Madelyn's First Month Video

    I've been wanting to begin experimenting with the videos and pictures we've taken since Madelyn was born, and this week, thanks to a longer nap one day (yesss) I was able to manage to create a video of Madelyn's first month.

     I downloaded Windows Movie Maker and this is my first attempt at creating a video with the program, so hopefully I can eventually begin to learn even more with each video in my future attempts.

    Now I know, I know...I JUST posted about a photo book I made for Madelyn's first month. You may be thinking it's just a little overboard - but I just can't help myself. She's our first born daughter, after all. I was going to simply make a video of her birth, but just couldn't stop, so it ended up encapsulating her whole first month.

     So... if by chance you have an extra ten minutes (9 min. 30 seconds, to be exact) - take a look - and enjoy! :)

Month 1 Photo Book

Click here to view this photo book larger

As I mentioned a few weeks back, my goal is to keep up with all of Madelyn's pictures in an organized way (there are a MILLION of them!) and document each milestone the best I can. That is, after all, why I wanted to start this blog in the first place. I decided I would create a photo book for each year, highlighting each month along the way. As I began this endeavor, I soon realized that I simply had way too many pictures, especially in the first month. The newborn stage is so special, and they don't stay in it for long, so I decided I would dedicate the first book to her first month. Even then, I had difficulty weeding through all the pictures and picking my favorites. (And, I had difficulty finding the TIME to get the book completed - I'm already behind! I don't know what I'll do when I'm forced to return to work!) As usual, the book turned out way longer than I had originally planned, but it's worth it to capture each moment as she grows bigger each day! 

Now it's time to begin the month 2 book...

Craftiness gone wrong...

So...before Madelyn was born, I had this vision of this cutesy little craft I would do the day we brought her home from the hospital that I would proudly hang in the nursery as art. I got the idea from Pinterest (of course!)

Well...low and behold, I turn around, and two months have passed - with no cutesy artwork to commemorate how teeny tiny her newborn hands and feet were! :(

So, I drove right out to the store to gather the supplies I needed to make this happen.

 I bought simple wood frames, white spray paint to paint the frames, pink paint for dipping hands and feet, and green scrapbooking paper to stamp the little appendages on. Easy, peasy...or so I thought. 

I did have the foresight to realize I probably wouldn't be able to do this on my own. So, one night when Billy got home, I explained my plan. After much trial and error, we finally got a footprint! 

However, I realized too late that I didn't leave enough paper around the footprint for the frame. :( BOO! 

The handprints were another story. No matter how much we tried, Miss Madelyn would NOT cooperate, and we were unable to get her to unclench her fist enough for a handprint stamp. When looking back on the original post from Pinterest, I saw that this mother waited until her daughter was about four months old - perhaps it will be easier then! 

 Surprisingly, Madelyn was a great sport throughout this entire ordeal. However, in a matter of minutes, pink paint went from covering her foot and hand, to covering her face, as well as mommy and daddy. A bath was in order.

Poor baby did not know what we were putting her through!

Maybe we'll try again in a few months!

Daddy's Little Girl

Yesterday, Billy and I FINALLY faced our fears and ventured out for lunch with Madelyn in tow. I've been wanting to go out and have lunch outside to enjoy the beautiful weather for weeks, but every time we are out and about, Madelyn just doesn't seem to want to cooperate. 

During lunch, Madelyn did very well. Granted, I shook the stroller to give her the movement and jiggle she needed the entire time, until it was time for us to give her a bottle, but hey - We'll do whatever it takes! 

While Billy was giving Madelyn her bottle, a man approached him, and for the second time this week, we heard a comment I feel is so true. The man said that Billy looked more like a real man than ever, holding our little baby girl swaddled in all pink.  He said that it is the definition of a real man, to be a great father, and I agree..and Billy is doing just that!

What can I say? We are in trouble...she's got him wrapped around her little finger for sure!

To the zoo!

Last weekend, we had the wonderful privilege of having Billy's Aunt Penny and Uncle Brian come visit for the weekend. 

 We were so happy they were able to finally meet Miss Madelyn. We enjoyed a low key weekend but the highlight was Madelyn's first zoo trip on Saturday. 

Even though she technically didn't get to see any of the animals, we would like to think she was able to get something out of the experience (besides a great nap in the carrier!)

We can't wait to take Madelyn again next year. By then, she'll love the sights and sounds (and smells!) of the animals. 

It had been such a long time since we had been to a zoo - we had such a great time! 

All in all, it was such a wonderful weekend. Nothing beats time with family.

Shopping!

On a beautiful Fall day like today, you just have to go out and take advantage of it. What better way to do so than...shopping!?

Today Madelyn and I had our first of many mother/daughter shopping trips. (A favorite past time of mine, right mom?)

