December...fun, snow and 3 years old!

So much to update...

Ella spent her first Thanksgiving in Ohio with our wonderful friends and family. It was nice to be home and of course the time went by way too fast. The first day we were there we had some snow, and the rest of the week it was just cold!! We had a fabulous Thanksgiving feast...all 18 of us, we celebrated Madi's birthday a few weeks early at Chuck E Cheese, and just really enjoyed visiting and spending time together.

On the 10th we had some interesting weather...SNOW! Something that very rarely happens here. Ella was already in bed so Madi and I headed out to enjoy it! Madi asked if 'Papa Ohio' could come over and make a snowman with her...so sweet! Of course it didn't last long...a few hours and the next day is was 60 degrees. Gotta love Texas weather!

On the 14th, Madilyn turned 3 years old. It's amazing to me how quickly time flies! We celebrated with just the four of us with presents, cake and ice cream. We'll have a party after Christmas at Jumpin' Joey's, another favorite establishment of her's!!

We are looking forward to Christmas. It'll be the first time that Matt will be home both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. I'm looking forward to starting some traditions with Madi and I can't wait to see her face on Christmas morning!

Merry Christmas and lots of love to our friends and family near and far. Hope to see you all soon!

4 Months Already?!

For Aunt Ann and Uncle Russ!!

Early morning snuggle time!

I can hardly believe it...it has been 4 months since we have been blessed with Ella's arrival. She is thriving and doing so well. Matt took both girls to the doctor on Monday. Madi had her flu shot and Ella had her four month check up. Her stats:

16 pounds 8 ounces 95th percentile

24 3/4 inches 75th percentile

Can you believe it?!?! What a little chunker we have on our hands!! She started eating rice cereal a few weeks ago and this week we've been mixing it with applesauce. She LOVES it and is really learning how to eat off the spoon. Before you know it, we'll be feeding her big kid food!!

Trick or Treat!!

Last night we took the girls trick or treating with our friends Retta and Jordan. Madi had an absolute blast running up and down the drive ways saying "Trick or Treat" and "Thank you" in her doctor costume. She was so proud of her bag of candy!! It was such a difference from last year when she was so shy and timid. This year, Jordan showed her the ropes and she looked like she had been doing it for years! She's growing up so fast!! Ella enjoyed the time kicking back in the stroller dressed as a giraffe. I'm sure that next year Madi will show Ella how it's done!

Madi then had her first sleepover with Jordan. I was sad as we left her at Retta's...but no worries, everything was fine! Madi had a great time and of course wanted to stay!! She just adores Jordan. We are so lucky to have them as our friends!!

Props go to Matt for the great pumpkin carving! Madi wanted nothing to do with them...apparently they are too stinky!!

To see the rest of the pictures, follow this link: http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLanding.action?c=42xrg717.59poz3lf&x=0&y=jw9sd2&localeid=en_US

L'Auberge

A few weeks ago, some friends and I took an overnight trip to Lake Charles, Louisanna for some fun. We stayed at the L'Auberge casino. It was a great time. Some of us were bigger losers than others (Lauren!!) but we all had a blast trying! We're thinking we need to make this a recurring event!!

October

I have not been very good at keeping up with our blog. Life is just so busy!!

We have been enjoying the "fall" weather...well, at least what Texans call fall weather! Last weekend we took the girls to a pumpkin patch. It was a bit warm and momma wasn't feeling so well so we didn't stay long. But Madi did end up picking a couple of pumpkins for us.

Madi got herself a new bike. A friend from work gave it to us. It's a Dora bike and of course Madi loves it! We went out and got her a helmet and some pads to wear. She loves her princess helmet and looks so cute in it! She's still learning the whole concept of pedalling. I'm sure it'll take her a while.

Ella is growing so quickly. She was 16 weeks on Thursday. She's rolling from tummy to back and started cereal the other night. She's still learning how to eat off the spoon but she seems to like it! The bottles just aren't cutting it these days!! Her smiles and talking are the sweetest things. She's just discovering that she has a voice...and she's great at using it!

I will try to update more often...

Here's a link to more October pictures: http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=42xrg717.2d1vjjar&x=0&y=-8mekeo&localeid=en_US

Hurricane Ike--September 2008

A neighbor's yard a few days later

Our clubhouse!
Our damage
A neighbor's yard

After the storm, the girls had a lot of naked time! It was SO hot!!


This past month has been a crazy month for our family. I started back to work on September 8th. Four days later we were preparing for the arrival of Hurricane Ike. What a terrifying experience for us! Being from the north, this whole hurricane thing was brand new and unknown!

