TWO ROCKIN' BABIES!

Here is a picture of my friend Christina's daughter (Grey) and Maddie. They were born a day apart and they both received the same pair of sunglasses as shower gifts. We got pics of the girls in their shades and wanted to share them.

ON TO SOLID FOOD!

Maddie turned 4 months on 11/29. We took her in to the pediatrician for her check up and vaccinations. The pedi highly recommended Chad and I get flu vaccines while we there. We tried to make her feel better by explaining mommy and daddy were going to get a shot too. :) She was still pretty mad at us anyway. Of course there were some tears and that is always so hard but she seemed pretty happy within a few minutes.

She is now 12lbs, 14oz and 24" long. The other good news, she got the green light from the doctor to start on solid foods as of last week. We did cereal once a day starting last week, now we will get her eating it twice a day. Then next week, we can introduce some fruits and veggies. Here is a little clip of her first real meal! She was just getting over a cold so although it looks like she is eating w/out taking a breath in between, we really do feed our child quite often!

Little girl in a big chair!



Dinner is messy business for a 4 month old!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! We had a great time down in Corpus visiting with my side of the family. My mom served up a wonderful dinner for 16 and we ate, hung out, watched football and then went bowling on Friday. Little Maddie had a good Thanksgiving too and we let her have a little taste of sweet potatoes. :) She seemed to like it as far as I could tell. Up until now, she has only had milk but she turned 4 months over the weekend and we will be starting her on solids this week! I can't wait to see her reactions to all the new foods and I'll be sure to get some on film and post it to the blog. See you soon!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN (and Happy Birthday Daddy!)

Happy Halloween everyone! Christmas and Halloween are my two favorite holidays so as you can imagine, I couldn't wait for it to roll around this year! Maddie is celebrating her first Halloween and the poor kid has put up with Mommy dressing her in all kinds of hats and onesies. Here are some pictures at the pumpkin patch. She's not quite ready to sit on her own yet so we propped her up between two pumpkins. Enjoy! :)


Also, Happy Birthday to Chad who is 29 today! :) We love you!

And one other little note to my own dad. He is on a flight to Lubbock at the moment...going to cheer his Red Raiders on to what he hopes is a big victory against UT. Well dad, the last picture I posted especially for you! :) Maddie has been waiting all season to wear her little Longhorn booties. Hook 'em!

A VISIT WITH THE GRANDPARENTS

Last weekend we attended Chad's 10 year class reunion. Grumpy and Grandma were kind enough to babysit all weekend. They were able to get in some much awaited one-on-one time with Maddie. Everyone had a great time!

FIRST WEEK OF DAYCARE

And so we come to the end of Maddie's first week at daycare. I must admit, I have been pretty emotional all week. We checked out several daycare settings and we finally settled on in-home care for Maddie. Although Ms. Terri is very friendly with tons of experince(not to mention having had 4 children herself) it is just so hard to let your baby go when she is not quite 3 months old yet! But I know many parents have been in my position and it will get easier day by day. I am glad to have her around other children for a good part of the day and I know she will learn so much being around them.

On a lighter note, Maddie is growing by leaps and bounds lately. She is now batting at toys, can almost complete a back to tummy roll and she is holding her head up so steady and strong now. Here is a clip of video we grabbed last weekend.

BACK TO WORK

Well I made the transition of returning to work last Monday...this was 2 months to the day that Maddie was born. I must say it was hard to leave her. Those two months at home with here were truly some of the most memorable moments in my life. I miss her during the day but I knew life would have to return to normal at some point. My Aunt Mandy stayed with her last week, my mom is in this week and then Mallary & Vicki will split next week. After that she will begin daycare. We found a wonderful in-home daycare that is very close to our home. We feel confident she will have lots of happy days with Ms. Terri.

Here are some recent pics. She is really getting strong...she holds her head up very steady and she can even do a mini pushup. We think she might be an early crawler. She is also sleeping well and Chad and I couldn't be more thankful. For the last couple of weeks, we can put her down around 10:00pm and she will wake up like clockwork the next morning anywhere between 5:55am-6:15am. We are crossing our fingers she keeps in this pattern!!!

