Abigale is amazing. I'm just in love with this kid! She's learning quickly and doing new things all the time. Here are some things that I've been meaning to post! She rolled over for the first time a few weeks ago. Paula and the kids were over and I had just laid Abi down for a nap. Out of no where, Abi just screams like crazy. I ran in there and she was on her belly. She was stuck and she hated it! I rolled her onto her back but it was like she couldn't help but roll directly back onto her belly. Each time screaming. She's rolling over all the time now and she likes her belly a lot more lately. Madalyn will get on the floor and and talk to her. Pretty cute sister time! When Michael is getting ready for work, Abi will usually wake up and be ready for breakfast. After she eats, she falls asleep in our bed. So, every morning, I get to admire her in the soft morning light. I swear, she looks just perfect. She's a very pretty baby anyway, but something about those early mornings...I love them. Abi can use her hands! Michael was hanging out with Abi the other day and they were practicing her grabbing her paci and taking it to her mouth. Now, she does that with everything. You can watch her grab something and then concentrate until it touches her gums. She's so funny when she eats! Most of the time, I can't look at her when she's eating because she will look up at me and smile. She just can't eat and smile at the same time. She will also try to sneak her thumb into her mouth when she's eating. I'll be minding my own business and then hear this loud smacking sound. When I look down she'll have that darn thumb in her mouth. Overall, I think she's a really good baby. She only cries when she's hungry or tired. She yells when she's uncomfortable. Sometimes her arm will be turned funny or her leg is under her and she just gripes at you. I think she might be a mama's girl because no one thinks she's as easy as I do. She always throws a fit in the nursery, and Michael has had many nights when he can't get her to sleep. I like that she's good for me. I feel like we have a special bond or something. We share smiles and laughs. We're friends. She's also friends with Mady. Madalyn is always trying to guess what Abigale needs and takes her toys to play with. Its fun to watch. Two perfect little ladies.

She looks like herself

Abigale is growing so fast! It seems like every second she is getting more grown up and becoming more mature. When she was born, I swear she looked just like Madalyn. Now, more and more she is looking like...herself. Of course there are still some things that the girls do that are mirror images of eachother. Here's some things Abigale does that is just like Mady as a baby: Stretching. Abigale, like Mady, will stick little booty out or point her toes when you get her out of her swing. Grunting. Both girls grunt like a man. Drool. Both my girls drool constantly. No teeth, just slober. Like I said...she is becoming her own person. For instance, when she's in the bath, she holds her knees up to her chest to avoid the water. Mady would splash like crazy. She prefers to fall asleep in her bed instead of being held. She smiles and laughs at EVERYTHING! Its so cute and wonderful. She's always chewing on her fingers. Its just great. Having these two girls is amazing. Abigale is working on rolling over and looking cutier all the time. Heres a picture of her in a silly hat.

Little Miss Abigale

I was just looking over some older posts and really enjoying remembering some of the things I forgot about Madalyn as a baby. Why am I not blogging Abigale???!!! Well, I'm going to start. Lets start with...I love this kid. She is so sweet and fun. We had a rocky beginning. It seems like when we got her home, I just didn't understand her schedule. After about a month, though, we began clicking. She was sleeping better and at predictable times and she was starting to smile. A good smile on a rough day just makes bad moods disappear. Now, Abigale is three months old. She is sleeping in her bed at night. she will usually sleep from around 9pm (or earlier)until around 7am. Then, she'll go back to sleep for another two or three hours. She's awesome. :) Here are some more awesome things about Abigale: -She loves to smile. One person that can ALWAYS make her smile is her dad. Madalyn gets her fair share of smiles too. -She hates to have her nose cleaned by that green sucker thing. I hate doing it too. Gross. -Everyone wants to hold the little cutie. She has many fans at church. -She's starting to grab things! -She likes a good butt-pat. Helps her calm down. -She can fall asleep on her own. All this to say, I love my little Abigale. Its weird, since she's been around, I love my little Madalyn more too. I'm just pretty happy with our little family. Will write more later!!!

Shhhhhh...

I'm writing this while sitting on the couch. I'm trying to cherish this time while I still can. Madalyn is old enough now that I basically get her ready, sing her a song, and then tell her to get in bed. Within a few minutes (sometimes a little longer) she's asleep for the night. Lately, she's been asking to pray for her little sister before I put here to bed. I really feel like this is genuine and not just another attempt to do something that will allow her to stay up for a  few more minutes. 

We've settled on a name for our new little girl - Abigale Maureen Garner. We both have come back to Abigale a couple of times and Maureen is the middle name of a close family friend who Jennifer was very interested in naming our daughter after.

So, Mady is in bed, Jenn is at work (Abby is obviously with her) and our dog Dakota is asleep in our bedroom. 

Do you hear that? 




Silence. 




Things have been nuts at work. I'm busy with church stuff. I'm staying up late and getting up early to get stuff done. The noise in my head with all the responsibilities swirling around, the silence is golden. 

It hasn't always been this way. When Mady was little, it wasn't always so quiet.  When Abby gets here, it won't be quiet again. But, that won't last very long. And some noisiness is great. Playing in the living room, fetch with the dog, Christmas Morning, birthday parties.

It's going to be a lot of fun. Here's to the quiet. Here's to the noise. Here's to the great and precious moments that come with each of those times. 

Congratulations it's a...

Ok, so I'm done faking it. I'm going to fully admit it - I stink at bogging. I start out with good intentions, but quickly fizzle out. It's not like there's been NOTHING going on.

This pregnancy is different from the last one. For starters, Jenn is carrying this baby in a different way.*

Jenn hasnt really been sick (which is how it went with Mady as well) but has felt generally crappy until a week or two ago. Now, she's feeling better and this baby has apparently had a growth spurt because Jenn is... having a growth spurt as well.

