any time to do that. Yesterday and today, the call center computer system has been down. I've gotten answers that it should be up within the hour and that it has been going on and off all day!! This morning, the lady told me that I should make an appointment at the nearest agency, which happens to be New Orleans. Unfortunately, not that close to Memphis!!! Or I could postpone my trip and pay those charges. Why should I do that when it's their fault. They have had plenty of time to process this application!!!! What's a parent to do???? What are we going to do?? Do I make an appointment and drive to New Orleans? Or do we postpone the trip and pay an outrageous charge???? HELP!!!!

A much needed break...

This last week has been unbelievably stressful for both Alec and I. For those of you who didn't know, Alec took a promotion with Regions/Amsouth as Branch Manager for the Jackson, TN downtown branch. Which means Alec commutes to Jackson EVERY DAY!! He absolutely loves his branch and is super excited about what the future holds, but at the same time he leaves an hour earlier for work and gets hour an hour later. It's not a very big deal for Maddie and me. We are pretty much sticking to our regular schedule, but I worry about him driving. Thursday I found out that Alec had been talking to my dad. I knew that my dad and Janet wanted to babysit Maddie for an evening, but as far as I knew Alec had plans for Thursday evening. Maddie and I were settling in for an evening of just the girls. Alec called and said his plans had been rescheduled and asked what was for dinner. Of course, I told him that I hadn't planned on him being home. (which meant nothing was planned for dinner!!) He said not to worry and that we would figure something easy out when he got home.

Alec had been home for about 30 minutes when the front doorbell rang and who should it be....my dad and Janet. What a surprise!!! They were here to look after Maddie while Alec and I had some alone time outside of the house. I was excited and nervous and sad and everything in between. What made it even harder was, hearing Maddie screaming as we walked out of our front door. Alec and I decided to stay close to the house and ended up at Wolfchase. We were walking into the mall when Alec's phone rang. It was my dad telling us that Maddie was in her swing happy and asleep. Whew! What a relief!!! We did a little bit of shopping. Nothing major. We had a nice adult dinner at J. Alexander's. I can't remember the last time it was just the two of us at dinner. We got to eat our food fresh and no one had to eat in shifts.

We arrived home a new and relaxed couple. It was about 9:30 and Maddie was being fed. Maddie apparently had been up for a little while and had been entertaining Dad and Janet with her coo's and smiles!!! (She likes a lot of attention!!!) Dad and Janet left soon after we got home. Before I knew it, Maddie had fallen asleep. I took her up to her room and raced to the bed. I try to get to bed as soon as she goes down in order to maximize my sleep. I thought that she would be up aorund 1:30 or 2am, but she surprised me!! She didn't wake up until 4am! I didn't know what to do with myself. 6 hours of consistent sleep. Last night she did the same thing. Down about 10 pm and slept until 5 am!! I even woke up and went into her room to make sure she was still breathing. And she was!

At the moment Alec is laying on the floor teaching Maddie 3 different laungages....French, Spanish, and German. We decided to start a little earlier with the languages. We are so fortunate to have such a wonderful daughter. I couldn't ask for anything more. I am so blessed to have such a loving husband and a beautiful little girl who smiles when I pick her up from her crib and falls asleep in my arms. There's absolutely nothing more that I want. (except for my mom to be here in person to experience this with me. But I have my sister, and that's close enough for me!)

America's Next Top Model

Maddison and I have found the most perfect way to spend an afternoon. We made a date with Aunt Jessica and April and Tatum for a photo shoot at the Memphis Botantical Gardens. It was fabulous weather. Lots of sunshine with a gentle breeze. The flowers were in bloom and everyone was happy. Atleast for the most part... Maddison got a little cranky towards the end of the photo shoot. It was very tiring changing outfits and trying to be perfect for every shoot. She got a little tired at the end and refused to take a nap. If you know Maddison at all, you know that she does not like to take naps because she is so afraid of missing some of the fun. By the end of the photo shoot, Tatum was asleep. She actually fell asleep while posing for a picture in front the tulips. Maddison however continued to scream as we walked out of the Gardens and didn't stop until we were moving in the car. Well here are some pics for you to enjoy of my sweet little angel. Alec and I are thinking about going back this weekend and taking more family pics. We want to enjoy the weather while we can!!











