10 months & Madeline's 1st Turkey Day!

 Grammy, Poppy & Madeline 

 Watch out world I'M CRAWLING!! 

Hi Momma!! 

Dear Madeline Grace, 

     

      This Thanksgiving your papa & I had a lot to be thankful for. Especially our sweet little girl who couldn't be more perfect. Your smile just lights up the room, and even though you had a nasty sinus infection this past week you were beyond happy. You ate a TON of food on thanksgiving, loved the turkey and cranberry sauce but your favorite was the lemon pie! We also skyped your GiGi and Great Aunt & Uncle in Seattle! It was so amazing that you were able to blow them a kiss through the computer! Your now 10 months old and growing you so fast! Crawling all over the place and eating everything in sight! Your also starting to pull up on the table to attempt to stand. Can't believe that your almost one! 

      Love you baby girl! 

 XO, Daddy & Mommy 

What a Trooper!

 Bridesmaids/Flower Girl & Bride Pre Wedding Toast 

 My Beautiful Family of 3! 

The Bride Krysta & The 2 Flower Girls! 

Dear Madeline Grace, 

    This past weekend you were one of the flower girls in your Uncle Mike & Aunt Krysta's Wedding! It was truly amazing to join such an awesome couple in their special day! You were such a little ham and did so well being pushed down the aisle in a wagon! We had a feeling that you were coming down with a cold as you had a fever the entire day and night of the wedding, but I never knew it would last this long.  Its been over a week since the wedding & a trip to the drip with a prescription for antibiotics, you still aren't back to your normal happy self. You have quiet the runny nose, coughing and gagging to the point you are throwing up... its no fun at all. We feel so bad for you sweet heart but overall you have been a trooper! Most of the time you have a smile on your face and you couldn't be any cuter even though I know you don't feel great. 

Tomorrow you turn 10 months & thursday is your first Thanksgiving! Will be posting two more posts this week baby. 

   Love you sweet girl! 

                Xo, Papa & Momma 

Happy 9 Months Madeline!

 Happy 9th Month Birthday Maddie!! 

 Happy Halloween! 

Little Ham! 

Dear Madeline Grace, 

    I can't believe your 3 months away from 1 year old! Your 9th month appointment went great, you had to get one shot which you did great, I think mommy was more nervous than you were! You are 90% percentile for both weight and height & 100% for your head circumference. You love to eat ANYTHING that we give you and we are now in the process of transitioning you to table food, right in time for thanksgiving! Yogurt, puffs & applesauce are at the top of the list of things that you love to eat! This month you learned to crawl backwards, wave hello and goodbye, you will also copy people if they blow raspberries & you also survived  your very first (and hopefully last) hurricane. We stayed at grammy and poppy's house while your papa went out and ran calls all day and night. Halloween your were a little cupcake and we drove around to all your families houses to stop in and say hi, and everyone LOVED your costume! 

  Today we went to vote and I may be a little biased but I think you were the cutest little "voter" there! 

Love you! 

    Xo Daddy & Mommmy! 

Fall Party

 Learned to Clap this month 

 MOM stop it with the camera 

CHEESE! 

Dear Madeline, 

    This month we had our very 1st annual fall party! All the kids came over to hang out in their costumes and to play in the play room! It was crazy a total of 8 kids all under the age of 4! Its moments like this that I cherish, I stand back and take it all in, because before I know it you will be off to college! Onto other BIG I finally launched my business & put in my two weeks at work. I will be baking at home running Sweet from Scratch right out of our kitchen! I will still be watching kids in the morning/afternoons but only 3 days a week. I can't wait until your old enough to bake with me, some of my fondest memories are baking from my childhood. Your great grammy GiGi sent me a cookbook that she used to bake from and it truly touched my heart, its recipes like those that will build a business because they truly mean something to me. 

Monday is your 9 month appointment! Right now you are getting 3 teeth so you haven't been feeling that great, low grade fever and chewing on everything. Your one tough cookie though sweetheart! 

