The Russell Family

NEW SITE!!!!!!!!

2010-02-06T14:15:00.003-06:00

Ok, so as you can tell, I DID NOT do so good at keeping this site updated :) I published some entries that I had been working on to get it updated, but then again got behind and just decided that this was not for me. So, you can see up till 9 months now on here.

Well, now I've found a new adventure and a site that I like much better. I've now set up a website from shutterfly where you can keep up with Madi and us. It's a lot easier for me to use and I'm on it more, so it'll be easier for me to keep updated. We'll see how that goes :) There is a time lapse, but I'm posting all pictures on the new site, so if you want you can at least go back and watch her grow.

Here is the new site...

www.sweetredhead.shutterfly.com

If you can't view it, or if it asks you for a password, leave me a comment on here to let me know and I will fix it. I hope I've set it up right so that doesn't happen :)

We love you all!
Melanie, Scott, and Madi :)

Cruisin' On...

2009-05-12T21:22:00.000-05:00

Well, it looks like it's a big time for Miss Madi right now!! Yesterday it was 2 steps. Today she has figured out that she can cruise along the furniture and get places! She will also transfer from the coffee table to the couch that's upstairs in the bonus room. They are pretty close together, but when you are small, it seems a little further apart! haha. She will hold the table with one hand and then look and look at the couch to decide if she can turn herself all the way to the couch. It's pretty cute. Lots of concentration involved!! haha. I had been standing her up to hold on to the coffee table, but she really didn't like it before. I guess taking her first steps has made her a brave little girl! haha.

It's one big accomplishment after another here. So proud of my little girl!!

FIRST STEPS!!!!!!!

2009-05-11T22:17:00.001-05:00

YAY for Madi!!! She took her first steps today...2 to be exact :) Heehee. I'm so proud of her and so excited as a mommy :) I know soon I'll be wondering why I wanted her to walk so soon, but for now it's all excitement.

She has been walking holding our hands for about a month now. She refuses to crawl, so we have been working on the walking thing some cuz she gets so mad not being able to go anywhere :) She's been standing by herself, but then will just plop down. She had started to take steps, but would take one or two and then fall into us, so we didn't count those cuz she just lunges and falls. Today, though, she took 2 steps and stayed standing up!!!! She just smiled and smiled when Scott and I got so excited.

Ok, that's all. Just had to note the big accomplishment today :)

MY 1st MOTHER'S DAY!!!

2009-05-10T21:46:00.004-05:00

First Trip to the Pool

2009-05-03T21:18:00.000-05:00

Madi had her first pool experience today! We were really excited about taking her cuz she loves a bath so much, we figured she would like the pool. Well, she does!! :) She had the best time. We got her a float to sit in, and she just layed back and enjoyed the pool :) She's still a little small for the float, so we have to hold her bottom a little so she doesn't drink the pool, but she absolutely loved it. She loved to splash in the water too. She would squeal and kick while in the water. It was the cutest thing. I think I might have me a water baby on my hands! I don't have a swimsuit for her yet, but I'm gonna be out looking for one now :) heehee. It's gonna be hard to keep her out of the water as she gets older.

It's so nice to have the pool in the neighborhood! It's a really big pool. Lots of space, chairs, and tables, and the pool even has a slide for the kids! We will definitely be using this to our advantage, especially on those hot summer days!! :)

9 MONTHS OLD

2009-05-01T16:44:00.003-05:00

Hello all! Madi turned 9 months old on April 24th and her her 9mon check up today since we were out-of-town last week. Dr. Graham put her in the "Pixie" Club today since she's so 'tiny' right now. haha. She weighed 16lb 10oz and was 27inches long. So, she was only 9th percentile for weight (heehee) and 23rd for height. It's funny that she's only 9th for weight, cuz the girl loves to eat all the time! Dr. Graham wasn't worried at all, just said that she's gonna be a petite little thing. We'll see how that changes as she gets older :)

So, since I've been back to work, Madi has been staying with Fran or Jessica if Scott's working. She has done wonderful with them! When I drop her off at Fran's in the mornings, she doesn't even cry, and she always talks about how wonderful she did all day. They go for stroller rides, play with their dog Sully, swing, and do all sorts of fun stuff. Jessica keeps her over here, and when I get home from work, I almost always here her squealing while playing....if they are not napping when I get there :) This has helped me tonz going back to work, knowing that she's happy and doing well while I'm gone. Again, we are lucky to have 2 such wonderful people to keep her on the days we both have to work!

Here are her milestones over the past month:

** Madi now uses her fingers to pick up her own snacks :) She has a good little pincer grasp. It's funny watching her concentrate on picking something up. She likes the gerber puffs and she likes biscuits too!

** Madi is walking well while holding onto our hands! She still LOVES, LOVES to walk, which my back does not LOVE, LOVE!! haha. I might be permanently bent over if Madi doesn't learn this walking thing by herself soon. haha. She still won't crawl, though, or try to crawl. Funny girl :)

** She pulled herself up to standing all by herself for the first time too! She was playing with her play table, had fallen down, and then pulled herself up while holding onto it. She put all she had into it! haha.

** Madi also now stands alone very well. She will stand for about 10 secs or so before she sits down or lunges for me :) She's so happy when she's standing there. It's like she knows she's doing something awesome! :)

** Oh, and last, Madi loves to drink from a straw!! She can down a drink with a straw! She can't use a sippy cup, but she learned how to use a straw in about 2 days! She loves to drink my water from my big insulated cup with the straw, and when we go out to dinner, she wants our drink with the straw. haha. Good thing I found sippy cups with straws! I'll just use these for now till we learn how to turn up a sippy cup :)

Well, I think that's all for now. Hope everyone is doing well!

Talladega!

2009-04-30T16:43:00.008-05:00

Here are some pics from our fun-filled Dega day :) Don't worry.....we didn't take Madi with us....this time :) She stayed with my cousin, Bethany and my Aunt Bea and Uncle Bobby. My parents, Scott, me, Gregory, and his dad went to the race. The day of the race was also Madi's very first night to stay away from home!!!!!! I was so sad. She didn't care and had a blast with her Great Aunt and Uncle! I couldn't be more thankful for them letting her stay. When we left after the race, the traffic was so bad it took us forever to get home and by the time we made it to B'ham it was late and would've been even later once I got to pick Madi up, so I just let her be comfy sleeping. My Aunt and Uncle really enjoyed it too :)

Scott and his best friend Gregory gearing up for race day.

Scott LOVES finding all the mullet people! haha

My 'man' #24 Jeff Gordon :) -- he had a throw-back Pepsi paint scheme for the race.

BOOGITY, BOOGITY, BOOGITY, LET'S GO RACING BOYS!!!!!

Strawberry Festival

2009-04-19T16:24:00.004-05:00

We went to the Strawberry Festival yesterday. Boone Hall Plantation grows fresh strawberries and you can come and pick them yourselves. I am sooo excited about this. How fun to pick and eat frest strawberries! It was so funny to see kids leaving with dirty mouths, hands, and clothes from picking the strawberries and eating them right away! I can see this being Madi in a few years! :)

HAPPY EASTER!

2009-04-12T16:43:00.012-05:00

This weekend one of Scott's co-workers in B'ham and her husband came to Charleston to visit (Sarah & Evandre). Sarahs finishing her fellowship in B'ham and we're hoping they might want to join us here in Charleston :) It was a beautiful Easter weekend for them to visit and we were excited to have them here. We showed them around Charleson and went to some fun, local places for dinner. We also took a nice walk on the beach. Scott had to work, so he wasn't able to join the beach fun :( It was pretty neat, though, to be able to "entice" someone who might come here with the fact that they could easily take walks on the beach at any time :) Evandre put Madi's feet n the water for the first time and she LOVED it! She was smiling and squealing and kepting wanting to walk back to the water. Yes, the water was freezing, but she didn't seem to care :)

Spring/Family Pictures

2009-04-03T10:11:00.011-05:00

FIRST....a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Madilyn's Aunt Jessi!!!! Jessica is one very special girl and in every way that counts a sister to me!! I love you girl and I hope you have a wonderful day! Madilyn and I love and miss you very, very much!!!

Ok, here are pics that we had taken while my parents were in town.

Good Luck to Scott!

2009-03-28T10:07:00.001-05:00

Scott flew to Chicago today to prepare for his Pediatric Emergency boards test that he takes on Monday. This is really big for him and he's done a wonderful job staying focused and studying. I know he'll do great!! He'll come home on Tuesday, so it's just Madi, me, and the dogs through the weekend. My parents are coming to visit on Monday, so we are excited about that. THey will be here for a week, and we are looking forward to fun times with them.

8 MONTHS OLD

2009-03-24T09:58:00.004-05:00

Madi is 8 months old today! She is getting so much of a little personality now and it's too cute! :) She has now started to pull to standing when holding my hands. She does most of the work, I'm just their for support :) She rolled from her back to her tummy for the first time on Saturday! There might actually be hope for crawling! haha. When she did it herself she didn't mind so much being on her stomach, but still not her favorite thing :)

She still loves, loves standing. I try to hold her hands and walk with her some, but she doesn't have the balance :) She likes it when we try though. We let her try bites of our food when we eat, and she loves it all! haha. Right now it doesn't look like we will have too many problems with getting her to eat. She always wants more, more, more! haha.

Well, that's all for now. I'll update you on more milestones next month if not before. Take care everyone! :)

Back to Work!

2009-03-20T21:18:00.004-05:00

Yup, that's right....I'm back to work! It actually feels kinda good. I'm sure it won't take long for that to wear off! I got a part-time job at MUSC Children's Hospital and just finished a week of orientation classes. It will definitely be an adjustment getting back to work, but I'm excited. It will be good for both Madi and me. It was hard leaving her, but comforting to know that she is staying with either Scott or people we know and trust. Jessica, who is a Child Life Specialist and works in the ED with Scott is watching her some and Fran is also keepin her. We are very lucky to have such wonderful people to offer to keep her when needed.

Being away from Madi was definitely harder for me than her! She would be happy and squealing when I would get home, and Jess and Fran both talked about how great she did during the day. As for my job, I will be working whenever needed on the different inpatient pediatric units. I make my own schedule, which is great and allows Scott and I to work my schedule around his, Fran's, and Jessica's. I sign up for the days and shifts I'm available and they place me on a floor that needs me. My only requirement is to work/sign-up for 24 hours in a 4 week period.

