Maddie Claire

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Week Eight

On Wednesday night, daddy and papou stayed home with Maddie, so that mommy could go over to a neighbor's house for 'mom's night in'. It was a great few hours with some very nice ladies and mom got to enjoy her first glass of wine in almost a year!
Maddie now grabs at EVERYTHING! She particularly likes to grab moms hair...I think she maybe jealous. :)
Kicks, kicks, kicks....I think she is practicing to audition for the Radio City Rockettes! When she goes on her tummy her feet kick like crazy and she has started to push herself around the gym! She also likes to lift her head and her legs at the same time during tummy time...she looks like she is doing the locust yoga pose. :)
Attended her first band event. This past weekend was solo and ensemble and I had over 70 students participating, so I tried to make it out for part of the event. On Friday, Maddie had daddy/daughter night and I went to hear my students perform. On Saturday, daddy was at work, so Maddie came with mom and got to hang out with all the band directors. They all thought she was just great...one of them thought she'd make a great bassoon player with her long fingers!
Met her Aunt Kristy and Taylor on Saturday morning. They drove up from Sebastian to meet her. When Kristy was holding her you could tell that Taylor was not happy. I asked Taylor if her mommy could hold my baby and Taylor very confidently said, "no". Taylor is a very smart little 3 year old!
Went on her second trip to the strawberry patch with Aunt Kristy, Aunt Kelly, Brayden, and Taylor. When I looked at the six of us I couldn't help but laugh. The three of us (Melanie was at a baby shower, so she missed us) lived together in college and we were much more than just roommates...we were a little family! I looked at us in the strawberry patch, each with our child in tow and I couldn't help, but think how much things have changed in the last 7 years! I love my girls and we are so fortunate to have each other! :)
Went on another fun night out. Catherine next door had a jewelry party, so I headed next door for some sweet treats, drinks, jewelry, and neighborly fun! I stayed out until after 10pm and had a great time. I think I owe Shawn a boys night, now!
Stuck to her schedule everyday this week, but one. She only gets up once to eat between 8:30pm and 7:30am...usually at 2:30am. One night she got up twice wanting to eat and had to be changed...she had more gas than usual, so I'm thinking maybe she didn't like what I ate that day.
Has started to nap once a day in her bassinet. She sleeps much better in her swing, but I know I need to get her use to sleeping in her bed. The bassinet nap usually only lasts 30-45 minutes.
Had her first play date at Melanie's house. Melanie's friend, Tamika has a little girl, Addison, who was born on December 19th. Addison and Madelyn had a fun time together and the three big girls had a great lunch and great conversation! Thanks, Mel for putting together such a nice afternoon. :)

Kristy and her little girl, Taylor

Tummy time!

Doing yoga

Wearing her bib to try and save her outfit from the massive amounts of spit up...oh, and she loves her Uncle Chris. :)

Madelyn and Addison

Play date!

Mommy and Maddie before our afternoon of shopping!

Papou loves his granddaughter!

Daddy and his little girl

Three Generations of 'Dimitry's'

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Week Seven

Shawn had to go to Chicago for business. He left Wednesday and came back late Thursday night, so Maddie and I had girl's night!! We did very well together, but missed daddy!
Granny and Grandpa came down on Thursday afternoon and stayed until Sunday. All of us had a very nice visit together.
Maddie peed, pooped, and spit up all over Granny! Granny has learned...no more blind sweeps!
Went to Pappy's strawberry patch for the first time! On Saturday we all drove down the road to the strawberry patch and did some pickin'. Daddy and Maddie kept an eye on the rest of us and made sure we only picked the good ones!
Granny and Granpa were a big help. On Friday they watched Maddie and made a yummy dinner while I went and got my hair done, which was MUCH needed! Maddie decided to get hungry when Granny was making dinner, so Grandpa jumped in and fed our little girl.
Took her first big car trip to Sarasota on Sunday with just mommy! She did super well in the car, sleeping until we were 30 miles from our destination. I had to pull over and feed her 30 miles out going both directions. She was a little fussy when we got to Sarasota. I think she was a bit confused, off from her schedule, and just wanted mommy. After about 45 minutes, she calmed down and took a nap. All of her napping and sleeping in the car made for a long night! She was wide awake when we got home and didn't go to sleep until midnight. It was a long day, but I know that her great aunts, grandma, and cousins enjoyed seeing her. Now we know what to expect when traveling and can plan a little better.
Is getting to be so much fun! She now grabs the rings of her gym and kicks the toys. She is looking at EVERYTHING and 'talking' so much!
Holds her head up SO high during tummy time. Before she would eat her hand and hold up her head a little bit, but this week she lifted it up right away!
Is getting on a great schedule. She has been going to sleep very well and is learning to soothe herself. She has her last feeding around 8:30pm and goes down around 9pm each night. She usually falls asleep with just her pacifier about 20 minutes after going down and sleeps until about 2:30am.
Slept until 4:30am on the night before her birthday! This was her first night sleeping 8 hours straight and it was lovely! She hasn't done it since, but she has gotten consistent with 6 hours every other night this week. Before this week she was pretty consistent with 4-5 hour stretches and an occasional 6 hour stretch. I think we're making progress.
I have been reading the sleep book that was recommended by my OB and Maddie is really starting to respond well. We are starting to have a nice daily schedule of sleeping, eating, napping, and playtime. I have pretty much figured out her crys and how to soothe her when she needs to nap or sleep. We have been pretty successful this week and had many days with very little fussiness. This was a real treat for our visitors! :)
Picked up her Papou at the airport on Monday. He flew all the way from Rochester, NY to meet his first grandchild.
Went to lunch at Panera and took her first trip to Target. She did very at Panera and didn't fuss at all. It was a longer lunch than Papou was use to...we had to build time in for Maddie to eat and to be changed! She enjoyed her first trip to Target and enjoyed her new things thanks to the giftcard from cousin Breanne, John, and Charlotte!
Took lots of pictures!
Went on another fun trip to TJMaxx, Bed, Bath, and Beyond, and Publix. We managed to go all three places in between feedings!
Packed up all her newborn clothes and all of my maternity clothes (including the pants!). I got some vacuum seal bags at Bed, Bath, and Beyond and packed up all the clothes, so we can store them for little Hart #2 someday. I can't believe that I already had to pack up a whole size of clothes already!

