Dress up

I hope it's not vain to dress my baby up and take pictures, but I really can't help it because she is soooooo cute! My friend Jeanie and I just made a bunch of new headbands, and combined with Maddie's abundant smiles, she is irresistable.

1st Mother's Day

I think Maddie must've known it was Mother's Day. When she woke up in the morning she gave me some beautiful smiles. That combined with Daddy's thoughtfulness made my first Mother's Day pretty special.


Here is the note Maddie wrote, all by herself of course. Mike found a beautiful ladybug box (matching the nursery theme) and filled it will redeemable gifts like a massage, shopping spree, cleaning, and company during the night shift! Daddy also took over for bath time and did a great job.

Here's the finished product as we headed off to church.

I love my little Maddie so much. She has brought incredible joy to my life. It is fun to watch her grow and to try to see the world through her little eyes. As I care for and love her, I am gaining new appreciation for my own mom. The love a mother has for a child is feirce, and the sacrifices that a mother makes can be great. I am thankful for the gift of motherhood in all the ways it has touched my life.

Burrito baby

Maddie loves to be wrapped up to go to sleep (although she isn't looking too tired!) Today was the Madster's 2 month check-up and immunizations. She weighs 11 lb. 15 oz. and measures 23 1/2 inches. She is still way above average and the doctor always asks what I'm feeding her. (I guess he doesn't take the time to read what I told him last time...)

The shots were awful. I have never heard my sweet baby cry like that. It almost broke my heart! She was pretty resilient though and stopped crying pretty quickly. Now she is sporting Daffy Duck band-aids on her chunky little thighs.

Babies, babies, everywhere

We took another trip to Utah this weekend. It seems like spring has brought with it an abundance of babies! Besides Maddie, other babies we encountered were the Nelson twins, who came home from the hospital on Sunday...

baby ducklings on the Provo River while we were picnicing...

and Rachel's mare Romy foaled while we were in town! We arrived about 30 minutes after he was born. The Nelson ranch is also expecting a litter of kittens soon and has a nest of baby robins nearby.

Baby Maddie is pretty sweet these days. She has such big, bright eyes and loves to take in the world around her. Best of all, she slept NINE hours on Sunday night! Last night she slept over seven, so tonight we'll see if it continues.

Over the river and through the woods...

Maddie took her first road trip last weekend! We went to Idaho for Grandma Marcia's 50th birthday party. Maddie did pretty well on the drive, sleeping much of the time. Here are some of the fun things we did!


We stopped in Utah for a night and went to see the preemie Nelson twins. They are now 8 weeks old and over 7 lbs. They are learning how to nurse so they can go home!

Maddie also got to meet Aunt Rachel. She was shocked at how big Maddie is since she is used to holding the little twins. Look at that chin roll!

One of the Jensen family festivities was canoeing and kayaking on the Snake River under the Perrine Bridge.

We also enjoyed seeing the Twin Falls temple making good progress.

It was great to be home for Prom weekend. Cole actually wore a tux and looked like a stud, if I may say so. He and Shelbe were good sports and let us girls take a million pictures.

And last but not least, here's more of the Madster! She was showing us how she can hold her head up. She was the star of the weekend and enjoyed the attention of her adoring fans.

Maddelicious

After many attempts, I believe I have captured a coo on camera for your enjoyment. Click here to watch Maddie say hello!






Spit up on Vimeo

Take two! :)






Hello from Maddie on Vimeo

We have had requests to take more pictures of Ma & Pa with baby.

We got out Maddie's play gym this week and were amazed at her interest. She stares and coos at the faces of the little characters.

And here's proof that Maddie is standing! I am hardly supporting her.

I'm a big girl now!

Madison is already 5 weeks old! She is growing and changing daily, it seems. Last week at her 1 month check-up, she weighed 10 lbs. 5 oz. and was 22" long. That puts her in the 75-90 percentile for size at her age! She is a big healthy girl, and that's the way we like it. Maddie is getting better at smiling. Other milestones include cooing and giggling, holding up her own head, turning her head side to side during 'tummy time', focusing and following faces, and locking her knees to stand in my lap. As usual, we think she is too cute!

Little Red Riding Hood

We love our little lady!

Blessing Day

Madison's blessing day was so special. She was blessed on Easter Sunday, April 8, 2007. Family and friends gathered from long distances to be a part of the fun. Following are some pictures from a memorable weekend!

Look at that gorgeous smile! Maddie was so beautiful in her white dress.

Grandma Marcia made the precious blessing gown. It is exquisite!

The whole group! So many people love you Maddie!

Auntie Dana and Uncle Landon finally got to meet Maddie!

Auntie Em too... and she hogged her as much as she could to make up for lost time!

Grandma Andrews had a quiet moment with her posterity...

Great Grandma Showell also got a tender moment rocking the baby to sleep.

And all the kids loved the little baby!

Thanks again to all who participated in our big day. We love you!

Smiles!

Well, we're pretty sure Maddie has started smiling! Call it what you want (some say it's gas) but we have noticed Maddie responding to our baby talk. She follows us with her eyes and gives cute little smiles... once in awhile she'll even make a little coo sound. It's a heart-melter.

It's amazing how fast babies change. Maddie is already trying to hold her head up, and she's starting to get a little bull-frog belly. She must be eating something good! This other picture is just a cute one of her in her hoodie towel. Enjoy!

Feelin' Squirrely

Squirrels are about the most random thing I can imagine putting on baby clothes, but Old Navy pulled it off! Here Maddie is modeling her cute squirrel outfits from Grandma.

Behind her in the bottom picture is evidence of our latest escapades... Maddie likes to spit up! Cloth diapers have saved the day, and you can see I tried to make them cute by sewing on ribbon. There's not much else to say in this update, except that Maddie is adorable (despite her bout with infant acne!)