Easter!!

Maddy's first Easter. We were missing our older 'baby' Am! She went to California with her friend Natalie for an early 18th birthday celebration/Spring Break. Wait...18?? Yes...this is the year that I have to look forward to and want to rewind a decade at the same time. Here we have this beautiful, perfect little miracle. We are so lucky to have her and every single day I stare at her and ask...'is she really mine?' On the other hand my other baby will be graduating from high school and turn 18 all within 3 months! I am tearing up while I write this. Only because through these past 18 years, I have had the absolute pleasure of being Ambree's mom, and hopefully as of late, friend! She is the rock that helped me 'grow up'. She is the sweetest and most level headed 17 year old I know. Much more so than I was at that age. I am blessed to have this person, woman, teenager to call mine! She has always been a momma's girl. Always protective, always lovey! Even offering one year, her birthday money, to help mom pay bills when things were tight. That makes the tears roll... I absolutely love this girl and look forward to helping her through life and college, etc, etc. Meanwhile looking back and missing that smily little girl she once was! Love you Am and I am so proud of the person you are. If Mad's turn's out half as wonderful in 17 years, we will truly be the luckiest parents in the world. (Even moreso than now!) Sniff...sniff...
Anywho...We went to my parents house for dinner and an Easter egg hunt. Luke was conversing with Mad. (Which according to him, she said 'hello' to him 3 times!) He's so cute with her!

Addy with her ball. Love that face!

Emerie with her egg basket, with the help of Papa, finding eggs!

Alec holding Maddy. Love that kid, or should I say young man. He's so handsome!

The excitement was too much and Mads was tuckered out. Auntie Sissa is a good resting place.

Mad and I having our own conversation!

Busted!! I watched my nieces Thursday while Matt and Sissa moved into their new house. (Congrats guys!!) All got a little too quiet while feeding Maddy. Here's where I found the 2 culprits. In Mad's room climbing on the chair. Love them!!

Nem's thought this was funny! While Addy drops the evidence!

The three musketeers. In another year, they will be partners in crime! Notice they all have a hair pokie of sorts on their yummy little heads!

Thanks to my parents for the fun Easter!

Maddy blessing and family visit...

Here are my 3 new favorite pics....
Dan holding Mad and she is staring at him. LOVE IT!

Am and Mad 'smiling' at each other. Am is such a cute big sister. She's SO helpful! If I didn't have her, I don't know what I'd do! Am has always been MY rock, MY teacher, and MY baby. She just started the last quarter of her last year of high school. Wierd! Beyond wierd, actually! She's getting ready to graduate and it's hard to get a handle on it all!

Mad is bored with 'tummy time'. :)

Still bored!

Dan's parents drove down from Oak Harbor, Washington for the week to meet Maddy.
I think, like the rest of us, they are totally in love with her.

A whole new level of exhaustion has hit! Netting about 3 to 4 hours of sleep at night, plus trying to keep up with things during the day, I am beyond tired. BUT... there is nothing more beautiful and precious to me than those little eyes staring up at you, even if it's 3 in the morning!

Maddy's first bath and some catch up...

In the 17 years since doing this previously, it has escaped me the level of tired that is reached on a daily basis. Maybe 17 years has been harder on me than I thought. I'm not sure I've ever been this exhausted before. Holy cow!! She does sleep for long periods of time (i.e. 4 to 5 hours) BUT... her 'sleeping' is loud and active. She makes so much noise and movements that Dan and I hardly sleep. I know it will be a matter of moving her into her own room to get some semblance of a sleeping pattern, but we're having a tough time cutting that cord! So...until Dan and I can 'let go' and move her down the hall, no sleep will be had at the Eerkes residence! We're not minding too much right now though.
Here is Maddy getting ready for her first bath. She doesn't mind the bath part, it's the getting out and lotioned up and dressed parts that she hates. Something about a naked baby that is soooo cute!

Her favorite place to be, on daddy's chest! I think it's dad's favorite place for her to be to. Funny that you can become so attached to such a small thing. We can leave for a bit, and come home just aching to smother her with kisses and hugs. Even Dan gets a little achy for her when he's out for long periods of time. So cute...

WIDE AWAKE!! She does like the bath. Something about the warm bath water though...makes her just want to pee, every single time! So we spend half the time cleaning out the tub and re-filling it.

She's almost a month old now. Funny how time flies. I'm so greatful to be able to sit around with her and smell her, kiss her, just soak it all in. I didn't get to do too much of that with Am. Plus I don't think at that young age, I appreciated the experience as much as I do now. Must be the maturity part has kicked in at some point. I don't love my girls any differently. Like Dan said once, '... throwing yourself in front of a bus to protect them...' Am has been so good! She says it's a little 'wierd' being an older sister at this age, (When she's asked by someone outside the family.) but, she sure eats it up. She gets home from school and hogs her immediately for a few hours. She secretly LOVES it! And she's good at it. What mother could be happier to have a calm, loving older sibling and a babysitter who BEGS to babysit her. Hmmm, I'll take her up on it more often I'm sure.

