Monday, September 29, 2008

Ode to Sady

Some of you have met our little dog Sady. Most of the people that see her think she is one of the ugliest dogs they've ever seen. My dad says so all the time. But me and chris both fell in love with her the first time we saw her, in a picture sent by email from the breeder we got her from.

We knew we wanted a Boston Terrier. Chris had always wanted one. I told him that was fine, but I wanted one who had an all black face, with just a tiny white stripe down the forehead. Sady is what we ended up with. Once we saw her, we knew we had to have her.

We got Sady in January of 06. She was about 8 weeks old when we bought her. I drove out to Columbia and met the breeders at a Waffle House and picked her up. On the way back to Nashville, Sady slept in my lap. We even stopped by Chris's work before I took her home for him to meet her in person. He loved her, and she loved him. From the moment we got her, she's been "in love" with Chris. She would even paw at his hands when he hugged me, or try to come and sit in between us when we would cuddle on the couch. He was hers!

She was pretty aggravating sometimes... all dogs can be. But the majority of the time, she was great. She was fun and playful. I couldn't stand her sometimes, but I loved her all the time. She was the first pet me and Chris ever got. The first dog that was ever "mine." Life was good and she got tons of attention from us. Until we had Taylor.

We were very worried how she would handle us having a baby. Obviously, Taylor was the most important thing to us, but we wanted to make sure Sady got plenty of attention too. And she did. Especially now that Taylor is older, she LOVES to play with Sady. She'll go up and tease Sady, then turn and run away, trying to get Sady to chase her. It's one of the cutest things I've ever seen. And Sady is so good with Taylor. Letting her tug her ears, pinch her face, and do all sorts of mean things to her. And all Sady ever does is lick her and love her back.

But then we found out we were pregnant again. Since I had quit working, money was tight. And we had to move in with my parents (where we're at now.) They are great and have been great about letting us have Sady here. Now that Maddie is a part of our family, our attention is divided up even more. Our girls are our number one priority. And we've realized we can't take care of our little sady like we used to. We all love Sady very much, and we feel so guilty for not taking care of her and giving her the attention we used to.

My family has been great helping out with both our girls and our puppy. They take Sady out to go "potty" probably more than Chris or I do. They make sure she has water and food when I forget cause I'm paying attention to two little girls.

So after lots of long talks, debating, trying to find a way to make it work out, and LOTS of tears on my part, We've decided to give Sady to a family that can take better care of her. I'm absolutely heart broken over this. I start crying every time I think about it. I'm sure the hormones are making this a bit harder for me than it would be otherwise... But still. Sady has been a great dog, and so good with our little girls. She's been a part of our family for almost 3 years and I'm going to miss her like crazy.

One of my oldest friends (he's not old, but he's been a good friend for longer than anyone else I know) is going to adopt our little Sady. Him and his wife are great people and they love puppies as much as we do. I know they will take great care of our little Sady, and that's a big comfort to me. But it still hurts to have to give her away. Atleast we'll still be able to see her and can visit whenever we want. I know they will love her and enjoy her as much as we have. Tonight is our last night with Sady, and I may let her sleep in bed with us again like we did when we first got her... after a good bath, of course. I'm dropping Sady off with my friend tomorrow, and it's going to be so hard for me to do.

We're going to miss you Sady. You've been a wonderful little addition to our family and we're greatful to have had a dog like you. I know you'll be very well taken care of! We love you Sady!

Saturday, September 27, 2008

It's What You've All Been Waiting For!!!

It's picture time in Tennessee! So, there are a TON. I'm a photographer, what can I say. Pictures are my thing. So here goes!!!


(By the way, sorry for keeping you waiting so long John... I know you've been checking this, like, every day!)


YAWN!!! It's time for sleep!

The only time she ever fusses is when her diaper is being changed.

The Townsend Family with Maddie

Lily and Maddie

It's almost a smile!
Uncle Matt
The (other) Neely's with Maddie... John did that face on purpose!
Aunt Krystin and Maddie with her first Daisy Dooz head band on!
Grandma and Maddie

So Sweet.Great Grandmama and maddie
Daddy and Maddie (I like saying that... cause it rhymes!)
Zoolander! almostGetting dressed to go home!
it was Love at first sight!