Granny feeding Maddie, so mommy could get her hair done.

Maddie and Grandpa

Maddie's first trip to the strawberry patch...she thought it was a snooze!

Granny and Grandpa doing all the work!

Daddy LOVE! <3

The Harts! :)

3 Generations

Standing!

Hello, I'm SO big!

Maddie with her great aunts and second cousins

All 3 of her great aunts and second cousins!

Cousin Benjamin with his is cousin Madelyn

Great Aunt Anne and Maddie Claire

Maddie's cousins came all the way from London to visit!

Great Aunt Anne knit this beautiful sweater and hat for Miss Madelyn...doesn't she look great!

Loves the gym!

Tummy time

She is getting stronger and stronger!

Playtime!

Morning swing time

Daddy leaving for work. He works hard for his two girls. Isn't he handsome? :)

Maddie and her Papou

Mommy and Maddie

Shawn and I have always had very simple Valentine's days at home. We are not usually people who go out to dinner or buy expensive gifts and this year wasn't any different. We did however get to enjoy the day with our new little valentine, Maddie Claire.

The morning started off with Maddie sleeping from 8:30pm until 4:30am!! I got up at 4:30am to fed her and then found a card and rose next to my sink in the bathroom. <3 While Shawn was still sleeping, I got up and made a fun Valentine's Day breakfast, heart shaped pancakes with strawberries and coffee. We both exchanged cards (Maddie got daddy a card too) and had a nice breakfast together.

Maddie got lots of cards and nice gifts from her Grandma's and Grandpa's. I know that she felt so loved!

Later in the afternoon, Maddie got a special visit from her Valentine. Jacob, the boy next door, came over and brought Maddie her first Valentine. I'm going to be sure and keep this one, so the two of them can see it when they get older. Daddy, watch out...there's a boy in town!

Happy Valentine's Day from our little cutie...

Maddie's first Valentine from the 'boy next door'

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Week Six

Has graduated to size one diapers. They look huge on her, but I bought a pack of newborns last week and told myself that would be it. The newborns were starting to get really snug and she was almost past the weight limit.
Since I love to coupon, I had been buying diapers on sale since last summer and stocking up on sizes 1-3. I didn't buy any newborns since I wasn't sure how big she would be at birth. Grandma made a diaper cake for the shower, which was made out of 200 newborn diapers. These diapers did not last too long and we ended up having to buy diapers at full price (so depressing). Our total newborn diaper count was 400 diapers in just under 5 weeks!
Is starting to wear 0-3 month clothes. She can still wear some of her newborn clothes, but they are starting to get snug and she is getting too long for her footed sleepers. Her 0-3 month wardrobe includes many more 'outfits' instead of just onesies, so we've enjoyed playing dress up this week! (Thanks to cousin Zuzu, we have so many more choices!)
Has been awake a lot more! She has had pretty consistent tummy time once and sometimes twice a day. Her longest naps are usually 1-1.5 hours now instead of 2-2.5 hours. Her schedule is still pretty much: nap, eat, nap, eat, play, nap, eat, nap....etc.
Went to her first garage sale this week! Our neighborhood had a community garage sale on Friday and Saturday, so Friday morning we headed out to shop. We got to meet some new neighbors and bought a very pretty 18 month dress that still had the tags on it!
Has started to smile! She first smiled at me Wednesday when I was singing her the jazz version of 'You are my Sunshine' complete with a fun drum beat! She doesn't smile on cue and it's not very regular, so I haven't gotten any pictures yet, but I'm sure that it's a real smile and not just gas!
Stares, stares, stares...her eyes are really starting to work!
Looks like she is trying to roll from her back to her tummy, but hasn't quite figured it out. She does this when she's getting her diaper changed too!
Played with her piano on her six week birthday. She kicks it and makes it sing, but doesn't realize what she's doing...I think it's cute either way.
Went to school with mommy to do some work and did very well. She is getting use to be out and about a little bit more and I'm getting use to bringing her and everything that comes with her.
Had a dinner date with the Geronimos family (Kelly, Tony, and little Brayden!) -- Brayden really enjoyed watching Maddie play.
Enjoyed her first super bowl with close friends. We only stayed until the 3rd quarter, but she enjoyed herself.
Weighed in at 10lbs during the breastfeeding TEA.
Had daddy day on Saturday while mom went to work to have a 'boot camp' practice for her students going to Solo and Ensemble next weekend. Maddie enjoyed her day with dad and mom enjoyed working with her students and being back at work.
I had my six week check up at the doctor and I am cleared to go back to normal! I gained a total of 29 pounds during my pregnancy and I only have 5 more pounds to go until I hit my pre-pregnancy weight...woohoo! Now I just need my hips/thighs to go back and I can wear my old pants again.