Nearly finished!

Well here is an update on the nursery... we're almost done! Just needing the crib skirt and curtains when Grandma gets here this week and little miss Madelyn's room will be all finished up! Enjoy the pictures :)

Maddy's dresser and photos of four generations.

Here's the crib, still needing a lamp for the far corner.

Glider, beautiful quilt from Mary Hernandez and our shelving.

A view of most of it put together :)

We hope you all enjoy the photos!

With love,

~Joey, Amanda and Madelyn

Two Weeks of Precious Moments

My mother always told me that there was no love more true than that between a mother and her child. I always knew that there was truth to the statement but I never realized the severity of it until I held my own little girl in my arms for the first time. At that very moment I realized that nothing in the world mattered more than my little Maddy Grace; and that I would in fact do ANYTHING to keep her safe and sound. The feeling really is inexplainable... but then again all of you mothers out there know exactly what I'm talking about. :)

These last two weeks have been filled with so many firsts, so many memories and SO many emotions. Although I wish Joe could be here to experience every single second with Madelyn and me I will say that I am enjoying my one on one time with my baby girl.

Madelyn Grace: 1 week old

Sometimes I catch myself just sitting and staring at all of the amazing things our daughter does on a daily basis.

Madelyn's first bath experience!

We've had an umbilical cord fall off, a first night in the pack n' play, a first bedtime story and most recently a first real bath! The time is already going by too quickly for my liking but I can't wait to experience many more firsts together with our little princess.

Showing Momma her moose antlers :)

I'll be the first to admit it: Being a mommy is the BEST job in the whole wide world.
I am feeling more blessed than I can ever express, we'll be keeping you up to date on Miss Madelyn's growing world!

With all our love,
Joey, Amanda and Madelyn

We'll be taking pictures with Mr. Teddy Bear to see how much Maddy is growing :)

A Very Pleasant Suprise!

So I would have to say that my last post about having 23 days left was quite inaccurate! So here is the story:
Wednesday the 13th of June seemed like an ordinary day. My friend Rashelle and I had everything planned out; head to my doctors appointment (just a routine growth scan to make sure baby was growing well), head to Target to pick up my glider, and then on to Babies R Us to get everything else that we needed for the baby. Ironically enough while gassing up that morning, this momma made a comment about how ready she was to have this little girl in my arms. My wish was unexpectedly granted!
During the growth scan it was discovered that our little angel wasn't quite as big as she needed to be. Even if my due date was off by a few weeks she was still only in the first percentile of growth for a baby of her age. After a little contemplation the ultrasound tech decided to call in a doctor. Unfortunatly for me this doctor happened to be someone I had never met and was extremely forward. Within five minutes of meeting he informed me that they were going to induce labor that day, then of course asked to take my blood pressure! Quite a change of plans if I do say so myself!
The next few hours were spent between crying in fear, contacting family and debating whether or not I was willing to allow an induction; something that was NOT a part of my birth plan. These hours were also a time to realize the drastic difference between the practices of my midwife team and the OB team at the hospital. By the end of a very stressful and emotional few hours it was decided that it was in the best intrest of myself and the baby to have her that night!

Just about 4cm dilated!

We got the ball rolling around 5pm and luckily I was already 3cm dilated naturally! We were able to avoid using any medication (pitocin: something I was very against doing) and by 9:30pm I was 6cm dilated and the contractions were getting stronger and stronger. Within a half hour I dilated from 6-10cm and was ready to have this little girl! A very, very fast labor.
At 11:18pm on June 13, 2012 a little angel came into my life. Madelyn Grace Marshall was born at 4lb.  7oz. and 17in long. She is tiny but absolutely perfect! I feel unbelievably blessed for my incredible friends that stood by my side during my labor and delivery, my amazing midwife team and nurses who helped me have the natural birth experience I was wanting and for everyone that sent up prayers for our little family. She arrived just in time for Joe's birthday and Father's day!

Our beautiful girl :)

For Joe's first Father's day

Now just 8 days later I am feeling the abundant joy that is motherhood. Joe was able to talk to us just hours after she was born and saw photos just a few days ago. He is one very proud Daddy! Little miss Maddy is a healthy, happy baby and making life incredibly easy on me (knock on wood!)

All smiles!

There are no words to express how amazingly grateful I feel for the blessing God has given us. This little girl has changed our lives in the best way possible.

Continued prayer is greatly appreciated. Maddy is still pretty tiny so we're hoping for some weight gain here soon!

Until next time! This momma and her baby girl are headin' to bed.
With all our love and some cute little baby smiles :)

~Joey, Amanda and Madelyn Marshall

Where has the time gone?!!

23 days!
Just 23 days until my due date! I cannot believe how fast this pregnancy has gone... It is so crazy to think that in less than a month I won't be pregnant anymore and in such a short time I will be holding my little girl in my arms. It's days like this and realizations such as this one that make you realize how amazing life really is :)
I am truly blessed!

Busy-ness!

To describe this week in plain english: CRAZY!
So much has been going on this week I feel as though I haven't stopped running since last Wednesday... Today is the first time I've really gotten to sit and reminisce about what all has happened recently.