Taylor always made that face too
She is pretty alert for a newborn... and focuses on things pretty well.
Mommy and baby zoolander
Mommy and maddie
Na-na-na-na-boo-boo

Time to GO!!!!
She's SO little...
I love those fat cheeks.
At home with big sis taylor... they had to check each other out
Okay, So here's a bunch of Taylor... I thought they were too cute not to include.

Her hair is wild. It's getting so long.
She grew overnight. I couldn't believe how big she was when we got home.
She still has that tag fetish. I don't know where she gets it from.
Mamie and Maddie
Taylor pointing out her favorite character! ELMO... (thanks grandma for her doll and shirt. She loves them!)

It's Melmo!
I thought these next ones were the sweetest thing I've ever seen!
Taylor is such a great big sister. She adores her little sis.
She's so fascinated by her.
My 3 favorite things in this world.

Maddie looks so prissy the way she has holds her hands.
So, Taylor got a hold of my nursing pads. Guess she's been watching me more than I realize.

She always has her fingers in weird positions when she sleeps... She's a very thoughtful little baby.
So, That's it for now. We also had visits from Josh and cassie and devrie and jennifer and carol. I meant to get pictures of them too, but we forgot :( Thanks for coming out to see us though. Be prepared for lots more pictures in the weeks to come. I've got so many cute outfits and such. I can't wait to play dress up and take lots of pictures of the girls together. They're gonna hate me when we're through.

It's Late... So why am I up?

Madison... That's why. She has her days and nights mixed up. During the day it's great. She sleeps all day with only a few whimpers when she's hungry. But at night... she has to be held all night long. The past couple nights I have gotten no sleep. I suppose I could wake Chris up... but what's the point. There's really nothing he can do since I'm breastfeeding. So it's a bit hard on me. But chris did say if i needed to wake him up this up this weekend, he would be glad to help. I may end up taking advantage of that, but who knows. Anyone have any ideas on how to teach a week old baby when its time to sleep and when its not? Any advice would be more than welcome!!!

In other news, Taylor has found a love for the letter R. We were playing with her magnet letters today and she kept saying R over and over again. It was cute. We are also moving back into our room tomorrow. I'm a bit worried it may still be a bit early, but i can't handle it anymore. I need my room back, and I hate being away from Taylor. And I want things to be a bit more back to normal. That also means I will no longer be using chris's laptop, and I will be able to use my computer to post all the new pics of maddie and Taylor. So hopefully those will be up this weekend.

Well maddie is screaming... so yeah. I can't wait to get no sleep again. It's my favorite.

Monday, September 22, 2008

Same day, Different Post

I just got done doing a tag, so don't forget to scroll down and read it when you're done with this post.

Maddie had her first Doctor appointment today. It went so well. She weighed 7 lbs. 6 oz when she was born, but by the time she left the hospital on Friday, she was down to 6 lbs, 12 oz. That's not a big deal... most kids do it... they even say it's healthier in the long run for them to lose that weight in the beginning. Anyways... I have been a bit worried this past weekend about her nursing enough... it's just hard because you can't tell exactly how much they are getting, where as with formula, it's already measured. Anyways. the only way to make sure they get enough is to check their weight. And today maddie weighed... 7 LBS. 9 OZ!!!!!! She gained all she lost, and then some... 3 oz shy of a pound in only 3 days! She keeps this up, she'll be a little porker in no time! The doctor said she looked great. Amazing actually. Taylor behaved so well too. I was so proud. I can't believe what little angels I have. They couldn't be better girls.

I have been a wee bit hormonal today. I have really had a hard time with not being able to play and chase after taylor and such. It's hard. She even smells different to me now (my mom has been using different shampoo and conditioner on her) But today, I had my mom and chelsea bring her in here with me, and we laid down and watched the aristocats, we played this little piggy, we sang all her favorite songs. And when she got sick of being stuck in this room with me, we went out on the back porch for a little bit and looked at the flowers and ants. It freaked my mom out cause she was hollering for me, and I couldn't hear her, so I didn't answer. She was running around the house trying to find me and taylor. whoops. It was great to be "mom" again for a little bit. She also reached up to me a TON today, wanting me to pick her up. It broke my heart every single time, and I had to stop myself from just bending down and grabbing her a few times. I would sit down though, and have my mom put her up in my lap, or sit on the floor and let her crawl in my lap. only 5 more weeks to go til I can pick her up. This sucks.

