Long time!!!!

Well hello all!!! I know, I have slacked in the blogging department. I'm a bad mom...no, but really this past school year took a lot out of me, my brother in law just finished his chemo and radiation treatments for cancer, and we have already had a busy summer! So, here is what we have been up to so far...

First of all, Maddux had his first swimming lessons this summer. I wasn't sure how much they taught him, until this past week in Florida. When he wanted to swim to the side, he would kick and reach and scoop his arms!!! It was super cute! I think for the rest of the summer we will simply swim for fun and then maybe continue the swim lessons in the winter so he doesn't lose his love of swimming. You know, it is strange, because last summer he loved the water, but he is so independent now that we can't put him in floats and things because he wants to be in control of his own actions. It was like he felt trapped. My favorite new trick he can do it crawl out of the pool about 2 feet from the side, he'll stand up, and then walk to me in the pool. It's pretty awesome! Which leads me to......walking!

Yes, right before he turned 17 months old, Maddux decided he would walk without holding on. At first, he would only take 3 or 4 steps from the table to me at the couch. Now he will walk from person to person even if they are 10 feet away. Now, he hasn't decided that walking should be his main mode of transportation yet, so he is still crawling for the most part. And boy is he fast. When we are in public and he is crawling, people will stop just to watch him because of his speedy crawl. He was quite the attention getter on the beach last week, crawling all over the place!! Evidently one woman thought it was so cute, she was taking pictures of him! In any case, he can walk and practices every day, but he is not fully confident and knows he can get where he wants to go faster when he is crawling! So, we are not worried and are excited, but are also ok that he hasn't simply taken off running!! I am going ot be so scared when that happens!!

Let's see......Maddux finally got to meet my brother, Uncle Doug, at the beginning of June!!!! We had a ton of fun!!! We were so excited and he brought Callie and Sammy with him, so that was an extra bonus! Hopefully, during Christmas, we can make it to Houston for him to meet the rest of the Patteson clan. That would be amazing, not to mention the first time The Rhodes, Mays, and Pattesons would be together for a family holiday in about 10 years! I'm crossing my fingers!!!

Well, so that is about where we stand right now! I'll add some updated photos ( I cannot believe I haven't blogged since January) so you all can see how much he has grown! I hope everyone is great and enjoying your summers!! I promise to update more frequently from here on out! Until next time.....

Wait...............so while I was writing this, Sam and Maddux were playing, having fun, and then I turn around and Maddux is walking toward me, with no one in front of him......he walked thru three rooms in our house, from one side to the other!!! Like 6 times, and he turned around wihtout falling!! YAY!!! He really is walking!! I'm so proud!!!

Ok, really, until next time,

Sam, Linz, and Maddux

1 Year Old

This year has gone by in a whirl wind! Maddux is officially 1 year old and happy as ever! We went to his 1 yr. appointment today, and he is still considered a small boy. He weighs 18.8 lbs. and is 28 and 3/4 inches long. His weight is still in the 5th percentile, but he is in the 15th percentile for his height. So, at least he is gaining in one department! His head is also in the 30th percentile. He's got a big noggin!! We also noticed, today, that he has another tooth, so that makes 5 now! No wonder he has been drooling a ton lately!


We also had a blow out birthday party for him on Saturday! All of our friends came over to help him celebrate! They showered him with gifts, watched him open presents, and smash his cake! He had trouble getting started on the cake, but Sam helped to spread things around. Once he got the hang of it, he was covered in chocolate. Sam made a baseball cake for him and his Auntie Gin got her sister to make this amazing monkeys playing baseball cake! They were both fabulous!! Aunt Gin's cake was simply amazing though, with fondant monkeys holding baseballs and bats wearing baseball caps! We really appreciate her sister for making this really professional looking cake! Everyone was extremely impressed!

We also had a small little party last weekend for him with our Atlanta family! This was his real first time to have cake! Again, he really wasn't sure what to do with it, but he seemed to like it! He was again showered with gifts, balloons and lots of love! We are lucky to have a second family here to dote on the munchkin!!

So, that's really all for now! Maddux gets around really fast, but he is still cautious when it comes to walking. He'll walk around holding the furniture and our hands, but he refuses to let go yet! It will come in his own time, at least that is what everyone keeps telling us! It's just hard when all the other kids we know started walking before they were 1! In any case, we wait patiently though I am sure this is actually more convenient for us at the moment so we aren't having to chase him around everywhere!! Well, until a later date! I hope this finds everyone doing well and as blessed as we are! Until next time....