I love being a mother. And spring just happens to be my favorite time of year. So I guess I'm in heaven right now. Every day Maddison is doing something different and the days are getting warmer and the flowers are starting to blossom. Wish there was a way to freeze these days and make them last a little bit longer.

2 month checkup

Yesterday was our 2month checkup with Dr. Miller. I must say I wasn't nervous at all going into the visit. I knew that Alec was a little nervous about our little girl having to get her shots, but I kept telling him that it wasn't a big deal. BOY was I wrong. The doctor's visit went well. Maddison weighed in at 10lbs 1oz. (She's put on 2lbs 8oz. in 6 weeks!!) Dr Miller left the room and my blood pressure sky rocketed! The nurse walked in and I took some deep breaths and position myself at Maddison's head so I could talk to her and touch her. I wanted her to know that I was there. The first shot came and the screaming started and the tears came! My heart just broke. Then next scream I heard was of pure terror and pain. The nurse had not helf Maddison's leg down when she injected and ended up scratching her down her leg. Then she had to stick her two more times. By the end of it, i couldn't get to her fast enough. She was screaming in ways I had never heard come out of her mouth. I started to cry. (even though I had told myself that I wouldn't!) 15 minutes later I was still trying to calm her down. She wouldn't stop crying. She was still crying when we were walking out to the car! She finally settled down while we drove down Walnut Grove. I promised her a night full of TLC and that's exactly what she got! I didn't want to let her go!

Today is a much better day for us. She is back to normal. She's had a couple of naps and we are packing our bags to go watch Memphis beat Texas A&M with some friends. She has her adorable Memphis Tigers onesie on that her wonderfully talented Aunt Jessica made for her. She is also getting ready for a photo shoot tomorrow afternoon with Aunt Jessica and April and baby Tatum. Look for her spring photo's on the website next week.

Our little angel

I know it's been FOREVER since I last blogged. I'm not sure that I will ever get the hang of this. Since the last blog, Maddison has been trying to figure out this whole sleeping through the night. Some nights are GOOD and some nights are BAD. Mummy just needs her beauty sleep. (It's a good thing I've got plenty of Clinique makeup at home because I need it on most days.) Most night we average 3 or 4 hours straight. Some nights we even get 6 hours. Those nights I wake up to realize that we've actually slept 6 hours. I run over to her and make sure everything is ok. Most of the time she is laying there talking to herself.

This past Saturday Maddie spent a couple of hours with Aunt Jessica and Uncle Scott. Alec and I went to see 'Wild Hogs". It was such a bittersweet moment. I was completely OK with leaving her, but at the same time I didn't want to let her go! Alec and I really needed the free time away from the house and away from a crying baby.(last week was one of her more fussy weeks. The crying seemed nonstop!) We really enjoyed that time just the two of us! We're going to do it more often.

Here are some current pics of Maddison.


Maddie is getting the hang of bath time. This time she spent her bath time with mummy!


Maddie is ready for the spring!


SUPER BABY!!!


6 weeks old and already holding her head up.


What an angel! (This is my favorite moment of the day!)

I hope you guys enjoyed this little update of Maddison. She is such a joy and even though I would really like to sleep through an entire night, I couldn't imagine my life without her. It's amazing...I've already forgotten what life was like before her. She is such a blessing to us. I'm so in love with her. And I know that Alec is even more in love with her! I love watching the two of them together. I am sooo lucky to have them both in my life.