I'm a little nervous about going back to the floor, but ready to get back in to the swing of things. It's een 7 1/2 months since I've worked, which is kinda hard to believe! I have my first days on the floor next week, so we'll see how it goes :)

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2009-03-17T11:45:00.002-05:00

How lucky are Scott and I to have this beautiful baby girl to love and watch grow and develop?!!!!

Bubble Bath Fun

2009-03-12T22:09:00.001-05:00

Madi's 1st Beach Trip

2009-03-10T20:01:00.007-05:00

What better way to spend a beautiful spring-like day in Charleston than at the beach--especially when it's only 10 minutes away from the house!! I took Madi out to Isle of Palms and she loved being outside at the beach. She didn't even mind the sand! I sat her down on a towel in the sand and she played with her toys, laughing and squealing. When I sat her in the sand for the first time, she just sat there looking at the sand then she began to pick it up in her hands and drop it all in her lap :) Too cute! We didn't stay for long cuz it was cool down at the water, but she did enjoy herself so very much!! :)

7 Months Old

2009-03-08T22:04:00.002-05:00

It's so hard to believe that Madi is over 7 months old now! She gets more and more personality every day. She's laughing out loud more and still loves to blow "bubbles" :) heehee. She's getting so strong with standing and will pull herself up to stand while holding my hands.
It's funny cuz she's trying to be so moblie without really being mobile! haha. She squirms in your arms and reaches and falls over all the time, but as soon as she hits her stomach she freaks! :) She wants to move so bad but just can't stand to be on her stomach long enough to figure out how. haha. I guess she's just gonna have to wait till she's strong enough to walk :) Oh boy, the craziness I am in for!

This is pretty funny...So, Madi thinks she is a big girl and can eat with the grown-ups these days! haha. She DEMANDS food when we are out to eat so I have had to start bringing something for her to munch on when we are out! haha. She loves biscuits, so that's what I usually take. She's becoming a conesseur(I know I didn't spell that right! haha) of food. She loves to munch on french fries. I gave her my applesauce at Cracker Barrel when we were visiting Montogmery! haha. PawPaw gave her honedew melon that she absolutely loved!! My dad couldn't get it to her fast enough without her letting him know about it! haha. She's very persistent when she wants it. We gave her a apple piece a few nights ago when we were at Fran and John's having dinner. She loved gumming that. Then the other night we went out to dinner and I didn't have any thing for her. I tried letting her "munch" on some waffle fries, but those don't have enough mush for her to get out and she was very unhappy to not have anything to eat with us! So, I had to ask our waitress if we could get a small thing of mashed potatoes for her! That's all I knew to try! She was great and had them make a small, saucecup size of potatoes for her! haha. She LOVED them! It was so funny. I had some sandwich pickle slices that came with my burger too, so I decided to see what she would do with it. She loved it too!! HAHA. She sucked on the pickle slice and got all the pickle juice out. Crazy kid!! I hope this contiinues when she really gets to the table foods! Who says you have to wait to feed your baby table foods!! This kid thinks she supposed to have them NOW! haha.

We now have a stock of biscuits and mashed potatoes in the house to make real quick to take with us whereever we go! haha.

Madi is still doing awesome at night and continues to go down regularly about 8:30 no matter where we are. She sleeps right now till about 7-7:30 each morning. I definitely count my blessings at how well she does at night!

She's so cute when Scott comes home from work. She just smiles and kicks and giggles when she sees him. It's great. I've started letting her listen to Scott on the phone when he calls and he will talk to her for a minute. Her eyes just light up when she hears him on the phone. It's soooo sweet!

I can't think of anything else big right now to add to this. One day I'll get better at updating and then these entries won't have to be so long! haha. I hope everyone has a wonderful week!! Take care!

Another Mommy/Daughter Road Trip

2009-03-07T06:59:00.010-06:00

Hello! Well, since it's been a month since I last updated, I figured it was time for another one! Haha. I guess I'm just gonna have to accept the fact that no matter how hard I try, I'm not gonna be as good at updating as I want to be! :) I hope everyone is doing well. We are doing good here.

So, Scott has to take his Pediatric Emergency boards on March 30th, so he's been doing LOTS of studying! I'm very proud of him and the dedication and hard work he's put into his studying these past couple of months. Well, to give him some uninterrupted good study time, Madi, the dogs, and I took another trip to Montgomery for a week at the end of February. The dogs and Madi did GREAT with traveling! We all enjoyed seeing my parents. Granny and Paw-Paw were extatic to see Madi and how much she's grown :) We also enjoyed our brief, but fun visits with Scott's parents on either side of the trip to Montgomery and back to Charleston. They are always amazed at how much she's grown. It's such a blessing to have them in Atlanta!

While in Montgomery we got to visit Auburn and surprise my Aunt Liz with a visit from Madi :) I also went to Birmingham for a day. We went over to Bethany's and got to see family and Cie and her little girl Berkley came over to see us as well. We appreciated that very much! Berkley loves seeing Madilyn. It's so cute. I miss all my friends there and wish I had the time to see more of you! We stopped by the ice rink before heading home that day and I got to take Madilyn out on the ice for the first time. It was great to be back out there! It was so surreal for me to be taking my baby girl out on the ice :) heehee. She enjoyed "flying" over the ice and touching it. It was really cute. We also got to see Aunt Jessica in Montgomery before we headed home and I got to see my friend Amity for lunch when I was headed back to Atlanta. It was a great week!

The week before we left Madi had learned how to blow bubbles with her mouth. It's so stinkin' cute! She purses her lips together and justs spits everywhere. She thinks it's soooo funny and great! :) haha. We love watching her do this.

Everyone please keep Scott in your thoughts and prayers as he continues to study hard for his upcoming boards! I know he will do great, but this is really BIG for him. Just pray that he goes in prepared and focused for whatever the test brings his way. He has to fly to Chicago to take them. They don't have/offer a test center here for them.

Here are pics of our fun trip...

6 MONTHS OLD!!

2009-02-04T07:40:00.009-06:00

Can you belive it?!!!?!! Sometimes I can't! What a whirlwind it's been these past 6 months. It seems like just yesterday that we welcomed Madi into the world and moved to Charleston and everything else we did!! Watching her grow has been a BLAST!!! She's growing so fast and doing new things daiily it seems like.

At her 6 month check up she weighed 15lb 6oz and was 26 1/2 inches long. We are still not sure that her height is accurate (haha)! She doesn't seem to be tall, but we will go with it :) Madi is sitting up all on her own now! She does very well and loves playing with her toys. She's starting to reach for things that she can't quite get to. She absolutely HATES being on her stomach!!! haha. She hasn't liked this from the get go, but to see it now is a little funny. She will be leaning over to get a toy, then fall over. She ends up on her stomach, and as soon as she realizes it, she just starts wailing!! She won't even try to turn over. She's so funny. She can roll from tummy to back, but only if you catch her in a good enough mood to play on her tummy for about 10 minutes. She absolutely loves her feet and loves kicking! Those little legs go to town all the time! She still loves bath time and has started to play with some of her bath toys.

CHALLENGE....That's one word that can be used to describe 5 1/2 - 6 months so far. For the past couple of weeks she's been waking up in the middle of the night and taking about an hour to go back to sleep! It's usually around 4am. I would try and see if she would go back to sleep on her on, but she would just get louder and louder on the monitor! She gets excited when she sees me come in the room, so I would sneak in her room on my knees and reach in and put her paci back in her mouth. Sometimes that works, sometimes it doesn't. She's a stubborn little girl. I pat her butt and figure out anything to do before I pick her up to put her back to sleep. She puts up a good fight in her crib before she goes back to sleep! She had been sleeping through the night great ever since we started solids at 5 months, so this kinda trhough us for a loop. Well, a couple nights ago, I fed her more than I had been at bedtime and the past 3 nights she has slept through the night, going back to her regular schedule of going to bed about 8:30 and waking up around 7:30 or 8. Poor baby has been hungry maybe!! :) Bad mommy! :) haha. I had increased her night feed some when we went to stage 2 foods, but apparently not enough for her growing little body! :) We will see if she continues to do well.
She has also entered a phase where you can't put her down at all!!! She plays so well usually and loves her exersaucer, but she's gotten to where at least once a day as soon as you put her down on the floor or in the exersaucer she just starts screaming!!! We are where she can see us, but that just makes it worse, I think! So, she now has a crying fit daily, usually, that lasts about 45 minutes. We put her in her crib sometimes or leave her where she is playing. As soon as you pick her up she stops crying and starts smiling and laughing, so we know nothing else is wrong....SPOILT little girl!!! :) I don't know what else to do for this. It's really hard to hear her cry that hard, but I know it's the right thing to do. Every now and then she'll cry herself to sleep, but she's pretty stubborn! haha.

Scott and I still could not be happier with our beautiful little girl! She amazes us every day. We are learning together how to weather the storms and enjoying together all the little smiles and laughs she gives us. We feel better when we hear that we are doing the right thing and hear from others that they have gone through some of the same things we are going through. Overall, we know what a GOOD baby she is. We are very fortunate with how well she adjusts to different enviornments, how well she does with foods, and how well she continues to do at night(she has always done so well since birth with sleeping at night!).

Here are her 6 month pictures I had done
(Yes, she already has her first pair of ice skates! haha. My coach in Montgomery bought them for her :) hee hee)

Boone Hall Plantation Oyster Festival

2009-01-29T21:43:00.008-06:00

So, around here in Charleston, oysters are a BIG hit. Everyone loves them here, and people are always having "oyster roasts". Basically, people have these big steam pots that you steam the oysters in, you dump them out on a table, and then you have oyster knives to shuck(open) your oysters and eat then however you like. Good thing Scott and I like oysters!! hee hee.

Fran and John(the people we stayed with before our house was ready) have hosted a couple of oyster roasts that we've gone to already and then we did our own at Christmas time when our family was here. The one we did was definitely a learning experience, but we enjoyed it none the less.

Well, about a week ago we went to our first Oyster Festival. One of the historic visitor places here hosts a festival every year, so we went and checked it out. It was our first family oyster festival :) hee hee. We figured we better go ahead and get in on these traditions. I have never seen so many oysters in my life!!!! This thing was huge! There are different food stands set up with other food you can buy, live entertainment, and many, many oyster tables for people to stand around and get dirty with their oysters. People also bring lounge chairs and blankets.

We didn't know how we would like it, but we had a blast. It was a cold day, but iwth all the people around, it wasn't too bad.