MORE PICTURES!!

My friend Johanna came over earlier this week and took some pictures of Maddie. She is an artist and graphic design major. As you can see, she definitely knows what she is doing with the camera. I only wish I had half of her artistic ability! If I did, I bet Maddie would be sick of seeing a camera in her face all day! Anyway, here are a few pictures from the "photo shoot". We had a great time dressing Maddie in different outfits and using little stuffed animals as props. Enjoy!!

IT'S OFFICIAL...SHE SMILES NOW!!

GOING ON 6 WEEKS OLD!

Our little Maddie will be 6 weeks on Tuesday and she is really growing. I will be so excited to get back to the pediatrician on Sept 29th to get an offical length and weight for her. Something I'm not looking forward to...this visit will also include her first round of vaccinations. She had to have her heel pricked last time for a blood test and it killed me to see her cry like that. I just wish she was old enough so I could take her for ice cream afterwards and make it all better! But I guess there will be plenty of time for that later on.

All is well here. I'm enjoying every moment of my maternity leave and have 3 full weeks left. It feels like it has gone by so fast but I guess life must go back to normal at some point. Here are a few new pics snapped recently.

This photo is a little dark but Chad caught me snoozing on the job



Mommy playing photographer



A new mode of transportation. She looks bundled up as if it were freezing outside but I was more concerned about the sun!



Daddy tucking her in for an afternoon nap

HOW TIME FLIES!!!

It's really hard to believe but Maddie will be 1 month old on Friday! She is still such a little squirt but I know she is growing fast! It's hard to see real big changes in her since I see her all day every day, but I think she has gotten a little longer and her thighs are starting to get a little baby fat on them! I can't wait until she gets those cute little rolls that we can squeeze.

She is doing really well. On a good night, she will go 4-5 hours without waking up. I never thought that would be possible this early. Some nights though, she is pretty hungry about every 2 hours. Also, I think she is starting to smile. I know you're thinking "No Kelly, that's just gas" but there have been a few times in the last couple days it really seems she is actually smiling! haha

Anyway, here are some recent pics of her. Until next time...

MADELINE LAYNE HAS ARRIVED!! (WEEK 40)

Well the big day has come and gone...Maddie has finally joined our family! She was born 7lbs, 6oz on July 29th @ 7:19am. Chad and I are thrilled and cannot stop staring at her. It's hard to comprehend that she really is all ours!

It has been hard and I don't think we've ever been more exhausted but we are adjusting. All in all, I think she has really been a well-tempered baby, but she is a newborn afterall!

Luckily, my mom had come into town on Friday 7/25 as we all kind of sensed I probably wouldn't last until my due date of 8/6. Sure enough, on Monday 7/28, just as Chad and I were getting ready for bed, my water broke! Off to the hospital we went and got checked in around 11:00pm. I labored much more quickly than anyone expected...so quickly in fact, Maddie didn't have time to drop into proper position for a regular birth. After about 5 hours of labor then another 2 hours of pushing, the doctor came in around 6:30am and decided it would be best to have a C-section. Less than one hour later, I was holding little Maddie in my arms!

Everything went smoothly with the surgery and we stayed in the hospital for three nights. Now we're back at home and Chad is back at work. Ozzie is coming around but he's not quite so sure about this little person that has invaded his space. We've had lots of visitors stop by to meet Maddie and my mom (now known as ya-ya), who is staying through this coming weekend, has been a savior! From helping with cleaning and cooking to just holding the baby to give us a break...needless to say I'm gonna miss her greatly when she leaves!