Jenn is still very tired. Her work schedule has her going to work from 7pm until midnight. As a result, she's not getting to bed until late and then has to get up with Mady in the morning. She tries to get a nap in when Mady takes hers, but that's not enough sleep for a person who's NOT growing another person in their belly.

Today was a big day for Team Garner. This morning was the ultrasound that should tell us what the sex of the growing baby is. So, we headed into the doctor's office to see what we could see.

This ultrasound lady was MUCH more informative than the one we had when we first met Mady. However, she didn't even let us get warmed up. I figured that she would show us around the baby for a bit and then get to the reveal.

No.

No warmup, no lead in. Nothing.

"Go ahead and lay back"
"Ok"
"So, are you going to find out the sex of the baby?"
"Yes."
"It's a girl"**

I spent the rest of the ultrasound in shock because I had not gotten what I felt was the appropriate amount of warm up before dropping the results on us.

Welcome to Miss America. The winner is Miss Nebraska. Thanks for watching.***

So, there you have it. Another girl. I'm outnumbered. Even the dog is a girl. But, we are very excited. We're still working on a name, but Mady is very excited about being a big sister. Tonight I talked to her about helping out her little sister and teaching her things like how to crawl, how to use a spoon and how to pet Dakota nicely. She said that she could teach her sister that, so I think we'll be set.

Our due date is up for discussion right now, but it'll be somewhere around the end of February or the beginning of March.




Feel free to leave your name suggestions in the comment section, but please PLEASE don't be offended if we don't use your suggestions. We have to leave a lot of options on the table, unless we want a kid with seven names. Which could be an option but we'd like to thing we are keeping our kids from unnecessary teasing while in school. That's why we spent time trying to make fun of Madalyn's name before officially naming her that. We'll do the same this time, so if you want to come over and make fun of our daughter's name, please let me know.


Thanks...





--------------------------------------------------------

*This is what she says, even though I'm not exactly sure what that means. The baby's still in her uterous, so maybe I'm missing something.

**This was Jenn's dialogue with the ultrasound tech. I was not the one saying that. The baby in my belly is not yet into the second trimester.

***I had to look that up. I didn't watch it. I swear. But, I might watch if it was that short. The point is that the build up is as important as the outcome itself. Really, I didn't watch the pageant.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad. Thanks for reading.

Test post

This is a test post. I'm trying out the new BlogPress app for iPad.

This is only a test.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

He's Crafting You...

I'm sorry I haven't written lately. I get busy and forget. That's something I'm sure you'll deal with later on when you get older. Today, I listened to a sermon from a pastor in our area who was talking about how each of his kids has a particular gift from God and how he works hard to cultivate that in their lives and help it grow. The whole time I was listening to this, I was thinking about you.

I want you to know that I am far from perfect. Sorry, you're just going to have to get used to that. I'm not always going to say or do the right thing. I may let laziness or awkwardness win out over doing something or saying something that could really have an impact on you and your sister. I may get mad. Not at you even though you may think so. More likely I'll be mad at myself about something that may have nothing at all to do with you, except that my attitude will affect you.

I haven't prayed for you and your sister as much as I should. Again, my laziness and awkwardness pushes that away from me and I let it happen. I do care about how you're growing and the young lady that Madalyn is turning into, but I don't express that in prayer. I want you to know that I'm working on that.

I also want you to know this: right now, at this very moment, God is crafting you. God, the same one who made Heaven and Earth, who put our stars in place and set us on this planet in this solar system at this exact time, is crafting you. He made all creation in six days and He is taking 9 months to form you into something perfect. Exceptional. Amazing. But, it doesn't end there. After you're born, your mother and I will continue to pray for you. We will continue to ask God to keep you safe and to help you see God's plan for your life. See, not only does He take his time to make you, He also has crafted a perfect plan for your life. Did you hear me? A PERFECT PLAN. All around you as you grow up, you will see people who missed God's plan - they decided for some strange reason that they had a better idea of where they should go and took off on their own. Some of those people will never decide to come back and try God's plan. Some of them will and God is big enough and strong enough to help them do that.

Before you're even born, God is preparing your plan. He is putting traits and quirks in your personality that will suit you to work in a particular field, to have specific friends in school, to meet the love of your life. He is crafting you to be amazing. Here's the secret: if you follow God's plan for your life I promise, I PROMISE your life will be amazing. Absolutely amazing. Without question. Take your best idea for your life and multiply it by 10,000 because what God wants to do with you and where God wants you to go will blow your plan out of the water.

My prayer for you and your sister is that you will meet my Savior as soon as you can. Then, I pray that you will stick to Him like glue and follow His plan for your life. You'll mess up and fall down but if you keep trying, He'll keep helping.

I love you and I can't wait to meet you face to face. It's going to be such a great adventure.

Here We Go Again! New Baby, New Blog Look :)

So, we're back.

While we have been having a GREAT time just the three of us (four, including the dog, Dakota), we have decided it's time for Team Garner to grow. And now, we're having another baby!

Jennifer and I have known for a couple of weeks and today was the first doctor's appointment. They did a regular pregnancy test and were a little concerned because the test came back very faint. As a precaution, they had her go get some blood work done and to get an ultrasound. The doctor said that we needed to ask during the ultrasound if they heard a heartbeat. If they did, that was a very good sign. If they didn't it was reason for concern. Obviously, the doctor's concern had us FREAKING out, but after our initial shock, we prayed about it. We knew that no matter what was happening, God already had a plan. And whatever that plan is, it's better than any plan that we could come up with. The first appointment was three hours later. So, we waited.