Love you baby girl! 

XO Papa & Momma 

Pumpkin Patch

 Love our little family of 3

 Classic Pumpkin Picture 

 Playing in the corn box! 

 Madeline & Her Fairy God Mother 

Smile Baby girl! 

Dear Madeline Grace, 

       Fall is officially my favorite season of the year, I used to love it before you were born but now do all the fall activities is a lot more fun that you are here to enjoy them as well. Last weekend we went to Cox Farms to enjoy the beautiful fall weather. Your aunt Kiki, Aunt Krysta, Uncle Mike & Papa went with us! Of course you wore your little pumpkin dress so you could take the classic fall photo with all the pumpkins! It sure was a lot of fun, seeing all the kids run around enjoying all the slides. Next year you will be able to go down the big slides, and ride on the hay ride! This week we are prepping for our very first fall party, so I will post pictures next week of you in your halloween costume with all your friends! 

                   Love you! 

   Xo, Daddy & Mommy 

Happy 8 Months Madeline!

Happy 8th Month Baby! 

 Loving the beach 

 Woke up on the WRONG side of the stroller.. little grumpy 

Hi mom! 

Dear Madeline Grace, 

   Wow your officially 8 months old today!! I can't believe it, and you have already been to the beach twice in your life! Right now you weigh 21 lbs and your starting to show interest in crawling, you will eat pretty much anything that you are fed and you love love love your little cheesy puffs! Next month  you have your 9th month visit at Dr. Bill's office, and you will get to start yogurt and proteins.  fall season starts this saturday and I'm SO excited! We are hosting our first annual fall party, lots of pumpkin and squash type foods to eat and all the kids will be in their halloween costumes. We are also going to go to the local pumpkin patch and apple picking!! I have been busy baking lots of treats for friends of ours and I can't wait until your old enough to help me. Some of the most fond memories I have are in the kitchen baking with your Gigi (Great Grandma Tritt) & Grammy (my mom) the only thing I wish that I had was more pictures to look back on the memories. I will for sure have your papa take a ton of photos of you and I in the kitchen. This weekend is your uncle mike's bachelor party so papa will be out of town, and then sunday he has crew, so we will certainly miss him! I truly am thankful that I get to spend every day with you and watch you grow, I find myself just staring at you and how much you have changed over the last few months. 

     Love you baby girl! 

     XO, Daddy & Mommy

 BIG smiles! 

 Abby & Maddie Grace 

Maddie Grace Almost 8 months, Sean Almost 9 months, Luke Almost 8 Months 

Dear Maddie Grace, 

This past week was your second trip to the beach and this time we went to Rehoboth Beach in Delaware. Our friends The Golinos, The Coullahan's and The Bischoff's.  It was a packed house with 8 adults and 7 children (4 yr old, two 3 year olds, one almost 2 year old, and three babies under 1) Every morning you loved waking up to all the children and everyone paying attention to you! While we were there we stayed quite busy as we walked up and down the boardwalk, enjoyed the weather at the beach and went to the nearby outlets for some fall shopping. The mom's got a much needed girls night out and found out  once we had a few drinks it made us even closer friends. I hope that you will grow up with these children and that you will become as close with them as I have with their parents. Truly great memories with great people! The dads also got a night out but they didn't do much as it was the first week in football so they went out to eat then watched the game on tv. You also tried so many new foods, lots of fruit, pancakes, crackers, and your favorite french fries! 

I can't believe your already almost 8 months old! Love you sweet baby girl! 

Xo, Daddy & Mommy 

Papa's Birthday & New things!

 Loving her new PLAYROOM!! 

