2011-09-15: Day 1 (Thursday) –
* 8:30pm the night before I got terrible pains high up under my ribs. I had this same pain the night before that for about three hours and thought it was Madalynne sticking her foot between my ribs. I had heard that was painful and often happened as the babies get larger, although this was the first time I had felt anything similar. I tried every position possible to get comfortable and relieve the pain but nothing helped. Juan tried to massage my back, I tried walking, laying down, sitting up, and NOTHING was helping. In fact, the pain was growing more intense.
* 1:00am I told Juan that we needed to go to the hospital and get it checked out. I was sure they would tell me that it was just a random pregnancy pain and send me home, but the pain was so intense that it was making me nauseous.
* 1:15am we arrived at the hospital. My blood pressure was high so they started monitoring both the baby and I. She was not in distress at all and they said whatever was causing the pain had nothing to do with the baby.
* 3:00am they took blood and gave me anti-gas medicine and Maylox, thinking that could be the problem. They also gave me ulcer medicine.
* 4:30am the pain had not let up so they finally gave me a shot of demerol for the pain.
* 7:00am they said we were waiting for the doctor to come in and then we would be released as my pain had subsided, but the doctor wanted one more set of lab work done, so they drew blood one more time.
* 8:15am Dr. Farrow came in and told us that my blood pressure had been all over the map throughout the night, up to 200 at one point. My first set of labs had shown elevated liver enzymes, but it was only one so she wanted the second set of labs just to make sure everything was ok. Apparently it was not. She said that I had PIH (Pregnancy Induced Hypertension) and that basically my body would continue to get sicker and sicker until I delivered. She had conferred with my maternal fetal medicine doctor and they both felt that although Madalynne was early, just past 36 weeks; she was far enough along to outweigh the risks associated with letting me continue to carry her any longer. They were going to induce TODAY! We were in shock. We had not brought so much as an extra set of clothes. I came straight out of bed in my tank top and lounge pants with flip flops. We didn't bring a "bag", we didn't even have a bag packed...for that matter, we didn't even have a car seat. It was on order and supposed to be delivered today. Misti was my nurse and was AMAZING! I am sure that without all her special attention I never would have been able to deliver vaginally.
* 8:30am they gave me an IV and started fluids and Pitocin to induce labor. Dr. Farrow also warned us that I had not dropped at all and had not started dialating and that often when inducing this early, there was a high risk for a C-section as the baby just does not progress as she needs to in a timely manner. This made me nervous as I really wanted a vaginal birth and C-section was the farthest thing from my mind. As the nursing staff was connecting me to everything they mentioned that with PIH, they often had to start the patient on Magnesium which unfortunately makes you very ill. The nurse said Dr. Farrow had not ordered this yet, but to be ready for the possibility.
* 9:30am they started me on Magnesium. They also told me that since it made the patient so sick, you are not allowed to eat, had to be confined to bed, and have a catheter. By the way, I had not eaten since 8pm the following evening and then only a small bowl of cherrios. The nurses also told me that I could have an epidural anytime I was ready for it and that she recommended it right away since they had to put in the catheter. She also said that the Magnesium is to calm your central nervous system, due to the elevated blood pressure to keep me from stroking out. The downside to this is that it works against the Pitocin which further leads to the possibility of a C-section. Finally she said that when your liver enzymes go up, typically your white blood count goes down. Mine was still in the ok range, but once it drops to a certain level, you are not allowed an epidural, so if I was to need a C-section, they would have to anesthetize me completely and put me to sleep. I quickly decided it was epidural time.
* 10:30am they put in the epidural. It was actually not any worse than some of the IV's I've had put in. The anesthetician did a great job and got it in on the first try. She also told us it was already her 8th of the day, apparently it was the day to have babies!
* 11:00am the catheter was inserted and they also put compression pads on each leg to stimulate the muscles and keep them from siezing.
* 11:25am the lab came in for their 3rd blood draw since I arrived. Since my veins are deep and run from the needle, blood draws are always a painful experience for me. For the most part, the lab did a good job of getting a vein on the first stick.
* 12:30pm I was actually progressing a bit and was dilated to 3-1/2 cm. Dr. Farrow broke my water and an internal monitor was installed to monitor my contractions. This meant they could remove one of the monitors from my tummy. Dr. Farrow also instructed the nurse to turn and manipulate my body and legs to help “open” my pelvis as I was still at zero station.
* 2:15pm I was 4cm dilated and 90 percent effaced although I was still at zero station. Dr. Farrow said that was good progression and that she was surprised and pleased.
* 3:00pm I needed my epidural to be increased yet again and I was very surprised to recognize the anesthesiologist as Nikki Spears from K-state. She is married to Greg Spears who worked with Jim at Schmidt and Stacey when I interned. We all hung out together a lot and I hadn’t seen her for years. What a small, small world.
* 3:50pm dilated to 8cm and shivering a lot, uncontrollably.
* 4:30pm the nurses said I was ready to deliver but Dr. Farrow was getting ready to start a C-section. They discussed just proceeding without her as I was ready. Dr. Farrow came in and told them she had a C-section waiting and they said I was ready and in quite a bit of pain from the pressure so we needed to deliver immediately so Dr. Farrow stayed and began the delivery process.
* 4:50pm Once I got in delivery position, Juan was on my left holding my left leg and the nurse was on my right holding my right leg. Dr. Farrow instructed me to take a deep breathe in, hold it and bare down for 10 seconds, release the breath and take another deep breath in and repeat this entire process three times. Even though I had an epidural and they had increased it for me three times throughout the day and I was still in pain. It was more pressure related than pain and I am still not convinced it was more from the Magnesium. I did four repetitions of the three breaths of ten second process before the head and shoulders were out.
* 5:03pm Madalynne Grace Navarro arrived, she was 5 lbs 12-1/2 oz and 18” long. Juan cut the umbilical cord and Mom arrived as I was pushing just in time to see Madalynne born. They took Maddie to the warmer station to check her out while they finished me up. I only had a first degree tear and required a few stitches. It did seem to take a long time to deliver the placenta and Dr. Farrow asked for the placenta to be sent out for testing. It was a very surreal experience as I was still very doped up and ill from the magnesium. They removed my epidural and they also informed me that I had to stay on magnesium for 24 hours, this upset me greatly as I was ready to shower, eat and feel human again. The best part is that they let Maddie room with us.
* 5:55pm Once they determined Madalynne was fine (she didn’t even need oxygen) they brought her back to me and placed her on my chest and had me attempt to breast feed. She nursed for 20 minutes skin to skin with me which was awesome. I don’t know that she latched or really got anything, but holding her was exactly what I needed.
* 6:00pm Vanessa was in the waiting room immediately after I delivered and was the first visitor that came to see us, excluding Mom of course.
* 6:30pm Maria and Alfonso arrived to visit and see Maddie. They didn’t stay long as I was still in a lot of pain and extremely groggy.
* 8:00pm They moved me to my second room. I had to stay on the LDR floor, they couldn’t send me to post-partum because I was on magnesium and had to be closely monitored, so they moved us into the LDR annex room.
* 8:30pm Maria, Thelma, Aram and Sole came to visit.
* 9:30pm They came to give Maddie her first bath. They now wait 6 hours after delivery because the stuff on her is actually protecting her from infections for the first few hours of life.
* 9:45pm Marco, Gracie, Prinscella, and Isabella came to visit.
* 9:50pm Madalynne had her first wet diaper.
2011-09-16: Day 2 (Friday) –
* 1:30am They moved me into my 3rd room, an ante-partum room that was very small and the toilet didn’t even have a sink. The only sink in the entire room was the hand washing sink next to my bed.
* 5:05am Madalynne has another wet diaper which is good because that means she is getting something from breast feeding and is not dehydrated. She also had a poopy diaper, although I don’t when exactly that was. The goal for the first 24 hours was 1 wet and 1 soiled diaper and she reached both goals with no problem.
* 8:30am We were anxiously awaiting them to remove my magnesium. We had asked Juan’s parents to visit this morning at 9:30am to bring tacos because I was starving. They came in to tell me the orders were that I had to stay on magnesium for 24 hours FROM DELIVERY. That was not what I wanted to hear and it upset me greatly. My blood pressure had remained down since the delivery, but apparently my liver enzymes were still going up. That meant it would be almost 33 hours since I had been allowed to eat, get out of bed, or even go to the bathroom. I was also still feeling very sick from the magnesium.
* 9:30am Juan’s parents arrived to visit, although they left the tacos in the car. It was obvious I was still struggling and in a lot of pain, so they didn’t stay long and told the rest of the family to wait to visit again until Saturday.
* 9:50am Madalynne had a wet diaper, the first of the day.
*12:30pm Dr. Farrow arrived to explain why I needed to stay on Magnesium for 24 hours. She was still concerned with my blood work and those liver enzymes. They did tell us after she left that the orders said they could take me off at 3:15pm.
* 2:45pm Debbie arrived to visit. She didn’t hold Maddy as there was a lot going on and she didn’t stay long but brought us flowers and congratulated us.
* 3:08pm The lactation consultant FINALLY arrived. My milk has not yet come in and I am having all sorts of problems getting Maddie latched. She is making sucking noises but the nursery nurse from the night before said that she was not latching and to take her off when she did that. I told the lactation consultant that she had to come back later, it was literally 7 minutes until they take me off the magnesium and I had to get off that and shower to feel human again as I was losing it quickly. She said she was booked until 6:30pm that evening and that she needed to feed again shortly as it had been since noon or so since I had tried to feed her. I told her I would as soon as I got out this magnesium and showered.
* 3:15pm They removed my magnesium but left in the catheter and IV until I used the restroom. I was drinking a ton of water, since that’s all I had been allowed for the past two days except for jello and popscicles and apple juice so I had no problem with that. They removed the catheter and I was finally able to shower. They made me shower on the chair in the bathtub and Juan couldn’t help because Maddie would be in the room alone. It was EXTREMELY hard, painful and difficult to get showered with an IV in one arm and alone. I finally managed it after about 30 minutes, although Juan did have to move Maddie to the bathroom door and try to help me while watching her.
* 3:45pm Vanessa arrived to visit and hold Maddie for the first time.
* 4:00pm Mom arrived to visit and I was frantic to get food ordered and delivered.
* 5:05pm the nursery nurse came in to check Maddy and we realized we hadn’t fed or changed her in over 5 hours. Up to this point, we had let the nursery nurse change her and track her outputs as Juan was doing his best to take care of both me and Maddie. I was horrified and felt like a terrible mother. Madalynne did have another wet diaper and her goal for the day was 2, which she reached. After this we started tracking her diapers and breastfeeds ourselves.
* 5:50pm Madalynne had another wet diaper.
* 6:15pm They finally removed my IV.
