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