11 Months old

I cannot believe it...my little munchkin is almost a year old!!! This year has flown by extremely fast!! It has been so much fun to watch Maddux's rapid growth, especially over the last 2 months!! He is full fledged crawling on his hands and knees now! He is pulling up on everything and getting into anything he can! He is really little man now! Not only that, but he is actually getting heavy! I weighed him before Christmas and he was 18 lbs, so I can only imagine, after all the food we gave him in Texas, how much he weighs now! Which leads me to TEXAS!!!!

Sam and I decided we wanted to drive to Texas for Christmas! We thought this would be good for several reasons. One, it was cheaper, which it was! Two, I hate being in Houston without a car. I never know who is going to let me borrow theirs and who will need one when, so this was a very smart choice! I actually got to go visit friends and meet their kids as well as let them meet Maddux! So fun! Three, it was nice to have an extra car with all the extra people we had around for the holidays! So, all in all a very good idea to drive! Plus, what would we have done with all the extra stuff we had going and coming back! It just made more sense!!

The drive there was extremely easy for Maddux! We left around 8 pm and got to my sisters around 8 am. We did this for Maddux, but it totally stunk for Sam and me! Neither one of us could sleep in the car, so we were pooped by the time we got there! Maddux, on the other hand, slept the whole time so he was happy as a peach!! So, luckily, my sister and her kids were happy to take car of Maddux and let us go to sleep as soon as we arrived!! But, for the drive back, we decided to leave earlier and deal with the possibility of having an unhappy baby on our hands!! Believe it or not, he was pretty happy 99 % of the time driving home! So, that was a better way to go! We left around 3 pm and got to Atlanta around 4 am! Maddux was wide awake when we drove into the driveway, but after about a 20 minute play time, he was ready to go back to bed without any fuss! So, all in all, not a bad drive!

So, Christmas in Texas was a total blast! Maddux got to meet my other grandmother, Meems, for the first time and that was special!! She is 94 years old and claims she won't travel again after this year! So, we feel very lucky that she did in order to meet Maddux! My other grandmother, Grandmother, was there as well, but this was his second time to meet her!! In any case, I feel extremely blessed to have both of them in his life!! My great-grandmother, Nonny, lived until she was 97 and I was around 28 years old, so I have high hopes for my grandmothers and being around for Maddux!!! We've got strong genes on both sides of the family!!

So, we stayed at my sisters house for Christmas and mom, dad, and the grandmothers came out there and stayed with us too!! This was so much fun!! My niece and nephew are simply the greatest with Maddux. They obviously love him and love playing with him! I really have such an amazing family!!! They are so good to each other and everyone is just so filled with love!! I am so happy that Maddux is surrounded by that kind of environment!!! We had an unbelievable Christmas and Maddux loved every second! He didn't understand the presents but he will next year! He still looked cute in his Christmas jammies and surrounded by all the gifts!! We are already looking forward to Christmas next year!

So, that's all for now folks....gotta add the pics!! Happy New Year to you all!!!

9 and 1/2 Months

I cannot get over the fact that Maddux is already over 9 months old. We had his 9 month appointment two Mondays ago and Sam finally got to meet Maddux's doctor!! It was a great appointment, but we still have a boy that is tiny (which I am okay with, but Sam...not so much!) He is still in the 5th percentile, but he is atleast growing! He is 16.6 lbs, and 26 and 1/2 inches long! I would have bet you he was at least 18 lbs, but what do I know? In any case, our doctor is so not worried about his stature as long as he is consistently growing, which he is! We just may have a smallish young man one day! I mean, I am only 5' 3".

One thing she did say, and this is what I am focusing on, is that he seems to be advanced in the motor skills department. She said he was strong and that she really wasn't ready for him to walk yet because that would mean he would burn off that much more (calories) and he needs to retain all he can! So, we aren't going to push the walking, but we feel it may happen sooner than later! He does not stay still! No wonder he is so small, he burns calories even while sitting cause his legs never stop moving!! He is a busy, busy, busy kid and we love it!! And so smart.....

He is saying momma and dadda now, not that he knows what they mean! He can also clap and play the "How big is Maddux?" game. Everything is so stinkin cute, not that I am biased or anything! We feel so blessed every day by this gift! Yesterday, he learned the shake your head "no" game and he just smiles so wide, it cracks me up! Lets see.....

