Thankful Thursday ... Madison Lollipop Sucker

On July 27, 2007, our darling Madison Lily entered the world. She was born two weeks before her due date, and a week before our scheduled c-section date. I should have known then that this little girl had a mind of her own!

My contractions started in the middle of the afternoon, and by evening we knew we needed to head in. At the hospital, the doctor (who in my opinion did not want to come in and do a c-section at night) gave me some medicine to stop the contractions and sent us home around midnight. Well, the medicine worked until about 5 AM. The contractions came roaring back, and we were at the doctor's office at 9, and checking into the maternity ward by 10. Madi was delivered, uneventfully, around 12:30. And we were smitten.

I wish I had newborn pictures of her to show you, but unfortunately my evil computer downstairs is not allowing me to email pictures, burn a CD of pictures, or copy pictures to a flash drive. Yes, I've tried them all. The evil computer does not like me. But I digress..

I joke that if I would have had Madison first, I would have stopped. She screamed for literally the first two weeks of her life. I had MAJOR breastfeeding issues, and struggled with depression to boot. And, yet, I could still look at that sweet little cherub face and fall in love all over again. I think I learned a lot about how much God loves her during those first few months. God loves me, too, no matter what. And I adore this beautiful princess, no matter what.

Here she is in Paris last January with her daddy. She was such a trooper on that trip, battling jet lag and crazy parents who drug her around a strange city every day for two weeks.

She hadn't yet taken her first steps by the time we took that trip, but she did figure out that she could reach and play the piano in the apartment. And, true to Madi's nature, she preferred to do it half naked.

That trip (Yes, we took a 4 year old, a 1 1/2 year old, and a newborn. Yes, we're crazy.) was also our girls' first experience at Disneyland. We, of course, had to buy the ears. And isn't Tigger appropriate for her?

Nowadays, she models the same ears with her adored sister Violet.

Pigtails have always been my hairstyle of choice for Madison. They just reflect her spunky, ornery personality so well, don't you think?

Now that she's a big girl (in her eyes) she can often be found hanging around my parents' ranch...

... dressing up as the cutest sheep EVER (thanks again Jill for the beautiful pic)...

... or just hanging out with her sisters, waiting for a bath.

Madison is truly a gift from God. She is a three-year-old version of me, which my mom loves. She is stubborn, confident, joyous, hilarious, discerning, and truthful to a fault. She will not hesitate to express her opinion, but is learning to submit her VERY strong will to ours (yes, Dr. Dobson is my best friend right now). She is the sweetest big sister, and the orneriest little sister. She is fiercely loyal and protective of those she loves. And, those she loves, she loves deeply. She is also becoming much more expressive in her love for us, which just melts our hearts.

We joke that Madison will rule something someday. Whether it's a company, a country, or the world, we don't know. By the way, if someday, on the news, you hear that she really has taken over a country, please don't call us. We probably already know. But she is so strong, and so confident, that I know God will take her amazing places through leadership.

It's so hard to be three. You're a big girl and a little girl, all in one package. But Madison loves every minute. Well, most minutes.

My darling Madi, I love you more that I could ever possibly express in words. My prayer is that you will grow to trust your Daddy unfailingly. That you would follow His leading and His will. I know you will accomplish great things. My prayer is that those things are for His glory. You are so many different things, all in one toe-haired spunky package. Thank you for being such a darling little blessing in our lives. You are truly a gift from God. I love you baby!

P.S. In case you didn't know, Madison Lollipop Sucker was the name Katrina told the nurses right after Madi was born. It stuck.