The Birthday Party!

Well, I think it’s time to make a stronger commitment to updating the blog more often. There are things that I have wanted to post within the past few weeks and months, and I have either not had time or worried that whatever I had to say wasn’t specific enough about Maddie. So, I am making a commitment to writing more often, but it may be about our life in general rather than only about our little toddler tornado.

Maddie turned one on Monday, which was an amazing milestone. After years of trying to get pregnant, several months of fertility treatments in preparation for in vitro, 10 months of pregnancy, and a year of infancy, getting to the first birthday was an enormous accomplishment for Hank and me. Of course, we were euphoric in our celebration of the day for Maddie’s sake, but I really do feel that this one was just as much a celebration for us too. Hank and I have been through so many challenges and changes within the past few years, and now that we are becoming more practiced at being parents, we are proud that we have worked together as a team. We can see the results of our love and hard work in our daughter.

In preparation for the first birthday party, Hank and I bit off a little bit more than we could chew, deciding to paint the bathroom and install Pergo flooring starting only two weekend before the “deadline” of having all of our loved ones over to our house. Not only was this a lot of work, but with at least one of us also responsible for taking care of Maddie during those days as well, it is amazing that we accomplished it all.

The smaller project was painting the bathroom, and that one was my responsibility. This is a bit embarrassing to admit, but we had been living with our upstairs bathroom in terrible shape since we moved in. There had been cracks between the tiles in the shower when we bought the house, which of course was a project that was on the To-Do list, but wasn’t actually done until we discovered that when the shower was on, water would leak out over our front door! I guess the cracks had gotten bad enough that the water was going into the wall and dripping through the overhang. Hank did a terrific job of ripping out the tiles, scooping out the yucky stuff in the wall, and installing a new shower liner. He did the project while I was pregnant, and unfortunately, we had been living with some remaining holes and unpainted areas for way too long. So in preparation for the party, I decided to paint the bathroom. All was going well until I dropped an OPEN gallon of paint! It splattered all over the walls, ceiling, trim, window and ME! It took quite a while to clean up and definitely delayed progress on the project. I went ahead and finished painting the walls and touched up the ceiling, but truthfully, we really need to completely rip out everything and go down to the studs at some point, not just because of the paint spatter but just because the whole bathroom should be updated and improved. It did get done for the party though!

The bigger project was taking out half of the terrible pink carpet we had downstairs. I have HATED the pink carpet since we moved in, and it was one of the first things I had wanted to get done. Well, nearly five years after buying our house, we have finally gotten rid of the portion that is in our room with the fireplace, which we use as a dining room. The weekend before the party, Hank and his dad installed Pergo flooring, and it looks AMAZING! The whole room is so much better. Hank then spent the entire day before the party putting in the trim. He did a LOT of work, and it definitely paid off.

The party was on Sunday, and even though a lot of work went into getting ready for it, I believe it was a success. I thoroughly enjoy entertaining, and we have not done much of it recently. Now that our bathroom and dining room are in better shape, I feel more proud of my house and more comfortable having people over.

Maddie seemed to enjoy her party. Although she was a little overwhelmed at times, she did very well being the center of attention. I helped her open her gifts, and she was so sweet as she explored each one and figured out how they all work. She was not interested in the cake at all though! She ate a very healthy portion of her lunch and then a cookie. When we finally put her in her chair for cake, she was giving me her signal for “All done!” She didn’t understand why were trying to make her eat again! I did give her some cake the next day, and she loved it and made a little bit of a mess, but unfortunately I was the only one to witness it.

A friend of mine took pictures at the party, spending a lot of time not only with Maddie but also my nephew Stephen. There are some posted online, but there will be more to come!
www.britney.smugmug.com

Posting a Few Things

Who has time to keep up with a blog with everything else going on? Okay, I think I might actually try to get back in the habit, but in the meantime, there are a couple of pictures and videos I can post, some of which are not at all recent.

I had tried to take a few videos of Maddie within the first couple of months, but I wasn't able to get them to work. Well, now I think I've figured it out. I am sad that I stopped capturing these moments, but now that I know how to do it, I am sure there will be many more videos to come.

The first one is when she was about ten weeks old. I just wanted to capture some of her facial expressions:



The next one is of her playing with her Kick and Play bouncer. When she moves her feet, the music plays. She is about three months here, I think:



And, in no particular order, here are some pictures from the past seven months:

I will work hard to keep this blog updated better going forward!

Where Does the Time Go?

Well, I have finished two weeks of full-time work. So far, we are doing well, and the routine is manageable. It is hard, and I desperately wish I could have more wonderful moments with Maddie, but I can't argue that she is happy staying with her grandmom, her grandmom is happy to have her, and my being at work is the best thing for our family. Now all that is left to do is sit back and enjoy it, and so that is what we've been doing.