 Papa & Madeline at Grammy & Poppy's House 

 Grammy, Poppy & Madeline 

SMILE! One of my favorite pictures 

Dear Madeline Grace, 

   A couple weeks ago was your papa's 34th birthday and we had many many celebrations! 1st we had dinner at grammy and poppy's house, it was seafood night so unfortunately you couldn't try any of the foods that we were eating but you loved to sit there and watch everything. Plus the annual dinner at Maw's, then we went to the driving range the next day with some friends and you loved it! You wore your golf cart bubble and were smiling non stop at the camera! Its a good thing you like getting your picture taken because I think I take at least 10-15 photos a day of you! How can I not your just so stinking cute! We also went to dinner with our friends the Bischoff's, Coullahan's and the Golino's. Which you loved you tried your first corn muffin which you managed to get most of it on the floor but oh well the pieces you did eat you enjoyed! Today I called the pediatricians office to see if we could transition you to "table food" (meaning cheerios and small pieces of fruit and veggies) and to start you on fruit. Originally Dr. Bill said we had to wait until your 9 month appointment to start fruit but your more than ready! Only 5 more days and we are off to beach with our friends and 7 kids under the age of 4. I wouldn't call it a "vacation" but more of a getaway! All the kids are well behaved and you will love having all the kids to play with! 

    PS: my next project is to turn this blog into a book. Each year I'm going to print off the blog so you can look back and read all about your life! 

      Love, Daddy & Mommy 

 Happy 7 Months Maddie Grace 

 Say Cheese! 

Love her expression in this picture! 

Dear Madeline Grace, 

      Today is your 7th Month Birthday! People always said the time flies when children are young and boy were they right. Your daddy and I just find ourselves sitting back and staring at you in awe of everything you do these days. You love to sit up and play with your toys, anything that makes music is a favorite in your eyes. You also love to play with bouncy balls, your good at playing catch and rolling it on the floor. Since you were about 4 months you have loved to stand, and now you starting to show an interest in standing all the time! The past couple weeks your top two teeth are starting to break through, so you haven't been sleeping much, waking up at 5am everyday isn't easy for your mommy. Baby food is going well, I truly love making all the food that you eat and you have started eating puffs this week! In a few more weeks we are heading to the beach with your best friends and their parents. I can't wait! You will love the week long play date with the babies, and the older kids. Can't wait to see you in the pool with all of them. I love you baby girl, right now your asleep in daddy's arms so I should probably take a nap as well. 

       Love you! Xo, Daddy & Mommy 

Beach Trip

 1st time in the sand with Mommy 

 LOVING the pool 

 Cheesy smile 

Not so sure about the sand 

Maddie, 

     

     Last week we drove 6+ hours to Wilmington NC to visit your dad's great aunt and uncle. It wasn't such a great idea to leave at 7pm to drive but you did great in the jeep, slept the whole way there. After 2 days in the pool and walking around town we fell in love with the city. Even looked at a model home, if your daddy could find a job down there we would pack up and move tomorrow! Saturday morning we drove 7+ hrs to the Outer Banks, it was only supposed to be a 5 hr drive but we got stuck in traffic on hwy 12. You did such a great job in the car that we went straight to the toy store after lunch and bought you toy, you smile really big for your new butterfly that giggles. The 1st time we took you to the beach you weren't so sure about the sand in between your toes, it could be that it was your nap time. Once I put you in the water you had had enough, fell right asleep under the umbrella and took a nap for an hour. On day #3 you saw your first water spout and it started to rain, but it cleared up just in time for all of us to walk down to the beach. We all wrote messages on shells and through them into the ocean for your paw. You would of loved him baby girl, he sure was an amazing man, and you have his beautiful eyes. We love you sweetheart! 

                     Xo Daddy  & Mommy 

Happy 6th Month Madeline

 1st homemade baby food. Sweet Potatoes 7.19.12

 Happy 1st Fourth of July 

Bath Time after your baby food! 