He is getting such a full head of blond hair....although, when people see pics, they all ask if he is a red head! I don't see it, but he is definitely blond. He is finally out of 3-6 months clothes and can wear 9 month pants.....he's got long legs! He still only has 2 teeth, but man are they sharp. He has also learned to pinch with his fingers and that can be seriously painful!!

Mom, Dad, Paige, Buddy, Tyler, and McKenzie come here for Thanksgiving on Monday and I am so excited!!! I have never had Thanksgiving here in Atlanta or at our house, so we have exciting times ahead! We will have 10 people over for Maddux's first Thanksgiving! I cannot get over that this time last year I was preggo and was taking insulin shots! It seems so long ago!!!

I began this post last week and since then Maddux has gotten his first real cold! He is coughing so badly, it makes me sad! I can't do anything to help him, and I hate that feeling. Even through all this cold business, he is still our happy happy boy! We are so lucky! God knew what he was doing when he created Maddux, we are truly amazed every day!

Well, I hope this blog find you all happy and soon to be with family! Happy Thanksgiving and safe travels! Until next time.....

It's been way too long

Holy canoli!!! It has almost been 2 months since I have made a blog update.....I am sooo sorry! Cause I know there are a ton of you out there that are just dying to know what is going on with Maddux and fam! So, better late than never.....here you go!

Well, lets see....well, Maddux will be 9 months old in 11 days! That, to me, is just unbelievable! He hasn't really changed that much to us over the past 2 months, but we live with him. I can tell he had grown. He is getting really tall. He is still wearing 6 months clothes but can fit into the 6-9 month clothes as well. The only thing is, all the pants are too short in that range so every pair of pants are high waters. He is so darn cute though, he can pull it off!! I'm not biased or anything.

Maddux does have 2 little teeth on the bottom in front. And, man, do they hurt!! When I try to put my fingers in his mouth to check for others, I do believe he could chop my fingertips off with those itty bitty things!!! Good thing he is on straight bottles and has been since before he got his first tooth! Sorry, probably TMI!!!

Anyway, he is still so happy every morning I take him to see Shelley (his "nanny"). She still tells me what a "Good Boy" he is every day and I love it!! I know I said this 2 months ago, but I feel so lucky and blessed to have hard her fall into my lap!! Maddux loves her and Molly (his girlfriend) and Brady (the 3 year old older brother).

Maddux did do something I thought was fantastic the other day! I was dropping him off at Shelley's and I reached in the car to get his car seat out. I usually shower him with kisses as I am getting him out, but the other morning, for some reason, I said "Give me a kiss!" and he turned his head and opened his mouth so wide!!! He knew what I said and did it! You know how babies kiss, with their mouths as wide as possible and as slobbery as possible! Oh man, I loved it ans bragged all day at school about how he kissed me!

We have done 2 really fun things since we last chatted....we got to go to the Braves playoff game! That made his total games to 5 for his first baseball season! I think that is pretty incredible! It was a great game, but Maddux was not really a fan of the loud crowd, and boy was it loud!! We had fun though and are so glad we got to go!

The second thing we just did, as you can see from the pics, was today! We went to a pumpkin patch!!! It was my first pumpkin patch as well as Maddux's!! We got to go on a hay ride, walk through their fields, see fresh cotton being grown, and take lots of pics with pumpkins!!! Maddux was not very keen on the whole situation, I think he was really tired, but I just couldn't miss out on the photo ops!!

Well, that is about all for now! I will write again in a few weeks after we go the doctor to see about Maddux's weight and all that! I hope this finds every one happy and healthy! Until after November 9th!!

Almost 7 months

Maddux has been growing and learning and laughing so much over the past few weeks!! He can sit up by himself for long periods of time, he laughs his rear end off at Sadie, and he is talking up a storm!! He has even started to army crawl and scoot backwards!! I feel the real crawling coming on really soon!! He is probably about 16 lbs. and is getting taller by the day it seems! We don't have another doctors appointment until 9 months, so I wont have any measurements until then!

He goes to his sitters every day and has so much fun! It is such a blessing to drop him off and see him smile when he sees her! She loves him as if he were her own, and I just thank God every day for that! Last week, she told me that she was getting so attached that she would probably have to go to his high school graduation and his wedding!!! That just made my heart smile!!! She is so great with him and is feeding him until he gets fat.....and since he is still only in the 10%, we are glad for her to do that! He also has his first real girlfriend there! Her name is Molly and they are only 3 weeks apart! They play and hold hands and laugh at each other! I love it! They are just so cute!!

Other than that, I have obviously gone back to school and have a great bunch of kids! I have 25 in my class and they are really sweet! It is going to be a great year!