I'm also stir crazy. I can't go up and down the stairs, I can't drive my car, I feel like I can't do anything. It kinda sucks. i should be enjoying it, but I'm the kind of person who when you tell me i can't do something... it's all i can think about doing! Silly and immature, I know. I can't help it. Anyways. I feel like I've got to get out of here, but we aren't going to be taking the baby out for a very long time. so i'm probably not going to be going out alot here in the near future. So, Anyone who would like to come over and visit, come on over, keep me company! I would love it.

Tagged... So here goes

Tag...

I was tagged by my absolutely wonderful sister-in-law... so here goes.

10 years ago:

1. I had just started my first year in High School as a Freshman at Beech!
2. I was Madly in love with what would end up being my first kiss.
3. My hair was WAY too short.
4. I was a part of the three musketeers (Me, Phillip and Clayton)
5. My best friend in the world was Kaeleigh Grady... She was only 15 and had a 3 year old. It was a bit weird.

Today's To-Do list:

1. Feed the baby
2. Feed Myself
3. Take my drugs
4. sleep
5. hang out with taylor

Favorite snacks:

1. Frosted Animal Cookies
2. kroger sugar cookies
3. Crushed Ice
4. right now... M&M's (I usually DON"T LIKE chocolate... but my hormones do.)
5. cheese and crackers

If I were a millionaire:

1. Pay off all debt
2. build my dream house on a big farm in the middle of nowhere, TN.
3. Put money away for mine, chris's and our kids school, weddings, and missions.
4. redo my honeymoon.
5. I would say invest the rest... but I probably would hide it under my mattress with the way banks and the stock market are looking right now.

I've Lived:

1. Hendersonville, TN
2. Mesa, AZ
3. Buena Vista, VA
4. Antioch, TN
5. Cane Ridge, TN

Jobs:

1. Sales Associate at Kirklands
2. Toddler Teacher at La Petite
3. Telemarketer
4. Photographer
5. Secretary/Administrative Assistant


Tag:

1. Whitney
2. Abby
3. Becca
4. Lee
5. Sabina

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Sorry no pictures...

So, most of my pictures were taken on my canon camera... and it just so happens that the only way to transfer those pictures to a computer is my built in memory card reader on MY computer... I"m on chris's laptop right now. MY computer is upstairs in my bedroom. I'm not allowed to go up and down the stairs right now. So I have no way to get my pictures off my memory card... atleast until I can go up and down the stairs, and who knows how long that will be. Until I feel comfortable with it I guess. I tried earlier today to go up the stairs so i could get some of my clothes. Chris had to help me, and by the time I got to the top, I was IN PAIN. It was NOT a good idea. I will NOT be doing that again any time soon. So, I'm very sorry that I will not be able to post the pictures I promised, but they will be up at some point in the near future!

We are all doing pretty well. I think i was up a bit too much yesterday (I won't go into why I think that... It would be WAY too much info to put on here) But chris had me stay in bed most of the day today. I only got up to eat and go to the bathroom. I'm doing better thanks to a day in bed, but I'm a bit nervous about how I'll handle tomorrow when I don't have chris here to wait on me :) he'll actually be gone ALL day and I'm very sad. he's got a softball game tomorrow night, so he won't be home til 11 or so. It sucks, but I've got my mom here, and my brothers and sister when they're done with school and work. So hopefully, I won't have to over do it too much.

Maddie is wonderful. We were having a few problems with her nursing this morning, but we figured it was just because of gas and she nursed fine this evening. She is such a laid back baby, it's a bit frustrating cause she'll nurse for 10 minutes and be happy as can be and won't eat for another 2 hours... She was nursing for like 30-40 minutes when we were at the hospital. So I'm a bit worried about weight gain for her (she lost 10 oz in the hospital... hopefully she's gained some back now, we've got a dr appt tomorrow morning to check.)