* 6:30pm the Lactation consultant returned. I was already extremely emotional and feeling terribly guilty and everything she said just seemed to reiterate that we were doing a terrible job. She basically told us we MUST start Maddie on formula immediately and must start feeding her every 3 hours and pumping for 20 minutes prior to every feeding to help my milk come in. She also gave us a syringe to feed her formula through adjacent to my breast so that Maddie got used to feeding from the breast, but got enough nurishment. She gave us a schedule chart to follow and just seemed way too accusatory to me. Madalynne had another wet diaper.
* 7:30pm As the Lactation consultant continued to belittle me, or so I felt, I was still not in control of my bowels; and when I asked Juan to come help me out of bed, the lactation consultant came over and got my side-rail stuck in the up position and couldn’t figure out how to lower it. I literally almost punched her as a frantically tried to make it to the bathroom. There I completely lost it and broke down into a tearful mess.
* 8:30pm They came to tell us that Juan had to go get the car seat today as they were going to complete her car seat test that night in case they released us tomorrow. Juan left to go get the carseat and I was left alone with Maddie for the first time.
* 9:15pm They came in to do her heel prick test for jaundice and they weighed her again. She was 5lbs and 8 oz and had lost 4.7% of her body weight. That only made me feel worse, especially as no one told me late pre-termers were expected to lose 10% of their body weight before they were discharged. I had no idea this was normal, but at that point decided to start her on formula from a bottle.
* 9:30pm Madalynne had another wet diaper and drank 20mL of formula for the first time via a syringe. I also pumped for 10 minutes and got nothing.
2011-09-17: Day 3 (Saturday) –
* 12:30am Juan and I did our first feeding and diaper change together. We used Enfamil premade bottled formula and got her to eat 20mL, they told us to shoot for 15mL. Her diaper was just wet and I pumped for 10 minutes and got nothing again.
* 1:00am The nursery staff took Maddie for her car seat test and were supposed to return her by 3:30am. I was a little panicked in letting them take her as it was the first time she was out of our sight. I even asked my nurse if the lady that took her was indeed from the nursery.
* 3:45am They still had not returned Maddie so I panicked and started calling the nurse and the nursery; but they assured me she was on her way back to us, and indeed she arrived just minutes later. We fed her formula via a bottle with a nipple for the first time and she drank 40mL!
* 4:08am I pumped for 10 minutes and still got nothing.
* 6:30am Madalynne drank 25mL of formula and I pumped for 10 minutes, no avail.
* 7:00am Madalynne was in her bassinet looking towards me in the bed when Juan started talking to her on the opposite side. I swear she recognized his voice and turned right toward him.
* 8:30am The nursery came in to tell us that the blood test for jaundice came back lower than the device reading had indicated, although it was on the slightly high side and jaundice doesn’t peak until 3-5 days old.
* 9:15am They came in to do Maddie’s hearing test, but there was too much distraction as Maddie was hungry so they left to return later and try again.
* 9:45am Dr. Berger was the pediatrician on call and she examined Maddie and cleared her to leave, although she said that she looked jaundice to her. She also had a soiled diaper and drank 29mL of formula.
* 10:15am Dr. Watkins was on call for Dr. Farrow and came in and cleared me to leave. She also mentioned that Maddie looked a little jaundice.
* 10:45am Maddie had a hearing test for the second time today and passed.
* 10:50am Marco and Gracie arrived to visit and stayed to help us check out.
* 11:00am New lactation consultant, Jana, came in and discussed breast topics and pumping issues. She also talked us into renting the commercial grade breast pump for two weeks to help my milk come in.
* 11:15am They gave me the Tdap shot for Protessin (whooping cough), diphtheria, and tetnus (good for ten years).
* 12:00pm Renee’, from the nursery came in to check us out and stayed to answer a million questions, she was AWESOME. She told us that Maddie should not be in public or around children until at least she was full-term. This made me panic as a ton of people, including children had already visited and touched her.
* 12:45pm Madalynne drank 30mL of formula and had another soiled diaper.
* 1:15pm We finally started to check-out.
* 2:15pm We left the hospital.
* 3:00pm We arrived home. Marco and Gracie followed us home and helped unload.
* 4:30pm Adam arrives to meet his new little sister.
2011-09-18: Day 4 (Sunday) – Our first night home went ok, but we got basically no sleep all night. Our current routine is as follows: I pump for 20 minutes, while Juan changes her diaper and tries to wake her up and checks her temperature. If I got anything, a couple of mL at the most, then we would put that into a syringe and while I tried to get her to latch, Juan would drip that breast colostrum onto my breast for her. We were using the boppy pillow and the football hold. After she tried to latch, which always failed; we would switch to Similac premie 22cal formula premade and stop her to burp every 10 mL. Our goal was 15-20mL each feeding but she usually ate closer to 30-40mL. When we burped her we did what they taught us at the hospital and put one hand almost around her thoat and jaw sitting up and leaning over as we tapped her back with our other hand. After the feeding was over, Juan would change her and redress her as I cleaned the breast pump parts. This entire process took us about an hour and a half so we usually ended up with about 30 minutes before it was time to start the process over. Mom came over first thing this morning and stayed most of the day to help us out. Juan went to church this morning and Vanessa, Jeff, Jakob and Ashlyn came over to meet Madalynne. I had a panic attack after they left worried that I shouldn’t have let Maddie be around more children and was very anxious that she would become sick. We washed and sterilized everything, but I still was freaking out. My hormones seem to be out of control completely. I am completely exhausted as there is so much to do and no time to do it. I have not had a single minute of napping since we arrived home and very little sleep at all since the birth. Tonight at 7:05pm I pumped my first breast milk, although it was only 3mL on my left breast. We also gave Maddie her first sponge bath and washed her hair. She hated the sponge bath part of it, but seemed to love the hair washing portion. Weight update: 246 lbs.
2011-09-19: Day 5 (Monday) – Last night and all morning today, Madalynne was not herself. She would feed fine, go to sleep and within 30-45 minutes awake just screaming unconsolably. We would finally get her down and within 15 minutes it would all start again. I was convinced she was having a reaction to the Similac Formula. Today we had a lactation consultation at “A Mother’s Gift” at Presby Plano. The first question I asked was about Maddie’s recent behavior. She told us that Maddie was probably still hungry and they needed 10mL (approximately) for every day they have aged at every feeding. We had been feeding her 40-50mL at every feeding, but apparently she needed more. They weighed her and she was at 5lb 11.6oz, which concerned me; but apparently my expectations were off as late preterm infants are not expected to gain back to their birthweight until 2 weeks and Madalynne is almost there at 4 days. They also checked Maddie’s bilirubin levels again to see if her jaundice had increased. The test indicated she was at a 12.5 (if 11 or less they do not need to do the heel prick) so they had to prick her heel to determine her true level. They had me breastfeed her while they pricked her. Our consultant immediately changed our entire routine and told us to go buy new bottles that simulated the breast/nipple more closely: Adiri, First Years, or Tommy Tippee. I had all sorts of questions and once Juan told her I was an engineer she told me that the questions were ok as that was how I processed, but that I was wearing myself out and needed to trust my instincts and let things go or I was going to drive myself crazy. She told us that my milk was almost in and after looking at my breasts told me that she was going to be honest and realistic with me, based on the shape and invertedness of my breasts and nipples, there was a possibility Madalynne might never latch. She said we would try and give her an good effort; but be prepared that if she didn’t latch, it wasn’t my fault, God made my perfect the way it was intended and if I needed to pump and feed her via bottles then that would be just fine. Then she gave me a breast shield to help Madalynne latch. She got Maddie naked, skin to skin and told us we needed to feed her everytime like that. She also told us to skip the football hold and hold her with my right hand at each ear with her feet at my right elbow and feed her on the left breast. She said not to worry about her ears as she doesn’t even know she has them yet. She also said to keep her head, spin and hip in line. I was astounded when Madalynne immediately latched. As my milk was not really “in” yet, she didn’t seem to be getting anything, although she was sucking. Then she hooked up an SNS (supplemental nursing system) which was a bottle of Similac and a small tube with an open/close valve. She first put the tube under the breast shield and then over. Madalynne seemed to drink much better with it on the outside of the breast shield. It took a bit of maneuvering and trial and error, but once it was in we could shut it off and allow Maddie to suck and get breast milk or open it and allow her to rest and get formula more easily. I was amazing at how well she was feeding, she fed for 30 minutes on just my left breast. Glenda told us to feed her for no more than 15 minutes at one feeding as to not over-tire her and then top her off with formula from one of the bottles she recommended earlier. She also told us to only use the SNS every other feeding, again to keep from over-tiring her. She told us to continue to feed her every 3 hours and to continue to pump for 20 minutes prior to feeding. She weighed Madalynne before and after the feeding and determined that she had drank 47mL of formula and 28mL of breast milk. She was also nursing when they pricked her heel for the bilirubin test and Madalynne didn’t even flinch. Her level was 14.5 which was just below the high intermediate risk zone, at the upper end of the low intermediate risk zone. As Maddie was doing very well with the number of poopy diapers she has been having each day and based on her weight gain, they told us to just watch her and put her in the indirect sunlight for 10 minutes a day, each side. I learned a ton during that single 2 hour meeting, which made me feel a ton better about how I was doing. Colostrom appears from 0-5 days, transition is from 6-14 days with flow beginning between days 6-8 at which time volume is set, and finally 15+ days is mature milk. I also learned that to get and keep your milk supply the three most important factors are rest, eat (3 meals and 3 snacks), and fluids (need to drink 8 oz everytime you feed or pump. I am failing miserably at all three of these and need to do better. Amazingly enough, that single 30 minute feeding on my left breast was enough to bring my milk in on that side and by 6:00pm that evening I was pumping 20mL. Additionally, Glenda said my right breast was even more of a concern then my left; but this evening she latched onto my right just fine. Our feeding process is still at least two hours for each feeding. Weight update: 242 lbs.
2011-09-20: Day 6 (Tuesday) – Today I was extra exhausted and I had to go to a follow-up appointment with Dr. Farrow. I went alone as we didn’t want Madalynne out in public again if she didn’t have to be. Dr. Farrow drew blood to check my liver enzyme levels once again and make sure they were going down. My blood pressure was back up 136/86, not a great sign. On a brighter note, my milk seems to be in now as I am pumping up to 40-45mL on my left and 15-20mL on my right breast. We are feeding this to Madalynne before we feed her the formula. Also this morning at 10:23am, Madalynne’s soiled diaper turned to yellow, which is another really good sign. Suprising enough, we do not call Madalynne Coco at all. Her daddy calls her Mousy (mimicking the little squeaks that she makes when she cries) or Precious. I have taken to calling her Munchkin or Pumpkin. Weight update: 235 lbs.