Even though we are extremely sleep deprived, I don't think that one of us is NOT enjoying this yummy little baby girl!

We're home...

We were delayed a day in coming home. Maddy's bili levels were too high. They put her under the phototherapy lights for a day and since I had given birth just after midnight on Sunday, they let me stay another night. It was nice to be just down the hall from her, rather than leave her there. We got to bring her home Wednesday. She's under lights at home, but it's better than her being at the hospital still. She doesn't so much love the bed she has to lay in. In fact it makes her a bit fussy. I don't blame her...bless her heart. She's so good and soooo sweet.

Am and Maddy snuggling before bed. So sweet...

Dan reading to her. When she's awake, she just stares at him. She loves his voice!

Mad on her little lights.

My favorite pic of her...so far. She's in her new little swing from Aunt Sissa and my mom. Soooo yummy!

Little Maddy...wide awake.

Maddy's first morning...

Introducing....Maddy Jane Eerkes!

Madeline Jane Eerkes

3-2-2009

7 pounds 13 ounces

19.5 inches long

So, after 3 to 4 weeks of pre-term or false labor...she's finally here!! I was scheduled to be induced on Monday morning around 7:30 am. Sunday afternoon, like many other days past, I started having contractions. Thinking that it would be like every other time and come to a stop, we went on with the day. At Famous Dave's for dinner, they started getting stronger. By the time we got home, they were strong and close together. We were there long enough to grab our bags and head back out. We got to the hospital by 7 pm Sunday night, I was already dilated to 5! Yeah, they didn't want to send me home this time, unlike the week before. Within the next 2 hours, I was admitted, given an epidural, and dilated to 6.5. By 11:30 pm, I was dilated and ready. She was ready to come now on her own terms. At 12:49, after only about 10 minutes of pushing, our little miracle angel arrived!! Healthy, happy, and a strong little set of lungs on her!! Here's daddy to be and I patiently awaiting...wasn't much longer!

Proud big sister feeding little Maddy! Am cut the umbilical cord! I was suprised that she wanted to...but glad!

Cute cousins Savvy, Lukie, and Carter (Smooth like butta...) visiting new little Maddy. After which, they all told their mom that she needs to have another baby. Go Robyn!!! It's your turn!!

Proud daddy! Boy, you talk about 'wrapped around your finger'. It took maybe being in this world a mili-second, and having all of those around you completely wrapped around your finger! How do you not fall in love with that sort of beautiful innocence! Yes, she is my baby, but I must say that she is perfection! Perfect eyes and hair. Perfect nose and chin. Yummy little hands and feet. For the third time in my life, I have fallen completely and totally in love! Yes, I am lucky, I am so extremely blessed. My husband and my girls...are the loves of my life!

Baby shower...

So, my darling sister, Melissa, sister-in-law, Robyn, and cutest mom threw me a baby shower this past weekend. They went completely above and beyond in the cute department with little lipglosses labeled with my name, candy bar wrappers that were catered to the shower theme, yummy, yummy food, and great family and friends. It was so fun to see everyone! Dan's mom and 2 darling sisters flew in from Portland to attend and spend the weekend with us. It was so cool!! Dan showed up after a bit with baby's first Dora ski helmet. (Think he's excited to get her on the slopes??)

My darling daughter had the camera with instructions to take pictures of everyone during the shower. Needless to say, she did. One picture of everyone, and many, many pics of her and Natalie with their endless faces. I guess at 17, it's probably what to expect! They are funny!! They were awful nice to include Savvy in quite a few of them. (She's a natural in front of the camera I might add.)

Am and cute little Lindsey!

My dear, sweet friend Carma! Ever know someone in your life who just puts you in a better mood by being around them? This chic is it! She is one of the most beautiful people I have ever met in my life. I am truly a better person for knowing her! Love you Carm Carm!!

Cute friends, Katie, Lindsey, and Jamie!

This is a cute family pic. The 'candy bar' that they put together was the best. Although I fear I'll be eating chocolate for months! This is in NO WAY a complaint, mind you! I just have to re-train myself to NOT eat whatever I want, whenever I want! This is why I've come up to almost 40 pounds. It's possible to have a 20 pound baby, right??? The rest is water and leftover pregnancy stuff, right?? Hah! Oh well.

The 'candy bar'!

So, without getting too mushy....eehhh screw it... thank you, thank you to you all for coming and making this so much fun! To my mom and Robyn...thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for all you did and continue to do. I LOVE YOU GUYS! To Sissa, who not only masterminded the bulk of it AND managed to finish the blanket I started months ago just in time for my shower...an additional THANK YOU! No one could ask for a better, cuter sister! I say this with tears in my eyes...seriously! You guys are the best! To Dan's mom and sisters who took the time to fly out here, thank you, it meant the world to me for you to be part of it!

I am blessed to have such wonderful family, this includes Dan's side to! Love you all!