Bass Pro Santa

A few weekends ago, my parents wanted to take Karlee to Santa's Wonderland at Bass Pro Shops. We headed out on Sunday morning and Karlee was super excited to go see Santa. She kept saying she wanted to sit on his leg and tell him to bring her a tractor. Yes, my little girl wants a tractor like her daddy's for Christmas!

When we arrived, Karlee enjoyed coloring, playing games, and checking out the reindeer. She also wrote her first letter to Santa (well, with the help of mommy!). Santa finally arrived and Karlee took off running after him. I was busy pushing the stroller to catch up with her to take pictures of her running but it was hilarious. I was also busy trying to keep Santa from dropping Madelyn to take pictures of them on his lap. At least we have the one taken by the little elves at Bass Pro!






Karlee signed her name under my handwritten one. See the marks! Notice also that she wants a football. And, not just any football. She wants the Alabama football she toted all over Academy Sports a few weeks ago. I'm just not so sure Santa will fulfill that wish!



Karlee put her letter in the mail to the North Pole,


and reminded me that you have to put the flag up for the letter to be sent. Such a smart one!

A Blessed Thanksgiving

The holiday season is upon us and I am definitely counting my blessings this year. We enjoyed a great Thanksgiving week with family and ate entirely too much food. This is the best family shot we got all week but at least it's a memory.



And this chunky turkey is growing by the day. I can't wait for her one month appointment to see how much she weighs. She was only 9 ounces bigger than Karlee when she was born but I guarantee she is going to outweigh her at all checkups. This girl likes to eat, but only from mommy. We are having a hard time finding a bottle she will take. I am one exhausted momma these days.



I hope your Thanksgiving was just as wonderful as ours. It's so hard to believe Christmas is just around the corner. We are all ready in our house though. Bring on the tree and decorations!!!

Thanksgiving Party

Karlee's class had a small party before they were out for the Thanksgiving break. When I walked in and saw her sitting beside Hugh Harris, I just had to take a picture. She talks about Hugh all the time and pretends to call him on the phone. Crushes on boys start early! Watch out daddy!

Telling Madelyn about the party, even though she was there!

Auburn vs Georgia 2010

The thought of missing the last tailgate of the season just wasn't sitting well with me. Chip had a fishing tournament so I talked my parents into going with us to drive and help with the girls. Just getting out of the house was a chore! I loaded up on pain medicine and away we went.

We tailgate on the Wallace Lawn directly beside the alumni tent. So, we are in the direct path of Aubie. This was Karlee's first tailgate this season and when she saw him, she took off. As you can see, Madelyn was thrilled to see Aubie too! She slept through the entire tailgate and never opened her eyes for 4 hours. I guess at 2 weeks old, sleep is pretty much what she does all the time anyway!





Karlee got her face painted, learned some cheers, and even had her picture taken with some cheerleaders!





We came back home to watch the amazing ballgame. The long walk back to the car just about did me in pain wise. It was all worth it though because this is an amazing season and Karlee had a ball! WARRRRRR EAGLE!!!!

What day is it?

I find myself asking this question a lot. I have to look at my phone to see the date and what day of the week it is. I am one sleep deprived lady!

I just can't say enough about my mom. She has been so much help to me and Karlee. I cried when she had to leave my house after staying the whole first week. I know I see her at least every other day but knowing that she isn't here all day and night just makes me teary. I guess it's the comfort of knowing someone else is here if I need them.




It's been a long few weeks. Karlee and Madelyn have had stuffy heads. I even had to take Madelyn to the doctor to be tested for RSV. She spit up lots of mucus that was so thick I had to pull it out of her mouth and nose. After that she had bad raspy breathing and even stopped breathing for a brief minute. I was at home by myself and it scared me to death. All tests were negative! We've been suctioning noses and sleeping with humidifiers and everybody seems to be on the mend.

Karlee is absolutely in love with her little sister now. She wants to hold her all the time and constantly wants to give her toys to play with. She knows not to try to pick her up but she hasn't realized yet that Madelyn is not big enough the play patty cake. I've been trying to get it on video but am too late every time. Karlee takes Madelyn's hands and does patty cake with them and then starts singing Itsy Bitsy Spider and showing Madelyn the hand motions. It's so adorable.




I think it's time to pump a bottle so Karlee can help with feeding Madelyn. I was quick to get this picture last week. Sorry Karlee, I don't think those little things will feed Madelyn! Chip is totally disturbed by this. But, what does he expect Karlee to do when she sees me feeding like this all day long? I can't hide in a closet every time Madelyn is hungry!

Rewind to Halloween 2010

I can't believe I forgot a Halloween post (well, I guess I can considering what all happened that week!). I found out on Tuesday October 26 that I would be having a c-section on October 28. The night of the 26th was Opelika's fall festival. I knew this would be my only opportunity to take Karlee somewhere all dressed up in her cute costume. She got to see one of her favorite people: Aubie! She played some games and got lots of candy.





I headed to the hospital bright and early Thursday morning. Chip's mom came over to keep Karlee and take her to school. The class costume party was that day but I have no pictures from it. Linda doesn't know how to use a camera!!

I came home from the hospital on October 31. I couldn't get home fast enough. I wanted to be there when Karlee got dressed for trick-or-treating. Sweet daddy took Raggedy Ann over to the Dilworth's house for trick-or-treating with friends and their annual brunswick stew dinner. They had a neighborhood hayride that Karlee still talks about. When they came home, Chip called me and said to be ready for the cutest trick-or-treater I've ever seen. Karlee came through the front door with a bucket FULL of candy and wanted more from me. She was exhausted but had a great time. Thanks to my mom, our trick-or-treaters were well taken care of at my house!

Fast and Furious One Week

Wow! Where did the first week go? Time is flying by so quickly. I snapped a few pics before we headed to the doctor for the one week check up this morning. It's rare to catch these bright eyes open. But, when I do, it's so much fun to watch her look around and check out her surroundings.






I was shocked when the scale today said 7 lb 2 oz. This child is definitely an eater (and mommy is definitely a producer!). Karlee has warmed up to the fact that a new person is in this house. It took a few days for her to warm up to Madelyn and me. I was an emotional basket case. She's definitely started acting out for attention so I hope that settles down soon too.



But, now things are smoothing out and Karlee wants to help do EVERYTHING. My only wish is that time will slow down. It seems to be moving so much faster than when Karlee was born.

Here's a picture of Karlee at one week old. They already seem to have different personalities. Karlee cried all the time for just no reason at all. Madelyn just lays back and takes it all in. Karlee bothers the heck out of her and she lays there and sleeps right through it. I see some similarities but they are individual in their own little ways too.

And baby makes 4

Madelyn Montgomery Baker arrived on Thursday, October 28 at 7:44 am. The little munchkin was 6 lb 12 oz 19 inches long. It was a very emotional day for me dealing with the fact that I had no choice but to deliver by c-section.

All went well and we are now home. Here are just a few pics. I'll post more later.