2011-09-21: Day 7 (Wednesday) – Today was Madalynne’s first pediatrician appointment with Dr. Hubbard and she is FABULOUS! She told us that my milk is obviously in now and we need to get off the formula completely and just breast feed every time, start with 10 minutes on each breast and if she is still hungry then put her back on each for another 5 minutes. She also told us to STOP pumping at night and let Maddie sleep for 4 hours between 10pm and 6am unless she awakes and is hungry. She also told us to quit pumping before each feeding. She said that pumping was not necessary now unless I wanted to start pumping a few weeks prior to returning to work to stock up. 4:00am this morning was the last formula that we gave Madalynne. From this point forward we tried to feed from each breast and then supplemented with what I had pumped from the previous feeding. These things alone give me a sense that there was a light at the end of the tunnel, I may actually be able to rest or nap once in a while. They weighed Madalynne and she was at 5 lbs 13oz and OVER her birth weight in less than 6 days! She measured 19-1/4” long and her head was 12-1/2” around. Her temperature was 99.2 degrees which they said was just fine. We also gave Maddie a sponge bath and washed her hair. Weight update: 233 lbs.
2011-09-22: Day 8 (Thursday) – Tonight I was sitting on the couch eating a bagel and Juan was walking/bouncing Madalynne trying to soothe her. He looked over at me and said, “I hope you are confortable since I’m here doing all the work.” He was totally kidding, but I just looked at him and said, “that is so mean” and promptly burst into tears. Now everytime he says something to me he follows it with, “No, please don’t cry.” It is now a running joke. Today I took our pediatrician’s advice and only pumped 3 times today. Weight update: 231 lbs.
2011-09-23: Day 9 (Friday) - Today we spent most of the day trying mini photo shoots with Maddie. There was a photo of Juan holding her little nakedness on his arm that I really wanted to get. We had some camera issues and Juan actually had to edit it quite a bit, but I think the shot turned out ok. Also today, Juan had to run to work to have Maddie put on the insurance and a couple other errands and I managed to undress her, feed her, change her, and re-dress her all by myself! That was quite an accomplishment as it has taken four hands just to get her latched on the nipple shield at most feedings. Another achievement today, as of 8:00am this morning, Madalynne has fed solely from my breasts without additional breast milk bottle supplements. We are feeding her once or twice a day straight from a bottle (expressed breast milk of course) in order to allow me a break and a rest. Weight Update: 228.0 lbs just 10 away from my pre-pregnancy weight.
2011-09-24: Day 10 (Saturday) - Today was the first day that I have taken time to upload and edit photos. We did take a couple of great shots with Juan and Maddie together on the floor. We also gave Maddie her first tummy time. She is so strong that she took to it fairly well and managed it for about 4 minutes. I think my milk is finally completely in, as I had to graduate to pumping into bottles this morning (3 oz on the left and 2-1/2 on the right. I realized today that everytime I hold Maddie she now expects to be fed. That was a bit heartbreaking as I guess I've been so tired and busy trying to keep up with everything that now she just sees me as food. That was today's breakdown if anyone is keeping track. She is still right on schedule with awaking and feedings, exactly every 3 hours...sometimes 15-30 minutes before but always almost on cue. We also gave Maddie her first tummy time. She went for four minutes although she pretty much just layed there and turned her head to the side. I also started using the boppy pillow and the football hold again today as it is soooo much easier on my back, although Maddie refuses to nurse football style on my left breast.
2011-09-25: Day 11 (Sunday) - Our currently procedure for feeding the munchkin is: I get the boppy, burp clothes, nipple shield and myself ready to feed while Juan gets Maddie naked (except for her diaper). Then I feed breast feed her, first on one side for at least 10 min if, we are lucky, and then burp her, then on to the other side for another 10 min, and finally she gets burped again. Then Daddy takes her and changes her, puts her clothes back on and wraps her like a little burrito and rocks her to sleep, while I pump. I am only pumping 2-3 times during the day now and not at night at all. We had a bit of an incident this morning. Juan was changing Madalynne and kissing her tummy, like he always does, when his necklace got caught on her belly button and ripped off the little protective piece that had not yet fallen off. Maddie screamed for just a minute or so and then Juan was able to calm her. It didn’t bleed at the time, but looked a little raw. Juan felt absolutely terrible about it; but of course he didn’t mean to do it. We called the pediatrician’s nurse and she said to keep it clean and dry and it should be alright, even if it bled a little. I teased Juan that he just gave Maddie and outie, which is exactly what it looked like, but we shall see. Juan went to church this morning and Maddie and I had mommy time and I read her a book for the first time: Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are by Dr. Seuss. When Daddy came home we put your footprints on a paper for your monthly frame. Nana and Tia Vanessa came over this afternoon to visit. I also managed to get Madalynne to nurse football style on my left breast today! Weight Update: 226.4 lbs, just 7.4 lbs away from my pre-pregnancy weight!
2011-09-26: Day 12 (Monday) – Last night Maddie decided she was only going to sleep in 3 hour increments so it was a relatively long night as Juan starts back to work today so I was handling the feedings solo, except he was getting up to change her when I was done. She did sleep from 7:30am until 10am so I got to take a nap along with her. She is so adamant that her hands be unbound, but I am sure that is what woke her up so much last night, as she tends to scratch and hit herself with her out of control little hands. Daddy is working ½ days for a couple of weeks to ease us into the day alone and ease him back into working when he really just wants to be here at home with you. We did tummy time again this morning for 4-1/2 minutes, although you pretty much just layed there again with you head to one side before you got upset. We also tried to stamp your handprints for your monthly frame, little did we realize there is a reason they only do footprints at the hospital; because it is impossible to get a newborn to release their hand and allow a full handprint. That plan was quickly squashed. I also called about my blood test results and apparently there are two numbers they were watching my ALT and AST numbers, both which should be 40 or less. My AST was at 44 which isn’t that bad, but my ALT is still 88. I don’t know what it was at the hospital so it is impossible to know if it is decreasing or not, but they want to test it again at my post-partum visit in a couple of weeks. Juan came home this afternoon and told me that he had somehow used all of his vacation time already so our plan for him to work half days for the next couple of days is out the door; not good news for an overemotional exhausted mommy. He even had to go back to work this afternoon. Weight update: 223.8 lbs just 5.8 lbs away from my pre-pregnancy weight.
2011-09-27: Day 13 (Tuesday) – Last night we wrapped Maddie’s hands in her burrito bundle and although she was not at all happy about it, she did sleep for four hours twice last night! Juan gave her a bottle and took care of her at the 6am feeding so that I could sleep for another hour or so. We also realized last night that her belly button was bleeding just a tiny bit. I’ve been cleaning it multiple times a day with Alcohol. Danna came to visit and meet Madalynne today at lunch. She was also sweet enough to bring me lunch. After she left, I actually took an hour nap with Maddie, my first one since the delivery. We have used about 100 diapers in the 10 days since we've been home, that is about 10 per day; of course that is probably because Juan is known to use (4) at a time! LOL The hospital had us use Huggies and we had received three (20) count pacakges of Newborn Pampers Swaddlers. Juan and I both agreed we liked the Huggies better so we bought a huge box when we ran out of the Swaddlers. For some reason, the weren't the same as the one's we used in the hospital so we decided to switch back to Pampers.
2011-09-28: Day 14 (Wednesday) - Today we bought a swing. We had borrowed my sister's to use, but after recieving gift cards from some generous friends, we decided a swing would be worth the investment. Today was also the first day that I didn't cry, small miracles. Mom came over to help me with Maddie and we did another photo shoot with adorable props that Mom made. Of course that meant that I didn't get a nap, again. Maddie seems to be eating well, 10-15 minutes on each breast at every session. She is definitely addicted to having my finger in her mouth though. She is still using the breast shield. I am a little worried about post-partum depression. I would never consider getting back on anti-depressants as there is a very small risk while breast feeding and I would never take that chance with Madalynne; but it does worry me.
2011-09-29: Day 15 (Thursday) - Today was Madalynne's 2 week appointment with her pediatrician, Dr. Hubbard. She now weighs 6lbs, 8 oz. and is gaining wonderfully although only in the 10th percentile for weight. She was 20-1/4" long, in the 60th percentile; and her head circumference is 13-3/4", in the 30th percentile. I did have a mini heart attack when they first put her on the scale it said 5lb 3.7oz and we thought she had lost 1lb 10oz, then the nurse reset the scale and we breathed easy again. Milestones - she can lift her head momentarily, she can turn it from side to side, she is beginning to focus on faces up close. Dr. Hubbard did give us some bad news, her "fussy crying increase" this past day or so is normal. Dr. Hubbard said the first 2 weeks are the "Honeymoon phase" and the easiest, from week 2-10 things get significantly harder......SERIOUSLY? I don't know that I can handle things any harder than they are right now. I feel like I'm barely hanging on. She is not supposed to smile until about 2 months and won't have control of her limbs until 3 months. Dr. Hubbard did tell us to use a pacifier immediately. Maddie is a sucker and needs that to be soothed and there is no reason to wait for the 4 week mark. That will be a help, we believe. Maddie had her 2nd Newborn Screen today where they pricked her heel; she did NOT like that. Dr. Hubbard also looked at her belly button where her umbilical cord used to be and used silver nitrate to seal it so that we could now bathe her in water. She also told us that Maddie did not need a hat inside all day, but swaddled in light blankets would still be good. Dr. Hubbard also wants us to start Maddie on Vitamin D supplements every day. Today I also decided to put on makeup and my contacts and feel human again. I asked Juan to take some photos of Madalynne and I. We also had our first diaper blowout - with the Huggies diapers, good thing we are about to finish those off.
2011-09-30: Day 16 (Friday) - Where are the days going? They just seem to be a blur of feedings, burping, diapering and rocking at this point. I can't belive how much I am coming to detest breast feeding. It takes so long. I watch Juan give her a bottle, burp her and change her within 20 minutes and I can't even finish one breast and get her burped in 20 minutes. I know it is better for Maddie and I'm not giving up, but it is really weighing me down with the time it requires. Maddie has also become conjested lately, although the pediatrician told us that is normal for a newborn. Daddy has started calling Madalynne by the nickname Monkey and Possum, possum because we have possums living in our bushes that drive the dogs bananas and Juan started telling Maddie that the dogs thought she was a possum, which quickly turned into her nickname. Weight update: 219.7lbs, only 1.7lbs away from my pre-preg weight.
