Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Lots of changes

So much has happened in our lives since our last post.

First, on March 3, we said goodbye to my beloved grandfather, Joe. Joe lived a great long 86 years and we are very grateful for all the years God gave us with him. Living in Tucson, I was fortunate enough to spend a lot of time with Joe over the last 15 years that he has been a part of my life. He certainly left a legacy and I will cherish all of my memories with him. He is missed everyday, and we know he shines down upon us.  

Next, Martin embarked on a 2-week trip to China. He traveled to Shanghai and Beijing as part of his MBA program. He had a great time! He said both cities and the culture is fascinating, although he assured me he wouldn't want to live in China :) They visited many great corporations including Google, BMW, JPMorgan, and IBM. He visited the Great Wall of China and countless other Chinese landmarks. And no, he did not eat any scorpions on a stick. Gross.

Third, while Martin was in China, Madelyn and I traveled to Michigan for two weeks. We stayed at my parents house, although my mom was still in Tucson with my grandma. Madelyn got to meet her great aunts and uncles, her second cousins, and some of mommy's best friends! We had a great time....although I came down with the flu, so we weren't able to get out and about quite as much as we would have liked. The weather was incredible - while we were there, they set records for high temperatures! We cannot wait to go back in the fall for a football game!!

On the job front - both Martin and I have exciting job news. My employer, Omni Tucson National Resort, has allowed me to stay on part-time. I work two days a week and then I enjoy the other three weekdays at home with Maddie. It's a great setup and has worked out very well for us so far. It's such a blessing for us. And then....drum roll please....Martin has a NEW JOB!!! After exploring several opportunities, Martin accepted a position with Bank of the West and began his new career on April 4. He is a Senior Private Client Advisor II, Vice President, and Market Leader I. Whew. There are a few titles for you! As the financial world is a bit out of my realm of understanding, I don't fully grasp all the cool things he does. But overall, he heads up the Wealth Management division of Bank of the West in Tucson. So far, so good!

Finally, on to our sweet baby girl. Madelyn is doing very well and getting so grown up! She weighs just over 18 lbs (as of yesterday) and she was 27 inches long about a month ago. At the moment, she has her first cold/flu, with a runny nose, cough, fever, and some vomiting. She just doesn't feel well, which is tough for mommy and daddy to watch, but she seems to be doing better each day. She sits up on her own now. She seems to really enjoy sitting on her play mat surrounded by toys to play with. When she's not sitting up and playing with her toys, she LOVES her jumper. She jumps, and jumps, and jumps, and jumps, and jumps, and, you get the point. Nonstop. I don't know how she doesn't get tired. It's hilarious. She got her first tooth on April 13. She is definitely still trying to cut another tooth too. She transitioned from her bassinet to her big-girl crib about a month ago. She eats a variety of fruits and veggies, and pears seem to be her favorite! She says 'da' and 'dada' and 'dadadadadada' A LOT. She experiments with 'ba' and 'ya' and 'wa' too. We have been going to the library for baby time, with stories, songs, and playtime with other babies her age. She really enjoys it! We will start swimming pretty soon. The park across the street has a little baby pool, so we intend to spend a lot of time there this summer. Hope she likes it! I have lots of new pictures of Maddie and I will share them in my next post.

I think that completes our update!

Monday, February 13, 2012

Fun with photos!

As a new iPhone user, I'm still discovering all the nifty things it can do. My latest finds (and obsessions) are the Instagram and Hipstamatic photo apps. So so so cool. I've been taking lots of photos of Maddie lately and playing around with the different finishes/effects. Will share some of my 'work' below. Hahahahaha. Hardly. But it does make me feel like a real photographer!

Madelyn turned 5 months old last Wednesday. Holy cow! Where did that time go? She'll be half a year old very soon! She is really starting to become her own little person. She is very funny. She growls and squeals....a lot. Sometimes at the top of her lungs. She smiles and laughs. And she has recently discovered her feet, and the fact that she can put her feet in her mouth. Yum. She sucks on her fingers and on her thumb, which is so cute. She rolls over very well and she can almost sit up on her own. She's doing well in the Bumbo, she's just started to use her little activity walker, and she started rice cereal. Big milestones! She's sleeping about 10-11 hours at night...GREAT for Mommy and Daddy :)

In other news, I have resigned from my job as a sales manager at Omni Tucson National Resort. I will be done by the end of February. After much consideration, we decided that it's best for me to spend more time at home with Maddie right now. I am exploring part-time work as a tutor, and although I will miss my colleagues at Omni dearly, I'm really excited about the new opportunity!

My photographic experiments:

One of my favorite outfits.
 
Baby's first hipstamatic photo.
 
Ya know, just chillin'. Watching 'toons.
 
I think this photo looks a lot like me when I was a baby. Will have a comparison photo soon!
   
Ahh, the flexibility of a baby...
   
This photo looks like it was taken circa 1964. Oh the marvels of modern technology.


 
'Hmph.'
 
Her newest toy.
  
Yep, she likes it!
  
EVERY time I put her in the high chair, she insists on propping her leg up.
  
Attitude.




Time for rice cereal!
  
'Ew!'
  
Mommy's turn to try. Still 'ew!'
  

The very next day, while at home with Grandma, decides she can eat by herself. Must taste better when made by Grandma.
 

Monday, January 23, 2012

A January Update

Happy 2012, everyone!

Perhaps my New Year's Resolution should have been to be more diligent with my blog posts. Le sigh. We have tons of pictures on our camera, but for now, the iPhone photos will have to suffice :)

Madelyn has been lots of fun lately. She makes all sorts of hilarious noises - growling, squealing, screaming, etc. She is definitely experimenting with her vocal cords. She is doing much better at tummy time (although she still hates it), and she is rolling over! She can roll in both directions and usually does better at rolling over in her crib instead of on the floor. We've captured a video of it and I will post the video soon. At her last doctor appointment, she weighed 14 lbs. 3 oz and was 26 inches long! We cannot believe how quickly 4 1/2 months have gone by!



Christmas Day in her Santa outfit.
  
Christmas Day again

  
Her Christmas teddy bear outfit

 
The day after Christmas...'watching' TV with Daddy.

 
4 months old!

 
She gets very ferocious on her playmat!
 
Holding her own bottle...even if it was for just a split second!
 
We went for a walk outside in the Baby Bjorn and a hat was needed. We only had this adorable little newborn size bonnet. Didn't fit so well and didn't shade so well. Oops.


Cousin Jay was in town and got to meet Madelyn for the first time!


Car ride on her first trip to Phoenix to watch Grandma run the 1/2 marathon!
  
Not so interested in the car ride.


Her first time in a hotel room


Intently watching 'Winnie the Pooh'. She loves the lights and sounds on the TV!!! Uh oh.
 
Tummy time in her crib.

An adorable outfit :)