3 months... already!

Today Madelyn turned 3 months old.  How in the world can that be?  I look at her and continue to reminisce about the morning she was born. I love to think about the minute I saw Dr. A hold Madelyn up above the curtain and said congratulations.  Madelyn was not happy, I think in shock.  She was red and purple, her face scrunched, her head pointy from being stuck and covered in goo.  And as strange as it sounds, she was (still is) the most beautiful thing I have ever seen (along with my other kiddos).  Tears streamed down my face as they took her over to be evaluated as hearing her cry was perfect music.  Three months ago my heart grew in love again and I though it had reached capacity.

I was wrong again.  Each day that she has been in our lives I find myself loving her more.  Why I didn't think about this, I don't know.  Its the same with the others, so it would be no different with her.
Madelyn is an outstandingly wonderful baby.  She really is. I started writing a list here of all the things she likes but found myself listing so many, I decided putting it this way is easier... Madelyn loves everything.  Except bottles (well, that might be changing too).

If all babies were like her, I think we might become like the Duggars.  Okay not THAT many kids, but seriously, she is so easy going and so much fun.  Madelyn LOVES to smile.  LOVES to listen to her siblings talk to her.  LOVES to watch TV, specifically the Olympics, The Minions and The Bachelorette- mom's pretty pumped about that one!  Madelyn is a great sleeper, she continues to wake up only once a night and is pushing back her one feedings later and later.  Saturday I woke her up at 5, after she went down at 9:30 p.m. to eat. I can tell the days of her sleeping through the night are not far off.

Madelyn loves to chew her hands, sucks on them most of the time (especially when she's hungry) and is liking to start holding toys in her hands, specifically a rattle and a pink washcloth (not that she's picky).  She also enjoys laying on her playmat and talking to the toys that hang down from above.  Madelyn is a great talker... here she is recently, telling daddy all about her day.

Madelyn continues to grow and grow and grow.  While we can still fit into some 3-6 months clothes, 6 months clothes are the best fit.

Some of the milestones we've seen Madelyn achieve in this past month are... she can fully hold her head up now.  While sometimes her noggin is a bit wobbly, most of the time she can hold it up and look side to side without any assistance.  Then there's her "exercises" which she loves performing in her bath.  She kicks and kicks and kicks while doing arm circles with her hands.  She's a pro and with the calories she has to be burning, its no wonder she so hungry.

Madelyn is starting to recognize us as her family. Now that I'm back to work, one of the highlights of my day is when I get to walk through the door at home and see her.  She her face light up with a grin from ear to ear, is almost the best moment ever.

I say almost, because if I'm honest, we also saw a development this month that made my heart melt.  And each time I watch the video, it melts again and again.   Madelyn laughed for the first time and Daddy was able to capture it on video...

Isn't that the best thing ever?  I surely think so.  I could watch this over and over and over.

And as precious as that moment was, moments that touch my heart, give me such overwhelming happiness and love, just keep coming. Last Friday, Madelyn was sleeping next to me as I worked on our details for Noah's Kindness Project.  I was working away and went to get up and walk to the other room to grab something.  As I looked over at her to check on her and make sure she was still sleeping, I found her like this...

When I saw her with her hands folded, I immediately thought, I hope my phone has enough memory to take a picture... this is a constant problem with me.  Thank goodness I did and thankfully I was able to capture the moment.  This picture is one of my all time favorites.  And the message I added describes perfectly how I feel about her.

Here are a few of my other favorite pictures of her from the past month...

Madelyn, you'll never know just how much I love you.  And I'll always consider you my little life saver.  Mom was pretty broken after your big brother went to Heaven.  My heart shattered into tiny pieces and the sadness I felt, I pray you never experience even a moment of what I felt.  And then, there you were, growing inside me.  A spark of life, that sparked the life back into me.  You were the hope I needed to keep going, the reminder that life can be good again, and the reason why I got up each morning and continued pressing forward.  You restored my will to live.  Madelyn Faith, I love you with my whole heart.  

Love always, 

                     Mom