Yummy Foods!

2009-01-14T08:06:00.011-06:00

Madi has hit the big time now....she's eating solid foods now :) hee hee. It's so funny to watch her reaction to new things you put in her mouth :) We started her on rice cereal Christmas Day while all our family was here. She actually did pretty well with that.

Well, after the first day of rice cereal, she decided that it wasn't as good as she thought it was! haha. I kept her on it for about a week, but she really wanted nothing to do with it usually. She always crinkled up her forehead when she ate it. haha. So, after enough fighting with that I went on to the baby foods.
We started off with green beans. She LOVED them! It was so funny. I put just a dab on my finger for her to try and after that she reached and reached for my finger for more! haha. She grabs the spoon and "helps" feed herself cuz she's so excited about them. hee hee. She's also had carrots and peaches now too. Both of which she loves as well. She takes one bite of the new food, thinks about it, and then reaches for more! haha. So far she likes all her fruits and veggies, even the stage 2 foods that are mixed with different fruits and veggies. One thing she doesn't like though, chicken and chicken broth! How funny that she doesn't like the meat! I'm not gonna complain though. It's funny though cuz as much as I LOVE chicken, that's the one thing I never craved or really wanted to eat when I was pregnant with her!

It's been fun and ineresting feeding her foods. She loves to try and "help" all the time. She gets a tight, tight grip on the spoon, and it's hard to pry her tiny little hands off of it without making a huge mess! :) She's also sneezed and coughed a couple of times as I've brought the spoon to her mouth, which is very interesting as you can imagine! haha. Ok, so all of you mom's that have been through this can stop laughing now! hee hee. It's really been fun, even with all the messes and "fighting"! haha.
The sad part, though, is that her little tummy has not well adjusted to the food change just yet. She's been having a hard time pooping since starting foods. It's so sad to see her cry as she's trying to go. I do admit, though, it's a little funny when's she's trying cuz I stand her up and she sticks her little butt out and bends over to try and go. haha. We've been giving her a lil' bit of water and karo syrup to soften things up, and she's doing better now. It was tough for a few days cuz every time she would try and go she would just lean in to me and cry. Poor Madi!

She's on 3 meals a day now. It's been interesting trying to figure out a eating schedule for her. It seems that as soon as Madi and I get something figured out, it changes cuz she's moving on up in the food world :) I love trying all the new different things for her.

Hopefully Madi will keep enjoying her introduction to the food world. I know there will be exciting, fun, messy times to come. haha. I'll be sure to keep you informed of all the funny food stories Madi provides us with! :)

Madilyn's First Christmas

2009-01-03T15:23:00.018-06:00

Hello everyone and HAPPY NEW YEAR to you all!!! I hope ya'll had a wonderful holiday season. We sure did around here! We had a wonderful Christmas here in Charleston with both Scott's parents and my parents here to visit. They all got to stay for a few days after Christmas too and we had a wonderful time. We celebrated Madi's first Christmas, had our first seafood boil and our first oyster roast. We got to show Scott's parents around Charleston some since they had not been able to visit till now. We also went out to the Angel Oak Tree here in town that is over 1,500 years old!!! That tree is AMAZING!!!

Well, Madi's first Christmas was a BIG hit! She racked up on gifts. We know it wouldn't have been any other way. haha. We give a big thank you to Grandma and Grump-pa and Granny and Paw-Paw for all her wonderful gifts. Madi's Grandma and Grump-pa (Scott's parents) got her a bunch of wonderful V-tech toys and some cute, cute clothes. Granny and Paw-Paw got her a very soft bear rug, name puzzle, and some of mommy's old Disney movies. Santa Claus rbought Madi a play mat, clothes, and bowls and spoons for her to start solids with! It was so wonderful to have Madilyn with us this Christmas! It gives a whole new special meaning to Christmas.

She got so worn out with all the excitement that she fell asleep without a fuss while the grown-ups were still opening gifts. She was in the best mood that day and enjoyed ripping wrapping paper. hee hee. The bows were just a big a hit for her as well.

It's hard to believe that Madi is 5 months old now. She turned 5 months on Christmas Eve. She's growing so fast. She has now found her toes and absolutely loves pulling on her feet and play with them. She's also trying really hard to sit up. Sometimes I can prop her up sitting in the boppy before she arches back and falls. The bumbo seat is great, but she has learned how to arch her back and pull herself almost out of it! It's funny, but it's not! She doesn't know better not to, so when you tell her to keep her little bottom in the seat she just laughs and squeals at you! haha. We started her on rice cereal for her Christmas dinner while all her family was here. It was pretty funny. I think more of it was on her face than in her mouth, but she did pretty good with it. She tried really hard and she loves to help with the spoon already.

Our New Year's was a pretty normal day. It's funny how things change when you have a baby. Scott was working overnight on New Year's Eve, so it was just Madi, me, and the dogs. Madi was out at her usual bedtime, bout 8:30, so I tried really hard to at least stay awake, but it did not work! haha. I fell asleep about 20 minutes before midnight! Usually I am wide awake at midnight, but not these days! I love all the changes in my life, though, and look forward to wonderful year of watching Madilyn grow. I hope everyone has a wonderful year filled with excitement and happiness!!

Here are some pics of our fun-filled Christmas.

Christmas Season Pics

2009-01-03T13:33:00.005-06:00

Mommy/Daughter Road Trip

2008-12-29T21:49:00.011-06:00

Nothing like starting your kid early on road trips! haha. Before Christmas Madi and I went to Montgomery to visit with my parents for about a week. It was a nice visit and something I needed as I continue to adjust to being far away from home. Yes, the trip was probably more for me than her, but I must say that I have the BEST little traveler!! She did soooooo good on the trip there and back! On the way to Montgomery we stopped and stayed the night in Atlanta at my in-laws house. It was a short visit, but a good one none the less. That broke the trip up some, but on the way back we drove straight to Charleston with one stop for mommy and Madi to eat. She didn't fuss really at all! I was and still am so very proud of her.

During our visit to Montgomery, we took a couple trips to Birmingham to see family and friends, and Madi went with mommy and Granny shopping in Montgomery one afternoon. She's a trooper and a great little shopper :) hee hee.

Visit with her Great Aunt and Uncle and cousins in Birmingham.

Madi with her Aunt Holly and Maimi and her Aunt Jessica.

With mommy's friend Cie and her little girl Berkley who calls Madi "Baby Spongebob" hee hee.

While in Birmingham, I stopped by the ice rink to see some friends and Madi got to be on the ice for the first time. I didn't have my skates, but my coach there skated around with her for a few minutes. Here she is on the ice for the first time and with my friend Kris who coaches there.

It was really good to see friends and family who I miss VERY, VERY much!! I hate that I couldn't see more of you, but hopefully I will be able to make another trip sometime soon.

More to come soon :)

Santa Claus

2008-12-23T07:09:00.005-06:00

Hello. Wow, I can't believe it's Christmas now! How time flies when you are busy and excited about your child's first Christmas! :) I took these pics a while back and then haven't gotten a post up, so I thought I'd do it today :) Sorry about the delay in posts. We have been crazy busy. I also went out-of-town for a week with Madi, so I didn't do anything then either. I'll put that up in a new post. Here are Madi's fist pics with Santa Claus. She did so good with him. She looked at him very intently, but never cried. These were right before she turned 4 month and she had got the grabbing and pulling things toward her mouth down, so since Santa's beard was close, she grabbed it and tried to eat it at one point! heehee

So, we are very, very excited about Madi's first Christmas! It's neat and funny how things change and you just want everything to be about your kids at Christmas once you have a little rug rat :) Both of our parents are coming to Charleston for Christmas and then spending a few days after, so we are excited. We get to have Madi's first Christmas with everyone around and spend it in our new house with both our families here. We are very blessed and thankful that they all could come. It's been so fun to dress Madi up in Christmas gear. I can't imagine how fun it's gonna be as she gets older :)

We hope everyone has a very MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! I'll post pics of all the things Madi racks up on from Santa Claus and grandparents after Christmas :)

Thanksgiving

2008-11-28T22:15:00.006-06:00

We hope everyone had a wonderful Turkey Day!!! Ours was GREAT! Scott and Scott's mom cooked some yummy, yummy food and we had some wonderful family time together. It was definitely nice to be able to get away and be able to spend the holiday with family.

Madi enjoyed her first Thanksgiving :) She sat in her Bumbo seat and watched all the cooking and laughed, squealed, and talked all day :)

I am definitely blessed with a beautiful, healthy baby girl, a wonderful, loving husband, and a loving supportive family!! I am also very thankful for each and every one of you, my friends!!!

Today we came to Birmingham to visit some friends. We stopped by Children's Hospital and visited some friends and former co-workers. It was definitely nice to see some "old" familiar faces!!!! We enjoyed seeing all of you that we saw! It was great to catch up. Madi was in a GREAT mood all day. She was sooo cute while we were visiting. She just talked to everyone and let 'em know that she was there :) We have a great little traveler that we are thankful for cuz it makes it much easier to takes these trips to see family and friends!!!

Here are some pics from Thanksgiving.

4 Months Old!!

2008-11-25T20:41:00.003-06:00

Can you believe it?!!? I can't!! Madi turned 4 months old yesterday! How time flies. She's getting sooo big and expressive. It's soooooo cute to watch. She just laughs and coos and squeals and talks all the time now. She does it more in the mornings when she wakes up and it's just makes my day :) She had her 4 month check up on Monday and everything is great. Her doctor was very impressed with her talking, standing, and alertness. She watches everything everyone does these days. She's learning how to pick toys up and play with them now and, of course, pull everything to her mouth :) She loves to chew...not suck....on her hands and thumb :) It's like those are the best things EVER!! haha. Oh, at her doctor's visit, she weighed 12lb 13oz and was 25 1/4 inches long. The doctor says that from where she falls in her percentiles, she's gonna be taller and slim. Scott and I are still not so sure about the tall part. She's pretty petite, but we all know that can change with a growth spurt :) hee hee.

Madi is doing really well at night and has fallen into a routine really well. The routine happened by accident, but it works well for her and me :) She's going down for the night between 8 and 9 regularly and sleeps a good 8 hours before she wakes up. I feed her then and then she'll sleep another 4 hours ususally. So, I'm still waking up once in the middle of the night, but that's fine by me if it keeps this routine that she has for now. It gives me quiet time for myself, or if Scott's home, it gives us some time together. Every now and then she will go the whole night without waking up and ends up sleeping a good 10-11 hours! I'm not gonna compliain :) hee hee. Madi is not a big napper, so I think that is helping with the sleep at night. She basically cat naps through the day and then's is zonked at night.