Actually, we're not doing very much sitting back these days. There is always plenty to keep us busy. I gave up actually hanging up our clothes last week, and instead we have been pulling our shirts and pants from a neat stack on the dresser. While the laundry has been getting done and everything is folded, hanging clothes on hangers got postponed one day, and then another, until the pile was enormous. I am rationalizing that the half hour it would take to find enough hangers and hang them up could better be used elsewhere.

The most jam-packed part of the day is between 6:00 and 8:30 in the evening. I get home with Maddie, who has fallen asleep during the car ride home from her grandmom's. I rush to get dinner started, change my clothes, unload the dishwasher, set up the baby bathtub, do laundry, take out the garbage, and get everything ready for bedtime before Maddie wakes up. Then I give her a bath. Afterwards, I shovel food in my mouth while feeling a little guilty that I am not giving Maddie my undivided attention during the few precious moments I have with her while she is awake. After that, we play for as long as she is willing and then I feed her. If she doesn't fall asleep while eating, I get enormous pleasure out of sitting with her on my lap in the rocking chair and reading to her before putting her to bed. She is asleep by 8:00, and sometimes as early as 7:00. Every night I fight the urge to keep her up as late as possible so that I can get just a little more time with her.

Once Maddie is in bed, I finish all the chores and getting everything ready for the next day. Most nights, I don't sit down until 9 or 9:30, by which time, I really should be heading off to bed. Sometimes Hank is able to help out with everything that needs to be done, but there are many nights when he doesn't get home until seven or even later, often missing seeing Maddie at all during the day.

With all of the hubbub during the week, it is so nice to have the weekends together. For months, weekends were a blur of activity, errands, trips to see people, house projects, and cleaning. However, now we are making an effort to slow down a little bit and enjoy some moments together on Saturdays and Sundays. These Fall days have been cozy and warm, and perfect for staying in and doing nothing but hanging out as a family. Those are the moments I had been envisioning when I used to think of what I wanted in having a family. With so few of them, I am treasuring each and every one.

With Pop-Pop:

Falling asleep holding Daddy's hand, while Scott & Melissa's cat stands guard:

Playing with Uncle Mike and Uncle Matt:

With Grandmom:

Trick or Treat!

Bundled up for the cold:

I finally caught her big grin on camera!

What does she think about?

Happy Mommy:

What tha?!

On Election Day:

Three Months Old!

Well, another month has passed and so much has changed!

Maddie is riding around facing forward in our Snugli carrier, and she is rockin' the Bumpo:



I am in my final week of working part-time before having to do the real thing starting next Monday. I am really glad I went back early and did the part-time thing for a few weeks. I think this has been a good transition. I am very sad at the prospect of going full-time, but at least it won't be as traumatic for us as it might have otherwise been. The worst part is that Maddie is sleeping so well that I know my "awake time" with her will be limited. Most nights she is falling asleep between six and seven, and I don't even anticipate getting home with her before six when I pick her up after work. Most nights, it may be a struggle to get Maddie into the bath before she has to go to bed. There have been nights already when Hank has gotten home just a little bit late and totally missed seeing Maddie at all during the day, which is just so sad. Fortunately, since I am taking Maddie and picking her up from her grandmother's every day, I know I will at least spend some time with her, but this is not going to be easy. I know it's ironic that I am upset that my kid sleeps so well!

I have continued to meet a couple of the mommies that I have met with babies nearly the same age as Madeline. It has been so nice to have others going through everything that I am at the same time. We lean on each other for support and give insight, which is great. Hopefully, we will continue our friendship for a long time, and our kids can be friends. Here is a picture of Maddie with her baby-friend Alex:

Here are a few more pictures from the past two weeks...

I love when Maddie looks at me adoringly! I am whole-heartedly of the opinion that everyone should have someone who looks at them like this:

A very typical Madeline face:



So many friends!

Checking out the feet:

"Mom, I'm cold! Stop taking pictures!":

With Gramma:

Video Frustration

Well, I was really hoping that I would be able to post video today, but no such luck. After giving up on the video camera, I realized that my regular camera has video function, and I was hoping to be able to use that. However, I am getting all kinds of errors when I try to load it onto my computer, and I am getting frustrated! I feel like we are missing a lot of terrific moments that should be recorded! I'll keep working on it, but if anyone can help me figure out how to get the video from the camera to the computer and then on the web, I would be extremely appreciative. Either that, or recommend an inexpensive digital recorder that would be easy enough that even I could figure it out!

Anyway, I was trying to post video of Maddie cooing. I still can't believe how vocal she is!


