Week Five

• Went back to the breastfeeding TEA and participated this time!  Maddie weighed in at 9lbs 1oz and ate a whole 2.5 ounces while we were there.  We also sat next to our soon to be neighbor baby Chase who is 4 weeks younger than Maddie.  Chase, his big sister Ella, and their mommy and daddy are scheduled to move in across the street at the end of February.
• Took a big adventure with mommy on Thursday.  We went to Chick-fil-A for lunch, the post office to send our pretty birth announcements, and to Babies R Us to use our $50 in rewards money (yay for free stuff!).  Maddie drank a bottle at Chick-fil-A while mom had some chicken nuggets.  It was a nice afternoon, but it really takes some energy to haul that car seat around!!
• Grandma came to visit on Friday night!  While grandma was here, I was able to go and join the professional world!  On Saturday I headed out to the all-county band events and had my band fix with my wonderful colleagues.  Saturday night, grandma and I got dressed up and went to the all-county concert.  Daddy was thrilled to watch Maddie...this meant he didn't have to get all dressed up and listen to a 2.5 hour band concert!
• Thanks to Grandma, mom and dad had a dinner date at Outback on Sunday night!  Maddie loved spending time with Grandma and Grandma just adores little Madelyn. :)
• Did some great tummy time on Sunday.  Maddie doesn't have enough really awake time during the day to always do a lot of playtime, but when she is alert we make the most of it. 
• Had a few bad nights due to gas. I think it may be from having more bottles recently.  It is much easier for her to drink out of a bottle, so when she drinks from the bottle she drinks as though we've been starving her!  We bought her some gas drops and have started to burp her/keep her upright more often, which has helped.  Her sleeping otherwise usually includes a long stretch of 4.5-5.5 hours and then 2-3 for the rest of the day. 
• Enjoyed another visit on her 5 week birthday from our neighbors Michelle and little Emma.  We love our neighborhood! 
• Went to mommy's school on her 5 week birthday.  We only went to the bookkepper's office, so mommy could write out some POs and deposit some checks for the band.  I didn't want to expose her to too many people, so we didn't stay long, but everyone that was there LOVED her! 
• Has started to focus her eyes.  She is starting to find things in the room to look at focus on.  It's fun to watch her eyes start to really work!

Grandma is in love :)



Tummy time!






Relaxing after tummy time...she gets fussy after a few minutes, so this is our calm down pillow and pacifier!



Focusing her little eyes!



Hanging out with her friend, Mr. Bear



 Out for a Sunday stroll...

Week Four

It just gets better...

I had always heard people say that they felt an instant connection with their child as soon as they were born.  Well, I'm not sure that I can really say that I felt the instant connection when Maddie was born (maybe it was the lack of sleep!).  It was an amazing experience and I know that I loved this little girl from the time I saw her, but I feel like I love her more as time goes by.  Things just keep getting better as time goes on.

• Had a visit from Michelle and Emma from the neighborhood.  Emma is 3 years old and was very sweet sitting next to little Maddie.
• Spent a lot of time working!  Maddie was pretty consistent at taking a good 2.5 hour nap in the mornings, so mom spent that time getting caught up at work.  I may be technically on maternity leave, but I don't feel like I ever really left.  I'm working to find some balance and not spend quite as much time logged in at work, but I also don't want to go back to a mess!
• Went to the breastfeeding TEA that is put on by the hospital.  My friend Katie says that this group saved her when she had her little girl, Claire, and that I had to go.  Teachers were off on Friday, so Katie came over and we all went to the TEA together.  It was nice to have someone to go with for the first time.  At the TEA you can ask questions to professionals there and talk with other moms who have babies from 0-8 weeks old.  You also have the chance to weigh your baby before and after they eat, so you can get an idea of how much they are eating.  My favorite part though is the tea and the brownies that they serve! Madelyn weighed in at 8lbs 10oz. at the TEA (Jan. 20th), which means she gained 1lb 4oz in 10 days....crazy!  They say babies gain about 1/2 an ounce a day...Maddie is packing it on!  She wasn't very social this day and decided to sleep through the entire class, so I never actually got to see how much she was eating.  Hopefully she'll feel like participating at next week's class.
• Visited with Lindsay on Saturday morning. 
• Spent Saturday afternoon with daddy while mom went shopping!  Since Maddie takes a bottle, mom has a lot more freedom.  It was a wonderful few hours getting to do some fun shopping.  Thanks, daddy!
• Discovered that Maddie likes her NUK pacifier.  We were trying to get her to take another kind and she was never very interested in it, so we decided to try the ones that Granny got her.  She loved it!  This calms her right down when she has already been fed and changed, but is still a little fussy.  It has also helped her go right down to sleep and not fight her swaddle.  We make sure not to go to far from the magic pacifier!  Thank you, Granny!!
• Took Maddie for a ride in the car on Sunday night and heading for the Bruester's drive through.  Mom and dad got some yummy ice cream. 
• Maddie usually fusses when she gets into the car seat, but as soon as we start moving (car or stroller) she is OUT!  This little girl is a great car traveler so far.