Well, I could go on and on about my sweet baby girl, but I'll leave some for another day :) We are in Atlanta now staying with Madi's Grandma and Grumpa (Scott's parents). We are here through Thanksgiving, then we are gonna go visit some friends in Birmingham. Scott got the whole week of Thanksgiving off, so we figured we'd make good use of his time off and see family and friends. My parents came and spent the day in Atlanta today. We all had a good time together.

We hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving. We are looking forward to our first Thanksgiving and holiday season with Madilyn. We wish everyone safe travels that will be out on the roads going to visit family!! We love all of you very much!!

Sportin' Dad's Hat :)

2008-11-10T20:39:00.005-06:00

Date Night

2008-11-01T21:12:00.003-05:00

Hey everyone. Well, I just have to say that I have the most wonderful husband! Some of the girls he works with have been wanting to babysit Madi, so he took Jessica up on the offer and took me out for a date tonight :) It was good to get out...even though we both had Madi in the back of our minds the whole time. hee hee....Is she being good, is she having a come apart (as has been known to happen with new people), but we did good and we enjoyed our night and trusted that she would call us if anything was wrong.

All that you hear from parents is so true about the first time you go out by yourselves. You are excited to have a night to yourselves, but you continuously wonder about your precious little one! It's amazing and such a wonderful feeling to have such a strong love for a human life. We would wonder what she was doing and make stories up about what was going on and laugh :) We had a good time out. We only wanted to be gone for a few hours since it was our first time away, so we did dinner and a movie all in one. We went to this place in town called the Cinnebarre. It's a movie theater that serves food (pizza, appetizers, burgers) and drinks (milkshakes, beer, wine, cokes) while you sit and watch the movie! It's pretty neat. What a wonderful idea to come up with.

Well, Madi did very well with Jessica. She took a little cat nap when Jessica got here, then she had her "dinner" bottle and played for a little bit before going down for the night. We really appreciated the night out and are very thankful for Jessica offering to babysit for us. Madi met her once before and seemed to take to her pretty well, so it's good to know that there's someone we can trust to keep Madi when we want another night out sometime.

Ok, I'm going to bed now. I just wanted everyone to know how WONDERFUL my hubby is to plan this night for me and for us. I love him bunches! :)

Our "Hot Stuff" Chili Pepper

2008-10-31T07:07:00.005-05:00

Hey there! Hope everyone had a fun Halloween. I got a little let down with mine, but seeing Madi all dressed up made it all better :) I went and got my hair cut today, and fittingly it was done on Halloween cuz it's a little scary! :) Really the girl did a good job, she just misunderstood me about wanting LONGER bangs cut around my face and now they are SHORT!! They are in my face all the time now! haha. Oh well, at least my hair grows fast :) Well, I was really excited about handing out candy to the kids this year with Madi, but that was shot down. We had all of 2 trick-or-treaters ALL night! Sad for me! I never handed out candy in B'ham, so I was excited about doing it here cuz there are tonz of kids in the neighborhood, but I guess since we are in the new part of the neighborhood that's just being built up, people really didn't make it down that far. Maybe next year will be better.

Madilyn made up for all that though being dressed in her costume :) She was too cute. Of course it was a little big, but we made it work :) She didn't too much like the hat, but she tolerated it long enough for me to get some cute pics :) It's sooo much fun having a little one to dress up :) hee hee.

Bath Time

2008-10-18T18:58:00.013-05:00

Madi still loves her bath time. You can see it in her eyes and expressions that she just loves being in the warm water. She still likes having her back washed too. I love being able to give her a bath cuz I get to see so many cute expressions :) Can you tell I'm a little giddy about bath time! haha. The sad part is having to get her out of the tub :) She does NOT like that part and she definitely lets me know it. haha.

Her new thing now is standing. She LOVES to stand. It's funny cuz when I try to sit her up in the tub or to burp her, she straightens out her legs to stand. She won't bend them :) I've had to learn how to hold her and burp her while she stands! She does it with Scott too when he's feeding her. It makes it difficult for him to get her burped, but he's done great :) We both just laugh about it now.

Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-18T17:29:00.014-05:00

Hey everyone. How exciting it didn't take me another month to make an update :) hee hee. Well, it has been busy these past 3 weeks around the Russell household. We have been in our houe for 2 1/2 weeks now and we have been busy unpacking and decorating. It's coming along slowly, but surely. It's a little more difficult to get things done when there's a baby in the picture. She only allows you to do a little work at a time before she wants the attention :) Madi really has done well with all the changes she has been through.

So, this past Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, my parents were in town. They came and brought stuff we had packed and stored at their house and they brought Madilyn's furniture. My parents gift to us was her furniture, so they had the chance to bring it to us this week. What a gracious and wonderful present. Madi now has her own bed for the very first time!! She doesn't have to sleep in the Pack-n-Play or on a palate on the floor any more! :) My dad put Madi's furniture together while he was here and he helped me and Scott hang a few things around the house. My mom babysat which was a BIG help! I got to do more cuz I knew Madi was being watched after. My mom also organized Madi's room and got her bedding on her crib while Scott and I were out running an errand one day. What a blessing and big help they have been to us! It was great to have them here for a few days.

I'm still adjusting to not being close to them, but it has been ok cuz we see them and Scott's parents once a month when we go to the Auburn game. We make a stop in Atlanta and spend the night to break up the trip for Madi. Madilyn is a GREAT little traveler!! She does so well in the car for so long. It has been nice for us to get to go to Auburn to a few games. I've even got to go into the games cuz my mom demands to babysit! :)

Well, why my parents were here, my mom and I took Madi over to the Pumpkin Patch to pick out a pumpkin for her first Halloween. She was a real trooper with all the picture taking and bright sun. We have her Halloween costume picked out. I'll keep that a secret until Halloween :)

Here are pics from the Pumpkin Patch. I'll put pictures up of Madi's room as soon as I get the last little bit organized.

ONE MONTH PICTURES

2008-10-05T16:33:00.007-05:00

Finally...Another update!

2008-10-05T16:07:00.002-05:00

Hey everyone! I can't believe how long it's been since I updated this!! I guess that's what happens when your life is in chaos with no organization! Hopefully it will start getting better now. Well, since the last update a LOT has happened. We moved from the RV park after one of the nurse practitioners Scott works with offered to let us live with her and her husband until our house was finished. She and her husband are truly a God send!!!! We couldn't be more grateful for what they did for us!! Fran and John were definitely put in our lives at the right time! Fran has been great helping me with Madi too. I'm so very lucky to have such wonderful people around me!!

Madilyn is now TWO months old! She had her two month check-up and she weighed 9lb 10oz and was 22in long. She also got her shots...3 in all! She was soooo pitiful! It was very sad! It's amazing to watch her grow. She's smiling now and cooing :) She loves, loves to kick!! She is always moving when she's awake :) She likes to sit up in her bobby and watch football now :) She's very content for a while in it :) For a while she didn't like to sit by herself anywhere, but as she's getting older, she's doing better with that. She's also now been to her first Auburn games! She and I went to the Southern Miss game and then Scott got to go with us to the LSU game. Madi and I got to go to a game earlier than we were going to to because of the weather and my dad had to come get the motorhome when Hurricane Hannah came through at the beginning of September, so since Scott was working, I went back to Montgomery with my dad for a few days and we went to Auburn. Our first family trip to Auburn was the LSU game. We had a good time even though Auburn lost. I have gotten to go into the games cuz my mom has stayed in the motorhome with Madi during the games. She took that job without any arm twisting! :)

Now for the biggest news.......WE HAVE MOVED INTO OUR HOUSE!!!!!!!!!!! YAY!!!!!!!!! We closed on our house Monday Sept 29th and the movers came that afternoon. We are slowly getting it all organized. It's been rough sometimes trying to keep Madi happy and get things set up. We are getting things the way we want them though. We are soooo excited to be in our very own house with all of our things!! Now we don't have to live out of suitcases anymore or live in the "trailer park"! :)

Well, I will post pics later. Madi is waking up and she's hungry, so I gotta go. I'll do pics when she takes another nap.

Love to all!!!

One Month Old!

2008-08-24T14:56:00.009-05:00

Hey everyone! Sorry it's been so long since I've updated. It's hard to get computer access right now with living in a motorhome and all! :) It's going well, though. We are very thankful that my parents let us stay here in it! It's saving us money for sure! The house is coming along fine. It's so neat to see it coming along. I would post pics, but it takes me so long, so I figured I post pics of Madi instead :) I'll post house pics later. They say we should close the last week in September! That's exciting. We are staying about 5 miles from the house, so we go by there almost everyday to see the progress. The cabinets are in, the appliances there, the house painted, the countertops in the bathrooms are in, the hardwoods down, and more, but those are some of the big things. They were getting the electricity hooked up this coming week!

Well, Madilyn is now one month old today! It's hard to believe that it was a month ago we welcomed her into the world. She's doing good. She's had some fussy days, and those are hard, but she's growing and doing well overall. She sleeps well during the night, but sometimes you just can't make her happy during the day! It's hard cuz you feel so helpless when nothing you do seem to help. We are making it though, and taking it day by day. She's eating well and gaining weight, so we are happy about that. I weighed her at Scott's work one night and she weighed 7lb 7oz with a wet diaper on, so she's doing well!!

Here are some pics of her at 3 weeks old. I'm gonna go have her pics taken somewhere for one month, so I'll have to post those later. Enjoy!

We miss all our friends in B'ham and around. We hope ya'll will come visit when we get into our house. I will update later when I'm back at Scott's office and have access to a computer.

Trailer Park Livin'!

2008-08-13T13:11:00.003-05:00

Hey everyone! Just a brief update... We are in Charleston and kickin' it in the trailer park until late September when our house is done. Will be updating pictures and stories soon! Madi had a great 2 week check-up before we left and she is growing. We closed on the B'ham house without incident. We miss you all!!!! Watch for updates soon...

PICTURES!!!