Sleep Deprived

I have a good excuse for not keeping up with my blog. Maddison is ALWAYS awake during the day. Which is great, except for the fact that I don't seem to ever get any work done during the day. Today is the first day that I have had a free moment and I'm taking advantage of it. She's been fed, diaper has been changed, and she's asleep in the swing. So what have I done....well....I've started a load of laundry and then changed it over to the dryer and started another load. I've started the dishwasher. I've even had lunch (which seems to be a very big challenge these days.) I've also baked a cake to surprise Alec with tonight when he comes home.

You might ask what the cake is for. He has been such a big help these last couple of days when he comes home. I know he is exhausted from work, but he will come home and help clean the house or fix dinner or he'll take Maddison so I can get some work done around the house. It's a teamwork effort. Last night I was completely exhausted and Alec could tell that I need to get some extra sleep. So Alec gave Maddison a bath, got her dressed for bed and then stayed up with her until 10:30pm and gave her a bottle and then brought her to bed. I don't remember them even walking into the room last night. She slept from 11pm until 4:15am. It was wonderful to get 5 hours of consistent sleep. Then we all got up at 7am. Alec went to work and I've been dealing with a fussy baby.

But it's quiet right now so I'm trying to get caught up on a few things that have been slipping the last couple of days. Hopefully she will sleep for a little bit longer! So I can grab a quick nap too!!!!

Here are some quick pictures of Maddison:

I promise I'm getting better

I know that I'm not the best at keeping this blog up to date. Lately, things have been a little crazy around here. Alec went back to work last week. That's one less person around the house to help with the little one. His parents are still here, but only until Friday. After that....I'm on my own during the week. HELP!!! What ever were we thinking when we decided that we wanted to be parents!! I didn't think about being by myself until last night and then it hit me like a TON of bricks. What am I going to do with Maddison while Alec is at work??? I almost feel a little guilty that my days are going to be spent with our beautiful little daughter and Alec is going to be slaving away at his job. It doesn't seem quite fair. But then again, if I say something to Alec, he might suggest that we switch roles in the family and I'm not ready to leave my little girl for such a long time. (I don't know if I will be at the end of my 4 month leave!!! Let's not tell Alec that yet! LOL)

Anyway..onto the main attraction. Maddison had her first visit with Dr. Miller last Thursday. And she checked out absolutely PERFECT! We passed our exam and don't have to go back until March 21. She was an angel for the Dr, but did not like waiting for the exam. Let's see....we had to scream for a little while and then decided that she needed lunch while we waited. So the 24-hour diner opened up for a brief lunch. Then she needed a diaper change. Then there was a little more screaming. I think we were both exhausted by the time we left the office.

Today, Alec and I headed to the post office to get Maddison's passport. I can't wait to get it in the mail. We are working on booking our flights to England for her christening this spring. Not sure when we're going, but we do know it will be this spring. Anyone with suggestions for flying with an infant would be greatly appreciated!!!

One week later....

Well we've been home for exactly one week. Can you believe it? It's gone by way TOO quickly. Alec and I have been taking pictures of her and it's amazing to see how she has changed from last week. I'm afraid that this is going by way too fast for my liking.

Maddison has already gotten herself into a routine. THANK GOODNESS!! We feed about every 2-3 hours until bedtime. She eats about 11pm and sleeps until about 2 or 2:30am. We get up for another feed and a new diaper. She goes down until about 6:30 or 7am. I can't believe how happy she is just to lay in her bassinet until she fall asleep. I ,on the other hand, have not been able to turn off the bedside lamp. Alec makes soo much fun of me, but I need the light on so that if I need to check her I just sit up in bed and have a little peek.

We have been blessed with such a sweet little girl. She hardly cries. Only when she's hungry and needs a diaper change. Other than that, she's content to sit in her swing or lay in her stroller for a nap. It's absolutely fabulous!! I must admit that there have been times that I miss being pregnant. Mostly because I didn't have to share her with other people unless I wanted to. But now, she's here for everyone to enjoy. I love being a mum more than I ever thought possible. I have trouble leaving the room without her. I want to watch her every move, just so that I can catch her firsts.

