First Bath

Okay...so I know this is like my fifth post in a row, but so much has happened this week! I just thought I'd wrap things up by posting some pictures of Madison's first bath. She is such a cutie!! I also wanted to take a quick second to brag on my brothers. I have such incredible brothers. Ben came into town for Christmas. I have had such a fun time visiting with him. He even came to the hospital for a few hours to keep me company, brought me a few things I needed, oowed and awed over Miss Madison, and then took Drew to lunch and to play for a few hours so he wouldn't have to sit at the hospital. I got to talk to Mikey the day after Christmas. He is still on his mission in Russia, and I miss him like crazy, but it was fun to get to talk to him. Kevin (my BIL) went out of his way to make our Christmas special this year, took care of Drew while we were in the hospital, and helped Drew get me some flowers and balloons for me when Madison was born which absolutely melted my heart. Greg (my other BIL) is on his way into town tonight to meet Madison. He is so kind and patient with Drew, and I can't wait for him to meet his new niece. I just feel so blessed to have such amazing siblings. They bring such joy to my life. I'm one lucky gal.

I guess I'll end my blogging tirade with a few words about the hubby. I am so thankful that he has given me the opportunity to be a mother. There is no greater gift he could give me, and by doing so he has helped me fulfill my purpose in life. He is such an amazing father and has been so attentive to my needs this past week; I honestly feel a bit spoiled. He is so gentle and kind, but I think I admire most the time he spends just laughing and playing with the kids. I feel so lucky to be able to raise children and experience life with my best friend at my side.

Merry Christmas

I can't believe Christmas has already come and gone! We were a bit distracted with the birth of Madison, so the holidays kind of snuck up on us, but we did our best to celebrate despite the sleep deprivation.

It is important to us that we celebrate the birth of Christ on Christmas and not get carried away with presents, Santa Clause, and all of the other worldly traditions. So, as a family, we always read the Christmas story together and then celebrate with three gift (the same number given to Christ by the wise men to celebrate His birth).

They departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.

Matthew 2:9-11

So this year we got a wii, a wii game, and an extra wii remote. We have had so much fun playing with it as a family, and it is quite funny to watch the boys jumping around and waving their arms around to play.

We also got some awsome gifts from family and friends, but I think our best gift this year was to be able to be home for Christmas with our new baby girl. She doesn't do much but sleep and eat right now, but we love her anyway ;)

Madison's birthday

Here are a few more pictures of Madison's birthday. What an amazing day! I am in awe of the gift God has given us to create children...to grow them in our bodies and then bring them into the world. It is such an incredible experience. I am surprised at how relaxed I am with her though. With Drew I was a mess, checking every five seconds to make sure he was breathing, and walking around with the spit plunger in my pocket in case he choked. I guess it's not quite so overwhelming the second time around, and I know how quickly this time will pass, so I am able to cherish every single second of our time together.

My little Picaso

It seems that I have a little artist on my hands. He has covered my fridge in his beautiful artwork, and even painted a canvas to go in Madison's room. He said it was her first birthday present so we hung it on the wall in the nursery. He is such an amazing big brother, and I can't wait to watch their relationship develop as they grow and experience life together.

Madison Lynn Glouner

Miss Madison is here !!

She was born on December 22nd, weighed 7 lbs 11 oz, and is 19 inches long.

Her birth was such a beautiful, amazing experience for Sean and I, and we feel so blessed and honored to have Madison join our family.

Christmas Lights and School Parties

What a week! The doctor said the baby's lungs should be developed enough for delivery, so we are officially on baby watch. The bag is packed, the car seat is in the car...all we need is a baby. To celebrate me no longer being confined to bed, we had a night out on the town. We went to the Botanical Gardens and saw all of the beautiful Christmas lights. Then we went to see a movie together and walked around Bridge Street. I also went back to work this week. It was great to get out of the house and earn a bit more money, but all I wanted to do was crawl back into bed. I really shouldn't have complained so much when I was forced to lay around because I'm just pretty miserable lugging this big 'ole belly around.

We got to go to Drew's Christmas party at school today. It is so fun to watch him interact with the other kids. We listened to Christmas music, ate some goodies, colored some Christmas pictures, and frosted some sugar cookies. It was fun to be with him, and I'm trying to enjoy every moment I have left of being able to devote all of my time and energy to him alone. I still haven't figured out how I'm going to balance having two kiddos. I'm actually quite nervous, but I guess there's no turning back now....

Sugar Cookies & Christmas Trees

I must confess... I was a bit naughty and got out of bed, but in my defense I'm 38 weeks now, so it wouldn't be so bad if Miss Madison came just two weeks early... right? Sean was at work and Drew has been so patient with me. He's done an amazing job working the microwave at meal time and helping keep the house clean; I just had to get up and do something fun with him, so we put up some Christmas decorations and made some delicious sugar cookies together. Drew really enjoys cooking...especially baking with all of the measuring and pouring and mixing, so we have fun trying new recipes together. We found this recipe online, and it was yummy (even though we ran out of butter and had to get a little creative).

Other than our Christmas decorating, we haven't done much. Drew is doing really well in school and got all A's on his report card. We have played tons of board games together and watched a million episodes of Scooby-Doo. Sean put up the Christmas lights (they look amazing), and I used my free time to catch up on my thank you card writing. I also set up an e-mail account for Drew. I thought maybe he was too young at first, but I was able to set it up through google mail. They have awesome parental controls on the account, so I can monitor who sends him e-mails. He has really enjoyed writing his family members, and his writing skills improve with every letter. I remember when I was young, I had several pen pals that I wrote to. I remember how much my writing and reading improved while writing to them, and I guess it's the same concept...just a modern approach to the idea.

I have missed celebrating the holiday season though...I missed my work Christmas party and the ward Christmas party and wondering the mall in search of Christmas gifts (thank goodness for online shopping), but it will all be worth it when our healthy little girl arrives.

Christmas Cards

Well I've been bored and confined to the bed, so I decided to get a little crafty and make our Christmas cards this year. I LOVE to use a variety of pictures to show our family throughout the year...it just seems a little more personal than the average, generic Christmas card. Last year I used Shutterfly.com, which is an amazing website; you make your card from a selection of formats they have, and then if you upload your address book, they will even mail them for you. However, in an attempt to be a little more frugal, I downloaded some free software and tried to make our own this year. I might have gone a little crazy with the over-abundance of pictures, but like I said..I'm B-O-R-E-D and I got a little carried away. I may have to do a little editing before I print it, but either way...here is our happy little family wishing yours a wonderful Christmas full of love, gratitude, and charity.

Bed-Rest Blues

Well, I have absolutely nothing to blog about and no pictures to post this week. Sweet little Madison is trying to come a little too soon, so they've put me on bed rest. Needless to say, I'm bored to tears but finally catching up on some much needed rest. I haven't quite figured out how a broke, hyperactive, over-committed mom and wife is just suppose to casually lay around all day without giving in to the overwhelming compulsion to go to work or catch up on laundry or do the dishes or put up the Christmas decorations. I'm doing my best to try and rest and relax though so wish me luck...