Have you haven't ever had to wait for news like that, let me tell you - minutes become hours. And you HAVE to find something to do to keep from sitting there and thinking about all the possibilities. So, we drove.

When Madalyn was a baby, she slept really well in the car. Sometimes, she'd fall asleep in the car and rather than wake her up and destroy a perfectly good nap, we used to drive around in neighborhoods and look at houses for sale. It gave her time to sleep and us something to do to pass the time. So, when we had to wait for the appointment, we drove around again. We looked at big houses, new houses, old houses. And finally, it was time.

We went to the hospital, got checked in and were SO relieved to hear our baby's heartbeat.



So, we are excited! And we will be blogging about this process again and are excited to have everyone join us in the process by reading our posts. Thank you in advance for all of the love, prayers and support.

First Family Vacation

I hope going to Tulsa for one night counts as a vacation! Because last weekend thats what we did and I'm counting it as a vaca. The point is, all three of us had a great time together over our Labor Day weekend.

The fun started Sunday afternoon, we took advantage of Mady's afternoon nap time and drove to Enterprise to see Michael's Grandma Sandy. She had relatives in so we got a lot of visiting done in a short amount of time. Then, we drove an hour to my grandma's house. There, Mady learned to say 'Joyce' and had a great time trying to pick up Grandma's large living room rung. I don't know why she wanted to pick it up so badly but she kept grunting and struggling with the thing. Pretty funny.

The next morning was Labor Day so we all drove to Owasso for a yearly get together at Michael's Aunt and Uncle's house. We had a good time. Mady wouldn't nap, but Aunt Sara helped keep Mady's attitude positive. They played and watched cartoons on Sara's computer (thank goodness for that).

Next we went to my friend Tre's house for dinner. He lives in Tulsa and we NEVER see him so we made plans! Mady loved playing with Tre's dog and running around the backyard. In full Mady tradition, since this was the first time she had met Tre, she had to have a massive dirty diaper that left her shorts unwearable. She spent the last 30 minutes running around in a tank top and diaper...how redneck did we look?! She tends to have blowouts every time we visit someone new. The worst was our friends from church, Beth and Joe. Poor little Beth was holding sweet Mady who was only a few weeks old at the time. All of a sudden, Beth shrieks and I'm mortified to find that a 'leak' had sprung. I won't go into details, but Beth had to wash her hands and Mady had to change her clothes. (Note to new mom's, leaking means the diapers are too small...no one graced us with this knowledge...which seems obvious now but what did we know?)

We stayed in a hotel Monday night and decided to visit the Oklahoma Aquarium on Tuesday. We didn't really know what to expect. Michael and I had both wanted to go, but never had. I'm not going to lie, the morning was a little rough. At first, Michael and I had to try to be in good moods, but after we got into the Aquarium, everyone had a great time.

We didn't take in the stroller...which could go one of two ways: 1) Mady runs wild and we have to chase her, get onto her or carry her, or 2) We take the stroller and Mady screams the whole time because she'd rather be walking (thats code for running). We decided to give it a shot and wen't stroller-less. Once we got past the parking lot, and Mady didn't have to hold our hands, she was thrilled to have the freedom.

The Aquarium was great. We fed shrimp, stingrays and turtles. Mady loved watching as Michael and I did the majority of the feeding. But the whole time, she was pointing, giggling and squealing. We also got to pet fish, crabs and stingrays. By we I mean Michael and I did...don't get me wrong, we wanted Mady to experience petting the animals too, but she was more interested in splashing in the water. We were covered in fish by the time we left, it was gross, but fun. It was Mady's favorite part. Michael's favorite part was the shark display. You walk through a glass tunnel into a room with a glass dome, so, all around you are sharks swimming. He giggled nervously while looking at the all the scary fish that surrounded us. My favorite part was showing Mady the fish. We would stand her on the ledge next to the display and she would say, "Whoa" and then ask to get down so she could run to the next display. She wasn't still for 2 seconds while we were there, but we didn't mind. She was loving it and her excitement spread to us too.

We also took our first family picture in a photo booth. The first 3 takes we were just trying to figure out how to get Mady to show up in the picture. She had this concerned look on her face like, "What are you two doing...its worrying me". Finally, we got her in place and just before the camera took the final pose, I yelled, 'Make a face!" Mady knew exactly what that meant and immediately stuck out her tongue. Its a really cute picture, I will try to post it sometime. On the way out of the Aquarium, Michael and I just laughed to ourselves...we had such a great time. Not necessarily because the trip was exciting, or because fish are amazing, but because we were together as a family, experiencing something new. No time constraints, no worry about money or cleaning the house or making decisions...just being together and having fun.

After a quick lunch in Tulsa we were on our way home again, with Mady asleep in the backseat. It was a great first family vacation. I look forward to many more (and hopefully longer) trips with my awesome family. God did a good thing when He created families...and when he created fish. :)

Hi Pa...

Last weekend we took a quick trip to Red Oak where Mady got to do one of her favorite things...hang out with Ma and Pa (Michael's grandparents for those of you outside of the family). I'm pretty sure she loves everything about them and thier house.

In past visits, she has played outside, which she LOVES. She spends her time sitting in rocks and dirt and moving them from one area to the next. We're not really sure why these rocks need moved, but its very important to Mady that they not stay where they are. I think she spent a solid hour moving rocks during our visit in May. Ma also has decorative rocks inside. Mady will move them to different places in the house too. I told her it was good that she had a skill and she just laughed to herself.