On Thursday, September 11th we were sent home from work to prepare for the hurricane, expected to hit the next night. I came home and tried to get things together and prepared as much as I could. Matt boarded up the back sliding glass door, we made sure we had food and water, and then we waited. On Friday evening the wind started to pick up. Matt's dad came to stay with the girls and I, since Matt was put on mandatory overtime at the fire department for the duration of the storm. Friday evening the girls and I slept in our "clubhouse" AKA my closet. I was worried about tornadoes and wanted us to be in the safest place of the house. The storm really started to get strong between 11 and midnight. About 12:30 the power went out. I laid awake in our clubhouse for most of the night listening to the wind howl outside. Once in a while I would catch a few minutes of sleep here and there. During the eye of the storm, which passed right over us, I got up and looked out the windows. It was so calm, it was spooky. I saw that part of our back fence has been torn down and a bunch of shingles in our yard. Not sure of any other damage, I went back to the closet for the rest of the night! The girls woke up around 6:30 or so. I kept them content in the closet watching movies and reading books until the wind died down. We came out of our clubhouse around 8 to explore the damage. Thankfully, all we lost was part of our fence in the back. However, many of our neighbors were not so lucky...huge trees were uprooted, roofs were damaged, windows were broken, etc. I would have never believed the destruction had I not seen it with my own eyes. The next two nights we spent the night at Grandpa Barker's apartment. The girls were miserable in the heat, so we decided to go stay with him.

On Monday, the girls and I flew to Ohio thanks to my wonderful family. We spent the week enjoying the beautiful fall weather and visiting with friends and family. Poor Matt spent the week working...passing out food, water and ice to the community, running calls, and taking care of the citizens. The girls and I came home Sunday (the 21st) night to still no power. We have spent the last week without power in our home. It was finally turned on yesterday morning. I was so happy, I went out to the electricity guys and cried. 16 days is a LONG time to be without electricity. We were fortunate that our friend Tom let us borrow his generator for the last 5 days. At least we were able to run some fans and Madi could watch her Dora! The girls also spent a lot of time in their underwear/diapers. It's just been so hot!!

I hope that we never have to experience another hurricane!! We are now trying to re-establish our "normal"...I'm sure it'll take a while to get back into the routine. Thanks to everyone for their prayers and well wishes. They sure helped!

Two months!

Peacefully sleeping

Laughing at Mommy

I can barely believe that Ella is already two months old. She is definitely changing and growing right before our eyes. She's starting to coo and her smiles light up the room in an instant. Today she had her well baby check up and everything is great. She weighs 11 pounds 7 ounces and is 22 1/8 inches long. She's a little smaller than Madi was at this point. Madi was 12 1/2 pounds and 23 inches long at her 2 month appointment. She's still waking about every 4 1/2 to 5 hours at night. The doctor says that when she hits about 13 pounds she'll be able to go longer. I'm hoping that's soon, especially since I'm heading back to work Monday!! It's going to be so tough for me to leave my girls. After I had Madi, I went back when she was about 15 weeks. It seems so soon to leave Ella. But, we've found a wonderful person to take care of them both, and she'll be coming to our house to watch them so that's even better. They will be in the comforts of home while I'm away!

Branson, Missouri

Last week we took a trip to Branson to see Grandma and Papa Breudigam, along with Aunt Jen, Dave and Uncle Kory. What a great trip!! I was worried about the girls being in the car so long but they both proved to be tremendous travelers!

We left early Sunday morning, after Ella's 4am feeding, for the drive. It took us about 9 1/2 hours with a few potty breaks in between. Ella slept most of the way and Madi was awake the entire time! She was watching movies and looking out the window for animals! When we got there we just relaxed and everyone went in the pool, except Ella and I.

Monday we went to a little kiddie park and Madi had a blast on all the rides. Afterwards she went on her first go-cart ride with daddy. Uncle Kory won the race! We also enjoyed some time in the pool.

Tuesday we hung out at the resort a lot and went swimming. Even Ella went in the pool. She was snug in her sling and fell asleep almost instantly. She was very calm and relaxed. That evening we went down to Branson Landing and walked around.

Wednesday morning we got up early and went for a ride on the "Ducks" What a fun trip. For those of you who don't know, it's a military vehicle used for land and water. I even got to drive a bit while in the water! Madi loves her duck quacker!!

Thursday we went to the World's Largest Toy Museum. How fun to see all the old toys. Of course I can't forget to mention we went to Dino's 24 Karrot Cake Company for some AWESOME cake!!