Week 4 would not be complete without something crazy!  Maddie didn't let us down...she did it up on her 4 week birthday!  Maddie slept 6 hours on the night before her 4 week birthday!  This was exciting news except for the fact that Shawn and I woke up an hour before her because the smoke detector battery decided to die and every 10 seconds was beeping ridiculously loud...this didn't seem to bother Maddie.  After Shawn took the batteries out, Maddie woke up to eat.  It was 5am, so we decided to just go ahead and get up for the day.  10 minutes later, she was still fussy, so I picked her up and burped her.  OMG...no joke, she had projectile spit up for 5 feet!!  We cleaned up the entire room, I changed clothes (again), and then put her down.  30 minutes later...more spit up.  I think this little girl ate her weight in milk after her 6 hour sleep!

Dreaming among the stars...

Apple Picking

In a bed of flowers

Maddie was not as excited about ice cream as mom and dad were!

This summed up our day on Maddie's 4 week birthday (see the story of the spit up)

Maddie:  "Maybe ice cream isn't so bad!"

Our first try with the new pacifier

Daddy feeding Maddie while mom went shopping!

Week Three

• Got back to her better sleep habits.  Every night she had 3 hour stretches with at least one 4 hour stretch added in.  This made mom and dad a lot more productive during the day.
• We are still trying to figure out the perfect bedtime routine and bedtime.  During the night, she goes right back to sleep after every feeding/changing, but she doesn't always go right down when we first swaddle her and put her in the bassinet.  She usually fusses and want to be rocked to sleep before she'll go down for the night. 
• Makes adorable noises when she's sleeping.  Mom has figured out how to fall asleep during these noises and not jump up thinking something's wrong.
• Has figured out her arms and legs.   
• Took a bottle for the very first time!   We didn't plan to start this early, but Maddie decided to change up her feeding times.  We had friends come over last night and decided to get take out.  Courtney and I went to pick up the food and left the boys with Maddie. She had eaten 45 minutes before, so I thought I had over an hour. 15 min after we left Shawn called with a screaming hungry baby in the background! I debated going home and then remembered that there was 2oz of milk in the fridge, so I told Shawn to go for it! After going through all the cabinets to find the nipple he fed her the bottle. Shawn said she took it like a champ! When we got confirmation of the success, I had such a feeling of freedom!!
• Had a nice visit with Grandma on Wednesday and Thursday.
• Turned her furry brother into an escape artist.  Noah decided that his sister was getting too much attention, so he dug under the fence gate and went next door to hang with the Boves.  Luckily he didn't go too far and we are thankful that Catherine brought him home safe and sound!  Dad spent the rest of the day fixing the hole, so our first born can't escape.  We're trying to give Noah some more attention, so he doesn't feel so left out!

Courtney and Maddie

Philip looks so happy to be holding little Maddie :)

Waiting to start our walk!

Maddie and Jacob...best buds!

Tummy time was exhausting...

Having a little kick and punch time

Newborn Pictures

Maddie's Newborn Photo Shoot

Week Two

Week two can be summed up by the famous phrase, "Don't count your chickens before they hatch".  We found out that week two is much harder than week one.  Shawn went back to work and all of visitors had to go back home, which gave us even more challenges...thank goodness for all of our frozen meals!