Also in May, and to Mady's delight, Michael unpacked a weedeater and left a nice big box for Mady to play with. Michael and I walked into the house this weekend after Mady had been there playing with Ma, and there was the box. Mady had moved in...all of her toys were sitting in it like decorations in a living room.

Other wonders at Ma and Pa's house include a drawer full of plastic containers. Mady will open the drawer, choose a container apparently based on a very strategic plan, and then bring it to me to open... 'Opeee peas' was my que. After the container was open, she would then exclaim with much excitement, 'icsh screem'. "Thats right Mady, ice cream, yummm!" Then everyone would take turnes eating the imaginary ice cream from the container.

She also loves the grandfather clock. Months ago when it would chime, she would run to it and say, 'cluck, cluck, cluck'. Now, its a little more recognizable as 'clock'. Her talking has really improved the last few weeks. I think she thrilled Pa when he walked in this weekend. She said very clearly, "Hi Pa". He nearly squeeled.

She really enjoys her time at Ma and Pa's. She helps Ma cook, sits on the window seal and has learned to open all the doors in the house. Its perfect.

Last night Mady wanted another Garner Dance Party. So, after dinner she came up to me and Michael and said, "Dance". Michael turned up the music and we all danced. This time, Mady wanted us to dance a certain way. Every 10 seconds or so, she would throw herself onto the floor and put her legs in the air...of course Mom and Dad needed to do the same thing! If we took too long to get up and start dancing again, Madalyn would try to pick us up and say, "Sta Up". After about the 15th time pulling ourselves off the floor, we were a little tired. But it was so much fun. Its so interesting to see what she comes up with in her cute little head.

Dance Party at the Garners!

I have wanted to write for a while but I haven't found the time. I'm awake at 7am for NO REASON...so I'm writing.

Mady is doing so much! She's practically an adult! Well, maybe not quite. She is making small sentences and everyday it seems like she is better able to communicate with us what she wants...or doesn't want. If you offer her a snack or toy that doesn't meet her expectations, she shakes her head and responds with a loud and long, "Noooooo". We get the point. Other times, she is very enthusiastic about getting something that she does want. By enthusiastic, I mean persistent..."more peas, more peas, more peas, more peas" and by 'more peas', she's really saying 'more please'. Don't let her cute voice fool you...she will continue to say 'more' until you give her more...even if ten minutes pass...she's still asking. She is pretty good at following it up with a nice 'Dank You' though. So at least she's courteous.

She has also been better at singing songs with us. The other day she melted my heart by singing Skina Mer Ink A Dink (from the Elephant Show) with me. She joined in on the 'I love you' parts. Her sweet little voice sang along with mine and all of a sudden, bed time wasn't all that important. She also enjoys singing Old McDonald (she sings the OOOOhhhh part of Ei Ei Ohhh) and she will do the motions of every song that has motions. Twinkle Twinkle was her song of choice last night. At the end, she would point to the sky and shake her hips with every point.

She knows her ABCs and I've caught her counting to 10 also. I give credit to amazing genes and Sesame Street. She is obsessed with Sesame Street by the way. Yesterday morning she woke up saying 'Elmo'. The other night she must have been dreaming on Sesame Street because at 1am she was yelling, 'Abby...Elmo'. It was too funny. I wish I could have seen what she was thinking. She was probably making the season's change with Abby or riding tricycles with her monster friends.

Last night was classic though. It might have been a perfect evening. I was making dinner and Michael put on some music. Mady was standing at the fridge and just started dancing. She announced with great joy, "I dance!" over and over. We moved the dance party to the living room where Mady instructed Michael to incorporate more jumping into his dance. She pointed at him and said "Jump". He did...11 times...because she kept pointing and yelling at him. I don't know if she was just feeling the music or if she has decided to whip us into shape. It was really fun though. It was one of those moments where you're aware you're making a sweet memory.

I couldn't be more proud of her or more excited about the future. Right now, everyone is doing back to school shopping and enrolling in classes. I cant wait to buy Mady new clothes and backpacks for school. I already have plans to make breakfast for her every morning so she can start the day off well, and pack her lunches with notes and maybe sneak some chocolate in there so I can be the cool mom. I guess because I had such a great childhood and great parents, I want her to have an even better version of that. I pray every day that I'm the best mom God can make me. And the best wife...(I think the two are directly related.)

Anyway, I guess I'll try to go back to sleep...I will try to write more later. Getting things written as the happen would be great, wouldn't it!?

I Love You

I know! I know! I haven't written in forever! I got to the point where I hadn't written in so long that I didn't know how to catch up. But, tonight...Mady said 'I love you' for the first time! I was taking a shower and Michael was getting Mady ready for bed. He brought her in (she was in her I <3 Hot CoCo pajamas) and she said it! I just knew that I would want to remember that moment forever so I had to write it down.

Mady has been talking so much lately. We can't understand half of what she's saying but the part that we can understand is really coming along. She says: shapes, hi, bye bye, bite, more, juice, no, diaper...and much more.

I know there is a lot more that I should write but I have zero attention span tonight. I'll try to write more soon!

Mastering New Skills

Mady is growing so fast and seems to be mastering a new skill every week. This week she has discovered throwing. She throws blocks, pacifiers, dog toys, food...if you hand it to her expect her to throw it. She received a bouncy ball in a goodie bag from Lexi's birthday party, the next day she would throw it across the living room and giggle to herself. Lately her giggle has been low and from her belly. Her giggle makes me giggle.

Last week she figured out how to make huge messes. Thanks to my Granny Wanda for giving her a huge box of legos (the big ones). She dumps those things out of their box and then makes sure they are coving every inch of the living room floor. She's also discovered certain toys that mommy keeps under the bathroom cabinet...feminine products. So, mixed in with the blocks are pads and tampons. Nice. Silly me for thinking I would get my privacy back after the birth experience. Now she shares my personal belongings with anyone who walks in the door.

