Prettier? I say Madelyn I prefer it spelled Madeleine, but that's minor. Madeleine and Kate have both been serious contenders in the past on my boyfriend's list, since they'd both honor people very important to us, and they both grew on me quite a bit. Samantha's a bit too dated for me personally, but it's nice. My boyfriend's sister is naming her kid Samantha (she's due September 1, but she'll probably give birth within the next week), so I've been hearing Sammy quite a bit, and that's probably why I'm leaning toward Madelyn more: because Sammy's not as pretty to me as Maddie or Madelyn

Hope that helps

Personally, I think Kate goes with each name equally lovely. I Adore the name of Kate. You are doing great T!!