Friday morning came way too fast and it was time for us to head back to reality. We drove the 10 hours which seem to take forever!! Again, Madi and Ella were both wonderful in the car. Although Saturday morning when I put Ella in her carseat she screamed. I think she had enough of the car for a while!


We are now trying to get back into some type of routine. I go back to work next Monday. I am dreading leaving my sweet girls. I am so grateful for the time I've had with them. Thank goodness I have a job where I have vacations and the summer's off!!

To see all the pictures from our trip, visit this site and check out our Branson Album: http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=42xrg717.amm7gvuj&x=0&y=-6m9sal&localeid=en_US

A Month Already??

One Month-August 3, 2008First trip to the fire station
Play time
Madi showing Ella how to play!

How is it possible that Ella is already a month old? I feel like time is going way too fast. I could just hold this precious girl forever. I know it's only a matter of time before she is running around with her big sister getting into all kinds of trouble!

We are quickly adjusting to our life as a family of four. Madilyn loves her "Baby Ella" very much. She loves to be involved with whatever we're doing with her, whether it be changing her or feeding her, Madi is right there with us.

Ella is changing everyday right before our eyes. She is a healthy eater and sleeps well. She is starting to smile and is more alert during the day. She loves to swing and snuggle with her mom and dad. Ella had her first visit to the fire station on Sunday. Madi had fun showing her around all the trucks and ambulances!

Madi is adjusting well to sharing her parents. Of course she has her two year old moments, but we can't really complain. She is a great helper. Throughout all the changes we've been working on potty training her. She is doing well with it and usually always stays dry. Going poop on the potty is another story....some days she's great, other days she runs and hides and goes in her panties. Eventually she'll get it all figured out!!

Ella's Birth Story

Ella Marie Barker was born on Thursday, July 3rd at 1:08am. Who knew that such a little girl could bring so much joy. Here is Ella's birth story:

At our weekly check up Wednesday morning I was 3cm dilated and 70-80% effaced. I had been having contractions pretty consistently every 10 minutes. I told the doctor I wouldn’t last until my July 10th induction date…which obviously I didn’t!!After the appointment we went to the mall, walked around a bit and then came home and took naps. I slept for about 2 ½ pretty solid hours waking up every so often with a strong contraction.

Around 5:30, Matt took Madi over to the swimming pool for a bit and I stayed home and got a few last minute things together because I just knew that when things were going to happen it was going to happen quickly. Contractions were about 8-10 minutes apart and were very intense. Matt and Madi came home, had dinner and I had about 5 bites of watermelon. I just couldn’t even think about eating. The contractions stayed pretty much around 8 minutes apart until around 8pm. We put Madi down to bed about 8:30 and that seems like when everything happened so fast!! They started coming stronger and faster, probably about 6 minutes or so. I decided to use a contraction timer on the computer because I felt like I wasn’t timing them consistently and with the first contraction I started to time my water broke!! It was 8:50. I ran to the bathroom just to make sure! It felt like a little balloon just popped inside of me. I yelled for Matt and he made the phone call to my friend Retta who was coming to stay with Madi.

The back pain became very intense and I couldn’t wait any longer. Our neighbor came over until Retta got there and we left for the hospital. We got to the hospital around 9:15 (which seemed like it took forever) and by 9:30 I was in my bed, breathing through contractions that were coming about every 3 minutes. All the pain was in my back and absolutely unbearable. I asked for pain medication asap but obviously they couldn’t get it to me as soon as I had liked!! I was checked and dilated to about 5-6cm at that time. Once the nurse saw how intense and quick the contractions were coming, things seem to speed along. They ordered the epidural and gave me Stadol? in the mean time to tide me over. That made me very woozy and light headed. I could still feel the pain, but the drug made me not really care as much. I didn’t like that feeling at all. It was like I had no control. Once the epidural came (around 10:45 or so) I was feeling a bit better, still a little light headed. I tried to rest a bit but Ella decided she was going to rest a little bit too much and all of a sudden her heart rate dropped and the nurse had a panic in her voice. The doc came in and wanted me to start pushing. I pushed from about 11:35 until close to midnight with no progress. I was dilated at 10cm but Ella was not ready to come out just yet. They were able to get her heart rate back up and the doc let me rest for a while. The contractions slowed a bit at this point and they gave me a little pitocin to keep things moving.

Around 12:30 he came back in and asked the nurse to get forceps and the vacuum to help get deliver her. I was not thrilled with this and decided that I would push as hard and long as I had to in order to avoid using those tools. I started pushing a few minutes later and was able to get her through the pelvic area. Let me tell you…those were some long and hard pushes. At 1:08am she was finally delivered…without the use of the vacuum or forceps.

She is perfect in every way.