Milestones and Maddie-isms

1. Maddie got her first tooth on Saturday.  It's still not all the way through, but you can see a cute little white spot and feel a sharp little tooth coming through her gum.
2. Maddie is no longer being nursed to sleep.  Once we started feeding her rice cereal (and now green beans) and taking her on a run right before bed, she's able to go to sleep without it.  It used to be that she would cry and fuss until she was nursed, but now she'll let us just rock her or bop her to sleep.  I guess she gave it up when she was ready.  What a big girl!
3. Funny, but sad, Maddie-ism:  Apparently Maddie is completely scared of me when I have a towel on my head.  I was getting ready for church on Sunday, and I picked her up right after I got out of the shower and still had the towel on my head.  She started crying and would not have anything to do with me.  I took the towel off my head, but by then she was already so worked up that she wouldn't stop crying.  Cody was on his way home from work, but I had to find a way to calm her down until he got there.  I tried everything that usually makes her smile and laugh, but she was not having it.  I ended up having to put her in her swing while I dried my hair.  She cried for a little while, but ended up calming down and falling asleep.  She cried again today seeing me with the towel on my head, but Cody was here so he held her and got her calmed down.  She still looked at me hesitantly....I guess I'm not Mommy with towel on my head!

Hershey Update

Hershey was either playing possum or has made a speedy recovery.  He is walking on his leg just fine now and doesn't act like it bothers him at all.  He still jumps up on the couch and bed without difficulty.  I tried my best to keep him from jumping, but I can't stop him all the time.  We still won't be taking him on walks or runs any time soon, but I'm glad he's doing better.  The pain medicine gave him an upset tummy, but we've stopped that now and have been feeding him chicken and rice (which he absolutely loves!), so hopefully that will be back to normal soon too. 

Complaints with Thanks

Elizabeth, a friend and previous neighbor, does something on her blog called "Complaints with Thanks."  It's a way to find the small blessings in the frustrations and heartaches of everyday life.  Today seemed appropriate for me to have a "Complaints with Thanks" post.

Hershey hurt his leg while we were outside playing with bubbles.  Maddie loves to watch Hershey chase bubbles!  I didn't notice that he hurt it while we were outside because he was too busy having fun, but when we came inside it was clearly obvious that he was in pain.  He couldn't get comfortable, was whining occasionally, and wanted to close, or on top of me, all the time.  I ended up taking him to the vet.  I am thankful that the vet has Saturday hours and that it was still open when this happened, or else we would have had to go to the emergency vet...which costs much more!

Cody is on 24 hour call today, so I had to take both kids (Maddie and Hershey) by myself to the vet as a walk-in appointment and wait for about 2 hours before being called back.  I am thankful that Cody was able to have a few moments to steal away from work to come by the vet and wait with us for a while.  We were able to spend time with Cody, it made Hershey feel better to see his daddy, and I was able to feed Maddie while he watched Hershey. 

Between traveling time, wait time, and the time when the vet was in the room, it was about a 3 hour excursion, which took away time for all the things that needed to get done today, including a lunch date with Cody.  I am thankful that Maddie did great while we were there and that Hershey got the care he needed.  Cody ended up getting paged, so he probably wouldn't have been able to do lunch anyways.  Maybe we'll see if dinner will work...

We still aren't sure exactly what is wrong with his leg, but it could be a torn or partially torn ACL (or CCL, I think, for dogs).  We are going to try lots of "bedrest" (no walks, no runs, no jumping on and off couches and beds) and pain medicine and see how he is doing on Tuesday.  If he's not doing any better, he'll probably have to be put under sedation so they can more thoroughly examine his leg without causing him pain.  Depending on what they find, surgery could be an option if continued "bedrest" doesn't work.  I am thankful that bedrest and pain medicine could be all he needs to get better. 

We weren't planning on having a vet bill.  I am thankful that we have savings that can cover things like this.  This bill is a lot less than what it would have been had we gone to the emergency vet.  If we have to end up doing sedation or surgery, I am thankful that Cody is able to moonlight to get a little extra cash if we need it.

Where can you find the blessings in your life?

Maddie's 6 Month Stats

Maddie went to the doctor today for her 6 month well child check.  In the words of Dr. Schmidt, "She's perfect!"