Anyway, here are some photos I wanted to share of our little girl. We look forward to introducing her to everyone in the coming months! Feel free to check back on this blog in the future and I will try to continue with updates and new pics every week or so. Take care everyone! Love--The Musgrove Family

WE'RE REALLY CLOSE NOW! (WEEK 38)

I just got back from the doctor and he does not think I will make it to my next appointment on Wednesday July 30th, let alone my due date of August 6th! Chad and I are pretty excited about this news and I would much prefer her to be a little early than late! Regardless, I'm trying not to get my hopes up because even though I've progressed really well up until this point, Maddie could always get stubborn on us and hold out a little longer! :)

I have posted a picture taken last night with a full term belly and in all my swollen glory! Seriously though, I'm really ready to lose this swelling and see my ankles again. My parents will be coming up this weekend and although Dad will head back to Corpus if she doesn't arrive this weekend, Mom is prepared to ride out the wait with me! We will keep you posted on her arrival!

LOTS OF FUN PARTIES!! (WEEK 36)

Well what can I say, Chad and I are blessed with some of the best friends, relatives and co-workers anyone could ask for. The last couple of weeks have turned into great parties and Maddie has been showered with so many wonderful gifts! From sentimental blankets and hand-me-downs to much needed packs of diapers and crib sheets...Thanks to everyone, I don't think there is hardly a thing left that we'll have to buy!

A special thanks Mallary and Johanna for throwing a double baby shower for Blair and I...the guys got to play golf and the girls got to play "guess what's in the diaper!". Thanks to my coworkers for surprising Christina and I last Wednesday with a big basket of goodies and potluck lunch. They even arranged for our husbands to show up without our knowledge! This past weekend, Aunt Mandy had a house full of us up for a shower, BBQ and pool party at her home. We had a great time! We get to round out this week with a party at Chad's office and I'm looking forward to meeting all of his co-workers.

4 WEEKS TO GO AND I AM READY!!

SURPRISE SHOWER WITH DHI CO-WORKERS



A DOUBLE SHOWER FOR BLAIR & I

SHOWER AT AUNT MANDY'S

CONROE BABY SHOWER (WEEK 34)

Maddie had her first party over the weekend...a baby shower held near Chad's hometown of Conroe, TX. Thanks to all who were able to make it and an especially BIG THANK YOU to Jackie, Michelle, Kati and Aunt Donna for hosting the event. It was a beautiful party at a vintage tea house complete with tea, mimosas, finger foods, fruit and chocolates.

We received some great gifts including beautiful clothes, blankets and picture frames along with some other essentials such as bath soaps and lotions, onesies, diapers, a baby monitor and baby gear.

6 WEEKS AND COUNTING!!

NOW THAT IS A BABY BUMP! (WEEK 33)

I begin week 33 on Wednesday and thought it was time to take another belly pic. I've been trying to keep with the same couple of white tank tops since I thought it would be easiest to see the changes in a similar outfit everytime. Good grief, when I look at this picture, I just keep saying to myself "Remember, the camera adds 10 pounds" haha! Seriously though, I'm starting to feel really pregnant and according to the books, she weighs about 3.5 pounds right now. So she is pretty much expected to double size before her birth in the coming 6-7 weeks. The good news for me, the mother's weight tends to start leveling off about right now so I'm happy about that.

Everything continues to go well. I've developed some insominia over the last couple of weeks where tossing and turning and 2-3 nightly bathroom trips have become the norm. I also feel like I have more energy now than I have throughout the entire pregnancy so I'm grateful for that. My first shower is in Conroe this weekend. Pics to follow in a week or so.

THE NURSERY (WEEK 31)

After several weekends of taping, painting, shopping and building...the nursery if finally complete! We are pretty pleased with the results. I have to say it is exactly how I pictured the nursery from the moment I found out we were having a girl.

We're glad to have this step out of the way with about 9 weeks to spare. I'm just getting to the point where things are starting to become uncomfortable. Now we can sit back and rest a little easier. If she decides to come a few days early, I think we'll be prepared!


Purple it is!



Dad putting the crib together:



Picture frames and block letters:

Grandpa puts the bookcase together:

THE FINAL PRODUCT! :)

Visit the following website to see a one minute video of the completed room

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7ntaZjFVRQ