There are still some things that she hasn't mastered. For instance climbing...she can get off of the bed and couch really well but struggles, thank goodness, with getting into chairs and on top of larger toys. So here's how it goes: pick Mady up...watch Mady squirm feet first off of the couch...listen to Mady grunt while she reaches for you to pick her up and put her back on the couch. And Michael thinks I need to go to the gym to lift weights...I've got my own kind of weights system.

Singing and dancing are another thing we are improving on. She loves to dance and is dabbling in singing. And, on a rare occasion, will do both at the same time. Usually her singing is quiet, if it has any sound at all. Sometimes its just her whispering, 'Bob, bob, bob'. We'll get there. We are also working on our animals. Everyday we read 'Spot's Animal Friends' and watch 'Baby MacDonald' (Which we stole from Target by the way. It was under Mady in the basket and I discovered it as I was loading the car. I paid for it the next time we went to the store so no judging me!) So, today, when we went to storytime, I was thrilled that the theme was 'Farm Animals'. We are destined to learn that a cow says 'Moo'!

Other things Mady wants to learn:
-How to use a computer (note the picture above)
-How to ride a bike (also pictured)
-How to go to sleep on her own (well, mom wants her to learn this one, she's been giving me fits every time its nap or bed time. Grrr...I depend on nap time...without it I get very grumpy, and so does Mady. Bad combination.)
-How to cover her sippy cup with noodles (She was trying last night...pretty funny. It looked like a mummy with strips of noodle here and there.)
-How to eat noodles.
-How to get Dakota to play with her
-How to get certain kitchen cabinets open. With the ones that have locks on them, she opens them as far as she can and then peeks inside.

Other things Mady is able to do quite well:
-Get on the internet on Mom's phone
-Destroy a stack of newly folded laundry while Mom types a blog
-Put on necklaces
-Turn on her loudest toys...thanks ball popper and dancing kangaroo
-Throw a fit when Mom takes something away
-Tear apart magazines
-Take off her socks
-Lose one ponytail holder on the way to Chic-Fil-A (so we only have one pigtail when we get there)



Even now she's learning...she just found a bib and put it on backwards like a cape. I love her so much!

Back in the Swing of Things

A lot has happened this past month. The biggest event is when Mady started walking! I can't give you a specific date or even a story about her first steps...it seems like she just decided one morning to walk and there she went! Its so cute to see her walking around. More than before, she looks like a little grown up. Michael keeps commenting on how weird it is when she just walks into the room. I love it! The other night, Michael couldn't get her to go to sleep so he comes walking out of her room in a huff...and Mady came trailing behind him smiling and pointing to her nose.

Thats something else that she's taken to...she keeps pointing to her nose. She has a Baby Einstein video that sings 'Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes'. It also features kids dancing to the song...so when she sees the kids dancing and pointing to their nose, I think she thinks its a dance move. Whenever she dances she bobs up and down and points at her nose...so cute!

Hmmm....I guess we can catch up on Christmas. As Michael told you, Madalyn got sick shortly before Christmas. It turns out that she had strep throat. She never really acted like she was in pain or anything, it just kind of slowed her down. Since she was contagious, we stayed at a hotel in McAlester so Mady wouldn't get my grandpa sick. It was so sad, she was watching tv with Michael and would reach for his arm, which was under the pillow, so she could hold his hand. Poor little thing! The next day her fever broke as I was putting her down for a nap. It was weird because I noticed how clammy she was and then the fever was gone.

After her medicine took care of the strep, Mady got a horrible rash. It covered her from her head to her toes and looked awful! She didn't even notice that she had it while it was breaking my heart to see her with red bumps all over her body. I took her back to the pediatrician but they said it would just go away on its own. I kept bugging them about giving her something to help and the PA finally told me I could give her some Benadryl if I saw her scratching. I think she told me that just so I would leave her alone. I was that mom freaking out in the doctors office and Mady was playing in the mirror ignoring my concern.

Since Christmas we have just been trying to get back into the swing of things. Michael's parents came down for his ordination service. We all had a good time and Vivian got lots of babysitting time. Today we were back to our routine. Breakfast, nap, lunch, nap, playtime then bath...then bed. Tomorrow is Storytime!

"Let It Snow, Baby. Let It Reindeer"

Jenn has been doing most of the blogging lately, but I've got to get this one off my chest.

It's amazing how things hit you sometimes. All Christmas (sorry Holiday) Season, we've been so busy with a hundred different things that it really hasn't felt like Christmas. Sure, we got the tree up and the lights on the house, but that feeling in your gut that accompanies this time of year just wasn't really there.

This morning, I was driving home from running some errands and a song came on the radio by a christian group named "Relient K". Now, when you hear most of their music it wouldn't strike you as something that carries a heavy message, but I've always had a special place in my heart for the lyrics written by Relient K. In their Christmas album, titled "Let It Snow, Baby. Let It Reindeer" they have a song called "I Celebrate The Day". HERE is a link to the song and the lyrics are written below.

