The Last Seven Days at the Sedas

What a week!  Robert and I are in full swing of our jobs, Maddie is in the swing of day care, too!  She has done pretty well, I think.  I worried that they would not tell me...BUT, I noted that her little daily report card said "Fussy".... so no worries about that I guess!  Poor baby.  It is so hard leaving her there each day.  I just pray that those that watch over her in daycare grow to love her as we do.  I know it will only be a matter of time before she captures their hearts like she has ours. 

Baby girl after day care...exhausted!

The week in review... 

Last weekend we went to Curt, Kaimi, Will, Kate, and Collin's to visit.  Maybe I should just start saying "The Covington's"! :)  Anyway, we had so much fun just visiting.  Kaimi made us Italian sandwiches and artichoke dip for dinner.  It was so good, poor Robert doesn't get many home cooked meals!  I don't now how my sister manages all that, I struggle cooking with only one little, much less three!  After dinner, a mini half birthday celebration for Katie-belle, and a quick shopping trip for the girls, we spent the night playing in the playroom with our little angels.  We looked up and it was close to 10pm...we never stay up, much less out, that late! haha
 
Maddie and Collin doing a little tummy time.  The following morning before church Maddie rolled over, from her back to her tummy.  I am convinced that cousin Collin taught her that!  Such sweet little babies...these two will be in the same grade one day!

 Just lazin' with Aunt K, what a lucky girl! 

 We have officially moved Maddie to her own room.  She sleeps so soundly there now, when she actually sleeps.  Unfortunately, my little sleeper has stopped sleeping through the night.  She has gotten to where she wakes up 2, and sometimes 3! times per night.  Now I am grateful for just one midnight snack.  :)  Oh well, I look at it as extra rocking time I have with her now that she is in daycare.  Plus, she is all business at night.  She wakes, eats, rocks (which I do mainly because I love doing it so much) and then is back to slumber land!  This is her last Saturday night...I think her cousins wore her out! :)

Baby girl was an angel in church last week. She was a little socialite before service started...smiling at everyone behind us, then once the singing began she was out.  First complete service I have heard in a while!  Here she is after service, about to go eat with Robert's parents at Celebrations for their anniversary.  She did well during lunch, too.  She is such a little joy to spend time with.

 

Before church...such a morning baby!

 Talk about a chevron cutie!

 

 The weekdays this week were hard.  Early mornings, long work days, and long nights studying.  But there is nothing sweeter than studying with these two.  Talk about efficiency...tummy time and story time in one!

 

 This is her favorite book now..."Hug a Bible"

Poor Robert, had a blow out on I20/635 junction on Thursday.  Thank goodness a highway helper stopped to help him...and thank God this was a day that I picked Maddie up from day care! 

 

 Friday night was date night with this little Senorita!  We had planned to go out to eat at a little Mexican food place down the road from us, but it closed!  So, we were forced to go to Celebrations again.  I have decided that that is my favorite restaurant, just thinking about their cucumber dressing makes my mouth water!

How things come full circle...we had actually bought this little dress for Katie-belle last year when we were on vacation in Mexico!  Katie then gave it back to us to wear, like she has just about all of her other clothes, lucky us! 

I looked back when I thought about it this morning and realized I had put almost the same bow on Maddie, guess Kaimi and I have a similar fashion sense (or I subconsciously recalled how cute Katie looked!)  What sweet little girls, inside and out, they are almost the same age in these pictures.  I am so thankful that I will be able to watch these two grow up together.  May they know the same love that my sister and I share .

Katie-belle.

Maddie Moo.

When we got home, I checked the mail only to find this...made my heart melt, my first Mommy/daughter invite to a shower.  And from no other than our sweet Nana, the Queen of showers!

Getting ready for our Saturday morning walk/jog around the lake...

  So excited I can hardly stand it!

 "Sittin' on the dock of the bay..."

 Kisses from Daddy!

 

 Somebody was worn out!

Cooling off after getting home.  This is Maddie's personality summed up...happy, MOVING baby! (Half of our pictures of her now have one limb that is a blur! haha)

Madelyn did well again at church this week...second week in a row she has been a sweet little baby for us!  This week, she was up for the entire sermon, but listened very intently...and smiled incessantly at the people behind us. :)

 Daddy and Madelyn

 All that smiling was exhausting!

And what Sunday would be complete without a Sunday afternoon nap?

 Haha, this is what happens when I don't get to take a nap...all pictures are fair game!

View from above as a study...somehow, studying is not so bad after all.  

Not ready to leave this weekend behind, but thankful God gave us two days together.

