Madden Turns ONE!!!

Our little man turned one on February 4th. It is hard to believe that a whole year has gone by since he came into our lives. Madden is running around full speed now, and he's learning so many new things! His new favorite thing is walking around on his tiptoes. He dances to almost any music he hears, regardless of whether he's lying down, sitting, eating, or standing.

We kept it simple for his birthday. We took him to Chuck E. Cheese a week or so before. My sister flew up here for his birthday weekend, and we went to the park and the beach. Of course, he had his first cake, and it was messy!

Stephen's Homecoming

On Tuesday, November 24th, Stephen finally returned home from deployment. Madden and I met him at the hangar on base where the plane arrived. Stephen got to hold his son for the first time in 6 months!!! Madden reached out to his daddy's face and then leaned in to kiss him! He remembered his daddy! It feels so wonderful to have our family complete again. Life has never been better!

November 2009

Madden turned 9 months old this month. A couple days before that he took his first unassisted steps. My baby is walking already!!!

This month has been busy. Madden and I left my mother's and headed down to my sister's for a week before flying out to Washington. In New Braunfels, Madden and I got to spend time with Granny Kay and meet up with some friends. My best friend Lindsay and her daughter came down for my birthday, and we went to Chuck E Cheese and Wurstfest. We had lots of fun, and Madden got to do so many exciting things. I took him to the park several times, and he had a blast. He loves to be outside!

On November 16th, Courtney flew with us back to Washington to help out. I couldn't have done it without her and can't thank her enough for her help. Madden slept on both flights and even slept the entire 2 hour drive to Oak Harbor from the airport in Seattle. Now we are waiting for Stephen to return. He gets home tomorrow!!! We are anxiously awaiting our reunion!

Alyssa "Ally" Coker

My brother and his wife welcomed their first child on November 5th. Ally was born at 11:15 am in Corsicana,TX. She weighed 6 lb 14 oz and was 19 inches long. Madden and I were in town staying with my grandmother for a few days before heading home to Oak Harbor for Stephen's return. We arrived in the Corsicana area on November 4th, so I guess Ally was just waiting for her aunt to arrive before making her entrance. Courtney even made it up there the next morning to see Ally within her first 24 hours, just as she did with Madden.

Mother and baby are doing great, and Clay is one proud Daddy! Ally already has him wrapped around her finger! I'm so happy I got to see my first niece before I heading home!

October 2009--8 Months Old

With Stephen's deployment more than halfway over, October has flown by. Madden and I are still staying at my mother's in Shreveport. My mother had surgery on her back in late September, so it worked out perfectly that I am here to help out. She is recovering well. We all took advantage of the beautiful weather when we got a chance, and Madden got to crawl around outside. We also took him to a petting zoo and pumpkin patch for some great photos. He loved the playground and all the animals.

7 Month Portraits

Since I managed to miss getting 6 month photos done, I went to Sears and had them done at about 7 1/2 months. He had several outfit changes, and he cried through most of the session. It didn't help that our photographer seemed like she didn't want to be there and was never ready for a shot. She was not very friendly, and Madden did not like her. But somehow we got several great shots!

Since Stephen's Deployment...

Madden has been developing rapidly since Stephen left for deployment on May 17th. When Stephen left, Madden was only 14 weeks old, and now he is almost 7 months!! I have been posting videos and pictures online for Stephen all the time. It has been very hard to be away from Stephen these past few months, but it's finally the halfway point in his deployment. Time to start counting down! :)

On June 20th, we made our trek south to my mother's in Shreveport, Louisiana. My best friend Lindsay, her daughter, and my sister flew up to Seattle to make the trip with us. It was a LONG six days, but we finally made it! Since arriving down south Madden has had a lot of new experiences. He met his Nanna (my mom), his Great Grandma Coker (my dad's dad), his Grandma Kay (Stephen's mom)and Grandpa Steve, his Uncle Clay (my brother) and Aunt Keri (who are expecting a little girl in November!), and his Great Grandma and Grandpa Harper (my mom's parents). Not to mention, he met a bunch of cousins and lots of friends. We went to St. Louis at the end of July and to visit Grandpa Flood and Grandma Toni. It was a nice trip, and it was his first time on an airplane. He did great! He slept all the way there and all the way home. I couldn't have asked for better!

Stephen and I have been getting on the webcam once a week for the past few weeks. He finally got to see his son for the first time in three months. Stephen is so proud of all of Madden's accomplishments, and he can't believe how much Madden has grown. Through the video chats, Stephen has seen Madden crawl, sit up, pull up, and say mama! He even got to see one of Madden's firsts last night: dancing to music! It was so sweet, and Stephen got a kick out of it! The video chats are the highlights for both of us each week. It is nice to feel halfway close to him again! Madden misses his daddy so much!

There are a bunch of pictures in the slideshow, over 100. I will try to post more often so you all don't have to go through so many at once! We love you all!