And with this Christmas wish is missed

The point I could convey

If only I could find the words to say to let You know how much You've touched my life

Because here is where You're finding me, in the exact same place as New Year's eve

And from a lack of my persistency

We're less than half as close as I want to be

And the first time

That You opened Your eyes did You realize that You would be my Savior

And the first breath that left Your lips

Did You know that it would change this world forever

And so this Christmas I'll compare the things I felt in prior years

To what this midnight made so clear

That You have come to meet me here

To look back and think that

This baby would one day save me

In the hope that what You did

That you were born so I might live

To look back and think that

This baby would one day save me

And I, I celebrate the day

That You were born to die

So I could one day pray for You to save my life

This has been a really hard year for our family. My job has been somewhat unstable, I haven't worked a 40 hour week in months. To say we've been tight financially is a gross understatement. It is so easy to get bogged down and bitter about everything we've been going through. Yet, hearing this song made me remember my little girl. She's a little more than a year old now and I was thinking back to last Christmas when I felt like we were very special, getting to have this little baby around the time that we celebrate Mary giving birth to The Savior of The World, like we were in some special club or something. Even though things have been hard, our health has been fine. We haven't lost anything or anyone, we just have had to get a little tighter.

Madalyn is sick today and we are taking her to the doctor later this afternoon and then will be heading out for our annual Christmas traveling. And I realized, this is really the first time she's ever been really sick. Like fever, can't sleep kind of sick. First time ever. I can't even begin to tell you how fortunate that makes me feel.

I love that little girl more than anything I've ever done or seen or been in my entire life. Which makes me love our God even that much more. I'm very sorry to all of you, but if I had to let my daughter die in your place, you'd all be screwed. Because I don't have that kind of love for you. But God does. He loved you so much that He allowed his ONLY SON to come down and be ridiculed, beaten, abandoned, and killed - all for people who at the very least are indifferent towards Him. Think about your own children - would you give them up to save someone like that?

In this Christmas Season, you've been told it's about Santa, it's about presents, it's about Baby Jesus. But, this year, what if it was about you? What if Christmas wasn't a season to celebrate the Jesus that we only talk to on Sundays and the occasional Wednesday? Like the song says, "From the lack of my persistency, we're less than half as close as I want to be". This Christmas, think of the sacrifice it would take for you to make the same choice that God made and realize the abundance of His love for us.

A God that will protect me at any cost, even the death of His own Son? Now, that's a God I can get behind.

Merry Christmas everyone!

First Birthday Party Fun

I am so behind on updating this blog that I'm going to have to catch it up in shifts...this time I will write about Mady's birthday party and later I will write about her actual birthday and Thanksgiving. BUT FIRST...her party.

Here's the thing...I'm kind of a closet snob. I want my kid to have the best clothes, the cutest shoes and, apparently, the best party. I wanted it to be one of those picture perfect nights where everyone came and had the best time ever. I guess I want Mady to have 'super childhood'. To accomplish this goal, I booked Mady's party at Gymboree. If you've never been there, its pretty cool. Its a whole play area made out of squooshy toys and climbing things...all for kids. When you book a party with them, they provide everything except food and invitations. There is even a person that comes to lead the party-goers in games and other fun activities. Its great! You get the most out of the party with the least amount of preparation.

So, I got off early on Friday (I work on Fridays while Michael stays home) and went to get the cookies. I love these cookies. I got them from my favorite bakery in OKC. I ordered pink and blue flowers (they matched the invitations) and they turned out perfectly! While I was there, I also bought a cupcake. It was too cute and I wanted to have something to put Mady's candle in. I can't explain why, but I almost cried when I saw the cookies and the cupcake. I can't believe Mady is a year old!!! It seems like I just blinked and she turned from a little baby who grunted like a pirate into a toddler that can point to her nose and dances like a pro. Too crazy.

When I got home, Michael and Mady were playing in the living room. While I was going to check the mail, I heard a thud and then a scream. Mady had crawled up to the window to see me and as she was reaching for the window sill, she missed it with her hands and hit it with her head. It was horrible! She had two large red spots that surrounded the place where the sill hit. Of course she would get a huge bruise on her HEAD the day of her party. I'm so glad she had enough hair to cover it up! We got Mady ready and off we went. It was perfect, Mady fell asleep on the way so she would be perfectly refreshed for the party...right?!

We went to pick up the balloons. I ordered one for every kid and and a silver 1 that was taller than Mady. As I'm trying to shove this HUGE bouquet of balloons into the car, Mady wakes up and is totally freaked out by the large shiny objects that were seemingly attacking her. She immediately started crying. Can you imagine waking up to 20 balloons in your face...it was all she could see! It would be so frightening. By the time we got to the party place, she was a little leery of this whole party idea. I don't think that she fully recovered from the balloon attack. She was in an okay mood, but she wasn't her normal perky self.

The party went well. I think everyone had a good time. Mady liked seeing everyone and some of the games she really got into. She loved bubble time but HATED the parachute. She also loved the cupcake. She really dug into it. I finally took it away when she was about to put a very large blob of icing in her mouth. The thought disgusted me so I took the rest of the cupcake away immediately.

I think her party was a success. Now, I'm worried about how we're going to top it next year.

Geez, has it been a month since I last posted something? That's dumb. I'm sorry everyone. I'm also sorry that I'm sitting down with nothing really planned for this post. I just knew I needed to write something.

Mady has been doing great lately. She is growing up SO fast. She now has three teeth. I just discovered one more this morning. It makes sense, she has been a little grumpy lately and hasn't been sleeping very well. That reminds me of something new I've discovered about myself...

When Mady was a newborn I could wake up as many times as she needed and it didn't bother me. I had an endless supply of compassion for her in the middle of the night. Somewhere along the way I have lost that midnight-compassion and it has been replaced with 'Just go back to sleep already! I'm tired!' I'm not really proud of myself but I feel like honesty is important so I'm sharing it with you. Maybe there's a young mother that will discover my blog and find comfort in knowing she's not the only mother who loves her little one but is passionate about getting more sleep. So, instead of sitting up with Mady and rocking her until she drifts peacefully back to sleep, I bring her to bed with me and Michael. NOT a good idea. Now, instead of her being awake in her room, she's laying next to poor Michael who has to get up in two hours. Mady loves her dad so much that she has a hard time leaving him alone. Usually, she punches Michael in the eye as a 'Hey dad! I'm here to play!' announcement. If she's not wanting to play, she will just flop around trying to get comfortable. Finally, usually after about an hour of trying to get her to be still, I get up, even more frustrated, and take her back to her room where she falls asleep quickly but only for a short while.

