Giggles

It took a minute and a little bit of work, but we were able to capture Madison's adorable little giggle on camera.

...try your hardest to ignore the voice in the background. ;o)

I Love Kisses...and Leg Warmers!

What a GREAT weekend! Though we didn't have any big plans, we had such a wonderful weekend just relaxing, doing stuff around the house, and getting in a lot of quality time together.

We got a bunch of stuff cleaned up and organized around the house, carved pumpkins, and watched a lot of football. Madison was such a happy camper. She smiled and laughed more than ever! Dylan would say she was excited about the football. She just stares at the tv - it's hard to distract her! She definitely gets that from her daddy. :o)

I think she was happy about getting to wear her leg warmers...or maybe her mommy was really the one who was so excited about that!?

We also got to practice more with the sling. I am convinced that it is the best thing in the world for sure and Madison is really enjoying being able to see the world from a different perspective. I love that I can carry her and still have my arms free to do other things and she is just so content being carried in it.

Anyway, the weather was absolutely beautiful this weekend too and we have another week of great weather to look forward to.

Here's some pictures from our laid back weekend.

Daddy's Girl

Lots to Talk About...

I haven't had the chance to get on and update you guys in a few days and I've just been dying to! So much has happened in the last week or so. Last Thursday, on her 11 week birthday, Madison surprised us by rolling over for the first time! She was full of energy that evening and was so much fun. After working really hard (she was so determined!), she rolled from her back to her tummy. Once she got there she was not happy though. :o) She isn't a huge fan of tummy time. We only get a couple of minutes in at a time before she lets us know she doesn't want to be there any longer.

We also noticed that she is really paying so much more attention to her hands. She is putting them together and just stares at them so intently. Of course, she still loves to watch herself kick her feet - she really gets them going!

On another note, as Madison and I are starting to feel better, Dylan woke up last Thursday morning with a sore throat. :o( He ended up just staying home Friday with Madison. They had such a good day together - when I got home from work they were laying on the couch together watching a movie. Dylan had her dressed in a cute little polo dress, one of his favorites. The two looked like they couldn't be happier!

I think Dylan is feeling better but the gunk still comes and goes for me and Madison. The pediatrician told me last week to continue doing what we are doing, that it isn't anything major that we need to worry about and to give it some more time. We're approaching three weeks with this nasty bug!

We went to Beaumont Friday evening to help Dylan's parents get some stuff moved to their new house, which, by the way, is BEAUTIFUL! I can't wait to see it once they are all moved in. Anyway, Dylan did most of the helping and Madison and I did a lot of relaxing! I felt so bad that I didn't help more, but they spoiled us girls and would hardly let me lift a finger. :o)

Here are some pictures from our weekend...


Sweet Girl

"Sweatin' to the oldies"



Morning aerobics with Nana



Relaxing in our jammies



Tummy time

Enough tummy time


Little angel

Diva

Aunt Katie bought this fancy little onesie for Madison and we had to get some pictures of her in it!

Her daddy says that she didn't cooperate in the photo shoot because she's NOT a Diva. ;o)

Only time will tell...

Look-A-Like Meter

A girl at work sent me a link to this site and it is pretty neat! You can create a family tree and do all sorts of other fun stuff with pictures.

I don't know how true this is, but isn't it fun?! It would be interesting to see if/how this changes as Madison changes.

Don't Get The Flu Mist!

Our poor baby has her first cold. Thursday before last, Madison had her two month well exam. You remember - when she got all the shots and I took the flu mist (instead of a flu shot - but is a live attenuated virus that goes in your nose like nose spray). I have never gotten a flu shot but since Madison won't be old enough to get one herself this year, the pediatrician recommended that Dylan and I and anyone else who will be around her a lot get the shot. She then recommended the mist instead of the shot because it is supposed to be better and protect you from more strains of the virus. Well, let me just tell you, I'm not so sure the mist really has your best interest in mind.