I'm hoping that Madelyn will come to love shopping as much as her mother, because as you can see here...she clearly was not loving it today. :( 

Not only did we get to go shopping, but we went with our good friends, Becky and little JJ. I have visions of Madelyn and JJ growing up together and being great friends. But for now, Becky and I can just stroll them around while they sit there looking so darn cute!

We made it into exactly two stores before Madelyn was screaming for lunch. So we stopped. It took Missy the better part of an hour to finish her bottle before moving on to Starbucks to pick up a Chai Tea...yum! The next stop was Macy's --- but somebody never made it there because somebody was a bit fussy. I bet you can guess which somebody it was! (ahem...I'll give you a clue...see first picture posted above).

 

If you guessed Madelyn was the fussy baby who had to leave the shopping excursion early, you guessed right! At least we had fun while it lasted and we got to go out and enjoy the beautiful Fall afternoon while catching up with a great friend and fellow new mommy - always important! 

On another note, MADELYN SLEPT 8.5 HOURS FOR THE SECOND NIGHT IN A ROW! Now THAT is something to smile about! :) 

(Please pray for night #3!)

2 months!

     Today is Madelyn's 2 month birthday! I say it every time, and I'll say it again - TIME FLIES.

As my cousin, Jenn, once described shortly after the birth of her daughter, Emily - having a baby is like Christmas, you gradually open a new gift with each milestone and new development...the first smile, laugh, and those precious "coos"...they are all so special and new with a baby. As I get sad thinking about Madelyn already outgrowing her newborn diapers and newborn clothes, my Mom reminds me that each new phase brings with it something new that is better than the last.


I am LOVING the looks and excited sounds upon seeing our faces and hearing our voices. It brings us so much joy to just sit and make her smile and laugh.

Today Madelyn had her 2 month check up. I had a long list of questions for the doctor - mostly about her sleep patterns and how they would or would not affect her development. His opinion was that at this age, for some babies, it is simply too difficult to put them on a routine. He said that by our next appointment at four months, we can start talking about this if it is still an issue. Until then, I am still going to keep implementing a 3-hour routine as best as possible. Hopefully she will adjust to it the more consistent I am and the longer we try. I feel strongly that all babies (and children, and adults for that matter), need a consistent routine - and I think Madelyn is a baby for whom this is especially true. I am basically following the basic routines outlined in "On Becoming Babywise" and "The Baby Whisperer Solves all your Problems"... 3 hours between feedings, followed by a "wake time" or "activity time", and then nap. Or in Madelyn's case - lots of fussing and fighting off sleep until it's time to eat again :)

The doctor assured us that babies like Madelyn are "pistols", and when her toddler years come, he let us know that she will give us a run for our money. However, he seemed to think that she would be loads of fun when she finally grows up and becomes a leader of the pack - we will see if he is right!

Until then, he just assured us and told us to keep doing what we're doing. Teamwork is key with any baby, but we've definitely been relying on each other a lot when the crying and no sleep gets to be too much. However, I don't suppose I should be complaining TOO much because last night, after hours of rocking, jiggling, talking, humming, and shusshing, Madelyn FINALLY fell asleep --- FOR EIGHT HOURS STRAIGHT!  I was amazed. Of course, her little body most definitely needed it after fighting it off for so long. She's also been sleeping well today (since her five immunizations, poor thing) - so we will see how she does tonight.

Here are Madelyn's growth records taken today at the doctor's office:
- Height: 22 inches (20th%)
- Weight: 10 pounds, 4 ounces (25th %)
- Head Circumference: 15 3/4 inches (67th%)

Happy Baby = Happy Mommy

     Eight weeks ago today, our family's world was forever changed when our little munchkin was born. It's hard to believe how fast those eight weeks have flown. She is changing and growing up everyday and it's amazing to witness the transformations.

  I am so happy to report that it seems as if (and I'm crossing my fingers still) Madelyn has turned a corner with the sleep issues mentioned on last week's post. After a rough couple of weeks (weeks 6 & 7) with Madelyn averaging six hours of sleep in a 24 hour period, and some sleepless nights, it seems that she is finally settling into a better sleeping schedule, and actually taking naps - hallelujah!

     Not only does this mean more sleep for baby, which means she is in a happier mood, but it also means a more relaxed and happy mommy. Sleep is a miracle worker.

   Now I know that we are definitely not out of the woods yet. We still have a lot of work to do. She is still unable to fall asleep without being rocked in our arms and staying there for a good 10-15 minutes before we can put her down, and we are usually having to do some ridiculous bouncing, shushing, rocking, patting - all at the same time - to get her to close those little eyes, and keep them shut.

    Not to mention she is still sleeping in our room in her swing (gasp!) I know, I know, we are not supposed to let her sleep there, but after the last few weeks, we were desperate to get her to sleep ANYWHERE.