2008-08-05T14:32:00.015-05:00

MADI'S FIRST BATH AT HOME. SHE ACTUALLY LIKES HAVING BATHS NOW! SHE LOVES TO HAVE HER BACK WASHED :) AS YOU CAN SEE ALSO, MOM AND MADI MAKE THE SAME FACES TOO!! MADILYN'S IS MUCH CUTER THOUGH! :)

3 DAYS OLD

4 DAYS OLD

MADI'S FIRST NAP WITH HER DADDY AND ALTE

ONE WEEK OLD...MADILYN'S AUNT JESSICA MONOGRAMMED HER ONSIE AND BIB HERSELF! GOOD WORK JESS!! :)

TOY BAR FOR THE LONG DRIVE TO CHARLESTON! (12 DAYS OLD)

No More Lights...

2008-08-02T09:41:00.003-05:00

Hey everyone. Sorry it's been a few days since I updated. We have been BUSY packing boxes and moving stuff around getting ready for the movers to come next week. So, in between feedings, we are packing and deciding what to keep and what to sell/not keep.

Madilyn is doing great. She actually got to come off the bili lights Thursday afternoon! She ended up not minding the bed at all and slept really well on it. It had a humming noise to it, so I'm sure that helped too :)

She had lost weight since birth, but is gaining it back now. When we went to the doc on Tuesday she weighed 6lb 2 1/2oz, but she had really just started eating well too. She wasn't eating when she came home from the hospital which was concerning, but she finally picked up on that Saturday night/Sunday. (she weighed 6lb 7oz at birth) So, when the nurse came Friday to check her bili level one last time and pick up the light, she got her weight checked again and she was up to 6lb 6oz! YAY! She had been gaining a couple of ounces back each day since on the bili lights cuz they would check her weight daily when they came out.

So, we are very proud of our sweet little girl! I will post more later.

We are having a yard sale this weekend, so I have to get back out with helping with that. Chris and Mindy that Scott worked with at Children's have graciously volunteered to help run it for this weekend, so we are VERY thankful for their help! Granny (Mel's mom) gets baby duty while the sale is going :) She's enjoying her job :) hee hee.

I'll try and post more pics later today or tomorrow. Hope everyone has a great weekend!!!

Love to all!!!

Phototherapy

2008-07-29T20:07:00.004-05:00

What up ya'll!!

My folks took me to the doctor today to get my weight and bilirubin checked again since being discharged from the hospital. What a bummer!!! The mean nurse pinched my heel and kept squeezing and squeezing and squeezing for blood!!! I was NOT happy at all!!!

Now since the results came back, I am at home pimping on my new bili bed, but I'm not so sure I like it too much!! Noone can hold me and love on me and I have to lay on this thing ALL the time except when I'm eating or my diaper is being changed! So, I'm having to take full advantage of those moments and I'm dirtying up LOTS of diapers now so that I can get more attention!!!!!! My dad says not to worry though, I shouldn't have to be on my special bed for too long. He thinks I'll do great.

Check out my newest photos online here (don't let the calm, peaceful look fool you into thinkin' I like this thing! My mommy just got me in a good moment!):

Pictures of Madilyn!!

2008-07-28T12:34:00.023-05:00

Here are a bunch of pics for ya'll to enjoy!! :) I'll have more to come later. Don't worry we have the picture thing covered :) hee hee. I told Madi in the hospital that she needs to get used to pics now, b/c her mom LOVES taking pictures!!! :) hee hee.

Like I said before, we couldn't be more in love and happier than we are now!! It's such a joy just to sit and watch her sleep and watch her faces that she makes. They are too cute!! I'll write an update soon, but enjoy these for now!! We are all doing well and enjoying being home!

DAY OF BIRTH - JULY 24TH

MADI'S FIRST BATH - she did not like too much :)

FAMILY PHOTO :)

SWEET BABY GIRL! - trying out her Auburn headband :)

2nd Hospital Day (July 25th - 1 day old)

Madi with Paw Paw and Granny. Madi with Grandma Jeanne (Gram)

GOING HOME DAY! (JULY 26TH - 2 days old)

Bolus and ALTE meet Madi!

We are Home!

2008-07-26T20:41:00.002-05:00

Hey everyone!! Sorry I never got a chance to update or get anyone to update the blog the day Madi was born. We are very blessed to have Madilyn in our lives now! We couldn't be happier!!

I just wanted to write a quick post and let everyone know that we are now home from the hospital. They let us go this afternoon about 2ish after the doctor came and saw Madilyn. She is beautiful and we are sooooooo in love!! :) Madilyn is a happy, healthy, baby girl.

Quick stats for Madilyn: She was born July 24, 2008 @ 12:41 p.m.
She weighed 6lb 7oz and was 19inches long.

I will give more of an update and post some pictures of our baby girl tomorrow. I just wanted to let everyone know that we are home...happy, healthy, and safe. Thank you for all your calls, prayers, and thoughts of us during this special time!!! We appreciate them all!

Love,
Scott, Melanie, and Madi :)

Today is Madi's day!!!

2008-07-24T05:55:00.001-05:00

The day has finally arrived!! We get to meet Madilyn!! We are SUPER excited. We are getting ready to leave the house now and head to the hospital to get it all started.

We will keep everybody updated as much as we can!

We love all of you very much!!!!

Set for Tomorrow!!

2008-07-23T12:13:00.002-05:00

Ok, so I went to the doctor this morning and we are set for Madilyn to arrive tomorrow! WOW! I am 3 centimeters dilated and 70%, so the plan is for us to get to the hospital first thing in the morning....That is unless she decides to come on her own :)

We will arrive at the hospital between 6-6:30 a.m., get signed in and registered. They will start an IV on me and start my medicines, then Dr. Alten said she would be around 'bout 7:30-8 to break my water, and then it's a go from there!! So, sometime tomorrow Madi will make her entrance! It's sooo exciting, but at the same time I'm soooo nervous too! I can't believe the day is finally here. Our world will never be the same, but we couldn't be happier to have it changed for her!

I will definitely try to find someone to update the blog if possible. I have many phone numbers, so hopefully some of you will be called by me or someone with my phone to let you know that she has arrived :)

There will be plenty of pics to post when we get home from the hospital! :) I hope to keep ya'll informed, but know that we are soooo thankful for the support you are given us from far away if we are unable to post anything until we get home from the hospital.

Please keep us in your prayers as you are starting your day tomorrow! We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of our daughter :) Scott and I appreciate all the love and support we have gotten from friends and family during this exciting time in our lives.

Talk to you very soon with a new addition to the family!!!! :) :) :)

Quick update...

2008-07-18T10:54:00.002-05:00

Hey everyone!! I just wanted to update all of you real quick. No, Madi has not made it here yet! :) We are hoping that she holds out one more day so that her dad can get home.

Wednesday when I went to the doctor I was 2 centimeters dilated. So, I've been trying to take it as easy as I can. I can definitely tell that she's moved down. Oh the pressure in the pelvic/hip area!! :) Moms, I know you know what I'm talking about :) It's quite painful and makes it a little difficult to get around. There is more pressure in my right hip and my doctor said that she is definitely pressing more on that side. I have had some cramping/contractions this week, but nothing big or regular. More like Braxton Hicks. I know that's only a sign that things are moving along, but I'm praying they hold off for at least another 24hrs!! :)

So, Scott is finishing up his final day at work before he flies home tomorrow morning!!! YAY! I am soooooo excited. I have missed him sooooo much!! This time away from him has definitely taught me to appreciate having him around even more than I already did!!!

Lastly....our houses.....We got positive news on our house in B'ham today, so that's a blessing. Continue to pray for the sell of our house here in B'ham and as soon as I can, Iwill fill all the details in for you! As for our house in Charleston....things are starting to move along a little faster. Scott has been able to go out there and see some of the progression. They have gotten all the insulation and dry wall in and apparently should start putting cabinets in next week which then leads to painting, floors, etc. We shall see what happen cuz we will not be able to be around to see if it continues to progress! Scott has peeked in on the neighbors house, and theirs has moved along quickly as soon as they started interior work.

Ok, I think that's all. We will update you all when Madi arrives :) Hope you all have a good weekend!!!

First Three Nights...

2008-07-14T12:20:00.002-05:00

Hey all!! Well, I just wanted to let all of you know that Scott finished his first 3 nights at MUSC this morning! His first shifts were overnights, so it was a bit of a challenge doing that in a new place, but he did great!! He's really tired now, but he seemed to like them ok. It was very different for him, but I think he will adjust just fine. I got to talk to him each morning after he got off when he was on his way home, and he seemed to be doing well, and adjusting to all the new ways there. He does miss all of you in the ED at Children's!!

Chris Jolieffe....Yes, Scott said he does still want to do the yard sale, as do I, and I think he's gonna try and get in touch with about that this week. We talked about it the other day.

He only has at the most 5 days before he comes back to B'ham now!! I've been counting down the days!! :) We have to see how my doctor's appointment goes on Wednesday to see if if might be best if he get someone to cover for him for a couple of days and him come home early.

I was one centimeter dilated last Wednesday when I had by doc visit. I was told many women can stay dilated a centimeter for a long time, but it's been a little more worrisome for me just cuz he's so far away right now. Madi and I are doing just fine though. I can't believe that by the 24th of this month she will be here!! (Just a reminder...we are planning on me being induced on the 24th if she doesn't decide to make an earlier appearance!) That's only a week and half away!!!

Well, I gots to go spend some time with the pups before I head to work. I/We will keep you posted on the goings on around here and let you all know when Madilyn makes her arrival!!

Have a good afternoon and a great week!!!

Finally an Update! :)

2008-07-07T17:38:00.048-05:00

Hey everyone!! Wow!! I didn't realize it has been over a month since I last updated!! Sorry for the lack of updates! We have been doing a lot since I last updated. Lets see if I can fill you in quickly and briefly...

Well, for starters, keep praying for the sell of our house in B'ham! The inspection was done and negotiations made, but now we are in limbo waiting for this guy to get financial loan approval!! We seem to be in the same predicament we were in with my townhouse!! So, we are patiently waiting and seeing how things will turn out. I can't go into much more detail, but please keep us in your prayers as far as this sale goes. We don't want it to fall through and be back at square one!

I am now 37 weeks...well, I will be Thursday. I can't believe our little girl will be here in a matter of weeks!!! It definitely has flown by especially with how busy we've been with house stuff and packing. I go to the doctor every week now! Crazy! Madilyn is still doing good. I still measure "small", so we did another ultrasound last Monday at my doc visit. She's growing fine. She actually measured at 34 weeks 6 days, but she is doing good. She weighed 5lb 15oz :) She's a growing!! :) She moves around in me ALL the time. hee hee. It's such a neat feeling. This whole experience has been wonderful! Praise God for that!!

