Uncle!

Have you ever played that game where someone torments you by pinning you against the floor or bending your thumb backwards until you scream "Uncle!"? It's the stupidest game but the person being tormented always tries to hold out until they cannot stand the pain any longer and the word "Uncle!" cannot get out of their mouth fast enough.

Well, we play this at work. To clarify, we certainly are not pinning each other to the floor although that would be quite a scene. When we get so overwhelmed we shout out "Uncle!" It makes us laugh more than anything and helps us continue one with the day. The last few weeks we have been shouting Uncle, Aunt, Cousin, Brother, Sister, Anyone! Only now we are serious, we are not laughing nor are our tormentors letting up.

I don't know if you heard....but there was a little tax credit given to 1st time home buyers. These buyer's had to have a signed purchase agreement by April 30th, they then have 60 days to close on the purchase of their new home. I work at a title company thus, we conduct these closings. I had no idea their were so many 1st time home buyers in the Indianapolis area. We are putting in 12 hour days and it still isn't enough. But really who cares about my job let me get to my point.....working all of these hours is taking me away from my family. I miss my husband and my little girl.

I feel like I have been in such a funk, in a place where I don't want to be, in a rut. Ryan and I only see each other in passing. We say good morning as he is off to go into work early because he is just as busy as I am at work and we say good night as we both fall into the bed after a long exhausting day.

We've been looking forward to this weekend all week. Three whole days with each other and our little Maddie O. Ryan and I are going to the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday....I'll let you know how it goes.

I've been so busy that I haven't been able to share another of Maddie's "firsts". I painted her toes! Her daddy didn't want me to but daddy went golfing and wasn't here to stop me.

Here she is picking out her color. "Pink Freeze" was the winner.



I blew on her toes to help them dry and she cracked this little grin behind her bottle.



And the results........



Daddy did admit that her little piggies where pretty cute and I would have to agree.

We've got room to play!

I can officially say I have a little bit of O.C.D. We joke at work that we all have a little bit of O.C.D. but really it's not a joke, it's true. I like things neat and tidy and everything has a place. I mean everything and if it doesn't have a place I will make sure I find one. I like things organized and if it's not I totally obsess about it until it is. I admit this may be strange to some but it's the truth. I haven't really thought of this as being a problem until I had Madison. I've started asking myself is it more important that all of the dishes are in the dishwasher right now or is it more important to be with my daughter at this moment? Of course the answer is easy but sometimes those dishes or laundry or dust or whatever just gnaws at me until the task is complete.

I am sure that I'm not the first mother that has felt this way. We want to do it all and we want everything to be perfect for our family. So, I'm working on letting some things go and realizing it can be done later. Really, I am. It's not easy and I have those moments where I can't take it anymore and I totally flip out and clean like a mad woman. But then it's over and peace is restored and I'm back to spending time with my cute little girl. I have to admit too that Ryan is awesome when it comes to helping out around the house. I am so lucky that I have a husband that will jump in whenever I need a hand. We are a pretty good team.

Since our house guests have departed, I've gotten back to work on turning our craft/Marvin's room into a playroom. Poor Marvin is being shut out of another room. The house as he once knew it is shrinking. He's gone from 3 different beds spread around the house and his own room to one bed and sharing a room with us. Poor little guy but really the kid has got to come first. So, the playroom is finally getting there and I'm almost done. I know it will morph and change over time but right now I'm pretty happy with the result. We've already spent several hours just laying on the floor with Madison as she rolls around and plays. I love having this room because we can leave all the toys, blankets and pillows all over the floor and it doesn't bother me one bit. It's a playroom, it's suppossed to be a mess.



And this little gal loves to play and make a mess. She's almost mastered sitting up by herself. She is so busy with everything around her that no matter what I do or say or what noise I make she just doesn't have the time to look at me when I am trying to take her picture.









Finally, she looked up as if to say "What do you want from me Lady? Can't you see I'm busy?" I want a smile Maddie but if this is all you've got right now I will take it because it's still freaking cute!



Since, she has been doing pretty well at sitting up I decided it was time to try sitting her up in the seat in her wagon. And what do you know...she likes it! So, this Momma grabbed a cold one and we went on a little walk down the street and waved at Daddy while he mowed the yard.



And since she did pretty well at sitting up in the wagon, why not try it at Target too.



It cracks me up seeing her sitting up in a shopping cart. I can't believe she is big enough to be sitting up in a shopping cart! She absolutely loves it and like all kids she grabs for everything. I hand her toys and things to play with while we shop and Ryan asks "Are we getting that?" Silly Daddy..Nope we are just borrowing it while we are in the store. Frankly, she could care less about the toy or stuffed animal or doll whatever it is I hand her, she just wants the tag that is attached to the item.

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We had our 6 month visit with Dr. Pap today. Maddie weighed in at a solid 19 lbs. and 2 ounces and she is 27 inches tall. She had to get two shots. Poor Nana...she stated that this will probably be the last time she will be able to give her a shot and I think she is right. I think it hurt Nana more than it hurt Maddie. To everyone's surprise Maddie only cried for a few seconds and she was good to go again. We've got a tough little gal.



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Now, I'm telling you this little gal is busy these days. With sitting up and playing she wears herself out.

Let me set the scene....Maddie typically falls asleep around 7:00 pm. Her bed time is 8:00 pm so, we usually wake her around 7:40 pm so she can eat and go to bed at 8:00 pm. I'm telling you this kid likes to sleep. Just to confirm, she will sleep through the night until I wake her in the morning around 7:00 am. Anyway, I wake her around 7:40 pm and she just cannot wake up. She sits up for a moment and then totally falls over to the side and is back out. Now this is tired if I've ever seen it!