     I know you're thinking that by the looks of these pictures she doesn't seem to have any trouble sleeping...but I assure you that is simply not the case. It's just that the majority of the time I only have my hands free to to take pictures of her when she's finally deep in slumber.
 
     Now our job will be to begin transitioning her to her crib to sleep. My plan is to start first with naps and then eventually at night. I think I'll first have to be ready for that final step before I can put her down the hall (it seems so far away!)

     Until the next time I can get on in my spare time (HA!), I'll leave a couple pics from this week. She so happily entertained with the ceiling fan and is smiling more and more each day. It just melts my heart! Wish us luck as we pray this new happy trend continues!

7 weeks

    ...It's been a while since I've been able to get on and write, because someone keeps me pretty busy -- all hours of the day - and night!

 Naps?! What are naps? Apparently Miss Madelyn has no idea what they are, because she doesn't seem to take them. On the rare occasion she does settle down; however, my mind starts racing with all the things I can accomplish - "I can empty the dishwasher, do the laundry, take a shower, fix dinner, eat lunch, get a drink of water, go to the bathroom, etc..." - when suddenly, I hear a cry. Then it's goodbye, productivity.

 The last few weeks it has been increasingly challenging to not only get Madelyn to sleep, but to stay asleep. I know she's actually over-tired and she's not getting the shut-eye she needs, but I don't know how to help her stay asleep. We try to put her down before she shows signs of being tired, we swaddle her, put on the fan for white noise (sounds like a jet engine taking off!), put her in the swing for movement, give her the pacifier, and rock her to sleep in our arms before gently laying her down. Whether she is in our arms or not, she doesn't doze for more than 20 minutes. If she would stay asleep I would hold her all day - but she doesn't. I would also nurse her to sleep if that would work. Trust me, I feel like I've tried EVERYTHING. I'd be lying if I said it wasn't a very challenging situation. I have to say I truly appreciate the hubs much more now when he walks in the door each night around 7:15, and during my weekly breakdown sessions, he is kind enough to let me go upstairs early to get some shut eye before bringing Madelyn up for the night (where I will inevitably lay in bed imagining I hear her screaming and crying, and lay wide awake).

     You know when people tell you to "rest when the baby rests"? What do you do if baby hardly ever rests?!
     Getting missy to sleep at night is another thing...and it requires A LOT of patience. After her 7:00 feeding, we will begin getting Madelyn ready to go to bed. We lower the lights, turn down the TV, change her, swaddle her, and begin rocking away. After a few minutes of inconsolable screaming (only a few minutes if we're lucky), we will (hopefully) get her calmed down enough so that she'll start drifting. When we think she's out of it, we will lay her down. This will last approximately 10-15 minutes (at the most) - when suddenly, more crying, and eyes wide open!

     After several hours of fighting it off and another feeding, she will eventually go down, around 11:00. At this point she will sleep anywhere from 4-6 hours at one time, and then again another 3-4 hours after her middle of the night feeding. The only thing I'm still struggling with at night is --- getting her to go back to sleep! I spend at least 2 hours up with her every night changing her, nursing her, and putting her back to sleep. Unfortunately, she is not able to "self-soothe" herself at this point, and letting her cry it out is not an option. Neither is hoping she'll fall asleep on her own. So, we'll have to wait a few more weeks for her to hopefully establish these skills.

Once she is asleep, she's just so peaceful and adorable...how can you not love her!? I think she and I will be a lot less grumpy when we sort out the sleep issue, so for now, we will just keep working at it. We like to call her our "High Maintenance Missy" - and hope this high-maintenance behavior isn't an indication of future behavior (like, in the teenage years - yikes!)

At seven weeks, it's amazing how much more animated and focused she is becoming. It's a miracle to see how much she is taking in, and to know that she is learning so much. Here are some ways she's developing day by day:

- She maintains eye contact and is a lot more smiley. She responds to voices and noises with head movement, eye contact, and facial expressions.

- She is making so many new sounds, from her laughing, to her "coos", they are just so sweet, and you can tell that is her way of communicating! (I like those a lot more than her communication through crying, hehe).

- She is staying awake and alert for longer periods of time (ahem, obviously - see above :(

- She is finally beginning to tolerate "tummy time". She was just not having ANY  of it before. Today she lasted a whole five minutes before the screaming started.

- She is much more engaged in her environment. She LOVES her activity gym (before she became too overstimulated and didn't know what to do), and she LOVES the birds on her bouncer and swing. Ceiling fans and lights are also great forms of entertainment. She will stay transfixed on these objects for extended periods of time, just watching...

 As challenging as she might be right now, I'm trying to remind myself to enjoy every moment, the cuddly ones, the crying ones, the smiley ones...each day she's growing older and each day that passes is one I'll never get back with her. I know I'm going to be missing these days in just a few short weeks when I have to head back to school. So even though it's the hardest job I've ever had, I know I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world - she is my world...