Scott is now in Charleston! It's very lonely here without him and I miss him BUNCHES!!! He's enjoying it there and has been out finding his way around and enjoying the city. He has been there a week now. He is staying with Kimberly and Mike. We are so thankful that they opened their house up to him and are allowing him to stay there for a few weeks! He misses all his friends here in B'ham and says "HELLO" to you all!! He will be back in town on the 20th of July, so he will be able to visit around some before we leave for good. We are hoping and praying that Madi doesn't decide to come before then! :) We plan on inducing by the 24th of July cuz of all the craziness that we have with moving and Scott's job. He has his first shifts at MUSC on the 11th, 12th, and 13th. Keep him in your thoughts!!

Lastly, I had a beautiful baby shower June 29th hosted by my Jessica (I consider her my "little sister"). She is so dear to me and the effort she put into this shower for me and Madilyn was amazing!!! She is so thoughtful, considerate, and just the best friend anyone could ask for!! I have watched her grow up to be an amazing woman!! I had many wonderful friends and family there to visit with and I'm so thankful they took time out of their day to come. There are pics below from the shower. Thanks to all of you for the wonderful gifts for Madilyn!!

Me and my Jessica!

This quilt my Nana made for me and my unborn child before she passed away which was when I was still in college!! My family tells me she just must have known that I was to have a girl cuz she was set on making me a strawberry shortcake quilt and nothing neutral :) This is MOST precious to me!!!!!!

The portable Pack-n-Play will be Madilyn's "crib" for a month or so until we get moved into the house :) THANK YOU Aunt Bea, Uncle Bobby, Bethany, David, and Davis for this WONDERFUL gift!!!!

My dear friends Amity and Sarah!!!!

Some Good News to Tell!

2008-06-03T00:10:00.002-05:00

Hey everyone!! Well, we have some exciting news to give! We got a contract on our house in B'ham on Sunday!! YAY! All praise be to God! It was a crazy exciting weekend for us. The guy who put in the offer just graduated from Auburn with his masters in business, and came to look at the house with his parents on Friday. It was funny cuz they scheduled the showing for 1100 on Friday and showed up at 1015 that morning! Eeks :) I had to grab the dogs, flip on the lights throughout the house, and get out of there quick :) The real estate agent was really nice and apologized for being early. Maybe it payed off that they say our cute little dogs and the Auburn collar on Bolus :) haha. Scott and I think it will be a perfect "bachelor pad" for him. They ended up staying at the house for an hour!! WOW! The guy put in his initial offer that evening and then the countering between everyone began :) What's even crazier is that the next day we ended up with 2 more showings on the house and both couples really liked the house also!! They would have put in offers, but one couple didn't want to make a "rash" decison and the other hadn't been preapproved, so neither wanted to put in an offer till later in the week. So, we ended up negotiating with this guy, and got everything settled pretty quickly after he found out there were other interested parties. We are way excited!

It's so neat to see how God worked in all this! We still have to go through inspection and more negotiations after that, so keep the prayers coming, but to see God work in this is amazing. Scott was starting to get real worried and the positivity he was trying to keep was getting harder for him. I just kept praying for positivity and strengh for us and God knew exactly when to put the right person in front of us! Even better is that we asked if we could hold closing till the beginning of August, and he agreed!!!! That means that we won't have to find a place to live here in B'ham for a month and no moving our things twice here in B'ham. I can stay in the house until and after Madilyn is born! WHAT A TRUE BLESSING!!!!! Madilyn will be able to have her 2 week check-up and then we will move to Charleston at the beginning of August. We are so blessed that this has worked this way and that we will not have to worry about where I will be living in July while I'm still here alone.

For those who may not know, Scott is having to go start work in Charleston at the beginning of July for a couple of weeks and then come back here for the baby to be born. I wanted to be here in B'ham to have Madilyn, so things are a bit back and forth. Scott has been very supportive of me staying here where I am comfortable, and for that I am truly lucky! He is wonderful! I just didn't want to be in a new place 9 months pregnant for someone I just met to deliver my first baby! :) We were concerned about where we/I would live depending on the sell of the house, and now that worry is gone! Thank you my Lord! It's so amazing to see how God is working this out each step of the way. I just smile each time I tell someone this story and I am smiling as I sit here and type this out to ya'll. PLEASE, keep the prayers coming in the weeks ahead as we go through inspection and more deals after that is done. We appreciate the many prayers that have been said already!! They are definitely working! :)

Oh, also, I had a check-up last Thursday. Madilyn is doing just fine!! Two weeks prior to that I had measured small, so Dr. Alten wanted to do an ultrasound this go round to make sure she was growing ok. Well, she definitely is!! :) According to the measurements of the ultrasound, she weighs 3 pounds 15 ounces right now. hee hee. How amazing this little life is! :) The first thing she said when she entered the room was, "So much for a small baby!" :) She expects her to be about 7 1/2 pounds when she is born. Dr. Alten says she "hides" in me very well cuz my stomach still measured small. I can tell you one thing though......I sure don't feel small by any means!!!!! haha. We are so thankful that she is growing just fine.

Well, I think that is all for now. I will keep you posted on updates of the sell of our house. Hope everyone has a good week!!

We love you!!

Our First Baby Shower

2008-05-22T00:54:00.015-05:00

Hey everyone!! Well, Scott and I had our first baby shower on Monday. It was Scott's very first baby shower to be a part of! :) It was given by Scott's co-workers and the people from Scott's office were there, so boys and girls were allowed to come :). Thanks to Marjorie Lee and Dawn for hosting the shower!! It was wonderful! We had a great time eating yummy food and visiting with everyone there. We appreciate all the wonderful gifts we got!! Madi got some cute clothes, some very soft blankets, cute stuffed animals, her bath tub and some bath toys, and other great things!! Scott and I are so thankful for the time his co-workers took out of their busy day to help us celebrate our joy and we missed those that weren't able to be there because they were working! We will miss them all when we move to Charleston.

Happy daddy and mommy to be!

29 1/2 weeks

Just to clarify...the bassinet was just part of the decor. It worked very well with colors and all :)

Cute, yummy pedifores!!

Proud papa shows off some cute clothes for Madi :)

Oh yeah....Jimmie Johnson window shade!! hee hee. Thanks Jud!!!

Scott's office/co-workers

HOUSE UPDATE

2008-05-12T16:23:00.010-05:00

Hello!!! So, I thought today I'd update on how our house is coming along. We are so excited about the house we have being built! We got to see it again for the first time since our offer got accepted when we went the first weekend in May.

We drove for the first time so we would know what the drive was like and how long it takes to get there. It wasn't a bad drive at all. It's a long drive, but not bad. We were happy with that. Our trip only consisted of house planning this go round. We spent ALL day Friday with the interior decorator at the Design Center for Weiland homes that we have been talking to on the phone and by e-mail. When I say all day....I mean 9:30 that morning till 5 that afternoon with an hour lunch break!!! Who knew it takes that long to pick out all the details for a house!! :)

We enjoyed the day and the time we spent with Becky. She was great, helpful, and laughed at Scott's jokes and craziness :) She was very patient with us and for that we were greatful. I had no idea what all we would be doing. It's amazing all the stuff you get to pick out when you are building a house!! It was pretty neat. We picked out kitchen cabinets, countertops for the kitchen and bathrooms, knobs for cabinet doors, style door handles for closet doors, room doors etc, tile, hardwood, grout for between the tiles, staircase railings, wall colors, appliances, and MANY, MANY, MANY lights and fans!!!! We had to choose how we wanted the tile laid, and any decoartion tiles we wanted too. It doesn't sound like a lot when writing it down, but it's very tidious and time consuming. We are excited to see what the finished outcome will be. It's cool to know that when the house is done, it will be exactly what we wanted and picked out and not have to settle for what someone else has already done with the house.

It was a long day, but we were happy with the choices we made once it was all done. After that, we got to go check out the house again and see its progress. The house is really coming along at a great pace!! The area we are building in is going up FAST!!! There are houses going up all around now. They have sold very fast! I'm glad we found ours when we did!! :)

We still need prayers, though! We are very excited, but we still need our house to sell in Birmingham. I'm definitely learning patience right now from God! I know in His timing things will work out, but it's very scary and worrisome to have a contract on a house when your house hasn't sold yet. God is teaching me to continually rely on him, have faith, and give these worries over to him. Just keep us in your prayers as we make our way through this. Pray for the right people to be found to buy this house, and pray for our faith and patience as we get closer to the time our house is ready. Our house in Birmingham has only been on the market for about 2 months, and our house in Charleston isn't supposed to be ready till September, so we are not in a "time crunch" yet, but it's hard not to think about. Thanks for the prayer support!

So, here are some updated pics of our house...

The outside has been painted, and they were painting the trim when we were there

The kitchen...it will have a bar style countertop.

Family room

Master bedroom

Back of house with screen in Porch area

We can't wait to have visitors, so start thinking of planning a trip to Charleston!! :) We would love to show our friends around the city we are loving more each time we go there!!

Two Weeks Ago...

2008-05-10T21:17:00.011-05:00

Hey Everyone!!! Sorry for the looooong delay in updates! We have been busy little bees these past couple of weeks, and then I forgot to update before I started work this week, so that has made this update even later!

Well, two weeks ago we went to the NASCAR race in Talladega. Yup, that's right...we love some racin'! We had a blast. Me, Scott, my parents, Scott's dad (Ron), and Scott's friend (Gregory) all went. This was Ron and Gregory's first Talladega experience!!! :) How exciting for them. It was definitely a new experience that neither of them had seen anything like before :) It was supposed to rain, so we were afraid that we wouldn't get the race in, but thankfully the weather held out and they got to have the WHOLE race day experience!

We got there early Sunday morning, walked around all morning taking in all the different people you will see there, shopped, and then headed into the track to get ready for the race. Everyone enjoyed the race....except for the end! None of our peeps won. We were all cheering for Jeff Gordon #24 or Jimmie Johnson #48. Afterwards, we hung out at the cars for a bit and ate some sandwhiches and snacks we had brought with us. We got to watch all the drunk rednecks fight to leave as soon as possible! :) No use in getting out in all the maddess too soon! We stayed until the rain finally came and then headed home.