2011-10-01: Day 17 (Saturday) - We gave Madalynne her first official submerged bath and it was a terrible failure! We used the PUJ bathtub in the sink and I thought it would work wonderfully, but it didn't hold water at all, so she was freezing (even with the warm ducky towel we had over her) and then Juan tried to turn on the faucet while she was under it. I know that is a NO-NO, especially with our unpredictable water temps. Madalynne screamed the ENTIRE time, Juan got frustrated, I was frantically trying to hurry, and to top it off; I wanted photos of her first bath so the camera was sitting on the toilet and fell off on the floor. Then Juan was really upset. All in all, I never want to bathe her again! Maddie is mostly wearing one-piece outfits that snap in front and have feet. She has outfits with monkeys, bunnies, etc. Daddy tells her everytime she wears one that these outfits were created out of real monkeys, bunnies, etc.
2011-10-02: Day 18 (Sunday) - Today I got to attend church for the first time since Maddie was born. Mom came over to watch the little one while Juan and I went to church and to a much needed trip to the grocery store. The message was about selfishness and it was a message that I really needed to hear, so it was great. I am also becoming worried about my milk supply. The pediatrician told me that pumping was no longer necessary unless I wanted to stock it and freeze it. I am only pumping twice a day, just enough to store milk for a nighttime feeding so Juan can help; but today I pumped for 20 minutes and barely got anything. Then I pumped again this evening while Juan gave Maddie a bottle, thinking since I hadn't fed her, I would pump a ton; but I barely pumped 1-1/2 oz. Then I freaked out, thinking my milk supply is going down and maybe that's why she is waking up every 2 hours wanting to eat. Maybe she is no longer getting enough to be full when I feed her. I know it has to do with fluids, eating and resting and I'm not doing great at any of those.
2011-10-03: Day 19 (Monday) - Today we have to return the breast pump that we rented from the hospital. I have two other breast pumps, but this one is commercial grade and I know how to use it. I am dreading having to figure out another one. Last night Maddie cried almost all night long. She slept great yesterday evening while we were watching a movie, but once we moved her into our room she slept from 11pm until 1am and then I fed her and tried to get her to sleep until 3am. I finally let her sleep in my arm on our bed and then transfered her into her bassinet only to be awoke to screams at 3:15am. Juan got up with her at 3:30am and changed her and gave her a bottle at 3:45am. She then cried until about 5:30am before she finally fell asleep, only to have me wake her up at 7:45am this morning for another feeding. I think I got about 4 hours sleep all night. I pulled a TON of all-nighters in college, at least 1-2 a week my last semester when I was writing my thesis; but that doesn't compare to this. I think because I always had a day or weekend to catch-up on sleep and just pass out completely and there is no "catch-up" time with Maddie. Juan finally saw yesterday and last night what I've been talking about when I tell him that she cries unconsolably for hours on end. I swear he didn't believe me as she is always sweet or sleeping. WHEN does it get easier? It was beautiful this weekend and we wanted so bad to take Maddie on a walk around the neighborhood and that never happened. It is ridiculous! I have also become suddenly very worried and afraid of dying. I have never felt that way, I believe the Lord is waiting for me and whenever it happens I will return to Him and be at peace; yet suddenly I am terrified of it. I don't know if I am terrified of leaving Maddie alone or what but it is really bothering me. We are doing 5 minutes of tummy time a day, along with the Vitamin D supplements and Maddie does not like either, especially Tummy Time. She gets very frustrated quickly and almost manages to roll over every time. I also started feeding her without using skin to skin, aka with clothes on. She seems to be doing fairly well with it, although she still tends to try and fall asleep so once in awhile I have to change her before switching breasts so she reawakens.
2011-10-04: Day 20 (Tuesday) - Wow, I can't believe Madalynne is already 20 days old. It really has seemed to fly by. Today Abby visited me and Madalynne and brought me lunch. It was good to hear that I am not alone in how I've been feeling post-partum. We had a good talk that seemed to help. I got out Danna's breast pump this morning and realized that I never bought the third part I needed, the tubing. I went back through my emails and realized that was because it is not available except through Medela on-line. I finally got ahold of them around noon and it was going to take 5-6 business days to arrive. I can't wait that long to pump, so I had to have it overnighted. The tubing costs $20 and the shipping costs $34! Ridiculous, but what could I do; just another thing that didn't get done before Madalynne arrived. Hmmppphhh. Madalynne is definitely staying awake longer inbetween feedings, unfortunately it is a lot at night right now. Sometimes she stays awake for almost and hour after a feeding, just watching things. Tonight was also bath night. We tried filling the sink with water and putting the PUJ in the sink. This worked a little bit, but she still screamed the entire time and Juan was REALLY frustrated and I was crying and it was another all around disaster. I'm beginning to think our baby is just going to have to get used to being dirty.
2011-10-05: Day 21 (Wednesday) - Today was a very rough day. It started out ok as Maddie and I went back to bed and managed another hours sleep. Then my tubing arrived and after 30 minutes of pumping I had only 2mL. I don't know what the problem is, but I am devestated. Does that mean my milk is drying up? Is that why she is waking up after 2 hours and crying unconsolably? Is she not getting enough to eat? I am feeding her almost 15 minutes on each side and she seems to be getting a lot at the time. If this pump doesn't work, then that means I can't even pump enough to have Juan help me feed her once at night. The prospective of breast feeding just seems overwhelming to me. As does the thought of feeding her every 2 hours in lieu of every 3! I just don't think I can handle that. This afternoon we did tummy time in her crib and she actually didn't seem to mind so much. I had her monkeys on and she lasted 6 minutes. A definite improvement. Then I put her on her playmat and let her look out her bedroom window as I put more flowers on her wall. She just looked out the window and looked at me, perfectly content for over an hour. She is definitely staying awake longer; but then I noticed she was really tired, red eyes, rubbing them and I spent the 3 hours in the late afternoon trying to get her to sleep. I tried rocking her, bouncing her, putting her in her swing, holding her, etc and to no avail as those ear piercing screams continued. Finally Daddy came home and took her for a few minutes as I composed myself from my flood of tears and then I fed her and she was fine. I am getting to the point where something has to give. I either have to stop breast feeding or I need to see about getting back on anti-depressants. It seems like my emotions should be back in check by now. This evening I tried to give the breast pump one more try. I took all the parts apart again and noticed that the membranes were still wet from when I sterilized them this morning. Could that be why I wasn't able to pump anything this morning. I dried everything off and put it back together and viola!!!! Milk was flowing like a dam had burst. At least that gave me a bit of metal relief. Juan will be able to take one of the feedings tonight.
2011-10-06: Day 22 (Thursday) - Maddie is 3 weeks old today! I just can't seem to comprehend that. Everything seems to be flying by so fast. She is getting so long, I notice this as I go to burp her after feedings as she always decided at that moment to stretch as far as possible. She seems to be listening to my voice more now, and she really does like those monkeys! We did have a slight issue with the alarm last night. I fed her and got her to sleep and right on cue, about 2 hours in, she awoke crying. I ended up laying her in my arms on the bed between Juan and I with a sturdy pillow (I know, this is not recommended, but you do what you must and I really don't move in my sleep and I had her very protected in my arm). Pretty soon I awoke and asked Juan what time it was and we realized it had been 5 hours and 15 minutes since we fed her and she was just sleeping away in my arm. I felt terrible and immediately awoke her and fed her all she could handle. Our goal for the day, take Maddie out for a walk in her stroller. Update: we took Maddie for a walk in her stroller for the first time at lunch. I could have walked with her for hours. It was beautiful out and the sun felt so wonderful. She slept through the entire experience. We also noticed that none of our sidewalks have ramps, what a pain with a stroller. Weight updated: 219lbs, only 1 pound from my pre-preg weight.
2011-10-07: Day 23 (Friday) - We took Madalynne on her first outing today, a trip to the arboretum. It was a beautiful overcast day and Juan took off work a little early. We thought we could avoid the people and get some sunshine. My goal was to get a good photograph of the three of us together. Talk about a major ordeal. I had to get ready, pump so we would have a bottle for her, freeze the bottle holder ice pack, charge the camera battery, pack the diaper bag, pack the camera bag, pack the tripod bag, Juan even packed some stuff in his backpack. We then had to get it and Maddie all in the car. Then we realized we hadn't ate all day and drove through McD's for a quick bite. It was probably 1:45pm by the time we got there. It was PACKED, although mostly at the pumpkin patch (55,000 pumpkins) which we avoided like the plague. We immediately went to the back of the park to our "hidden" spot overlooking the lake and setup the tripod. I brought the camera remote that we bought with the camera and had never used. After a few trial and errors, it worked wonderfully. Juan was very concerned we were stressing out Maddie, but I think she absolutely loved it. She pretty much slept the entire time, except when I changed her and when she got hungry. We only stayed a couple of hours, but it was a WONDERFUL chance to get out of the house. I also discovered that Madalynne does tummy time spendidly in her crib. For some reason, the mattress and her monkeys seem to soothe her. She even managed 6 minutes today. Weight update: 217.6 lbs!!! I am below my pre-preg weight in just 3 short weeks.
2011-10-08: Day 24 (Saturday) - Vanessa came to visit this morning and it was a HUGE help! I had so many questions and things to ask her about. She answered all my questions and even helped me bathe Madalynne. She showed me a couple of obvious tricks that I had never even thought about. First, we had been using the ducky cover to keep her warm, but I was wringing it out which immediately made it cold. Vanessa had me just leave it sopping with warm water. She also put a pacifier in Maddie's mouth when she was screaming, which worked immediately. Then she pretty much just sat there and let us bathe her. Amazing! Don't get me wrong, she still didn't like it and we worked quickly; but it was WAY better then our two previous attempts.
2011-10-09: Day 25 (Sunday) - Mom came to babysit Madalynne today while Juan and I went to church and ran some errands. Unfortunately, when we arrived at church, Pastor Keith was not there and the Life Pastor that was giving the sermon we don't care for at all so we immediately left. We had a ton of errands and even managed to get to the camera store and purchase a light kit for photographs. I needed to be out of the house and baby free for a couple of hours desperately, so it was wonderful. Last night Maddie cried almost the entire night and it was very, very rough. I think I only slept about three hours the entire night.
2011-10-10: Day 26 (Monday) - Maddie did amazing last night. She slept fairly well in the evening and after her 9:30pm feeding, she fell asleep straight away in our bedroom. Juan had to wake her up for her 1:30am feeding and then she went right back asleep and awoke at 5:10am. Juan had placed her rock-n-sleeper on his side of the bed. I'm sure if it was that or something else; but we were both very thankful. Of course I am paying for it today. It is 2pm and she has not slept more than a total of one hour all day, the rest has been extreme crying. I know this morning she was having lots of tummy, gas, poop issues. I just hope the rest of the afternoon gets better. She also spit up for the first time this morning. She spit up just a little once with me and twice when Juan fed her from the bottle and let her drink it too fast; but this was the first random time.