Mommy, Meme and Papaw...Oh my!

Alright so I've done it again, I've taken a brief hiatus from the blogging. This time though, I have a very good reason....Meme and Papaw were here!

We were so excited to hear that my mom and dad were coming up from Florida for a visit. I was so anxious for them to see Madison. I knew that they would be shocked by how much Maddie had changed since the last time they saw her, which was in January. We learned Saturday evening that they were coming for a visit and of course Saturday morning I got a wild hair....I decided I was going to turn our craft room/Marvin's room into a play room for Madison. This room also acts as our guest room for Mom and Dad when they come to visit. However, with my great idea put into action there was not an inch left for a bed nor a suitcase. So, Ryan and I got down to business. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that Maddie was sick. Thus, we had to take turns holding her because she cried every time we laid her down. So, between holding Maddie and trips to Lowe's we finally got the house back into order and presentable for our house guests.

My mom was so worried that Maddie would forget who she was or worse yet cry when she held her. I told her not to worry that this little gal will never forget her Meme. Just as I suspected, Madison went right to her Meme at the airport and felt just as comfortable as if I had been holding her. Now, things were a little different when it came to her Papaw. She didn't cry when he held her nor when he was around she just stared at him with a blank stare. Dad made faces, he sang and made noises and he got nothing but a look as if she was saying "What's up with this guy?" Now Mom and I found this to be hilarious, pee in your pants funny. Papaw on the other hand did not. I must admit though she warmed up to her Papaw and gave him a few gummy grins towards the end of their visit.







Meme and Papaw have gone home now and boy we sure do miss them.

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I celebrated my first Mother's Day and it was the best day ever, I love this holiday! Not only did I get to spend this day with my daughter I also got to spend it with my Mom.



For years, I have thanked my mom for everything she has done for me and for being such a wonderful Mom. I have always meant these words that I told my mom but never before have I truly understood what it means to be a Mommy. From the moment my little girl was plopped onto my belly in the delivery room, I felt that my life had changed that it finally had meaning. I so secretly had been hoping for a girl because I wanted to share that special bond with my daughter that I share with my own mother. I was meant to be a Mommy and as I have been told Motherhood suits me.



One day Maddie will be thanking me with her own actions and words but right now Daddy is helping her out. And Daddy is good because he picked this Momma up a Coach wallet.



Way to go Daddy! And way to go Uncle Brent! After a long, fabulous day of shopping with my Mom, Maddie, my sister and my niece Brooke I came home to the most beautiful bouquet of flowers and the card read "Happy Mother's Day. I hope you enjoy your very 1st one. Love Brent" I was completely shocked and I didn't know the big guy had it in him. It just proves that another Momma out there did good. Way to go Gayla!



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Madison got to participate in her first pre prom photo shoot. Her cousin Lindsey attended her final prom this past weekend. We have gone to see her off every year and this being her last I was anxious to take Madison over to get in on the fun. And of course, Maddie had to dress up too! She wore the nicest thing she owns....her Easter dress.





Everyone looked fabulous and I can easily say that I am in no rush to be sending our little girl off to prom. I like it better when she is home all cuddled up with me in our big chair, her blowing raspberries and me wiping the spit off my face. Yep don't want to send her off anywhere for a long time.

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During the visit with my parents my Mom and I got to take Maddie to the doctor three times. Please take note that my parents were here for only nine days. Yes, we went to the doctor three times in nine days.

Doctor visit number one was with the dermatologist...again. Our little sugar booger still has a rash over her entire body. The dermatologist felt that she might be allergic to something so she set us up with an allergist.

Doctor visit number two was with her Pap. Maddie had a complete meltdown while we were out shopping. It was an awful cry that was telling us that something just wasn't right. We cut our shopping trip short and hightailed it back home. Our little screamer had a fever that kept climbing even after having a dose of Tylenol. So to Pap's office we went. Turns out Maddie had the beginnings of an ear infection. So, we got some meds and we were sent on our way. Man that guy sure does come in handy and we sure do love him.

Doctor visit number three was with the allergist. We went into this completely blind. Having no allergies between Ryan and I and the fact that Maddie is only 6 months old we had no idea what they were going to do. Well, they decided they needed to skin test her for food allergies. Now, I don't know if you've ever had or seen this done before, I had not and it was wild. They tested her for an allergic reaction to seven foods. The nurse put the food on the tip of a sharp plastic needle type object and quickly jabbed her back. If she'd been allergic, the spot would puff up and look similar to a mosquito bite.



Okay, so the nurse pokes our little munchkin nine times (the seven foods and two control areas). Then she says "Wait here, I'll be back in fifteen minutes." Yeah, no problem. Where are we going to go anyway? We have a naked, crying baby and I can't fully comfort her because I can't touch her back. Thanks lady, see ya in fifteen. Thankfully my mom was there to jump in with verses of The Wheels on The Bus and grab various toys from the diaper bag in desperation. Oh, and to snap pics.





Turns out our little sugar booger isn't allergic to anything, she just has eczema. We got some lotion and creme for her body to help clear it up. I can already say after a week she is looking so much better.

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I'll have to say it again....we sure to miss our Meme and Papaw. We enjoy them being here so much. I loved watching my mom care for Maddie and watching my dad try to get her to smile at him. I love the comfort of them being here. I feel so safe when they are around, like nothing could ever go wrong and if it does it will be alright because we are together. Ryan and I allowed my parents as much time as they wanted to hold and care for Maddie. Ryan even said "I haven't changed a diaper in a week." Maddie and her Daddy have a special bond and I know that they missed each other a little.



So cute!