Her stats:
Weight:  15 lbs. 3 oz.
Length:  25 1/2 inches

Little Miss Strawberry Shortcake

Miss Maddie went strawberry picking for the first time last Saturday!  Well, she actually just rode around with Daddy while we picked strawberries, but she seemed to enjoy it.  Cody and I have gone almost every year since we've lived in Greenville, and we are so excited about including Maddie in this tradition.  After we picked all the strawberries we wanted, we strolled by the area with all the animals to let Maddie see them.  They had pigs, goats, peacocks, bunnies, and a turkey.   I hate that she's not ready to taste a real strawberry yet, because there is nothing better than fresh strawberries picked from the farm!

Getting ready!

Family fun!

Daddy and Maddie picking berries

Look at that strawberry!

Mommy picking strawberries

Maddie talking to her buddy, Silas

Pretty peacock

Daddy and Maddie

First Taste of Cereal

Maddie had her first taste of rice cereal on Saturday when she turned six months old.  She wasn't too sure about it and didn't really eat much of it, but we'll keep working on it! 

Before her first bite--happy baby

She's interested...

First taste on her lips

First bite

What is this stuff?

No more Mommy!

Let's try again...

Maybe if Daddy tries...

This is NOT my milk!

That's enough!

My 1st Mother's Day

I am so blessed by God!  He gave me the most wonderful gift--a child!  A child is definitely that--a gift.  It's not something we deserve, and it's not something we can just make happen unless it is in God's will.  I am so blessed and thankful that God entrusted us with the most precious gift of our baby girl, Madelyn.  Being a parent isn't always easy, but it is the most wonderful thing in the world.  I pray that God will enable me to be the best mom I can be to Maddie.  Thank you, God, for blessing us with Maddie and making me a mom!

Happy Half-Birthday, Miss Madelyn!

Half-way to a year, oh my!  Madelyn turned six months old yesterday!  Here's what she is up to now:

• wearing mostly 3-6 month clothing, but some 6-9 month clothing
• wearing size 2 diapers
• She has learned to sit.  Although I still like being right there with her, she does a good job and usually doesn't need any help.  She can still be a little topsy when reaching for things sometimes or if she is tired.  She is getting to where she doesn't like the Bumbo seat as much as she used to...I think she just prefers to sit on her own now.
• Madelyn is starting to move.  I'm not sure if we should call it crawling or not, but she is definitely able to move herself forward to reach something she wants.  It takes a little bit of coaxing, but she is moving (almost more pulling herself forward).  I think she'll be crawling away full speed soon.
• Favorite toys:  Lulu in a Tutu, her jumperoo, her Nuby teether, her picnic basket, Spot--her pull along doggy, her lovies, anything she can chew on
• She nurses about every 3 hours, taking about 15 minutes or so to eat
• She had her first taste of rice cereal yesterday.  She wasn't too interested, but we'll keep trying at dinnertime each day.
• Maddie will try to drink water, either from our cups or from her sippy cup.  I think more of it ends up on her than in her mouth.
• Sleeping habits have been all over the place this month.  She went from getting up once a night to getting up 3-4 times a night, sometimes for hours at a time when we were in Taylorsville.  Her sleep habits have gotten back closer to normal since we've been back home, but not as consistent.  Hopefully we'll get back there again soon. 
• She goes to sleep while I am nursing her.  We turn on her Sleep Sheep to listen to the ocean waves and snuggle. 
• She loves sleeping on her belly with her little behind up in the air--just like her Daddy used to do when he was younger. 
• Maddie takes about 3-4 naps per day, usually about 30 minutes - 1 hour long.  She naps in her swing most of the time, but she has started taking some of her naps in her crib.  I have to "bop" her up and down while she has her head on my shoulder to get her to go to sleep for a nap.  We're taking baby steps to get her sleeping in her crib for all of her naps, as she is starting to get a little big for the swing.  She loves the swing, so that will be a sad day when she no longer fits...
• Maddie loves putting everything in her mouth.  She constantly has her fingers, a toy, a blanket, or anything else she can get her hands on in her mouth.  We have to watch her while she is napping in her swing, because she has been known to reach up and grab her hair bow and put it straight in her mouth.
• Her favorite song is still "Wheels on the Bus."  We've made up some of our own verses and she loves them.  "The Maddies on the bus go ha, ha, ha," "The Hersheys on the bus go ruff, ruff, ruff," and anything else we can think of at the time.
• Her stranger anxiety has gotten better over the past month but she is still a little weary of strangers if she is tired or hungry.  She's getting more and more attached to Mommy and Daddy every day.
• She is making a wider variety of noises, making more consonant sounds now.  Sometimes it sounds like she is saying, "Hey!"  Her newest is "dadada."  Cody likes to think she is saying Dada, although I'm not sure she knows what she is saying.  Or, maybe she's just already becoming a daddy's girl...
• She had her first thunderstorm, and it didn't even phase her.  She went to sleep in the middle of it and slept right through it.
• We all went strawberry picking together for the first time.  Maddie rode in the carrier with Daddy while we picked strawberries (too bad she is a little too young to eat them), and then we all looked at the animals (they had goats, rabbits, pigs, peacocks, and a turkey).
• She likes playing with her toes.  For the first time the other day, I saw her trying to get her feet in her mouth.  I knew it was coming...
• Maddie loves being outside.  We try to go outside everyday.  We have started going on jogs as a family each evening with our new jogging stroller.  We've been going right before we put Maddie to bed, and it really seems to relax her. 
• Her hair is starting to get longer and thicker.  She had some bald spots along the sides and back of head that are starting to fill back in with hair.
• Her eyes have remained a beautiful blue.  The only change is color is that they have gotten brighter since she was born.  It's probably really unlikely that they will change at this point, but we'll think they are beautiful no matter what color they are.
• She will go to the doctor for a 6 month check-up in a couple of weeks, so I'll post stats then.