I love watching her personality develop. She is going to be such a bright child. Here are some pictures I took the other night. I thought they really captured her.


What a little angel!!!



Madddie and her pup, Britain


Mum and Maddison


Dad and Maddison

The Day Our Life Changed

It seems that Miss Maddison wanted to come into this world on her own accord. As the previous blog states, we had the induction date for January 26th. Alec and I set off to the Doctor's office on Wednesday afternoon to find out if anything had changed over the week. Dr. Carney listened to the heartbeat and then checked me. I got the NO CHANGE look and was told that friday would be the day. I had thinned out a little more but had only dilated 1cm. So Alec and I got our head around friday and I started planning what I was going to do on Thursday before we went to pick up Alec's parents from the airport. Alec and I decided that it was still early in the afternoon and the weather was soo nice that we would take our pups for a walk around the neighborhood. I think that was the beginning of the end for us.

About 6pm, the contractions started and were about every 10 minutes. I didn't say anything to Alec because I didn't want to worry him. I had a feeling that it could be a long while before anything happened. About 11pm, the contractions were still going strong and I called the after hours line for my doctors office. She suggested that I go to the hospital to get checked out. Alec called Jessica and I hopped in the shower. There was absolutely no way I was going into the hospital without a shower. We got our bags into the car and headed off to the hospital around midnight. Once I got checked in, the nurse hooked me up to the monitors and told me the contractions were only 2-3 minutes apart. I still only 1cm dilated. The doctor on-call wanted to keep me and see how I progressed.



By 6am, the contractions were getting worse but I wasn't dilating on my own. The doctor broke my water and stretched me a little more to 2-3cm. I opted not to get my epidural at that moment and took some pain reliever through IV. Not a good decision. I was trippin BIG TIME!!! I told Alec on several occasions to make sure I was breathing. I was terrified that I was going to stop breathing and hurt Maddison. About 9:30, I asked for the epidural. I knew that it was time to get some relief and not the trippin kind. By noon, the nurse came in to check me again. We were all making bets on what time in the afternoon Maddison would arrive. Even the nurse got in with a time around 4pm. We were in it for the long haul.

When the nurse checked me, her eyes told the whole story. She looked at me with a smile and then turned to Alec and said, "She's 10cm and probably close to pushing. Dont worry though, she could be pushing for an hour or so." She went to call the doctor and we sat wondering how things progressed soooo quickly. We weren't ready to have Maddison. We were ready to wait more. The doctor came in and told me not to push. Maddison had already come down so far that you could see her hair without much effort. Jessica and Alec were in awe of what was going on. By 1:10, my obgyn walked in the room but the gloves on while she said her hellos and with 3 pushes Maddison was sitting on my lap crying. It was the easiest thing I've ever done in my life. I couldn't believe that in a matter of minutes my little girl was here.

Maddison Ann Creighton arrived at 1:15pm weighing 6lbs 13oz and measured at 19 1/4 inches. She is such a little blessing. She has already changed soo much from Thursday. I can't wait to post more about her.

Induction Date Set

Well...it's in the books. If our little Maddie isn't here by friday Jan 26th, Alec and I will be heading to the hospital at 6am. We are super excited about the upcoming week. Alec's parents are flying in from England on Thursday. I am hoping that I will be able to pick them up at the airport and spend a few hours with them before we head to the hospital Friday morning. Jessica is set to pick up his parents from our house midmorning and come up the hospital. There is no reason for anyone besides Alec and I to stay at the hospital for sooo many hours before Maddison arrives.

The call list has been made and handed out. The bags are nearly packed. I'll finish that up tonight or tomorrow. I will probably end up unpacking and repacking through the week. Yesterday was my last day at work until May, so I'm not really sure what to do over the next couple of days. I've got another doctor's appointment on Wednesday afternoon. Hopefully we will have some good news and not the YOU'RE ABOUT THE SAME AS YOU WERE LAST WEEK. (like i heard at the last appt.)

