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!