Dear Madeline Grace, 

      I can't believe that your already 1/2 a year old, time sure does fly by! Every morning I walk into your room and say good morning while your still sleeping and I can't stop staring at you, your honestly the most perfect baby out there! I love that I get to take you to work with me and I get to see you learn new things. You haven't started rolling yet, but you love to sleep on your side, as soon as we put you on your back you roll right over! We are practicing sitting and standing and your doing a great job with both, before we know you will be moving around and we will all be in trouble. Yesterday you had your 6th month appointment and you were 19 lbs 3oz (96%) and 28 inches long (99%) and the Dr said your a very healthy and happy girl! We also got to the green light for you to start baby food which I am so excited about. You did great with your sweet potatoes so I have no fear that you will love all the new foods that you will be trying in the months to come. Last night was rough, as you officially have your 1st cold. Your little nose is so stuffed up its hard for you to breathe, so even with tylenol you were up every couple hours, and you seem to have a little cough as well. I will add your 6th month sticker photo later, once you wake up, and I will let you sleep as long as possible before we leave for the day. Next week we are headed to Wilmington NC to visit your dad's great aunt and uncle and then to the Outer Banks for a week! So excited to take you to the beach, hopefully you love it as much as your mommy does! There will also be a pool which you love don't worry baby, we will have fun even if we spend the week poolside. I should probably start planning your 1st birthday now because you know your mommy wants it to be perfect for her little girl! 

    We love you Maddie Grace! Heres to the best 6 months of our lives so far! 

                                                                Love, Daddy & Mommy 

Parenting theres no right way

3 Days after I had Madeline 189 lbs. I'm now down to 154

Being a nanny people always told me that since I've always been around children that parenting should be a breeze I should already know what to do since I've had years of experience. As far as keeping her on schedule and developmentally sure I know where she should be, but truthfully this parenting thing is a whole new ball game for me, and for matt as well. Over the last 5 months we have been blessed with a fairly easy baby, she's always smiling always happy and only cries when something is wrong. Matt & I have adjusted pretty well to communicating with each other on what we think is right for her which is great. As I sit here in bed while Madeline is soundly asleep in her crib taking her morning nap, I am thinking of how I can become a better person, mom and wife. I'm home sick today with a minor sinus infection as well. Honestly I could of gone to work today but sometimes its better for everyone if you just take a personal day to breathe. In my journey to become a better person I have set numerous personal goals, such as lose weight so I not only am as healthy as I can be but also so I can feel better about myself, go back to school to finish my degree, and to get our finances in order. I have lost over 35 lbs and I feel a lot better than I did when I started this weight loss journey but I don't feel satisfied with it so the journey continues until I can be at the healthy weight where I love to try on jeans. Every woman knows that trying on jeans isn't a fun task. Physicians Weight loss has been my key to success I would recommend it to anyone out there. As far as becoming a better mom I read this quote by Gwyneth Paltrow and realized we all have bad days its the story of life.  “When I’m tired, when my chips are down – that’s when I don’t parent the way that I want to parent. I can get impatient and at the end of my rope…. And I hate that and I hate feeling out of control, even if I’m just saying, “That’s enough!” Like, I can’t deal. It’s not the way that I would aspire to be. But then I think, I do really believe that part of our job is to equip them for the world. And we can’t make everything okay for them, we can’t take away all of their suffering. It’s not good for them. They need to be able to know that people lose their tempers and people have bad days and it doesn’t mean that you don’t love them, it doesn’t mean anything. It’s just that we’re all human. But of course I beat myself up endlessly when [I do get impatient].






                                     

5 Months

Happy 5 Months Maddie Grace! 