The other night, I had Maddie in my lap while I sat in the recliner. She wanted to sit up, rather than lean back, and she has been rather insistent on being able to use her neck muscles now that she has good control of them. As we were sitting there, Maddie was studying her feet with interest, and began leaning forward. I tried to straighten her back up, but then decided to see what she would do. Well, she wanted those feet in her mouth! She slowly bent over all the way to her big toes and starting sucking on one and then the other. She also bent so far that she was able to caress her cheeks with her feet! It was hysterical, so much so that I was crying and laughing at the same time. (That would have been a great video too, huh? Darn!)


I took the picture below on Sunday night. Let me tell you, Maddie has figured out that the TV is VERY interesting. We are having to make a more conscious effort to turn it off or take her to another room when it is on now. Here she is entranced:

I can also tell you with all honestly that every time Barack Obama is on the TV, whether it is his voice or his face, Maddie stops what she is doing and pays close attention. I think it must be his voice, and also that he is looking straight at the camera in many of his commercials. A couple of weeks ago, both of the candidates were on 60 minutes. The interviews were taped so that their faces were pretty close up and there was a white background. I noticed that night that Maddie was very interested in Obama, and I think she recognizes him now as someone she has seen or heard before. Of course, I'm sure that my Republican-leaning loved ones will think this is abominable, but I honestly just think it's really interesting how responsive Maddie is to someone she has seen on TV.

(I just made some people really mad.)

Anyway, I am working really hard to catch Maddie's giant grin on camera, and it just isn't working! The flash confuses her every time. Here is another close one:

Back to Work

Well, I started work again on Monday, and I survived the week! I must admit that, in a way, I was glad to be back. I miss Maddie like crazy when I am not with her, and I can't even think about her much when I am at work because it makes me a upset. However, I know that her grandmother is taking very good care of her, and the best thing for our family is for me to work. In the last few weeks of my maternity leave, I had even started to feel like the walls were closing in a little bit, and I must say that it is nice to have the social interaction and mental exercise of being at work.

Hank's cousin Nicole hosted a Halloween bash yesterday. Maddie and I both went dressed as black kitty cats:


Nicole and Maddie:


Cat Nap:



I'm posting a few other pictures from the past couple of weeks. Here is Maddie with her Aunt Liz:



Maddie playing with Daddy:



Overall, we are doing great. I finally feel like I am breaking loose from the post-partum cloud. Maddie is sleeping like a champ, so we are all sleeping well. Hank has been amazing as an equal partner in taking care of the baby and keeping our house going. Honestly, I couldn't ask for more!

And as for Maddie's sleeping habits, I hate to share this with other parents less-fortunate, but our little girl has been sleeping for TEN WHOLE HOURS at night. Most nights this week, we put her down around nine in the evening, and I had to wake her up at seven in the morning. So many parents I have told this to have shared stories about how their kids didn't sleep through the night for years, even one as old as FOUR!!! Hank and I know we are lucky lucky lucky!

I am also happy to announce that as of Friday, I do believe Miss Maddie is fully capable of holding her head up. She has just a little wobble when she is tired, but I would feel confident enough to put her in her Bumpo chair or use a front carrier at this point. Everyone who holds her can't believe how strong she is, including her back, legs, and grip.

Cute Little Goo

I am so behind on blogging and posting pictures!

Maddie is smiling like crazy, and it it so adorable. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to get her on camera doing it. This one is close:

I've also been trying to get pictures of Maddie with the cats. Unfortunately, none of the cats is interested in Maddie, and the feeling seems to be mutual. I took this one by putting sleeping Maddie down on the recliner next to Tita (you can tell how thrilled the cat is):

My friend Tammy gave Maddie a stuffed dalmation named Boo after Tammy's own dog. Maddie loves her Boo, probably because he is black and white, which are favorite colors for babies this age. I made Patrona get in the picture too, but she wasn't happy about it:

Here, she is saying, "Check out my mom!":

It seems like there are a lot of times when Maddie doesn't really sleep very well if I put her down to lie flat on her back. Sometimes I sit her up in the recliner, which is so cute:

A cute close-up:

On her activity mat:

Hanging out in her car seat:

After Daddy dressed her (note the hat and pink socks with the red outfit):

Her adorable profile:

In other news, Maddie has been sleeping through the night for almost two weeks now. In fact, the same week that I moved her into her crib, she started sleeping in seven hour stretches at night. I almost wish I had moved her into her own room sooner. Needless to say, I have been getting lots more sleep lately, and I think everyone benefits!

Maddie's two-month doctor appointment was this morning. She is now 23 inches and 12 pounds 5 ounces. She had her rotavirus vaccination, which is oral, and then promptly threw it up. She also got two shots, which was difficult for both of us. I was warned that she could be cranky, sleepy and feverish over the next couple of days, but so far, Maddie is handling the vaccinations very well.

The latest nickname is "Goo", as in "A-goo", which is something Maddie says a lot in her baby language. Hank, of course, was the one to start calling her this. He loves his little Goo!