The other night, after fighting with Mady for an hour, I got up in a huff and told Michael how tired I was. He said to me, 'You know why you can't sleep? Because you keep bringing Mady to bed with you!' I wish I could report that this statement was in a loving tone, but it wasn't. I guess I say all of this to get to the conclusion: I'm ready for Mady to not be teething anymore so she (and as a result, the rest of the family) can get some good sleep.

Other new developments include Mady learning where her head is. She's been watching a Baby Einstein video that sings the 'Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes' song. Now, when she hears head, she puts both of her hands on her head. Its pretty cute. She has also developed hand signals for the song she wants you to sing. She claps her hands if she wants Patty Cake and she wiggles her fingers if she wants Itsy Bitsy Spider. I love that! She isn't walking yet...that we've seen. Heather, a frequent nursery worker at church, says that Mady has been taking one step at a time. It makes me so mad that Heather gets to see her walk! Mady has always done stuff in nursery before she does it at home. So, I quit working so I could witness all of Mady's milestones and she accomplishes them during the two hours a week that I'm not around. Great. Oh, Mady also knows 'Hi' and 'Bye'. She can't say the words but when she hears them she knows

to wave. Her wave is pretty funny, she lets her hand dangle lifelessly and just shakes her arm.

Oh! Mady's first Halloween! We had a great time. Actually, Noble and Norman did their trick or treating the day before Halloween so I forgot to put her in her costume on the actual holiday. Ooops. No big deal though, she was Pebbles for storytime and the church party on Wednesday and on Friday for a Halloween party and to pass out candy.

At the church party, we forgot the bone that I made for her hair. I ran to the resource room to try to make a stand-in. I was kind of freaking out and Michael said to me, 'Jen, she'll have a good time without the bone in her hair. Lets just go let her play.' It was then that I realized how important to ME it was that she have the bone. I put so much time working on her costume that I wanted it to be perfect. For that few moments I let myself be the baby! I figure I only have a small amount of time to get things my way before she starts giving me her opinion. I'm clinging to this time when I can pick out her outfits and do her hair how I want. Its fun and she's so beautiful...I guess I will gradually start giving that up though.

Warning... Shameless Bragging Ahead!

Nothing makes me more happy than someone gushing over my pretty little girl. You know, when you have a child you think they are the most beautiful creature God has ever created...even if they look like Elmer Fudd. Before I had Mady I was worried she would come out looking like a little old man, bald and wrinkle covered with exaggerated features. You know, when men get

older their nose and ears don't stop growing, so eventually those parts become way too big for their face. Don't pretend you don't notice when babies have the same issue...it happens.

Well, I was greatly relieved when Mady was born not only looking like a girl, but when I saw her pretty features too. Don't get me wrong, I know that some people told us how pretty she was just out of that awkward obligation you have when you meet a new baby, but as she's grown, I've noticed people going out of their way to comment on her looks. We were at Wal-Mart the other day and as we were loading Mady in her stroller a man driving by stopped his truck, rolled down his window and said, "That sure is a pretty baby!" He didn't have to do that...so that leads me to

believe that she really is pretty. Not only that, but Michael says that similar things happen to him all the time when he's out with Madalyn. One day Michael told me that 10 people stopped him at the store and commented on Mady. I'm so proud to be sharing this!

One day Mady was particularly cute so I took some pictures. Here are a couple:

I just love that kid! She also has many new things that she does to establish her cuteness. She blows raspberries, kisses cheeks, she waves (she actually knows the word wave), says 'yes' with a little lisp, and squeals when Michael tickles her (or when you sing Itsy Bitsy Spider to her...her favorite song). Yeah, she's the cutest.

Friday I was having a meltdown so I blew off work and we took Mady to the Zoo for the first time. It was lots of fun! Mady was perfect the whole time. She even left her hat on for some of trip!

Mady with a bear in the background.

We had tons of fun. Actually, it was the perfect weekend. God is so good to us.

First Tooth and Emotions

Thats right! Today Madalyn Rhea Garner got her first tooth! Its really more of a nub...its just barely sticking up out of her bottom gums. I think it was bothering her all day though. At lunch, I gave her some oranges and I noticed her trying to bite them with her new tooth. I don't know if she wanted to get some use out of the thing or if the cold oranges felt good on her sore little gums.

Today, when I discovered the nub, all I wanted to do was look at it. Mady didn't want me anywhere near her mouth. It sounds dumb, but it kind of hurt my feelings. It was like she had done this 'growing a tooth thing' by herself and kept it a secret from me. Then, when I realized what had happened, she didn't want me to be a part of it. Is that the dumbest thing you've ever heard? Maybe I'm just feeling sorry for myself because she is growing up so fast. If she keeps getting older this quickly, I'm afraid I won't be able to keep up. Soon she'll be making friends and having sleepovers and if it happens too fast I wont be ready! Is being a parent like everything else? Does it take practice to get it right? Is there a right? Do I have enough time to practice before I start messing things up?