Taylor has been SO GOOD. I can't believe how good she's been with all this. My mom said you can definately tell she feels very loved and secure with the way she's handled the new baby and me being in bed and such. No jealousy at all! She actually LOVES maddie. She loves to watch her and laughs everytime Maddie moves or makes noises or anything. Taylor will just sit here and stare at Maddie and giggle and pat her head and rub her tummy. It's too sweet. I'm so glad she likes Maddie. She's also grown SO much. I hadn't realized what a big girl she really is. It freaked me out a bit to see her after I'd had the baby. She looked HUGE. She's also learned so much even since we got home on Friday. She's started doing this new dance thing where she squats all funny with her arms out. She really only does it to the Spongebob theme song. Me and chris laughed so hard when we saw her. Then, this morning we were watching the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, and they were doing the Hot Dog dance. She got so excited and started doing her dance again. We realized, she's doing goofy's dance. The only difference is she can't lift one leg at a time, so she only squats, but it's the goofy dance! It's too funny. She also learned how to say Banana today. she calls them anana's. And she's saying tons of other things. She's started saying sentences. She says "I did it" and "there she is" all the time. I can't believe how big she is now. It's kinda sad, but also very relieving. She's alot more independent now, which is a big plus for us. anyways. I'm so proud of her and how she's handling everything. I can't wait til I'm more mobile and can chase after her and be more of the mom I was before maddie was born.

I will post those pictures up soon. Hope this holds ya'll over in the meantime!

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Baby Maddie is Here... Finally






These are all the pics I have so far, there will be more up this weekend, so be on the look out.
Madison Emmarie Neely was born Tuesday, 9-16 at 9:17 am. The surgery went perfect and there weren't really any complications, other than Maddie's head being large, and they had to extend the incision a bit to accomodate her large head :) Taylor's head was big too :) Maddie weighed 7 lbs. 6 oz. and is 19 inches long. All the nurses and doctors were guessing about 8 lbs. cause she looked BIG. She looks alot like taylor did, but we've also decided she looks like chris's dad. Taylor tends to look a bit like my dad - even though she looks like chris... so it's kinda funny that we think maddie looks like chris's dad... Maybe our next two will look like our moms!
She's got that head of dark hair, but it's not as thick as Taylor's was. she's got chris's ears and chin (without the dimple, so no butt chin.) and definatly his nose. But I think she's got my mouth - taylor has chris's, but maddie's mouth is a bit wider, more like mine. I don't know whose eyes she has yet... that's the hardest part for me to figure out. I think she has small fingers, but long toes, so who knows if those will be more like mine or chris's. We'll see.
She eating very well - Latched right on. So no problems nursing, other than I'm a bit sore, but that's to be expected. She's the has the BEST temperment I've ever seen in a baby. We're so lucky. I was afraid since Taylor was so good, this one would be wild, but she actually makes Taylor look colicky. She's almost sleeping through the night already, I have to wake her to nurse her, and I only woke her up once this past night, and she slept the rest of the time. I hope this lasts once we get home. And when she does cry, It's more like a little squeak. She's so quiet, you can't even tell she's in the room most of the time. She's only gone to the nursery 3 times because she's been so easy. I'd put her in there more if she was fussy - so I could get more rest, but I haven't needed to. She's too perfect. Chris even said the babies in the rooms surrounding us woke him up more at night that she did. She really is just a VERY GOOD baby! We're very blessed :)
I'm doing very well also. Better than I thought I would be. The surgery went great, and they said you could hardly tell I had had a previous c-section. They said there was virtually no scar tissue on my uterus, which made me so happy. I may actually be able to have the 5 kids I want. We'll see when we get there. I have felt much better after this one than I did with Taylor - so far. The cramps have been worse, but I think I'm recovering a bit faster than I did with taylor. My OB said it's easier to do with a scheduled c-section because there isn't as much inflammation and such from the labor and things. So that's good.
My drugs are finally kicking in and I'm a bit tired, so I'm going to go for now. But we will be posting up more pictures this weekend, so be ready for LOTS. I can be a bit of a freak when it comes to pictures. Okay, So the screen is getting blurry - thank you percocet! I'm going now. Thank you to everyone who has come out to visit or gotten us gifts. We really appreciate it and your prayers and such. Thanks!