Dear Madeline Grace, 

          This month you have discovered so many new things, its truly amazing how fast your growing up. Seems like just yesterday we were holding our newborn infant and now your rolling over and eating cereal.  This month you started rice and oatmeal cereal which you love, you open your mouth like a little baby bird every time the spoon comes close to your mouth. You have also learned how to blow raspberries which isn't very lady like but so very cute! You have gotten really good at rolling every now and then you can roll all the way over, but for now you love to lay on your side, and you sure do wiggle alot. If you are placed on your mat you have discovered a way to wiggle off it. We are in trouble when you figure out how to crawl! We updated your car seat to your toddler seat which mean yours officially not an infant any more, but your so cute in your pink poka dot seat! Also this month your great aunt sue and great uncle larry came to visit from seattle which you loved! They were here for grammy's 50th birthday! I'm so glad that you got to spend some quality time with them. We love you baby girl. 

xo Daddy & Mommy 

Happy 1st Fathers Day Papa! 

Fathers Day Matt spent the day doing what he does best, working at the firehouse running calls all day/night long. Maddie and I went over to my parents house in the morning and spent some time with her poppy and grammy, then went to the firehouse for some quality daddy time. During dinner though a house fire broke out so the guys left in a hurry! Maddie I can't believe tomorrow your 5 months old.. where did our little newborn go?? We love you baby girl and every day you brighten my day with the simple new things that you discover. Tomorrow morning I will weigh you and will update about all your new tricks! 

Love you!

Xo, Matt & Ashlie 

Madeline's Baptism 5.27.12

 Matt, Madeline & I 

 Pastor Chris, Matt, Madeline & I 

All the sweets! 

"When you called me be to a mama you didn't ask for perfection but with every breathe that I'd point them to you" Matthew 6:33 

This past weekend Madeline got baptized at our local methodist church, and it was a beautiful day. She was such a good girl, even though the ceremony was in the middle of her nap time, she didn't start to break down until the very end. We were surrounded by family and friends and matt's grandma made a ton of food! We also got some great photos as a family! I love you Maddie Grace and God Bless you sweet girl! 

xo, Daddy and Mommy 

 Happy 4 Months Maddie Grace! 

 1st time eating rice cereal 5.19.12 

 1st time in the pool in Lancaster Penn. 

Daddy & Maddie at her 1st Minor League Game. Lancaster Barnstormers 

Dear Maddie Grace, 

It has been a month of many many firsts! You went to your 4 month appointment with Dr. Bill on friday and you are 16lbs and 5oz and your 25 inches tall! Which lands you a spot in the 95 percentile. The Dr said you probably won't roll over for a while because your a big baby but we will keep practicing! He also said that we need to make sure that you sitting up most of the day so that the back of your little head (17 inches that is) doesn't become flat. Only issue is that your chunky little legs are getting to big for your bumbo seat so we will see what toy we can find to prop you up. Yesterday was your first time eating rice cereal and you loved it!! Opened your mouth right away and starting eating, We are so proud of you Maddie Grace! We also took you on your first road trip to celebrate Reagan Bischoff's 3rd Birthday in Lancaster PA. You went the in the pool for the 1st time which you loved and then went to your first minor league baseball game! You were such a good girl considering it was a 3 hour drive up and back and it was over 75 degrees outside. We love you baby and your growing up so fast! 

Xo, Daddy & Mommy 

 Maddie Grace with 2 teeth! 

 Our 1st Mothers Day at the Farmers Market

Maddie with the Rabbits 

Dear Madeline Grace, 

Yesterday was our 1st mothers day together and I can't wait for the years to come and watching you grow! Daddy finally built me the picnic table I have been asking for over 3 years and I can't wait to start having dinner outside and feeding you solids this summer. We went to a farmers market, and I only wish that organic local food wasn't so expensive. I promise I will try my hardest to make all your baby food from local and organic fruits and veggies but baby if we are going to be able to buy you toys, it won't always be possible. The fresh watermelons were over 8 dollars, and at the grocery store they are only 5. We then spent time with both sides of your families and you saw both your grammies! I'm so glad that you get to see them every week, I know they love you very much! I just wish that your great grammy in Seattle lived closer because I know she loves and misses you! Friday is your 4 month appointment and I will updated everyone on how well you are doing! 

I love you baby! 

xo, Daddy & Mommy