Happy girl!

Cracking up at Daddy

6 month photo from Portrait Innovations

What Will Baby Bee?

As mentioned in my previous post, my mom and I hosted a gender reveal party for my sister, Mary, and her husband, Jeremy.  They are due on October 4.  Mary went to the doctor for the anatomy ultrasound on Friday, and we had the party on Saturday afternoon.  I had fixed an envelope for her to take to her appointment, complete with directions for the sonographer and baker.  The sonographer had to circle the gender and include an ultrasound picture identifying the gender.  The envelope was sealed and taken to the baker, so no one knew except the doctor's office and the bakery.  If they were having a boy, the icing on the inside of the cake should be blue, or pink for a girl.
My mom and I worked on the decorations for the party during the time we were in Taylorsville.  I had already planned everything and had bought supplies....we just needed to put it all together. 

Invitations:  I found the cute bee-themed invitations from the Dimpleprints shop on etsy.  It was a digital file, so all we had to do was send it to Sams Club and have them printed.  I bought envelopes for them at A.C. Moore.  I was so pleased with how they turned out!  The flower arrangement was a pinterest idea, and it was so easy to make.  A grocery store bouquet with some sliced lemons in a mason jar...voila!

Wreath:  We made a mesh wreath for the front door to welcome the guests.  This was my first attempt at making one of these, and I was so pleased with how it turned out.  I bought an unfinished wood plaque at A.C. Moore and painted it with chalkboard paint.  For the party, we wrote, "Welcome to the Hive!" but Mary can change the message easily with a wet rag and some chalk.

Banner:  I found free printables online to make a banner and used mom's cricut machine to make the letters.  We glued it all together and strung it together with ribbon.  It said, "What Will Baby Bee?"  Unfortunately, I failed to get a good picture!  You can kind of see it in the background of this picture.

Wishes for Baby-to-Bee:  This was a pinterest idea that I modified to fit with our theme.  We used scrapbook paper in our party colors to make the cards.  The cards could be filled out with funny or serious answers, and I think this is something they will all cherish for years to come.

Honey Tasting Station:  We had three different flavors of honey and a bowl of crossiants for our appetizers.  This was also a pinterest idea; however, I don't think this one went over very well.  Apparently, a lot of people don't like honey....so we had a lot of honey and crossiants left over.  I still thought it was cute though!

Gender Bet:  We got 2 plain white photo storage boxes and painted black polka dots on them to be used for our "girl" and "boy" boxes.  Guests had to put in $1 in the "honey pot" for each guess they made, either girl or boy.  They wrote their name on a slip of paper and put it in the box.  After the gender was revealed, we drew a name from that box and that person was the winner!