I started feeling achey just a few hours after taking the mist and then the next day I started getting sick. I just felt very tired, achey, congested, had a headache and a sore throat. The night after I deliberately inhaled a virus up my nose :), I was feeling pretty bad so I took my temperature to make sure I didn't have a fever. It was 95 degrees! Dylan took his, we took Madison's, and then I checked mine 3 more times to make sure the thermometer wasn't broken and it wasn't. Apparently a subnormal temperature can be a side effect of the mist too!? It was back up to normal the next morning. I have been trying to get rid of this "cold" since. I will have a good day and think it is gone and wake up the next morning with a sore throat again!

I was told that even though I had symptoms from the mist, I was not contagious and couldn't pass it on to anyone else.

Madison started getting a little congested a few days after I did. I've checked her temperture everyday since and she hasn't had a fever at all. For the most part, she acts like she is ok, with the exception of occasionally seeming a little bothered by all the gunk in her nose. The nurse at the pediatrician's office said that unless she has a fever or stops eating, she doesn't need to go in and suggested that we try saline drops.

I have had to suction out her nose quite a bit and I'm afraid I'm going to hurt her or that it is possible to suction TOO much. I want her to be able to breath though too! She's starting to sneeze a lot of it out, so she's not as congested anymore. It seems like we are getting close to the end. I sure hope she feels better soon.

I left work early Monday so that I could take Madison home and make sure she was comfortable and feeling ok. She and I both took a long nap together and she seemed to be doing fine. It is really the worst in the middle of the night and early in the morning. The ladies at Primrose said she had a good day today. They also said it could be a little bug she picked up there. With all the babies, I know that kind of stuff is inevitable - doesn't make me like the idea of it any more. I'm still not sure if that is the case though...the timing seems suspicious to me.

I am going to call the doctor again just to let them know she still has a lot of mucus in her nose and it has been over a week and see what they say.

Thumbelina

Madison's teachers told me a few days ago that they refer to Madison and Yara, Madison's little friend that I talked about before, as "The Twins". They sit them in the bouncers next to eachother or lay them on the floor for tummy time together, etc. So cute!

I learned today that Madison has a new nickname. Apparently, Yara made a sound that sounded like Pebbles from the Flintstones, so they named her "Pebbles". They decided that Madison needed a nickname too, so they named her "Thumbelina". Yara's mom and I were talking about their nicknames and we think that Madison is Thumbelina because she is the smaller of "The Twins" - a smaller version of Yara. Whatever the reason - I think it's adorable!!
The pictures below have nothing to do with the post - just a few of Madison playing that I think are cute. :)



Dylan says she's practicing her soccer kicks



Stopped to pose for a picture







Reading



Well, ok maybe, but I'm still cute. :)

Madison Goes to Austin

What a busy but exciting weekend we had! Sherry, Dylan's mom, watched Madison for us for a couple of hours so that we could go to a movie. It was the first time Dylan and I went and did anything alone since Madison was born. We hadn't been to a movie in almost 3 months and since we both love movies so much and were used to going almost weekly, the time had come! I have to admit, it was very hard for me to leave Madison after being at work all day too. I was able to pick her up from day care and spend a little bit of time with her before we went. Once we got there I was fine and was glad afterwards that Dylan and I took the opportunity to spend that time together. Sherry got some special time with Madison too so it all worked out!

On Saturday morning, Sherry, Dylan, Madison and I all headed for Austin. Madison got to meet her Great Grandparents - Sherry's mom and dad, Great Aunt Holly and Uncle Bob, Great Uncle David and his wife Sylvia, cousin Justin, Sherry's Aunt Billie and Uncle George and their daughter Melissa...and I cannot forget Luke, Duke, Mocha (Holly and Bob's three labs), Walker (Justin's new golden retriever), and Honey (David's dachsund).

Great Nana had the best chicken salad sandwiches (and some yummy cookies too - which I ate two of!) ready for us when we got there and after spending a little bit of time relaxing, we headed over to Holly's for dinner. Holly cooked a great meal, as always! We spent the evening catching up with everyone, watching football, and just taking it easy. Madison was such a good girl!! I don't think she cried the entire day. I know more than one person asked if she EVER cries. ...and of course, Madison didn't leave Austin without a gift. :) Thanks Holly for the precious outfit! Madison's planning on wearing it to daycare this week!