2011-10-11: Day 27 (Tuesday) - Maddie didn't get better yesterday afternoon, in fact she went downhill quickly. She was unconsolable all afternoon, even while we held her and into the evening and night. At 3am when I changed her, she had pooped green and sort of solid. That freaked us out and had us reading the baby books at 3am. She seemed to be a bit better after that but then this afternoon she was obviously in pain again. We had been "riding the bicycle" with her legs to help ease her bloated belly to no avail. Miriam stopped by and said we should ask the pediatrician about gas drops as they really helped her niece. I had read online this morning that gas is very common from 3-6 weeks. I called the pediatrician and spoke with a nurse. She told us gas drops were fine, 6mL four times a day and when I told her she had not pooped since 3am the night before she told us to use a thermometer rectally 1/4 - 1/2" in coated in vaseline. When we did that, the poop flowed. The nurse told us if she hadn't pooped by tomorrow to call and talk to the lactation consultant because there was a concern she wasn't getting enough breast milk. This evening we gave her two bottles with express milk to make sure she was getting plenty. Today was also my due date, Maddie should have been born today! She also spit up again today, still just a little; but it was as she was laying in her rock-N-cradle. I had my follow-up appointment with my OBGYN today. My blood pressure was great at 116/80 and my weight was 219.5lbs, with clothes. I am officially back below my pre-pregnancy weight. They took blood again to check my enzyme levels, so hopefully those are all back to normal as well. My stitches are good and I am basically healed.
2011-10-12: Day 28 (Wednesday) - Maddie pooped this morning at 5am and again at 10am! Yeah. I never thought I would be so excited to see poop. I can't believe how much you can worry about when your child is pooping. She seemed to be much better and happy this morning. In fact, Mom came over and we managed quite a decent little photo shoot with multiple setups and she did great. Then we gave her a bath. This afternoon she seemed to be in pain again and was crying constantly through the evening. She also had not pooped again so at about 9pm we tried the thermometer again. This time we got nothing, so we decided to just wait it out. We did continue to give her gas drops.
2011-10-13: Day 29 (Thursday) - Maddie did semi-ok last night, still in a bit of pain. Today she is officially 4 weeks old! I can't believe it. They say time flies, but I never imagined it going quite this quickly. I am SOOO glad we managed another little photo shoot yesterday; I was getting pretty depressed that we had not taken enough photos while she was little little. I know we got some good ones yesterday. She was very happy this morning, even if it was briefly. She did 10 minutes on her tummy in her crib and was perfectly happy. I think she is getting more used to being on her tummy and not fighting it quite so much. I think it also helped her burp and release gas this morning. At lunch we were trying to take her 4 week photo with her elephant and she spit up so much that milk came out her nose, curdled milk. That was definately a first, poor baby.
2011-10-14: Day 30 (Friday) - Things Maddie can currently do: recognize Juan and I's voice, focus on our faces at a close distance briefly, follow and object from side to side (sometimes), lift her head completely, kick mama really hard, knock out her pacifier with her hands. Things she can't do: smile for real (although Juan swears she smiles at him); hold objects in her hands briefly.
2011-10-15: Day 31 (Saturday) - Monumental day! Maddie was able to breast feed from my left breast without the nipple shield, YEAH!!!! Also, I managed to finish my first scrapbook layout of Maddie. Double YEAH!!!!! She was fussy this morning but napped well this afternoon. We also had an adorable photo shoot this morning for her 1 month photos and they turned out great. Soon to be posted. Things are still difficult, but they definitely seem to be getting better.
2011-10-16: Day 32 (Sunday) - We took Maddie to the Arboretum again today just to get out and walk around a little. It was a beautiful day, although we were only there for about an hour. Then we went to Nana's house for the first time so Daddy could help Nana start her mower. Then Daddy took a nap while Mommy and Nana sat on the patio and Nana held Maddie. We have also started playing with rattles with Maddie. She also has really begun to watch her bird mobile. Juan and I gave her a bath this evening and she didn't CRY!!!!! Well she did once we took her out of the bath, but she did really well while we were bathing her, a first. Then Juan made me dinner of chicken breast, corn, rosemary potatoes, and cheesecake for dessert. He even cleaned up, sort of. :) He really is good to both Maddie and I!
2011-10-17: Day 33 (Monday) - This morning I think Maddie smiled at me for the first time. She is always happiest in the morning. This morning at about 7am she awoke in her cradle while I was pumping so I began talking to her to distract her. I always sing a little song to her in the morning. It goes: "Good Morning, Good Morning, We love to say Good Morning. Good Morning, Good Morning, Good Morning to You!" While I was singing she looked right at me and smiled. I wondered if it was just gas so I waited and then sang it again and I got the same result. I know it's a little early for her to smile, but she could be a prodigy, right? :) We also went to Maddie's 1 month pediatrician appointment today. She now weighs 7lbs 9oz, where head is 14.5" in circumference and her length is about 21-1/4". They measured her length wrong at 24.5" and then again at 20.25"; but Juan and I double checked and they mis-read her length. 20.25" is the same as two weeks ago and I KNOW she has grown significantly in length. She is still in the 10 percentile for weight but in the 50 percentile for length and head circumference. Dr. Hubbard said she is gaining weight well. She should gain 1 lb per month and she gained 1 lb in the last three weeks. She also told us if we feel Maddie is not getting full, to offer her formula after breast feeding to see. She told us to begin to let Maddie sleep through the night as long as she wants and not wake her for feedings. She did tell us to continue to wake her every 2-3 hours during the day for feedings. That disappointed me, but Dr. H said they eat every 3 hours for the rest of their lives...consider a toddler who eats breakfast, a snack, lunch, a snack and dinner before bed. She also said that waking her will help her keep her days and nights straight. My hunch is that we will still be waking every 3 hours or so at night. She doesn't seem to sleep in long stretches. She also told me that a glass of wine a day while breastfeeding is perfectly fine, YEAH!!! I am still struggling and she reiterated that it was normal; newborns are HARD work, especially if you have one who cries a lot like Maddie. She told us her crying could be gas issues, or could just be fussiness, colic, irritable, over-sensitive, etc. whatever name you want to call it. She said we could continue to give her the gas drops 4 times a day, or try a dropper of camomille tea, gripe water, or baby probiotics. She said nothing is gaurenteed to help, but different babies respond to different things. She also told us that her belly button is a little hernia and it will go away, but it will be that way until probably 3-4 years of age. She said it was nothing to worry about and that she wouldn't need surgery for it and it wouldn't be an outie. Juan asked about her catywhompus eye and she said that was still normal at this age and the little red spot on her right eyelid is a little birthmark that will also go away eventually. Maddie was very fussy last night and Juan took care of her when I fell asleep at about 10:45pm. Juan woke me up during the night and asked what time to feed her and I said 1am and he said it was already 3am. She had slept from about 11:45pm until 3am. He fed her a 3 oz bottle and she was still very fussy, so he changed her and I fed her another ounce, which she snarfed down. She stayed fussy the rest of the night and I finally put her in bed with us and she slept about 45 minutes or so until her 6am feeding. She has napped very well today, so I anticipate another rough night tonight.
2011-10-18: Day 34 (Tuesday) - Last night we fed Maddie at 9pm and put her down for the night. She didn't wake up until 2am, so we got almost 4 hours of uninterrupted sleep! Then she only slept about 2 hours the second round. This morning she was pretty good, but at about 2pm this afternoon she had a meltdown and never recovered. She literally cried from 2pm until 6pm when Juan got home. She kept crying with him, but I was so burnt out that I just handed her over and went to the bedroom and shut the door. Not sure what tonight will be like.
2011-10-19: Day 35 (Wednesday) - Today Madalynne started using her voice for good versus evil, ha ha. She started making some non-crying sounds. Not really coos and not really talking, but more short bursts of screams. Granted, they are not really all that loud and she sort of startled herself everytime she did it; but she "talked" to me on and off for a good hour while laying in her crib and on her play mat.
2011-11-17: Day 64 (Thursday) - Grandma Louise came to visit and meet Maddie. She came over and spent most of the day with us. Maddie was very fussy and Gam Gam held her almost the entire afternoon to soothe her.
2011-11-18: Day 65 (Friday) - Gam Gam and Nana came over and then we all went to the Arboretum this afternoon. We took a few more pictures in the pumpkin patch.
2011-11-19: Day 66 (Saturday) - Juan and I took Maddie to JCPenny's for her first professional photo shoot. There were a million people there and we were disappointed with the photos our photographer took. We did get a few tips on taking newborn photos, including using a pillow under the boppy to prop her up and using a white sheet and keeping it messy in lieu of trying to get it layed out all flat. They did give us a bunch of free sheets so it was still worth it and they said they would make it up to us next time if we come back. After taking her pictures we went to lunch at Juan's mother's house. Gaston, Juan's brother, came into town today so we went over to Juan's mother's house again so that Maddie could meet him. She was in awe of him when he held her. She just stared at him confused. I really think he looks so much like Juan that she thought it was Daddy, but knew the voice was wrong. It was too cute.
2011-11-20: Day 67 (Sunday) - Daddy has started calling Maddie "Pretty Pretty" because she is doubly pretty. Daddy also gave me my first day away from little Maddie. He left with her this morning at 9am and didn't come home until almost 5pm. They went to the museum in Ft. Worth and to his mother's house. I spent the day scrapbooking and enjoying the free time and quiet. It was wonderful and it was good for Maddie and Daddy to spend the time together.
2011-11-22: Day 69 (Tuesday) - Today Maddie was happy and fine this morning and then super fussy and upset this afternoon. I couldn't get her calmed down at all and we finally gave her more tylonol this evening.
2012-02-19 (Sunday) - Sunday - Today we fed Maddie cereal for the first time. She did AMAZING and managed to eat about 1 tablespoon. She tried to suck on the spoon a bit and she wasn't quite sure what to do with her tongue, she wanted to put it on top of the spoon; but for her first time, she did great. We used Earth's Best Organic Whole Grain - Multi-Grain cereal. I followed the directions on the box and mixed it with formula, but it seemed too runny so I think I will put in less formula tomorrow.
2012-02-20 (Monday) - Cereal again for Maddie today. We feeding her solids at about 3-3:30pm each day. I know they recommend feeding in the morning so you can see if they have any sort of allergic reaction; but with us leaving at 6am in the mornings, that just doesn't work out for us. Since she is only eating solids once a day, I feed her when I get home, after her afternoon bottle and then we still have 3 hours or so to see if she has a reaction. So far it's worked out well for us. Today we gave her water in a cup for the first time. She immediately figured it out. We had to help her not dump it all over herself and she sort of flung the cup sending water everywhere; but she REALLY liked using the cup and managed it fairly well for the first time.