Aunt Mickie won the honey pot!  Poor Connor was a little upset he didn't win it, so she was nice enough to share! 

As decoration on the gender bet table, I had Connor draw a picture of what he thought his little brother or sister would look like.  It was his idea to write a sentence saying, "I hope it will bee a boy."  He was also the mastermind behind using "bee" instead of "be" to go with our theme.  This was a special surprise for Mary and Jeremy.  (On a side note:  I continue to be so amazed at his smarts every time I am with this sweet little boy!  As a previous teacher, I am amazed that he used correct spelling, correct punctuation, correct capitalization, and neat handwriting on his artwork...he's only in kindergarten.  But that's nothing of what this little boy can do!  While we were there, we said we had to start getting Maddie for bed around 7 p.m., but we could play until that time.  He looked at the clock...it was 6:47 p.m.....and without hardly even thinking about it, he said, "We have 13 minutes to play!"  And, my how that boy can read, too!)

Activities: We had a ladder ball game and cornhole game set up outside, along with some bubbles (or bee-bles) and sidewalk chalk for the kids. 

Food:  We made a simple dinner of bar-"bee"-que sandwiches, honey bar-"bee"-que chips, corn-on-the-"comb", honeycomb pineapple, and "bee"-verages.  And of course the cake (more to come later)!  I found some free printables online that I used to make the food signs. 

We used mason jars as a glass, complete with a yellow striped paper straw from etsy and homemade paper flags that said, "What will baby bee?" on one side, and "Sweet as honey!" on the reverse.

Team Pink and Team Blue:  We requested that the guests wear either pink or blue to correspond with their best guess of what they thought the gender would be.  As you can see, pink outnumbered blue!

Maddie even had a special outfit to wear!  She had the cutest little bee dress made from Frida's Closet on Etsy.  Once again, I failed on my photography duties, and I did not get a good shot of her dress...but she's still cute as can bee anyways!

Madelyn and Aunt Suesanne

Reveal cake:  We had a beehive cake to go with our bee theme, complete with a special door that held the sonogram pictures identifying the gender.  They were in a ziploc bag to keep them clean.  After we had eaten dinner and taken pictures of Team Pink and Team Blue, Mary, Jeremy, and Connor excitedly cut into the cake to find out that they were having a GIRL!!!  :)  Mary was thrilled!  Connor soon remembered that he wanted a brother, and he wasn't quite as happy at first!  By the end of the night, I think he had decided it was ok that he was going to have a little sister!  ;)

Pink icing inside = GIRL!

Pulling out the ultrasound pictures

Baby girl parts

We are so excited for Mary, Jeremy, and Connor!  We can't wait to have another sweet niece for Maddie to play with!

What Have We Been Doing?

So I know I've been missing in action on here for the past several weeks....ok, almost a month!  Cody was able to work with one of the Family Medicine offices in Taylorsville for two weeks, so Maddie and I tagged along since all of our family lives there.  We were just too busy having fun to do anything besides just enjoy being around our family!

We are wanting to move back to Taylorsville once Cody finishes his residency, so this was the perfect opportunity to get his foot in the door with one of the FM offices there.  He worked with the Family Care Center and loved it!  He pretty much has a job there if he wants it!  There is one other office in town that he will work with at the end of the year, so we'll just have to wait and see where God is leading him to go.

While we were there, we were able to get in lots of family time!  We had lots of family dinners with both sides of our family, watched our nephew Connor play t-ball, went to eat lunch with Connor and my sister, and I was able to visit with one of my best friends from high school!  Although it was nice to come back to our own house, we really hated to leave.  It was so nice being so close to all of our family again!  We are ready to move back!

Although Madelyn seemed to enjoy being around all of her family, she just could not get into any good sleeping habits while we were there.  I tried to keep her routine as close to normal as possible, but her naps shortened, and she was up multiple times at night, sometimes for hours at a time!  Either she was so excited about being there or just missing her own bed that she just couldn't sleep.  Thank goodness she already seems to be back into her normal sleeping patterns since we returned to Greenville!

Cody came back to Greenville on May 1, but Madelyn and I stayed for a few more days to throw a gender reveal party for my sister and her husband.  It turned out so good!  I'll do another post soon with pictures of the party!