There isn't a lot else to say...I tried loading a video of him laughing for after 30 minutes, I give up! I think they are too big so I will see what Sam can do!! Until next time.....I hope everyone is great and as happy and blessed as we are! Talk to you all soon!!

6 Months

Man, oh man...time is just flying by!! I am just in shock that Maddux is already 6 months old!! It is going by way too fast and before we know it, he'll be crawling (the doctor said sooner than we'd probably like) and then walking!! CRAZY!!!!

Well, so lots has happened since we last spoke! I took Maddux to Houston mid July! Boy was that interesting! I vow never to travel with him by myself ever again! It was just simply exhausting! First of all, the plane ride was super stressful on the way there, as I was panicked he would cry the whole time. He actually did a great job, he only fussed and was easily settled.....now the plane ride home is a different story! The people sitting next to us said he only cried about 5 minutes, tops, but you know when it is you and your kid....I swear he cried for an hour!! Everyone was really nice though, the stewardess even gave me some apple juice to put in a bottle to see if that would calm him down (see, she wouldn't have done that if he had only been fussing for 5 minutes, right?) Anyway, I was so ready to get off that plane, I could have run with stroller, car seat, diaper bag and all!!

So, once that drama was over, I didn't consider the rest of the trip effecting him.....You see, when I go to Houston, I usually switch between my sister and parent's houses so I can see everyone I want to see! That is just what I have always done....well, that doesn't work quite as well with a 6 month old! 2 things could have been the cause of my lack of sleep for the week.....either he was just really out of sorts from the traveling and switching houses, or just sleeping in the same room as him, I could hear every sound he made and it would wake me up! So, not sure which it was, but never the less, I got, maybe, 5 hours of sleep each night there!

Other than that, Houston was great! My sister got to spend some good quality time with him and I got to see my niece and nephew for a good bit too!! My Aunt Letha and Cousin Vicky drove my grandmother to Houston, as well, to come meet Maddux. (My aunt had already, so graciously, come to Atlanta to take care of him, back in May, so she was just coming to play again)! Grandmother was so excited to see him and I loved that he got to meet her! It is so nice being able to say I knew my great-grandmother. Mine was 97 years old when she left us and I loved my Nonny! Anyway, I digress....We got to see Jean (one of my best and oldest friends in the whole world). She just moved back from France to Texas, so she came to Paige's to meet Maddux. I also got to meet another one of her kids! I had met one years ago, but now I have met Max. Maybe I'll get to Meet Claire soon too! We had a great time!

Maddux got to meet one of my camp friends and several of my mom's friends by weeks end, but boy was I ready to be home! Don't get me wrong, I loved seeing everyone and introducing Maddux to everyone I could, but I was just plain beat by the time I got home! And, Maddux was so excited to see his Daddy, as was I!!! So, great trip, but it won't happen again any time soon without Sam by my side!

Since then, lets see......oh, the doctor. I took Maddux back for his 6 month checkup last Tuesday. He weighs 14 lbs 4 oz. He is 24 and 3/4 inches long and STILL in the 10th percentile! We are a little sad about that, however, he is the happiest baby, always smiling, super relaxed....so we really have nothing to complain about! He did have to have his 5 shots that day and the after math does turn my happy child into a demon for over 24 hours....but again, he is usually so happy, I can deal with 24 hours! I hate doing that to him, but it is necessary.

Let's see....oh, thats right, I started school already!!!!!!!!!!!!! O wait, this is a a blog about Maddux, not me! Sorry!! I will say, they have added 2 weeks of random breaks throughout the year and that is why we went back so early, so really, I shouldn't be whining!!! However, while I am at school, Maddux is getting to go play at a friend's house while I work. Her mother-in-law just moved here to take care of their 5 and a 1/2 old baby and wanted another infant! WE are the lucky ones! He loves her already and she just dotes on him all day, I can tell. Friday, when I went to get him, I was putting him in his car seat and she was behind him talking, he arched back, looked at her, and just grinned from ear to ear! That made me so happy! Shelly (that's her name) told me as I walked in that day, that she was keeping him, and that just made me feel so good about leaving him with her!! I feel like I lucked out on the whole day care thing! Anway, I will stop here and bid you all a great Sunday! Thanks for taking the time to catch up with us.....See you next time!

PS, he can sit on his own now, he eats baby food from a spoon, and he is pulling up his knees sticking his cute little rear in the air.....Like I said, SLOW DOWN Maddux!!!