It was a great time overall! Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. I think Gregory is gonna be a diehard NASCAR fan now after this experience! hee hee. He's already wanting to come to another race! Ron we might have to work on to become a "diehard" fan, but he enjoyed himself and all the different people that you'll see at an event like this! :)

Here are a few pics from our fun trip:

Ron getting into the Dega experience

Madi's first race! :) 26 1/2 weeks preggers!

Silly boys!

Go Jimmie!

Gregory and Melanie

Go Jeff!

'80s Prom Night

2008-04-15T18:50:00.006-05:00

Hey everyone!! Well, last Friday night was the Children's Hospital ED '80s Prom Night themed party! It was a blast! Scott and I had a great time. It was awesome to see some of the costumes that people came up with. There was a lot of planning that went into some of them! Thanks to everyone that came and had a blast and that helped organize the party! Scott...and I...enjoyed every minute of it.

Here are some pics from the party. Enjoy!!

Scott and his pregnant date :)

Scott, Yvette, Scott, and Melanie

ER Girls

Prom Queen and King

6 Months Along

2008-04-08T11:12:00.002-05:00

Hey Everyone. I hope ya'll had a good weekend. Ours was pretty uneventful which was nice for us. We went to Montgomery on Saturday for a surprise party for my skating coach, but that was all the traveling we did this week :) It was pretty neat to see a bunch of people I don't ever really get to see anymore!

Well, I don't have much to write. I just wanted to let ya know that my doctor's appointment went well last week. Dr. Alten actually got to measure my stomach last week. hee hee. I'm starting to feel her move a little more, but it still sporadic when I do. It's such a cool, amazing feeling! Next month I go for my glucose tolerance test, so that'll be a long visit. I will be exactly 6 months along this Thursday, and I'm feeling great. I can't believe it's already been 6 months. The time for Madilyn to arrive will be here before I know it!

Oh, Scott and I also got to make some decisions on our house yesterday. We talked with a girl in the design studio yesterday over the phone and picked out some things that needed to be decided pretty quick while in front of a computer also. We are going back to Charleston the beginning of May to spend the day at the design center and pick out other things that we want. We are pretty excited. It was nice to get some things picked out yesterday too.

I hope everyone has a good week. I will update again soon. Take care. We love you!!

DECISION MADE...

2008-03-30T21:46:00.004-05:00

Hey everyone!! Hope all is well. Well, we have finally made a decision on our baby girl's name.

We decided to go with MADILYN :) We will call her "Madi" :) I'm excited to have a name figured out so we can starting calling her by name when we talk to her :) Scott actually made the final decision. I couldn't decide between the two, so I let him pick which one he liked the best.

Also, I think I felt Madi move for the first time the other night! I'm not sure, but it felt like a little bubble in my tummy, which is what a bunch of people said it would feel like. I was all excited!! :0) hee hee. My last doctor's appt, I was told that I have an anterior placenta, which means that it will take me longer than usual to start feeling her move because she has more "layers" to kick and move through. I am 22 weeks now, so maybe I'll start feeling her move more now :) My doc told me it would be closer to 6 months before I felt movement probably. It was way cool to feel it. I felt the same thing again last night, so I woke Scott up and he felt it too :) You have to wait a while between movements when it happens, but Madi did move for him :)

Lastly, inquiring minds want to know if the neon green car outside our house in the pictures posted, comes with the house.........YES!!! That will be our new car when we get to Charleston! hee hee. We just love the neon green car and couldn't resist the offer to keep it! We will take you all for a ride in it when you come visit us! :)

Ok, I hope everyone has a good week. I will update again soon. I have a doctor's appt Thursday, so I will let ya'll know how that goes.

Take care.

LOTS OF NEWS TO TELL!!!

2008-03-25T12:54:00.000-05:00

Hey there everyone!! So, I haven't done so well with updating often, but I will try and do better :) There is a lot to tell now. Scott and I have been VERY, VERY busy this past week and a half, two weeks! There have been lots of things going on, crazy emotions, and lots of traveling :) Lets just start from the beginning :)...

First we went to Fairhope. That was 2 weekends ago. They have a big Arts and Crafts Festival there every year that Scott's family really enjoys, so we finally got to check it out! It was AWESOME!! If any of you like arts and crafts, this is the place to check out!! They have a ton of people there and great stuff! We also got to spend time with Scott's family that lives down there and just relax! It was a beautiful weekend. We are wanting to be back for it next year already :)

OH, I forgot to mention that before we left for Fairhope, we got our house on the market!!! Jamie, our realtor, came and took pics before we went out-of-town, and it was put up on the listings to start showing while we were gone. We are excited about it. It was a lot of hard work, but we finally got done what we neede to, and we think the house looks great! Scott did extra hard work! I'm so proud of all he did. I've probably said this before, but you truly never realize how much stuff you have to pack until it's time to move!!! We found so much stuff!! :) Some things we are giving to charity cuz we really don't need them and it's time to let go of some stuff! :)

So, after Fairhope, we picked up our dogs from my parents house on the way back home. We spent the night in B'ham and then the next day headed to Atlanta cuz we were flying out Tuesday to go to Charleston....no, there was not much down time!! :) This trip, the dogs were unable to stay with my parents, so we had to board them for the FIRST time!! It was sooooo very sad for Scott and me!! :) They didn't seem to mind too much until we went back and took a lil' tour of the place and saw them where they were staying....they were not happy! They looked sooo sad!! They did get to stay together, so that was good. We also got to take some of there toys with them. They stayed at The Pampered Pet Resort. It seems like a really nice place. They got to go out and play with other dogs during the day and then we got someone to spend "alone" time with them one day so they felt special :) We were definitely parents leaving our kids for the first time!! hee hee. Now we get to do this all over again at some point with Baby Girl Russell!! Oh geez!! :)

Next, we were off to Charleston for a few days. We were there last Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. We flew in Tuesday late morning and the fun began that afternoon! :) We met up with our realtor there, Mark, and began the search for houses! How overwhelming that is!! Mark was great. We enjoyed meeting him. We definitely think he's a better fit for us than the other person we had talked with a one point before. Since Scott has gotten in touch with him, he's been very in-tune with looking for what we want, and keeping us updated on what's out there. We knew which neighborhood we wanted to live in from looking the couple of times we were in Charleston for Scott's interviews, so we stuck with that neighborhood.

All afternoon Tuesday we looked at previously owned houses in Hamlin Plantation (that's the name of the community/neighborhood we like). That night we were a little bummed cuz we didn't really see anything that jumped out at us. We saw some things we could "make work", but we didn't want to have to settle for something. I prayed that night after we got back to the hotel, that a direction would be shown to us as far as where we were to go from here. Were we to stick to pre-owned hoses, or could there be something for us in new construciton? So, Wednesday was a new day with new things to check out. The neighborhood we like is also building and doing new construction right now, so Mark took us back to Hamlin, but this time we went and talked with the builders to see what might be available for us. They showed us their site map and what was being built where at this time. Just being there in the sales office place had a whole new vibe for me than the day before! We had been looking on the computer at the floor plans that were available where they were building and had fallen in love with one particular....The Granger. So, of course we asked about it. There was ONE that was currently under construction and available when we were there. We got to check out the model home that was a Granger and then went out to the house under constrution. Just seeing the model home was enough to make us fall even more in love with that floor plan! All they have on the website is a layout of the floorplan which we really liked, then to see it in the house was even better!!

When we went out to the house under construction, and saw the plot it was on, we knew it was PERFECT for us. It backs up to woods and no other construction will be done behind it, and out front they are putting up a minature park literally across the street from the house. That was really appealing! We even got to go through the house under construction. I really felt like this place was suppose to be ours, but was trying not to get too excited about it, cuz it was DEFINITELY NOT ours!! :) So, needless to say, we left Wednesday with a totally different feeling and were really excited.

Thursday, we met up with Mark again just to wrap things up before we left. While we were with him, he mentioned that the builder guy that we had met with on Wednesday had called and left him a message saying that there was "news" on the house we looked at yesterday. That was a little scary! Was it good or bad? Well, he didn't call us back until we were on the way to the airport....and the news was BAD! Someone else was interested and gonna put on offer in on the house. We were both really bummed! Scott was sooooo sad that he didn't even really talk much the rest of the day...not on the way to the airport, on the plane, or back in Atlanta. So, I did the only thing I could do....started praying and asking for direction again. If this was not meant to be for us, then something else was out there. That gave me a peace. If we could still have a shot, I prayed things fell into place for us to let it happen. We had nothing in place to even consider having it be ours....no pre-approval, no money to put down with a contract and our house hadn't sold yet either! (but we did finally close on the townhouse...so there was some hope...)

Anyway, we got home and talked to our agent in B'ham, Jamie, and she looked at all the info and told us that if we really liked the floorplan and liked the lot that we should go for it...so we worked really hard on the offer and prayed really loud and long and.....WE GOT IT!!!! Our offer was just higher enough (and Scott says we are just cooler enough...) that they gave it to us!!!! We are soooo happy! We put up some pictures for you all to see, but it is still early. We will try to update the pictures as we go. Now all we got to do is sell our house, so if anyone reading this wants to move, just drop us a line!!!! Ha, ha...

I guess the lesson we take from this is just to continue to TRUST GOD and have patience!! I saw with patience and time we see that God always knows what is BEST for us!!!!!!!!!!!!! How awesome!

Now we are looking forward to having you all visit OUR new home in Charleston!!!!!!

Here is OUR house being built (that's so cool to say!!!):

Look....I even look pregnant now! hee hee (21 weeks in Downtown Charleston)

BOY OR GIRL??!!??!!

2008-03-06T18:07:00.000-06:00

Hello everyone!! Well, today was an exciting day for Scott and me. We went to the doctor's office today and got to see Baby Russell moving all around and being active. The ultrasound tech says that it looked like baby was just waking up cuz he/she would stretch its feet and rub its eyes and have a good ol' time inside mommy :) Everything looks as if it's developing normally and coming along just fine according to the tech and Dr. Alten. I'm right on schedule for my due date! That's pretty neat. So, the burning question that you all want answered....Is it a boy or a girl???? Here is your answer:

The color of the day is: PINK!!! Yes, we are having a baby girl and we couldn't be happier :) Scott is just as excited as I am about having a little girl :) We were so excited we went after my appointment and started registering for stuff :) hee hee. It was fun even though we really didn't know what we were doing or what to put on there :) I can't wait to start buying some little girl clothes! Our parents are just as excited as we are. It's funny how everything changes to one color almost when you find out what you are having :) I'm not a huge, huge pink fan, but after finding out we were having a girl, everything I found was pink!! :) We are thinking we like brown and pink for the baby's room. It's very modern and won't be overwhelmingly pink that way :) Now we just have to find the stuff to go in the room. It's decorating time now! I'm pumped.