I know that part of this drama comes from my discovery of my daughters personality. She's already showing me how curious and independent she is. Here's the problem: when I was little, I listened to my parents. When they told me not to do something, I figured they had a good reason so I stayed away from the situation. Michael did not learn this way. He's the type of person that had to feel the heat to know the stove was hot. I'm so worried that my little girl will get un-necessarily 'burned' because she has to find out life on her own and not listen to the protective suggestions that her loving (and experienced) parents offer. Don't get me wrong, I don't want to shelter her...and I want Mady to live her own life, but I don't want her to suffer when she doesn't have to. I don't want her to 'experience life' but have to deal with the consequences that some decisions bring.

Here's a word to future Mady: I love you. I want you to live a wonderful life that is full of music, fun, beauty and love. The only way to experience all of these wonderful things to their fullest is through a relationship with Christ and a life lead by the Holy Spirit. God created life, I'm sure He knows how its supposed to be lived. When I discipline you or try to steer you away from certain situations, its NOT because I don't want you to have fun or because I don't want you to grow up. Its because, through an imperfect life, I have learned things that, if for no other reason, I've learned but to save you from heartache and regret. I try to keep you from things so that you WILL have fun and so you CAN grow up into the person you want to be, not just the product of what you've been through. There is a difference. You can see it on people's faces. Some people's lives are a result of the ride, others drive themselves where they want to go. Oh how I want you to grow into a confident, fun-loving, sometimes crazy, beautiful Christian woman. I will try to be an example for you...but here's a secret...I think your dad might know...I'm not perfect. I'm not always going to have the answers or be the example you want or need. Please forgive me for my shortcomings. I pray that you will look to God as your ultimate example and will live a life that is sensitive to the Holy Spirit. And that God will use your energy and curiosity to further your relationship with Him and your witness for Him. Oh, one more thing, you can tell me anything. I want to be a part of your life! No matter what, I'm here to love and help you. You are the most fascinating person to me.

Oh, how I wish I could spare Madalyn from some things...like Jr. High. Nothing good ever happens in Jr. High and everyone dresses in a way that they will regret, and hair is always a mistake and everything is just awkward. I hated Jr. High.

-AND girls. Girls can be so mean. I'd like Mady to only have the best girlfriends... who never talk behind each other's backs and who don't try to look better than each other. (Do those girls exist? Even now, I find myself competing with other women. Not only that, but I try to make sure Mady has the best outfit at story time...that's right, I'm using my 10 month old to make me look good in front of the other moms...what is wrong with me? I guess I need to work on this one before Mady gets old enough to learn from my example! She does have the best outfits though.)

-AND boys...they are always up to no good.

-AND homework...really, who needs it? Work is for work and home is for home. Never the two shall (should) meet.

-AND 8am college classes. Dumb idea. Nothing in college should happen before 10:30am. None of this, 'preparation for the real world' crap...SLEEP IN! Its your last chance until you're retired...

So far its a short list...oh there is more...but I think I'll save it for a later blog.

Sneaky Sneaky

Whew, it has been a busy couple of weeks for the Garner Family. Two weeks ago Michael rode 100 miles in a bike ride called 'Hotter Than Hell'. Mady and I tagged along (on the trip...not the ride) and had a good time. )If I haven't told you the story about our hotel, here's the short version. We checked into a hotel in Wichita Falls, TX. Nasty! Hair, bugs, stains...just gross. I cried thinking about my little girl staying in a place like that. So, we ended up staying in Lawton in a Hampton Inn...it saved the trip!) She clapped for her daddy as he rode through the finish line. Then, last weekend, Granny and Papa (Vivian and Roger) were here. We had a nice visit. Madalyn really bonded with Granny AND Papa. She loved it when Roger would play his guitar...she would throw her head back and laugh. Granny gave her a bath and they laughed and splashed. Rog and Viv also did some babysitting for us! Thats right...we went on a date...dinner and a show! Of course, the date was in Poteau, Oklahoma...dinner was Arby's drive through and the 'show' was Walmart. We did see a Tahoe that was pretty pimped out so that was exciting. Honestly, it doesn't sound that glamorous, but it was exactly what we needed.

I decided that, after nine months, everything had caught up to me. I was so tired, Michael and I had been squabbling over stupid stuff and I was at the end of my rope. Michael, being the WONDERFUL husband that he is, devised a plan to help fix all the tension that had been building up. Monday nights are now my night off. I am supposed to go somewhere and sit. I can read, drink a chai, drive around, anything...as long as I relax. Tuesdays belong to Michael, Wednesdays are Awanas (huh, I'm sure this will come up in a later blog), Thursdays are date night and Fridays are family night. My mom has graciously volunteered to babysit on Thursdays and Saturdays (so we can clean our house). It all seemed to fall into place. Its like I told God how tired I was and He said, "Okay...heres the solution." It was perfect. I really think spending some time alone, and having alone time with Michael, will be the break I need to calm down. There for a few days Michael was beginning to wonder if I was pregnant again...I think he saw glimpses of 'the dragon' coming back. Michael even volunteered to take night duty with Mady for a couple of nights. It was amazing to get a full night's rest!!! I feel normal again.

So, nothing new had developed with Mady these past couple of weeks...or so we thought. Apparently, in nursery, she has been STANDING UP. Sarah Neal had been watching Mady in nursery and afterwards commented on how Mady had been standing during the church service. Michael and I were shocked! We didn't know she knew how to stand on her own!!! We shouldn't have been surprised. Mady has begun to be very sneaky. She will sneak to a shelf that she knows she shouldn't pull up on. She sneaks out of the living room. She sneaks shoes and pieces of fuzz into her mouth. All the while, she give us this grin over her shoulder like, "Remember how cute I am? Good, let that distract you while I do what I'm not supposed to do." No good. I have already begun to ask God to morph her curiosity for life into a curiosity about Him and His Word. Oh dear...we sure do have our work cut out for us, don't we!?