2012-02-21 (Tuesday) - We haven't taken Maddie's high chair out of storage yet, so for now we have been feeding her on the kitchen table in her bumbo. She already gets excited when we put her in it. She knows it's time to eat. She is really taking to solid food and opens her mouth when I put the spoon up to it.
2012-02-22 (Wednesday) - Maddie is now very proficient at rolling from her back to her front, always rolling right; but she hasn't rolled from her front to her back yet. She gets close and can do it with help. I don't think it will be too much longer. She loves books, especially the soft books she can get in her mouth. She is also totally in love with her Jump-A-Roo. Everytime she makes one of the animals sing a song she smiles and looks to us for approval. What a great investment
2012-02-23 (Thursday) - Nana came over this afternoon to babysit while Juan and I went to meet the realators to discuss putting his house on the market. Today was also the first day that we gave Maddie a vegtable - Squash! I used the babycook last night to make her carrotts. Since it was the first time I had used the Babycook, it had to run through 3 cycles to sterilize, then I had to wash and cut the carrots and cook them. Then I started working and was so exhausted that I fell asleep and completely forgot about the carrots. I woke up in the middle of the night and remembered they were still sitting in the babycook. I threw them out and this morning made squash instead, before I went to work.
2012-02-24 (Friday) - Maddie LOVES squash! I thought she liked the cereal; but the squash she literally has convulsions for. She inhales it and opens her mouth before I can even refill the spoon. I don't know if it's because it has so much more flavor then the cereal or because it is sweet. I hope she likes everything we give her as much as she does this first veggie.
2012-02-25 (Saturday) - We finally bit the bullet and traded in my Honda Civic for something that a car seat fits in a little better. This is my new Honda CR-V in Twilight Blue Metallic. It's nice to be sitting a little bit higher and it is DEFINITELY easier to get Maddie and her stroller in and out! Oh yeah and Maddie finally rolled from her front to her back today! She was SOOO proud of herself.
2012-02-26 (Sunday) - Today we gave Maddie carrots for the first time. We didn't think she would like them, but she opened wide! She didn't eat quite as much as with the squash, but I think she ate about 1 ounce. I'm so glad that she is doing so well with solids.
2012-02-27 (Monday) - We gave Maddie carrots for the first time today. She seems a little taken aback at them but then got totally into eating them. I didn't realize carrots would be so messy. There is orange everywhere! She ate every bite and probably would have ate more.
2012-03-02 (Friday) - This evening we went over to Marco and Gracie's to celebrate Juan's dad's birthday with dinner. We arrived at about 5pm and finally gave up and took Maddie home at about 7:45pm. She did awesome though. She didn't cry or fuss at all. She was entranced with being in a new house and around so many people. She wasn't scared at all. She is so awesome! She was exhausted, but refused to go to sleep and miss even a minute.
2012-03-03 (Saturday) - Today Maddie babbled mama and dada both. She has been really talking up a storm for the past couple of days. It is soooo awesome to hear her talking. I could listen to her all day. She acts so confident, like she knows exactly what she's saying.
2012-03-04 (Sunday) - Maddie definitely loves food. When she sees us eat or drink ANYTHING she stops and stares at us and then makes mouth eating motions. We gave her asparagus for the first time today. I think she liked it better than even the squash. She literally tried to throw herself at the spoon and didn't just open her mouth but stuck out her entire tongue. LOL! She ate 2 ounces the very first time. She is really starting to get distracted with her bottle though. She babbles a lot while drinking, so she is making quite the mess. Maddie has also started laughing a LOT. We gave her a little crocidile that says colors in english, french and spanish and she laughed hysterically at us for about 30 minutes. It was so cute.
2012-03-07 (Wednesday) - We gave Maddie green beans for the first time today. She ate them, but didn't seem to be too impressed. She also is using her fore finger and thumb to pick up things. She layed on her pink mat today and picked up her bug and turned it over back and forth looking at it and putting it in her mouth. She is starting to reach for things.
2012-03-08 (Thursday) - Juan fed her green beans today and she choked most of them back up. She was pretty much gagging herself the entire time and only ate about 1 ounce. I don't know if she didn't like them, wasn't hungry, or was confused because Daddy was feeding her.
2012-03-09 (Friday) - Today Maddie sort of reached for Juan. She was sitting on my lap and he asked her if she wanted to "come with Daddy" and she flapped her little arms and kicked really hard. I think she did want to go with Daddy. She later did the similar with me.
2012-03-10 (Saturday)- Today Maddie and I went on our first road trip. Nana road with us and we went to Tahlaquah, OK to a scrapbook retreat. Joining us was Angie and little Kayla (8-1/2 months), Aunt Vanessa and little Ashlyn (15 months), Shannon, Debbie, Carrie and little Lauren (2-1/2 years), Sabrina and Joselyn (6 years), and friends Sabrina, Michelle, and Michelle. It was about a 4-1/2 hour drive and we left at 5:30 am. Maddie did great in the car until about the 3-1/2 hour mark. It was slightly crazy with so many little ones, but they all did really great and enjoyed each other.
2012-03-11 (Sunday) - Maddie did great her first night away from home and in a pack-n-play. She went down like clockwork at 6:00pm (she was exhausted) and slept until 4:45am (5:45am because of daylight savings). I fed her and she slept for another hour. She didn't nap much throughout the day, but was really good for a 6 month old. She loved everyone and didn't mind being passed around at all. She was also extremely interested in the babies and watched them constantly.
2012-03-12 (Monday) - Maddie did great again last night. I was extremely stressed and worried, but she went down after reading Goodnight Moon twice. She woke up about 30 minutes later, but then went right back down and slept until almost 6am! We left OK at about 11:30am and she only slept about 40 minutes then entire trip and cried almost the rest. Nana started out riding with Vanessa, but after about and hour and a half into the trip we had to stop because Maddie just wouldn't stop crying. She needed her diaper changed and we had lunch and let the kids out of the car for awhile before starting off again. For the second half, Nana rode with us and I was VERY glad as the last hour she literally had to play peak-a-boo the entire time to keep Maddie from crying. She was exhausted, ready to be out of the car, and ready to be home. She was also VERY glad to see Daddy! He missed us both a ton. We gave Maddie a bath tonight and she kicked/splashed for the first time. She was having a blast kicking in the water and is amazed when Juan pours water from the pitcher. She tries to catch it in her hand. She is still too timid to splash her hand, but loves kicking her feet. Daddy bought flowers for me and Maddie her own separate bouquet of gerber daisies in her room. It was so sweet!
2012-03-13 (Tuesday) - Maddie sat up alone for about 30 seconds today for the first time. She also played with her plastic stacking rings and managed to take the rings off by herself. I laid her on the floor and put her cloth book about three feet away and told her to get it.....amazingly, she did! She rolled over to it and picked it right up...and it went right in her mouth. I was so surprised.
2012-03-14 (Wednesday) - We gave Maddie Zucchini for the first time today. She liked it as much as the first squash that we gave her! We also got an offer on Juan's house today. It was quite a bit less than we were hoping for, but they want to close May 1st which is perfect. We are going to counter tomorrow with a pretty high number.
2012-03-15 (Thursday) - I can't believe that Maddie is 6 months old today. It seems like yesterday we were bringing her home from the hospital. She is growing so fast. She is sitting by herself for longer and longer periods of time. She is also beginning to shake and bang objects to make noise, even if that means banging them on herself. She reaches for toys and even is managing to take the rings off the stackers by herself. Daddy helps her do it with her feet and she thinks that is hilarious. She still LOVES to kick. They countered our counter offer on Juan's house. They came up a little, but not what we were hoping for.
2012-03-16 (Friday) - Today was Maddie's six month well baby visit. Juan had a management course that he was taking for work, so Maria went with Maddie and I. Maddie was 20 lbs and 11 ounces at 95% she off the charts. She was 28-1/4" long at also 95th percentile. Her head circumference was 17-1/2" and at 92nd percentile. Dr. Hubbard said she is definitely a big baby, but as all of her stats are off the charts and in proportion she is not worried. We told her that Maddie is just not napping in the crib. She is doing great at night and going right down and still sleeping 10-11 hours straight, but if we put her in the crib during the day she only naps for maybe 10 minutes; hence the reason Maria holds her to nap. Then she sleeps 2-3 hours. Dr. Hubbard says we have to break her of that now or when we come in at 9 months we will be telling her that now Maddie's nights are screwed upa nd she is not sleeping through them. She said that at 6 months Maddie is learning to reason and that she will eventually question why does she have to sleep in the crib at night and not in the day. She said to do some sort of routine when she gets sleepy and then put her in her crib and leave. She said to let her cry it out, even if it takes an hour. She said do not go back in and pick her up. She said at 10 minutes go in and tell her everything is ok and that we are here but she has to nap. She said leave again and return in another 15 minutes. Maria was continually saying no, no, no. Dr. Hubbard also told us that if she was taking to solids well, give her more; feed her 2-3 times a day and feed her two different things. She still recommended giving her all the new vegtables first, then fruits and then meats. She also said we could continue to give her a bottle before bed for as long as we wanted. I also asked her about pierced ears. She said if we wanted to pierce Maddie's ears we should do it sooner rather than later. As she gets older she moves around more and we won't be able to get them even on both sides. She also said that she probably would pull on them or notice them this early. So I decided to pierce them today! It was $100 I wanted her pediatrician to do it since she is so young. Poor Maddie screamed a lot during the first one, then she screamed even more for the second. It was very hard to watch. Then we turned around and she was immediately given her three shots. It was a very rough day for her. She was pretty traumatized that the time.
Maddie cried a lot this afternoon and Maria gave her Children's tylenol. I gave her another dose before bed. We also accepted the offer on Juan's house and finalized the contract today. It should go to the title company tomorrow.
2012-03-17 (Saturday) - Today we went and bought Maddie a ton of fresh veggies from Central Market. We went way over board; but I wanted to make a ton of food to freeze and last us the next couple of weeks. Maddie was only running a very slight fever this morning 100.6 degrees, so I went ahead and gave her a dose of Tylenol. Juan had his management class today, so I had Maddie all day. I decided to try an put her down for her nap at about 1pm. She cried for an entire hour and never did fall asleep. It was terrible and I was totally stressed out. I am really worried about how this is going to work. We went to Alice's 1 year birthday party this afternoon. This evening Maddie had a lot of issues going down to bed. I am so worried!
2012-03-18 (Sunday) - I told Juan he had to put Maddie down for her naps today. This morning he put her down and she fell right asleep. This afternoon she cried for about 10 minutes and then finally fell asleep. She slept for about an hour both times. I am extremely nervous about how she will do with Maria tomorrow and whether or not Maria will give in. This afternoon we went to Kaitlyn's 3rd birthday party. It was actually a lot of fun and Maddie enjoyed watching the children and was extra amused by Alice. This evening I started making the mounds of baby food. I only got though the peas, lima beans and broccoli. The peas didn't turn out at all. I bought fresh frozen ones and cooked them, but the skin didn't really blend up well so we were afraid Maddie might choke on it. I ended up throwing out all three batches. We did give Maddie a cracker for the first time. We only had club crackers, but she loved them. She would have ate the whole box, but we only had a few. Looks like we need to buy some Saltines.
