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!

The Thrid and Fourth Months

The third and fourth month have been full of new experiences. Somewhere along the way, he discovered his hands and grabs everything he sees now. He met more family and friends, and by thirteen weeks, he was rolling over. We have to strap him into everything now, and diaper changes are way more of a challenge! He is a squirmy little guy. He barely sits still for a minute. He is learning to sit up and no longer needs any help holding his head up (not for a long time now). Madden got a virus at 13 weeks, and having a sick baby is heart breaking! But the hardest thing we've had to go through yet happened on May 17th when Stephen left for deployment. We took Madden to the beach for the first time that day where they were able to spend some quality time together. We miss him so much, and I know he misses us too! It was so hard for him to say goodbye to his son.

The 3rd and 4th Months

Madden's First 2 Months

I'm finally able to get on here and post an update on the family. Things have been crazy but wonderful! The first two months flew by, and Madden got to meet lots of new people! I didn't get much sleep (and still don't), but watching him grow has been amazing! His first smile came during his fourth week, and he started laughing the next week. He spent his first night in his crib when he was eight weeks old...although I don't think I slept a wink!

The First Two Months

Madden Hughes Flood

Madden Hughes is finally here!!! He was born on February 4, 2009 at 8:59 am. He was 8 lb 10 oz and 21 inches long. Due to his size, he wouldn't fit through my pelvis and had to be delivered via c-section. Unfortunately, we were unable to tell he wouldn't fit until I was fully dialated, so I was in labor around 22 hours. He never would drop, indicating he was "stuck." I'm recovering well, and Madden is absolutely perfect!!! Stephen has had to take on a lot of the responsibility, and he's a natural father! He loves his son so much and has taken care of us both while I've been recovering. Madden is a week old today, and we still can't believe he is ours! Neither of us know how we ever lived without him. We've never been happier!!!