The Haggard Herald

The other night Matt got the camera out when I was getting Madeleine ready for bed.  She had just had a bath and kept smiling at us, especially me whenever I yawn--she thinks that's one of the funniest things to watch.  She also happens to love the ceiling fan and smiles at it throughout the day every time it catches her eye.  Enjoy the pictures! I think this one is so funny.  I don't remember what made her look so stunned, but it must have been something good.  I LOVE this baby.   Do you think she knows she's the reason for my yawning?  :)

This is the best mother-in-law in the whole world.  Her name is Melory.  I'm not entirely sure what it is about her that is so endearing and comforting, but here are a few contributing factors: She is almost always happy.  Well, whenever I see her she's always happy; maybe she isn't always, always. It's not that she doesn't have difficult people or situations to handle, it's just that she doesn't let it get her frazzled.  She sees the bright side of things and laughs instead of frowns, even when, as the nice HR lady, she has to tell someone that they ought to go to the restroom to pass gas instead of right next to their co-workers... :) (Yes, that's really happened.) She isn't judgmental.  Instead of looking at someone and thinking, "wow, you've got problems" she looks thoughtful and in the most sincere voice asks "what can I do to help?"  Since Kimmy's been a missionary I've noticed she's developed this...

Everything is growing lately--Madeleine, the garden, and the pile of dirty dishes in the kitchen.  Hopefully I'll reverse the dish trend while the other two continue in their regular pattern. Can you tell she's growing? We went to the pediatrician for Mattie's two-month check up on Monday.  She's gained three pounds and grown four inches since she was born.  That's some serious growth.  She's starting to feel more like a baby and less like a newborn.  I don't mind because it means she's starting to become more regular, sleep longer, smile more and coo a lot. She wasn't very cooperative at this point and just wanted to be held.  This was the best photo I got. Matt was taking pictures during bath time the other night and got some pretty good ones.  I really like that you can see the water trickling onto her hair in this first one. Madeleine LOVES the bath and is almost always happy and relaxed while she's in the water.  Getting out...

Here are some pictures from the past month, taken in order.  The first ones are when Madeleine was still only a few weeks old.  The last picture was taken today.   The beginnings of smiles; she was only three weeks old here.   Same day as the first picture; she wanted to be held more than she wanted to be photographed though. It took us awhile to figure out how to help Madeleine fall asleep.  We were all pretty tired.  One morning I came into our room and found this scene before me.  It was a miracle! She refuses to have her hands swaddled, so we've given up trying (most of the time).  She's a little Houdini and usually gets out of even our best swaddles. "like a baby..." This one is Madeleine. This is her ticket to staying up late.  We read the Count of Monte Cristo together until she finally fell asleep at 1:00 in the morning.  She was awake, and happy I might add, for more than three h...

If it hadn't been for mom, I wouldn't have gotten naps every morning for a week.  If it hadn't been for Mom, Matt and I wouldn't have been able to go out three nights in a row--first to the temple, then out to eat, and then to the swimming pool after... If it hadn't been for Mom Matt and I couldn't have worked all Saturday to finish our planter boxes and plant our garden (it took part of Monday night too).  If it hadn't been for Mom Matt and I wouldn't have had delicious dinners and extra that got frozen (we've eaten two of the frozen dinners already). We all miss you, come back to us Mimi! PS- Madeleine stopped and looked at the computer last week when we were skyping with my Mom.  She was calling to Madeleine and Mattie turned and looked.  It was really cute.