2012-03-19 (Monday) - Today Maria put Maddie down for a nap at about 9am and she slept for an hour with no problems. Then she slept again for an hour at about 11am, with still no crying. Juan tried to put her down at lunch for anthother nap, but she would have none of that so they let her up and then Maria put her down again later and she only cried for about 10 minutes. I am so glad that she seems to be catching on. Today I gave Maddie lima beans for the first time. She made some very funny faces. I think the consistancy may have been too thick. She only ate about 1 oz and then refused any more.
2012-03-20 (Tuesday) - It POURED all night long. Vanessa texted me at about 11pm last night that the roof was leaking. Great! I was awake most of the night stressed about it. Our inspection is Thursday morning and I am just sure they are going to demand we fix it....if they don't just back out completely. Maddie took naps again today well in the morning for an hour and then in the afternoon for only 30 minutes, so Maria made her stay in the crib and apparently she cried for an hour and then finally fell asleep at 2:30pm. I felt bad for her. I told her that as long as she takes at least two naps and sleeps at all, that is fine. She fed Maddie oatmeal for the first time today, but I think was too runny so she didn't eat it well. This afternoon I gave her broccoli for the first time. She really seemed to like that and eagerly opened her mouth for more. About 3/4 of the way through it she stopped eating it so I tried it and realized that it was completely cold. Poor thing had been eating it cold. I heated it up some more and then she ate the rest ok. I felt so bad. This evening she had difficulty going to bed again. She cried for 10 minutes or so and Juan finally went in and rubbed her back until she fell asleep. I guess it is going to take her awhile to figure it all out.
2012-03-28 (Wednesday) Maddie really likes bath time. She is not too keen on the hair washing part, but loves all of Daddy's antics.
2012-03-29 (Thursday) Today Maria caught Maddie pulling down her entire mobile while she was in her crib. Time to say bye-bye to her mobiles. We took them down this evening. She is also pushing herself up enough to almost see out of the crib. Looks like we are going to be lowering her crib this weekend. Also, today Maddie got her first tooth! Maria found it because when Maddie was drinking from her cup she was rubbing it against the side and Maria heard it. Sure enough, a little tooth has popped through on the bottom right front. We didn't even know. She was just a little fussy this weekend, especially at night when I put her down; but I just thought it was the whole nap thing her learning to sleep in her crib. She is such a tough little baby. We bought her a pop up animal box and she really likes it. She hasn't figured out how to make any of the animals pop up, but she has became a pro and pushing them back down. I am convinced that she thinks that is the goal. She has grown out of all her clothes, again! Her 12 month clothes are too small now.
2012-03-30 (Friday) Maddie loves crackers and eats anything we give her.
2012-03-31 (Saturday) Today we had Maddie's 6 months pictures taken at JCPenny. Tiffany was back and managed to get a couple of cute shots. Maddie was too interested in the camera and lights and just did NOT want to smile! I also went to see Vanessa's new house and help her do a few move in type things. Such a cute little home.
2012-04-01 (Sunday) Today we dropped Maddie's crib down to the next level. She is getting to where she is pulling herself up by the crib bars so we decided it was time. We also drove around to look at neighborhoods. We really like the Lakewood area. Maddie was wonderful and napped the entire time. We also gave Maddie banana for the first time. She didn't really seem to like it and was a little bit hesitant.
2012-04-02 (Monday) We went to dinner at Dave and Siobhan's this evening. Maddie was great. We stayed until almost 8 and Maddie was perfectly content to sit and watch the adults. We did give her a strawberry for the first time. She loved it! Too funny, guess it's really time to start her on fruits.
2012-04-04 (Wednesday) I had to travel to KC for work so Maria stayed late and gave Maddie her first taste of sweet potatoes. She said that she didn't like them at all. That surprised me.
2012-04-05 (Thursday) I gave Maddie sweet potatoes today and she liked them just fine. We found out that Maria gave them to her slightly cold because she was afraid of burning her little mouth. Apparently Maddie likes her veggies warm. She is really getting on her hands and knees and rocking a lot. Sometimes she even launches herself forward. She definitely does the backwards scoot thing. She will end up on the other side of the room in a blink of an eye.
2012-04-06 (Friday) Yesterday I noticed Maddie has a pretty bad rash on her chin and cheek. Apparently it started Wednesday while I was gone. I put lotion on it, thinking it was from all the milk she drips, but today we decided to go ahead and take her to the pediatrician. It was worse today and now her little chin is scabbing over. Dr. Hubbard said it is excema from all of the drool and wiping of her mouth. She said to put Aquaphor on it, especially at night when she is sleeping so she won't rub it off. They weighed her, with clothes and she was 21 lbs 14 oz. I'm so glad it was nothing serious.
2012-04-07 (Saturday) Today we took Maddie to the zoo. We put her in the stroller without her infant seat and she did pretty well. She is still a little small, but seemed to enjoy the freedom of sitting and looking around. She was definitely more interested in the people and other children than she was the animals. I did hold her while I fed the giraffes and she was interested. Not interested enough to try and touch the giraffe, but she wasn't scared either. We then went to my in-laws for lunch and we gave Maddie her first tortilla. She loved it and nawed on it forever. She did drop quite a few on the ground, and Maria was quick to give her another. I also fed her peas from the store. I had a few store bought ones that Vanessa gave me that Ashlyn didn't like, so I had packed one for convenience and she ate the entire 3.5oz. Guess she doesn't mind the store bought food. Good to know. We then took Maddie to Nana's so we could go to our missed anniversary dinner and a movie. We ended up just coming home and taking a nap for 3 hours! How crazy. We then grabbed a quick bite at Macarroni grille and went to stock up on more veggies and fruits for Maddie. We bought more broccoli, asparagus, green beans and spinach. We also bought apples, pears, strawberries, and prunes for her to try.
2012-04-08 (Sunday) Juan moved Maddie's jump a jump off the beam in the living room, because I didn't feel it was safe. She really wanted to jump in it and kept looking longingly at it. We moved it to the stairs and it was too high for her to reach the floor so we put a big box under it and she went to town jumping. She absolutely loved it! She also loved that she could spin and see herself in the mirror. She LOVES the mirror! We went to Mom's house for Easter and had a fun time. Nana gave Maddie an Easter basket and she loved it.
2012-04-09 (Monday) I gave Maddie Spinach for the first time today. She ate it, seemed to think it was ok. It is not one of her favorites, but she did eat it all.
2012-04-11 (Wednesday) Today I took off work to spend the day with Maddie and Mom. We took Maddie to a field of bluebonnets. Juan was worried she would get eaten by bugs and snakes, but I told him he was being silly.
2012-04-13 (Friday) Juan fed Maddie Spinach for the first time today. He managed to get her to eat most of it. Then he gave her watermelon for the first time. She really liked it. I don't know if she likes it or just likes to feed herself, but she seemed to enjoy it thoroughly!
2012-04-14 (Saturday) Maddie is getting really good at standing in one position. Today, Juan stood her up at the coffee table and then let her go and she managed to stay standing for a few seconds alone. We took Maddie swimming for the first time today. It was Blake's 6th birthday party at the indoor swimming pool in Plano. Maddie had a blast and wasn't scared of the water at all. She was very interested in the other little girls playing in the pool and wanted to make friends. We also gave her canteloupe for the first time. She loved it. She is going to be a fruit lover like her father.
2012-04-15 (Sunday) Maddie turned 7 months old today. She is now bigger than her elefant. She loves books and constantly looks at them.
2012-04-16 (Monday) Miriam came to visit today. She brought some new form of cheap camera and Maddie thought it was extremely interesting. She is definitely going to be a photographer.
2012-04-18 (Wednesday) Maddie LOVES her jumpy jump. She loves trying to reach out and grab things while she is jumping. It's a big game to her. She gets such great excercise out of it.
2012-04-20 (Friday) This evening we went to Gracie's parents 50th Wedding vow renewal reception. Maddie did great, but she really wanted to eat off of our plates and there wasn't much we could give her. I gave her a piece of lettuce and she chewed on it forever and never could swallow it. I ended up taking it out of her mouth. Some friends of Gracie's sat with us at our table and gave Maddie lemons for the first time. She made funny faces, but seemed to enjoy it until she rubbed her eyes.
2012-04-21 (Saturday) Juan took Maddie to his mother's and let her play with Sole and Aram. He also took her to the park and let her swing for the first time. He said she loved it and laughed everytime she swung toward him. We also took Maddie to the Pancake House for breakfast. Maddie loved the pancakes and bananas. She ate the entire time we were there.
2012-04-22 (Sunday) Maddie officially crawled today, well sort of. She has figured out how to rock until she gets up enough momentum to pull both her legs forward and then sort of lunges with her arms. She can get from one side of the room to the other. It won't be long soon. She really gets motivated to move when you put an I-phone out infront of her. She is also officially in size 4 diapers. She is growing SO fast! Juan took her to Central Market today and she came home happy with a balloon.
2012-04-24 (Tuesday) Today I gave Maddie mandarin oranges for the first time. She seemed to like them, although she squished them up quite a bit.
2012-04-25 (Wednesday) Today Maddie figured out how to make both her arms and her legs work together. She crawled all the way across the room to me. She was so proud of herself. I even managed to video this amazing first. No more scooting/pulling, she is on the road to independance.
2012-04-26 (Thursday) We saw a house that we are going to make an offer on. It is in the Moss Park neighborhood that we have been looking in. Our realtor heard this house was going on the market before it was listed with MLS, so we were able to be the first to see it. The floor plan is perfect, it is really move in ready and has a great yard. We doubt they will accept our offer, but we are going to give it a shot. I spent the entire night getting all of our paperwork in order to send to our loan officer to see if we can even qualify for our offer without Chimneysweep being sold.
2012-04-27 (Friday) They accepted our offer today. We qualified for the loan, made an offer and they accepted. No negotiations, other than moving the closing date from June 15th to May 31st. Good grief that is only a month away! Now we just need to get the inspection done.
2012-04-28 (Saturday) Today we took Maddie to Ellie's 3rd birthday party at Bob Jones nature center. She likes watching all of the little ones. She even went on the nature walk.
2012-04-29 (Sunday) We took Maddie to church and left her in the nursery for the first time today. She did great although when we arrived back after we discovered her eating cheerios, something we have decided not to give her yet due to the sugar content. She didn't cry at all though and seemed to have done wonderfully.