Now, we have a job for all you out there!! :) We have two names that we are thinking of. Yes, we have already picked out names :) We were ahead of the game on that part only :) We want to take a vote and see what name ya'll like best. We really like both, so who knows when the decision will be made, but we thought we'd put it out there to see what ya'll like too :) Here they are:

1. Bevin Ann Russell

2. Madilyn Ann Russell

Ok, that's all we have for now. We continue to thank God and be so blessed to have this wonderful miracle growing and developing as she should. Let us know what you think!! We love ya'll!!

Guess What???

2008-03-05T21:55:00.000-06:00

GUESS WHAT?!?!?!!??......We DID NOT close on the townhouse yesterday!!! Surprised? Not me!! That's how it's been going with them. Our realtor called Monday afternoon and they are still working on getting the loan to go through. "Don't worry though" is what the loan company and other real estate agent keep telling us. YEAH RIGHT! This is getting totally crazy! Scott and I are very lucky to have an AWESOME agent though, that is going above and beyond her duties to look after us!!! She is on top of it and is making sure that are best interests are being looked after. Probably half the stuff she has done for us agents really don't have to do, but she is the BEST! Many, many thanks to Jamie and all the trouble she has been through to help us get this thing sold! So, we will see about closing sometime next week. I'm not getting my hopes up on anything!

As far as exciting news....We go tomorrow for my doctor's appointment and hopefully to find out what we are having!! :) We are way excited. Now we just have to hope baby cooperates so that we will be able to tell the sex. If we are lucky enough to find out, we are gonna go baby shopping afterwards :0) hee hee. I'm pumped about that too! :) Well, I'll let ya'll guess what you think I'm having until I get the next post up :) Until then...

Another Delay

2008-03-01T17:51:00.000-06:00

Hello all! Well, as many of you might know, we were suppose to be closing on my townhouse yesterday (Friday). That didn't happen! We've had another set back. The realtor for the buyer called and said that the guy couldn't get off work to close, when he was the one that had set up this closing date at the beginning of February to begin with! So, we weren't sure whether to believe that excuse or not....which ended up not being the real reason for the delay! Come to find out, his loan that he is getting wasn't ready and could not be processed by that date, so we had to put it off! So, although not much of a delay, we will now be closing...hopefully!...on Tuesday, March 4th. The day and time are scheduled, so we hope no more set backs :) I will be so happy to have one mortgage off our hands!

Well, it has been a pretty good week for us. Nothing big going on. Sorry I haven't updated till now. We went out-of-town last weekend and then when we got back we had that big storm and didn't have power for like 2 days! That was crazy! :) We went to New Orleans for Scott's medical conference and had a good time. New Orleans is still pretty rough in some areas from the hurricane. It's amazing how long it can take to recover from devastation like that. The main attractions were up and going though....Bourbon St., French Quarter, Jackson Square. It's still crazy at night like it's known for! haha. It was nice for us to be able to interact and be social with Scott's collegues and co-workers outside from the hospital. It was also a nice little vacation for us. We enjoyed it, but both agree it's not somewhere where we might vacation on a regular basis.

Since we've been back, Scott and I have been working all week and getting ready to put our house on the market. Just when we get one sold, we start the whole process again! :) haha. We had our realtor come by and give us advice on things to touch up and get rid of to make it show the best it can. There is a lot more that goes into getting a house ready to sale than I ever thought! There are some touch up paint jobs that she suggested, so we are getting an estimate on that, and we have been packing up some things or making piles of stuff to pack or get rid of that she suggested should not be out for saleing purposes. I'm glad we have a storage unit to put some of this stuff in! You never realize how much you have until you get ready to move and nowhere to put it once it's all packed up!

Well, as for baby news, next week is the big week for us!! We are supposed to find out what we are having my next appointment which is Thursday. We are both excited. Now we just have to hope that baby cooperates so that we will be able to tell. I am doing fine and growing! I have a little belly, whether some people think I do or not! hee hee. I love it!

I hope everyone has a good week and I will be updating again soon. Take care!!

Party Time!

2008-02-16T23:49:00.000-06:00

Hello! So, it's party time again and here's what's going on:

"We are planning the next big social event. By popular vote, this year’s
theme will be 80’s Prom Night! Find your best 1980’s prom attire (formal
dresses, powder blue tuxes, etc) and prepare for an evening of fun! This
event is planned for Friday, April 11th. We would like to rent a
clubhouse, find a DJ that has 80’s music and a photographer if any of you have
suggestions. "

Everyone is invited. If you are interested in joining us, find your best 80's outfit and come on!!! Scott's ED friends and co-workers are very kind and are renting out a place to have the party so it can be a going away party for him too! We would like for any and all of our friends to join us if you would like.

If it is anything like the Redneck Party that many of you were a part of or saw pics from, you know it will be a blast!! :)

Happy Valentine's Day!

2008-02-14T12:53:00.000-06:00

HAPPY HEART DAY!! Hello everyone! I hope everyone has a lovely Valentine's Day :) I want to send out a special Happy Valentine's Day to a special family...The Canada's. They are celebrating the birth of their daughter one year ago today! HAPPY BIRTHDAY LAKYN!! :)

Well, we are inching closer to selling my townhouse that has been on the market for a year now! We put it up for sale not long after we got married and have had trouble with it since then because of the market. It is finally being sold and that will be a financial burden lifted when it is! We close at the end of this month. We got the air serviced liked they asked us to do yesterday. Just let me tell you that I have a wonderful husband!! After working overnight and getting off at 7 in the morning, he went over to the townhouse a couple hours later to be there while it was serviced so I could sleep and be ready for work that afternoon!! I offered, but he said he would do it! I know how tiring it is to work overnight and then to function after that! It took longer than he expected, but Scott made it and I know he was very, very tired and ready to get some sleep! We almost thought we were gonna have to buy another unit, but they found the problem and were able to fix it! That was definitely a blessing!!!!!!! So, now, we are just waiting for closing date! It passed inspection and the apprasial was met, so we are excited.

There is not much other news. Baby and I are doing fine :) I am 16 weeks today. For those of you wondering, we hope to find out next month what we are having :) We hope that Baby Russell will cooperate that day! I just can't wait to find out until birth :) I'm so excited about finding out now :) Ya'll can guess until then :) hee hee.

Well, I hope everyone has a wonderful day!
Happy Valentine's Day!
Melanie and Scott

HERE WE GO!!!

2008-02-07T18:00:00.000-06:00

Finally! What you have all been waiting for me to post...The Russell blog!! :) Sorry it has taken me FOREVER to get this started! So, here is a long post to get you updated to where we are now.

As many of you know, we are adding to our family soon!....No, not another dog :) I am pregnant!! :) We found out Nov. 29, 2007 when I took a home prenancy test that showed us a (+) sign and then it was confirmed with a doctor's appointment that next week. I was 5 weeks along when we found out. We are very, very excited! We were trying, so it wasn't an "accident" for us :)

Soon after we found out, the "morning sickness" hit with a vengance!!!! Why they give it the name "morning" sicknees, I have not a clue! Mine was ALL DAY LONG sickness!!!!! The nausea never eased up and the puking came about every 3 days or so! The doctor told us that "nausea equal healthy baby", so we were o.k. with that :) Scott would always remind me of it! Food was just yucky for a while too, but at the same time I still wanted to eat something. It was the wierdest feeling. So, needless to say, all I wanted to do was sleep and lay around the house when I wasn't trying to get through an 8 hour work day. That's why the blog got put off until now! :)

I have been feeling a little better each day now for the past 3 weeks, so now I'm getting to the blog that I've been telling everyone that I would do :) There is so much stuff to update on, so I'll do my best to hit the high points for everyone.

Well, along with expecting a baby...which is due July 31st....we will also be moving to Charleston, SC this summer! Yes, that's right, we will be moving and having a baby about the same time. After many interviews at different places by Scott, many discussions between Scott and I, and lots of prayer, Scott and I feel that Charleston is the place for us to be right now. Scott accepted a job as a faculty member in the Emergency Department and The Medical University of South Carolina. He will be done with his fellowship in June and then he starts his "real job" as he calls it :) We realize that there will be a lot going on at one time, but we are keepin' our heads held high and taking on the challenge, and we are excited about all the new and wonderful things that are happening in our lives. Yes, we will be further away from family which made the decision that much harder to make, but are very greatful for the support our family...and friends...have shown us through this process. I, as well as Scott, am very sad to have to say good-bye to our friends here in B'ham and close by! We are excited, though, to be able to have any of you come visit us and our precious little one in Charleston once we get settled in. So, I will also keep ya'll updated on how things are in B'ham and our moving process. We have been in contact with a realtor in Charleston and are keeping an eye out on houses, but it's still too soon for us to be picking out a house at this point. We are planning a trip to Charleston again in March to look again at houses and maybe narrow down what we are looking for. There are so many wonderful places in Charleston, it's hard to narrow it down. Scott and I both love the city, though, and look forward to showing the visitors we have around the town as we learn the town too!

So, back to pregnancy real quick. I'm 15 weeks along now. Baby Russell is growing and coming along just fine! I like to think I'm starting to show, but people keep telling me I'm not! So, when I do start to show, I'll post some pics of me and baby for those who are asking for them. I have done pics of my belly to watch it grow, so it's kinda exciting for me. I know it's crazy, but I'm enjoying the whole process :) The last ultrasound pics I had done were at 13 weeks, so that's what these are posted (sorry they are so small....I will have to work on that one). The doctor has said that the baby's heartbeat is strong, and everything seems to be coming along as planned. It's such a joy to hear the heartbeat and know things are still going well after I've been to the doctor. I think I get nervous with each doctor's appointment just cause I'm scared of something being wrong, even though there has been no reason to have such thoughts. I'm very blessed to have this miracle growing inside of me and I thank God each night for giving Scott and I the privilege to be parents to this innocent child!

Well, I think that's all I have for now. Scott and I are going to Atlanta for the weekend, so I will update again sometime next week. I will do my best to keep up with the posts and keep all of you informed. We love all of you and appreciate all the support and love we get from friends and family. Please keep us updated on how each of you are as well. We would love to hear from you all.

We love you!