So much to tell take minute and read...

At the time of this blog we are 3 hours and 12 mins from a new year. I hope this finds everyone enjoying 2009 :) The holidays are officially over and I guess the next big deal is Valentines Day. I was in Walmart on Dec. 26 and all the red and green had been replaced with heart shaped boxes and pink and red. CRAZY!

Christmas at our house was pretty low key this year. We started the season with Maddies first Christmas program. Her daycare had worked with the older kids singing songs and Maddie got to ride in a sleigh and jingle some bells. She did a get job keeping it together for the first 20 minutes then she realized that everyone was staring at them and cried as they wheeled them down the isle.

Next was Michaels 30th birthday on Dec. 20. We had the opportunity to visit with the Wilkerson's and Sine's families in Fayetteville. It was great to see everyone. We don't all get together very often so it was nice to spend sometime together. We opened Christmas presents that evening and then Mike and I went out with Sara to a local restruant to watch football and catch a beer.

Michael worked on Christmas Eve, so Maddie and I went to eat with our neighbors the Fells, Alycia, Steven, Alexis and Brianna. After dinner Maddie and I went about our usual nightly routine and settled in to bed waiting on Michael to get home.

We spent Christmas morning in the nice and quiet and enjoying each others company and then headed to Pleasant Garden to have Christmas Day night with the Butt side of the family. We had such a great time. Everyone was there, even Jessie all the way from Hawaii. We really missed Mike B., and Ike and his family but as you probably know Mike is overseas still and Ike family is in Houston. We did get to talk with Ike via phone though. I love how he always takes the time to call and talk to each one of us when he knows we are all together. That is so special to me.

That night my mom came home with us and is here visiting for the holiday's. She and Maddie and I went back to stay with my Dad and Grandmother on the 28/29th so we could visit and have Christmas with the Cobb side of the family at Uncle Gary's in High Point. Uncle Gary has just found out that he has liver and bone cancer. He is in good spirits though and is ready to start to fight. He begins Chemo on Friday, so keep he and his family in your thoughts and prayers.

As for Maddie, she has just finished medicine for another round of double ear infections. She has been in great spirits and besides cough and sneezey noses is in good health. I am worried about the continual congestion in her chest, and we are going back to the doctor next week to recheck ears and chest.

Maddie is crawling.... backwards. She is able to get from back to stomach, from stomach to sitting/knees and from sitting/knees to stomach and reaches as far as she can to get things. I am hoping that she will start to crawlfowards by the time she returns to daycare on the 5th. I would love to suprise them!

Thats about all I have for now! Enjoy the New Year and keep in touch.

Santa Baby...

Just a quick pic of Maddie flirting with Outback's very own Santa at the stores Christmas luncheon today. Merry Christmas!

What are you up to?

I took this free moment to check out everyone else's blog spots tonight, I guess everyone is as busy as we have been. Since our last post, we returned to the western part of the state to Charlotte to see my mom for her birthday and to attend the Outback Steakhouse Annual Christmas Party.We drove up on Dec.7 early in the morning and made it to Sarah's house in time to have birthday cake with my mom. Aunt Cathy, Matt and Sarah were there to celebrate with us. Maddie was really enjoying herself after the long car ride, playing with everyone and stretching her legs. We enjoyed a great cake for mom's birthday and some great family time until we had to get ready for our Christmas party.About six that night with Sarah and Matt taking care of Maddie, Mike and I got all dolled up and headed over to the Van Landingham Estate to party the night away. The party was nice. Everyone was dressed to the nines and the food, drinks, and music were great. We got to chit chat with wonderful Outbackers and their spouses from all over NC and SC. We didn't get to attend last year, because we had just moved down here, so this year Mike and some other new proprietors had to sing in front of the whole group. Mike of course took the lead and lead the group the 12 days of Christmas. We finally got home about 10:30, only to find Maddie snoozing with her Aunt Sarah as peaceful as can be! BEAUTIFUL!Maddie's ear infections have cleared up, and she has finally finished her amoxicillian, but is still taking her breathing treatments for the brochitis. She goes back to the doctor on the 19th and we will check up on that.Until then we are just getting ready for Mike's birthday (THE BIG 30), on Dec. 20th. We are going to celebrate in Fayetteville with everyone for a few days. Then we move on to Christmas which we will wake up at home on Christmas morning and then head to Grama Mary's house Christmas Day night. Until then... Enjoy the pictures from Thanksgiving and after.

Coughs and Turkey

Ear aches, chest congestion, and crying!OH MY! Thanksgiving was a bust.We had initially planned on going spending Thanksgiving in the mountains with the Cobb's and then heading on to Asheville to see the glorious Biltmore Estate, decked out in Christmas attire, but we ended up back in New Bern with a sick little angel instead.

Maddie has had a cough for a few weeks now. Nothing to serious, just more bothersome than anything. But the day before Thanksgiving her cough worsened to the point she vomited up her meals and began to run low grade fever. Being the optimistic mommy that I am I convinced Mike to make the trek to Mom's house. Maddie sleep most of the way and her fever maintained its low grade status, and besides TRAFFIC the trip there was pretty uneventful.

We spent Thanksgiving Day with the Cobb side of the family: My mom and dad, brother, sister, Grandmother, Aunt Cathy and Uncle David, Uncle Gary, Wendy and Conner, Christy, Todd, and Kristian, Brian, Lauren,Dakoda and Camden. But as the day wore on Maddie continued to lose her appetite and what food she would take and by 7 p.m. her fever rose to 102.8 and Mike decided we were coming home, so Maddie could go to the doctor on Friday.

Mike drove Maddie and I home as my mom followed. I am so lucky to have such a great husband. He drove 14 hours in 2 days (on his vacation) and then proceeded to almost single handed care for Maddie around the clock. He held and patted her back, and rocked and soothed her around the clock for the rest of his vacation. I could hardly sneak in to change a diaper. I am also thankful for such a wonderful mom. We really needed her thereto help break the tension of a first time fussy baby. She also really really helped around the house, washing load after load of sick laundry,and helping keep an eye on a clinging Maddie while we tried to take the occasional minute to ourselves.

On Friday Maddie was diagnosed with double severe ear infections and heavy chest congestion. The doctor prescribed some antibiotic(amoxicillian) and Albuterol (breathing treatment). And since beginning her medications she has steadily improved. She officially went back to daycare today and is playful with her peers and smiling with the teachers as normal.

We are heading to Charlotte this weekend for the Outback Christmas Party. Hopefully Maddie with have made a full recovery, her Nunny's birthday is Sunday and her Aunt Sarah is dying to babysit! Stay tuned for more as the world turns, its almost Christmas.