We headed back early Sunday morning, so it was a quick trip, but well worth it. We did get some great pictures at Nana's, but somehow managed to forget to get the camera out at Holly's...we'll have to get some more next time.

You too could have this "do"...

First Week of Daycare. TIRED!

Those Mean Needles

Madison had her two month check-up today. She is 23 inches and weighs 11 lbs 3 oz. now (10 lbs at one month). We had expected her to be pretty close to 12 lbs, if not over, but she's not quite there. She is right where she needs to be though and still right around the 50th percentile for the size of her head, weight and length.
I had forgotten she was going to be getting shots today, so we were both caught off guard. :( Poor baby got four shots - two in each leg - plus a Rotavirus vaccine that she had to take orally. She was vaccinated against Polio, Haemophilus Influenza Type B (whatever that is!), Diptheria, Tetanus, Pertussis, Neumococcal Conjugate (eh?) and Rotavirus. She'll get the same set of shots at four months too.

The shots definitely upset her, but only for a minute - she ate right afterwards and gave me lots of big smiles! She's such a happy girl!

By the time we got to Primrose, she was sleeping peacefully...

So Thankful

Just a quick note about Madison's teacher...

I dropped Madison off this morning for her second day and her teacher was so happy to see her. One of the teachers had mentioned to me that Madison cried a little bit yesterday but, overall, had a good day. I didn't get the chance to talk to the teachers about it too much when I picked her up, so brought it up with the teacher this morning (I feel so bad - I can't remember her name!). When I asked how long she cried and if they were able to determine what was wrong with her, she reassured me that Madison was just fine and just fussed a little. She was so sweet and said that she really loves babies and can't stand to hear them cry. She even said that she just loves Madison and went to pick her up right away when she started crying. That made me feel so much better because that was one of my biggest concerns - that because there are other babies that need to be taken care of, Madison might be left crying alone until someone can get to her. I felt 100% confident when I left this morning that they are going to take great care of her.

I'm so thankful that we found such a great daycare with someone who is so passionate about her job and cares so much about all the little babies.

What a Relief

Believe it or not, I survived Madison's first day at "school".  I was so sure I was going to cry, but surprisingly, I didn't. I guess I got all the tears out the first week back at work. Though I know Madison was in loving hands (her Nana, Dylan's mom, stayed with us for two weeks when I went back to work), leaving her and going back to work was so hard for me. People kept telling me it would get easier, but each day just seemed to be getting harder. Though I would still love to be able to stay home and take care of her full time, I have adjusted somewhat now - probably as much as I ever will. Madison, on the other hand, had a couple of rough days in the beginning getting used to taking a bottle, but seems to be doing great!

When I dropped Madison off this morning I was greeted, by name, by the woman at the front desk who I had never met. She and the ladies in Madison's classroom were so incredibly organized and accomodating - it seemed as though they were just waiting for us to arrive - like they were there just for Madison! Madison's teacher was so on top of things and seemed very competent and in control. She also "oohed and aahed" over Madison quite a bit which helps. :)

I only worked half of the day today so that I could pick Madison up early. When I arrived, our big girl was lying on the floor calmly next to her new friend! The teachers obviously placed the girls next to each other on purpose - the other baby is 4 months old (twice Madison's age, but doesn't seem to be that much bigger) and has a head full of dark wild hair just like Madi! The two were meant to be buds, I'm sure. :) Madison was lying on her back staring at the other baby, who was lying on her tummy looking back at Madi. I'm sure they were communicating in ways we'll never know.

Madison's report card said that she only took a couple of 30 minute naps today - not surprising though. She is so much more alert these days and I'm sure she didn't want to miss a thing today with all of the new people, sounds and things to look at. She is definitely making up for it tonight though. With the exception of a few moments awake here and there, she has slept almost the entire evening. It's been almost five hours since she ate last too - she is worn out! As soon as the batteries in the camera are recharged, I'll attach a picture of her after her big day!