Home Sweet Home, Finally!

We are official Texans again...we got our license plates, registered to vote, and received our new drivers license in the mail! It feels good to be back in the land of milk and honey. 

 

 

Poor Maddie wasn't born here, but she got here as quick as she could...and hopefully we are all here to stay! Have a good day, Y'ALL!

First Day of Daycare

Well, it was a hard day at the Seda household this morning. Today was the first day Maddie went to daycare. Well, she went once before in Iowa, but it was just for a day while Robert flew to Texas for an interview for his current job. But today was the real deal...the day we both became working parents. 

I'm sure Maddie will do perfectly fine, Robert said she was already starting to make new friends when he dropped her off.  That makes me feel a LITTLE better. 
Maddie will be spending her days at Bethel Lutheran Early Learning Center in Garland.  It is about 15 minutes from our condo and about 5 minutes from Robert's work.  To be honest, this place was our God send.  We spent literally 6 hours one day driving around Dallas touring day care centers.  I had called at least a dozen daycares only to get the response that they were not accepting infants.  There were several that were, but not for one year!  Of the handful that were currently accepting, after one step in the door I knew that Maddie would NOT be going to any of them.  So, after 6 hours on the road and no place to watch our little angel during our days at work, we headed home.  The only thing that kept me from tears was knowing that Kaimi had offered to keep Maddie for us.  Still, leaving her with 4 children under 4 would be a lot to ask, even my dear sister, though I knew she would do anything for me and little Maddie.  But, just as we neared the condo we received a call from Bethel Lutheran...they just had an opening!  They said that is was very unusual for this to occur, most people were on the waiting list for 18 months.  After touring the facility, we knew why!  We got to meet some of the parents as they picked up their children for the day and one mother called it "Bethel Heaven."  We were sold...no better place for an angel than heaven.  :)

Pictures from her first day of "school"

"WHAT? I'm going where?!"

"OK!"

Today was also Robert's first day at his new job at American Fire Protection Group in Garland.  He will be the division manager there.  We are so excited that he found a job that offered just what he was looking for.  And, it is only a few minutes from Maddie's daycare (I am jealous at the thought of daddy/daughter lunches without me!) 

After work, Robert picked up Madelyn from day care.  Her day care providers said she had a good day...and only cried when she had to wait on her bottle, which she tends to do if she ever has to wait on milk for longer than say...one second. :)

Here is a picture of her first little report card.  I think she got an "A+" for the day!

So, all in all, everyone ended up making it through the day.  BUT, the absolute best part of the day was coming home to one of the most angelic sounds I have ever heard, right up there with Maddie's sighs as she sleeps on my chest...

Maddie's FIRST laugh!

Looking forward to the weekend, I know there will be lots of laughter ahead!

Summer Days

It's Summer time!  And boy, are these three "Northerners" feeling it!  haha It feels so good to be back home after five years, but we are still adjusting to this Texas heat.  I can think of no better way to help with the adjustment than a morning stroll around the lake with these two...

This was Maddie's favorite spot of the trip I think.  It was under a big shade tree, where you could hear the waves hitting the shoreline and feel the breeze against your face.  Something tells me she liked being in Daddy's arms the best though.

 

Looking at the lake.

Ok, enough looking, back to the task at hand...getting back in shape!  I am secretly trying to get in on a little fan action, too! :)

Half way along we stopped for a little breather...as you can see, Maddie was working hard! 

 

 

We were exhausted after our workout, nothing like napping with our baby.  She napped on me for a while, then I woke up and she finished up napping on daddy! 

 

Nothing says summer time like watermelon! 

Girlfriend has gotten the hang of using those little fingers of hers...she loves to grab anything, but most of all her dresses.  You can see how this goes...

 

  A new meaning to tummy time!

 And I rest my case...

 She looks so innocent when she does it, doesn't she?!

On our way to church...let's just say this wasn't Maddie's most stellar performance this week.  She may look like an angel...

but when baby girl gets woken up from a nap to head to bible class, it gets ugly!  Church was complete with a sermon, which I hear was good, singing, poop on everyone's clothes, and spit up in Mommy's hair and black dress.  Ahhh, nothing like a big old bite of humble pie every now and again! :)  But I thank God every day for giving me my little piece of Heaven. 

 

 Happy Baby!  She is always happy right after waking in the AM.  But this quickly faded ;)

 

  We are winding down the weekend, sadly.  But it was so nice to relax, it has been a whirlwind getting moved home.  But, I think we are finally unpacked and settled, for the most part!  Now bring on that Texas heat, we are here to stay!