• Had one night where Maddie slept for 5 hours straight!  It was the best night I've had in 2 weeks.
• Had six other nights where Maddie decided to be up every hour until 4am when she finally slept for 3 hours...3 hours feels like a full nights sleep at this point!
• Went through a growth spurt, which is why her sleeping was a bit crazy! 
• Doesn't cry too much, but when she does, I'm pretty sure the whole neighborhood knows she's up!
• Mom and dad are still trying to figure out her different cries and what they all mean.  Until then, we fed her, change her, rock her, and then stare at each other in confusion.
• Went for a few walks in her stroller.  She did much better this week and I think she really enjoyed herself.  The 30 minute walk is like heaven for mommy. :)
• Opens her eyes a lot more, but still only has 1 or 2 really awake moments during the day.
• Loves sleeping in her bouncy chair and swing.  This makes it possible for mom to nap and shower everyday!
• Mom met a friend at Starbucks on Saturday in between feedings while dad stayed home with Maddie...a Chai tea latte and sunshine was a huge blessing for mom!

On her two week birthday, Maddie and mommy went to the pediatrian all by ourselves.  This was mom's first time taking Maddie out alone and we all did great!  Maddie had a great appointment.  She went potty on both the nurse and the doctor!

Her two week stats were:
Weight - 7lbs 6oz (45%) - regained her birth weight and beyond 
Height - 20in (55%) - grew 1/2 inch from birth
Head - 14cm (55%) - grew 1 inch from birth

Week two visitors included- The Eaddy family (Jack, LaShonda, and Jill) and Melanie

Shawn calls Maddie our little Buddha girl

Trying tummy time on the boppy

Enjoying some swing time

She loves the swing!

Melanie and Maddie

Week One

Time flys when you're having fun!  It's hard to believe that our little girl is already one week old.

• Maddie slept all the way home from the hospital in the carseat...she is so tiny!
• Went to her first pediatrician's appointment on Friday, December 30th.  She lost 7oz from birth (down to 6lbs 2oz).  The doctor said that was normal and she is expected to be at her birth weight by her 2 week appointment next Tuesday.
• Had two nights where she was up at 4am and didn't want to go back to sleep.  Luckily Shawn and Granny got up with her, so mom could sleep!
• Had lots of good nights where she would only wake up every 3 hours to eat, change, and then go back to sleep.  We are counting our blessings on this one and hoping she keeps it up.
• No big diaper blowouts, but she does enjoy going potty in her clean diaper after it goes on.  We are going to use A LOT of diapers this way!
• Went on her first walk in the stroller on Monday.  It was a little cold and even though she was bundled, I don't think she was all too happy.  She cried about every 3 or 4 houses and then was perfectly content for 3 or 4 more.
• Enjoyed her first sponge bath on New Year's Eve.  Maddie was fresh and clean to start 2012!
• She sleeps A LOT, but when she is up, she makes the most adorable facial expressions. 

We enjoyed having Grandma and Grandpa Hart with us for a few days this week too.  They spent lots of time lovin' on little Madelyn. :)

Other visitors who came to enjoy Maddie's first week at home: Granny, Grandma and Grandpa Hart, The Geronimos family (Kelly, Tony, and Brayden), Caitlin and Jonathan, and the Hoeys (Katie, Devin, and Claire)

Shawn and I really appreciated all of the great food that everyone brought over, too!

Granny and Maddie enjoying the afternoon

Daddy washing Maddie's hair during her first bath

Maddie's first bath

Shawn and I enjoying a New Year's toast (at 9:30pm).  We toasted some apple cranberry cider with our new mommy and daddy glasses (thanks Chris and Kara). 

Caitlin came to visit on Maddie's one week birthday

Grandma and Grandpa Hart visiting little Madelyn

Sleeping in the bouncy chair...the best invention EVER!

Daddy hangin' with Maddie

One week old! She was not interested in being awake for pictures.

In her dress from Aunt Kara and Uncle Chris