• Many, many appointments and there are just more to come. 
• A visit from some wonderful friends from Alaska: the Hall family. :) 
• Our beautiful baby shower!
• Yet another doctors appointment
• Painting the nursery FINALLY
• Many afternoons in Waikiki (which I will be avoiding from now on)
• A trip to the zoo!
• Got some beautiful belly pictures taken

I'm sure there are many more things that I'm forgetting but just remembering all of that wears me out.

The next few weeks hold so much more as well. I am now 36 weeks pregnant and loving every second of it! Our little girl is still doing well; kicking and moving up a storm. She is finally letting me sleep a litte more these days which has been a welcome change. In no more than 4 weeks there won't be much more of that so I am enjoying it while I can.

We are now to the point in this pregnancy that I will be having doctors appointments every Wednesday until the little one decides to pick a birthday. Time has flown by SO fast... sometimes it is hard to believe that she is almost here. I still remember the day I found out that I was pregnant like it was yesterday.

Aside from visiting our hospital on a regular basis, I am doing my best to get everything ready for the arrival of the newest Marshall girl. My mom gets here in just 3 and half weeks and I can hardly wait :) Her amazing sense of humor and possitive spirit will be such a welcome addition to our home. 

Instead of boring you with words here are a few pictures to catch you up on our last couple weeks.

A few shots for Daddy :)

Some of our beautiful maternity photos! All thanks to the best photographer I know, Jessica Walters.

A gorgeous baby quilt made by none other than Mary Hernandez from back home.

Opening some gifts

And finally enjoying a beautiful day at Pearl Harbor with the Hall family.

All in all I would have to say that we enjoyed a very crazy yet very fufilling week. Until next time!

With all our love and blessings,

~The Marshalls

A Day to Think...

Memorial Day has always had a special meaning to me. I was raised to appreciate our country's service members, not just on this one day a year but on every day of the year. I have had grandfathers, many uncles, countless cousins and even more friends serve on the front lines of many different wars. The amount of respect I have for these individuals cannot be explained in just words.
My view of this day however changed immensly the moment I fell in love with my husband. I always knew in the back of my mind that deployments were innevitable; that spending weeks, even months away from my other half was going to happen whether I liked it or not. Knowing this doesn't change how difficult it is to deal with. Starting in November of 2010 my very own hero left for a 7 month deployment to Afghanistan. I truly believed that those seven months were the scariest, most trying time in my life. But we made it through it! My husband returned home safely in June of 2011; it was THE happiest moment I had experienced in my life.
We began enjoying the time we had and loved every second that we were blessed with; finally starting our new life together. Then came November 1, 2011. This day became the new happiest day of my life; the day we discovered we were expecting our baby girl. The news came with many different emotions: excitement, overwhelming amounts of joy and of course a little bit of nerves. After the initial shock began to disappear we soon realized that whether this deployment was going to be combat or not, Joe would most likely not be here for the birth of our first child. Sadness was of course in the air but was over- shaddowed ten fold by the excitement of our news.
April 2nd was the day that Joe left for his second deployment with the United States Marine Corps. A hard day of course but once again I was overwhelmed with feelings of pride for my amazing husband. This Memorial Day is filled with mixed feelings. Sadness that my husband is away, joy that I am lucky enough to have someone so incredible to call mine, and pride in all that Joe does every day to keep our family safe. I cannot express how lucky I feel to call him my own and how excited I am to introduce our daughter to her amazing daddy the moment he steps off that plane in October.
There are no words that can express my graditude to each and every service member and their families across the globe that must sacrifice their time together and so much more for the needs of our country. Your blood, sweat, and tears will NEVER be forgotten.

With all our love, support, and prayers, we think of you all daily.
~The Marshall Family

A Confession...

I'll admit it: I am VERY bad at keeping up with this blog. BUT! With the little one almost here I am going to be posting as often as I can to keep everyone up to date with the happenings of our life.
Joe has now been gone for just about 8 weeks and is getting to experience so many amazing things. He has been to Australia and Thailand and those are only two of the five awesome places he gets to visit on this deployment. I couldn't be happier that he is getting to travel the world through this deployment; even if I do miss him like crazy.
As for our everyday life... I am doing my best to stay as active as I can! This baby sure does take a lot of energy out of me, but we're still getting in our daily walks and staying fit. No more trips to the gym for this momma however; those Braxton Hicks contractions are no fun while on a stationary bike :( The dogs are getting restless so I've been doing my best to get them out and about. Oakley, however has found something else to do with his spare time.

Apparently he doesn't enjoy a comfortable bed as much as the next dog...

The next few weeks will be filled with many things:

• The greatly anticipated baby shower!
• The beginning and end of birthing and breast feeding classes.
• A visit from the Hall family!!!!
• Quite a few doctors appointments.
• And general preparation for baby Marshall's arrival.

I really will do my best to keep the updates coming. Just a little while longer and this home will be as busy as ever with our sweet little girl :)

With all our love, as always,

Amanda, Joey, and baby M~