Travis is the CHAMP!

Travis fought in his second Jiu Jitsu tournament this past weekend, but this time it was in a cage! We took a short road trip to Alexandria with our friends Emily and Wes so that the guys could compete. It was lots of fun and the boys did a great job! Travis fought 3 times and came in 1st place - he is now the WelterWeight Champ of Alexandria! : ) He even got a trophy to prove it! Pictures are in the album!

Madeline's Tree

A very sweet couple from our Church gave us a tree to plant in honor of Madeline. It is a Sweet Bay Magnolia tree and it is just beautiful. So Travis got to work and planted his very first tree for his daughter. He did a great job! Pics are in the album!

More Madeline pics

Ok- I was finally able to add some of the pictures to the Photo Album from our camera too. For some reason, I've had lots of trouble uploading these pictures! Lyndsay also finished putting up her pictures on her website. Her website address is www.lyndsay-photography.com. Click on "Enter Same Window" then "Clients." Password is Madeline. You can order pictures directly through her website. You must click on picture, then add to cart. You will be able to select size, etc. They are absolutely beautiful! Thank you Lyndsay for capturing such amazing moments and helping to create so many awesome memories for us!

Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep

Fortunately, we heard about this organization called Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep, where photographers donate their time to families like us. They specialize in babies like Madeline and they capture the most beautiful moments. We were so fortunate to meet Lynsday Melancon through this organization. Lyndsay offered to take maternity shots for us, as well as Madeline's shining moments at the hospital. Lyndsay was another gift sent to us from God. She was a great person to lean on and she took some of the most beautiful pictures we've ever seen! She took 400 in the hospital! They aren't all ready just yet, but she rushed some of them so that we could have for the service this past Saturday. I've added them to our Photo Album so that you can see our little Madeline!

This organization means a great deal to us and has helped us to create the most amazing memories of Madeline. If you'd like to make a donation to them, please visit their website at www.nowilaymedowntosleep.org.

Our beautiful Madeline

Our beautiful baby girl, Madeline Noelle McGrew, was born into heaven Wednesday, June 3, 2009 at 3:39pm. She weighed 4lbs. 8oz. and was 17.5 inchese long. She was the most beautiful baby I've ever laid eyes on! As much as we had hoped for more time with her, we know that she is at peace in God's arms.

We were fortunate enough to be able to spend some time with her. We were able to take her measurements, give her a bath, take her handprints and footprints, cut locks of her hair, dress her, baptize her and of course hold her in our loving arms! It was an absolutely beautiful experience. We are overwhelmed by how much our baby girl has made such an impact on our lives as well as others in her short life. She touched so many and opened our eyes to the important things in life. I know personally, she helped strengthen my Faith in God more than ever and for that I am forever grateful to her. She truly is our sweet little angel.

We really want to express our appreciation to all of you as well. Without your prayers and support, we would never be able to get through this experience with this peace in our hearts. With God's grace, we have been able to accept this and view the positive that has come from it. So many of you have told us how she has touched you personally or changed you in a positive way. What an amazing girl she was to have this effect on so many! We could not be more proud of our sweet Madeline! We were truly overwhelmed by how many people were there at her Mass...WOW! To have so many people gather and to hear the beautiful words spoken by Father Blessing...it was an incredibly moving experience for us both. We couldn't have dreamed of a more beautiful service for our little girl. It was truly a special day.

We will hopefully have pictures in our Photo Album soon. For some reason, I'm unable to upload them today. I will try again so that you can all see our beautiful Madeline!

We love you all and please continue to pray for us!
"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away."

Getting closer!

So on Monday I had another check up and my blood pressure was back up again with a few other signs of toxemia. The doctor didn't want to take any chances so we were admitted to the hospital last night. They gave me some meds to start the process and then started the drip at 4am this morning. Unfortunately we did not make much progress throughout the day today. I am still only about 1 cm dilated. They took me off all the meds for a little while tonight so that I could eat a little bit, take a shower and try to get a little rest. Travis and I even just went for a walk. It made me feel a lot better just getting a good shower and a nice little walk! I also got a chocolate shake from Hub City Diner...YUMMY! :)

They will give me some more meds at 10pm and will start the drip again at 4am tomorrow. They will also be a little more agressive this time, so hopefully we will be a little more successful!

Thank you so much to all of you who have called, texted and stopped by. We really appreciate knowing we have so many loving friends and family. Please continue to keep us in your prayers! We love you all!