If you guys have any suggestions as to what to do to spend the days or if I may have forgotten anything for the hospital, please don't hesitate to let me know. Any and all suggestions are welcomed!!!!! More news to follow....

2 years

I can't believe that Alec and I have been married for 2 years. These last couple of days we have been so focused on the baby and trying to prepare for her arrival that I haven't managed to even get him a card. I must be the worst wife in history. Most of the time you hear of the men who forget the cards until last minute, but this morning after I got out of the shower on my pillow was a card and a gift. I am so blessed to have such a loving husband!(I plan on stopping by Hallmark on my way home and getting a card. As for the gift, we decided not to buy each anything this time around due the money being spent on Maddison.) I look back over the last two years and how much we've accomplished and what we've overcome. And now we're awaiting the arrival of our first baby girl. I'm not sure that things could get any better!!!

Alec is off today with the bank and I have started my 1/2 days through the rest of the week. I'm not sure what we're planning on doing once I get home this afternoon. Probably not much, except enjoy the peace and quiet of our home while we can. The nursery is ready. The car seat is in the car. The bags are ALMOST packed! We have a doctors appointment on Wednesday afternoon. If anything happens between now and then, I'll make sure I post it.

As for today, I want to make it all about Alec and myself. I know that sounds selfish, but we don't have many more of those days to look forward to.

A Quick Update

So here's the news....Alec and I had a another doctor's appt yesterday. Everything seems to be right on track!! I am 1cm dilated and 50% effaced. My guess...we're going all the way to the due date and then maybe beyond!!!! Which would be great because Alec's parents fly in on the 25th and I would love to spend some time with them while I'm still pregnant.

For now, I'm at home resting because I'm absolutely EXHAUSTED!! I'm not sleeping at night and the back pains and the practice contractions are wearing me OUT!! So the big plan today is REST, REST, REST!! I'll probably get in Maddison's room and take some pictures so I can post on here sometime soon! Look for more blogs later this evening!!

Another Check-up

Well...yesterday was most uneventful. Alec and I went for my weekly checkup. I was secretly hoping that the Dr. would come in and give us some good news. Congrats Courtney....you're dilated... (any amount would be good!!) But I got the other end of the convo. No dilation! She couldn't even feel Maddison's head. So off to ultrasound we go, just to make sure she's head down and not feet first. I must admit I got a little excited because I thought " I'm going to get another sneak peak at my baby!!" As luck would have it, the tech put the gel on my tummy, took a picture and said "Yep, she's head down. you're good to go!!" And like that, we were ushered out of the room! No sneak peak for mommy dearest! I left the doctor's office tired and disappointed. I feel like we are soo close and yet soo far away.

Today I am working on about 2 hours of sleep and my ribs hurt soooo bad that I don't even want to breathe. But I did make it into work, which is a step in the right direction! Wish I had better news for you guys! But today, it's a blah day!!!

A New Year and A New Baby!!!

I can't believe it's 2007 already! I don't think I'm ready for this at all. The start of 2007 brings me closer to holding my brand new baby girl in my arms. I'm not sure if I'm ready for that either. For the last 9 months, Alec and I have been dreaming about our little Maddison and now the day is finally getting closer to having her in our hands. Are we ready to be parents? I guess I hadn't really stopped to think about it until after midnight on the ride home from Jessica and Scott's. It finally dawned on me...Our lives are about to change drastically!! I mean, I've known everything was going to change since the moment I took the pregnancy test and saw the little pink line. But then one day it suddenly HITS you like a ton of bricks!!!! Whether you are ready or not! So here is my plea to my friends....Bring on the advice!!! I don't care whether it's d-day advice, before the baby comes advice, or bringing baby home advice. Just something to get me through the next 23 days!