2012-04-30 (Monday) Yesterday Juan and Maddie went to Central Market while I was working. They came home with an early Mother's Day present for me from Maddie, tulips! How sweet are my two sweeties?
2012-05-01 (Tuesday) Today we officially closed on Juan's house!!!! What a relief. We even came out of it with $6799.26 minus the plumbing $205, the roofing $354.77, the AC fixes $250, 10% to the church $680 we came out at $5,309.49. At least we weren't negative!
2012-05-02 (Wednesday) Maddie has just about figured how to pull herself up into a standing position. She LOVES standing, and if you stand her up next to something, she will stand there forever. She has figured out how to play with her sit and stand if we get her into the standing position.
2012-05-03 (Thursday) Maria said that Maddie pulled up into a standing position at her monkey sit and stand today. I tried all afternoon to get her to do it again, but no luck. This evening, Maddie refused to let us put clothes back on her. I walked into her room to find her in this state and Juan sitting on the floor next her. She was just happy as a clam.
2012-05-04 (Friday) Today Maddie decided to stand on her own. I managed to film it all. She crawled all over the place and got to the stairs and was desperately trying to determinte how to get on her feet. Pretty soon, she figured it out. She also crawled straight the mirror and proceeded to bang her head into it over an over. She got stuck under her highchair and pretty soon figured out how to get out.
2012-05-05 (Saturday) This morning I put Maddie in her crib, turned around to pick up a few things and turned back around to see her STANDING at the edge of her crib. I layed her back down and rushed into the other room to grab something and quickly returned to see her standing again! It appears she has figured how to quickly get to her feet. We had to lower her crib to the lowest level this evening. I was terribly afraid she would stand up in the night and fall out of her crib. Juan had a management class at work, so we went to the "dump" with Mom. I also took Maddie to the grocery store this morning for the first time by myself. She did great. I did break down and get her a ton of different puffs. I really don't like all the sodium and preservatives in them, but she really needs some sort of finger foods. I also got her baby yogurt to start her on.
2012-05-06 (Sunday) Today we gave Maddie yogurt for the first time. She seemed to like it, just like everything else. I also gave her puffs, which she checked out very intently and then ate right up. In fact, for the last one she stuck the entire thing in her mouth and then sort of choked.
2012-05-07 (Monday) Today Maria gave Maddie wagon wheel puffs and said she shoved the entire thing in her mouth and choked, so she didn't want to give them to her anymore. I told her to give her the little ones and she said ok.
2012-07-26 (Thursday) Maddie has started refusing to wear a bib, but she makes a huge mess, so it is a fight at every meal. She is such a stubborn little thing. She has also started screaming a high pitch scream all the time.
2012-10-03 (Wednesday) I made macarroni and cheese for the first time tonight for Maddie. She has had M&C at restaurants, but never the Kraft kind from the box. We gave her chicken and veggies first and then the M&C. As I predicted, she inhaled it and would have ate as much as I put I on her plate. She ate an entire little baby bowl full. It was definitely a hit.
2012-11-9 (Friday) Maddie is now saying "IPAD". She sees it, she wants it. Simple as that. She loves all the different apps and is actually pretty good at the memory game. She also likes to play the piano and the monkey drum.
* 8:30pm the night before I got terrible pains high up under my ribs. I had this same pain the night before that for about three hours and thought it was Madalynne sticking her foot between my ribs. I had heard that was painful and often happened as the babies get larger, although this was the first time I had felt anything similar. I tried every position possible to get comfortable and relieve the pain but nothing helped. Juan tried to massage my back, I tried walking, laying down, sitting up, and NOTHING was helping. In fact, the pain was growing more intense.
* 1:00am I told Juan that we needed to go to the hospital and get it checked out. I was sure they would tell me that it was just a random pregnancy pain and send me home, but the pain was so intense that it was making me nauseous.
* 1:15am we arrived at the hospital. My blood pressure was high so they started monitoring both the baby and I. She was not in distress at all and they said whatever was causing the pain had nothing to do with the baby.
* 3:00am they took blood and gave me anti-gas medicine and Maylox, thinking that could be the problem. They also gave me ulcer medicine.
* 4:30am the pain had not let up so they finally gave me a shot of demerol for the pain.
* 7:00am they said we were waiting for the doctor to come in and then we would be released as my pain had subsided, but the doctor wanted one more set of lab work done, so they drew blood one more time.
* 8:15am Dr. Farrow came in and told us that my blood pressure had been all over the map throughout the night, up to 200 at one point. My first set of labs had shown elevated liver enzymes, but it was only one so she wanted the second set of labs just to make sure everything was ok. Apparently it was not. She said that I had PIH (Pregnancy Induced Hypertension) and that basically my body would continue to get sicker and sicker until I delivered. She had conferred with my maternal fetal medicine doctor and they both felt that although Madalynne was early, just past 36 weeks; she was far enough along to outweigh the risks associated with letting me continue to carry her any longer. They were going to induce TODAY! We were in shock. We had not brought so much as an extra set of clothes. I came straight out of bed in my tank top and lounge pants with flip flops. We didn't bring a "bag", we didn't even have a bag packed...for that matter, we didn't even have a car seat. It was on order and supposed to be delivered today. Misti was my nurse and was AMAZING! I am sure that without all her special attention I never would have been able to deliver vaginally.
* 8:30am they gave me an IV and started fluids and Pitocin to induce labor. Dr. Farrow also warned us that I had not dropped at all and had not started dialating and that often when inducing this early, there was a high risk for a C-section as the baby just does not progress as she needs to in a timely manner. This made me nervous as I really wanted a vaginal birth and C-section was the farthest thing from my mind. As the nursing staff was connecting me to everything they mentioned that with PIH, they often had to start the patient on Magnesium which unfortunately makes you very ill. The nurse said Dr. Farrow had not ordered this yet, but to be ready for the possibility.
* 9:30am they started me on Magnesium. They also told me that since it made the patient so sick, you are not allowed to eat, had to be confined to bed, and have a catheter. By the way, I had not eaten since 8pm the following evening and then only a small bowl of cherrios. The nurses also told me that I could have an epidural anytime I was ready for it and that she recommended it right away since they had to put in the catheter. She also said that the Magnesium is to calm your central nervous system, due to the elevated blood pressure to keep me from stroking out. The downside to this is that it works against the Pitocin which further leads to the possibility of a C-section. Finally she said that when your liver enzymes go up, typically your white blood count goes down. Mine was still in the ok range, but once it drops to a certain level, you are not allowed an epidural, so if I was to need a C-section, they would have to anesthetize me completely and put me to sleep. I quickly decided it was epidural time.
* 10:30am they put in the epidural. It was actually not any worse than some of the IV's I've had put in. The anesthetician did a great job and got it in on the first try. She also told us it was already her 8th of the day, apparently it was the day to have babies!
* 11:00am the catheter was inserted and they also put compression pads on each leg to stimulate the muscles and keep them from siezing.
* 11:25am the lab came in for their 3rd blood draw since I arrived. Since my veins are deep and run from the needle, blood draws are always a painful experience for me. For the most part, the lab did a good job of getting a vein on the first stick.
* 12:30pm I was actually progressing a bit and was dilated to 3-1/2 cm. Dr. Farrow broke my water and an internal monitor was installed to monitor my contractions. This meant they could remove one of the monitors from my tummy. Dr. Farrow also instructed the nurse to turn and manipulate my body and legs to help “open” my pelvis as I was still at zero station.
* 2:15pm I was 4cm dilated and 90 percent effaced although I was still at zero station. Dr. Farrow said that was good progression and that she was surprised and pleased.
* 3:00pm I needed my epidural to be increased yet again and I was very surprised to recognize the anesthesiologist as Nikki Spears from K-state. She is married to Greg Spears who worked with Jim at Schmidt and Stacey when I interned. We all hung out together a lot and I hadn’t seen her for years. What a small, small world.
* 3:50pm dilated to 8cm and shivering a lot, uncontrollably.
* 4:30pm the nurses said I was ready to deliver but Dr. Farrow was getting ready to start a C-section. They discussed just proceeding without her as I was ready. Dr. Farrow came in and told them she had a C-section waiting and they said I was ready and in quite a bit of pain from the pressure so we needed to deliver immediately so Dr. Farrow stayed and began the delivery process.
* 4:50pm Once I got in delivery position, Juan was on my left holding my left leg and the nurse was on my right holding my right leg. Dr. Farrow instructed me to take a deep breathe in, hold it and bare down for 10 seconds, release the breath and take another deep breath in and repeat this entire process three times. Even though I had an epidural and they had increased it for me three times throughout the day and I was still in pain. It was more pressure related than pain and I am still not convinced it was more from the Magnesium. I did four repetitions of the three breaths of ten second process before the head and shoulders were out.
* 5:03pm Madalynne Grace Navarro arrived, she was 5 lbs 12-1/2 oz and 18” long. Juan cut the umbilical cord and Mom arrived as I was pushing just in time to see Madalynne born. They took Maddie to the warmer station to check her out while they finished me up. I only had a first degree tear and required a few stitches. It did seem to take a long time to deliver the placenta and Dr. Farrow asked for the placenta to be sent out for testing. It was a very surreal experience as I was still very doped up and ill from the magnesium. They removed my epidural and they also informed me that I had to stay on magnesium for 24 hours, this upset me greatly as I was ready to shower, eat and feel human again. The best part is that they let Maddie room with us.
* 5:55pm Once they determined Madalynne was fine (she didn’t even need oxygen) they brought her back to me and placed her on my chest and had me attempt to breast feed. She nursed for 20 minutes skin to skin with me which was awesome. I don’t know that she latched or really got anything, but holding her was exactly what I needed.
* 6:00pm Vanessa was in the waiting room immediately after I delivered and was the first visitor that came to see us, excluding Mom of course.
* 6:30pm Maria and Alfonso arrived to visit and see Maddie. They didn’t stay long as I was still in a lot of pain and extremely groggy.
* 8:00pm They moved me to my second room. I had to stay on the LDR floor, they couldn’t send me to post-partum because I was on magnesium and had to be closely monitored, so they moved us into the LDR annex room.
* 8:30pm Maria, Thelma, Aram and Sole came to visit.
* 9:30pm They came to give Maddie her first bath. They now wait 6 hours after delivery because the stuff on her is actually protecting her from infections for the first few hours of life.
* 9:45pm Marco, Gracie, Prinscella, and Isabella came to visit.
* 9:50pm Madalynne had her first wet diaper.
2011-09-16: Day 2 (Friday) –
* 1:30am They moved me into my 3rd room, an ante-partum room that was very small and the toilet didn’t even have a sink. The only sink in the entire room was the hand washing sink next to my bed.
* 5:05am Madalynne has another wet diaper which is good because that means she is getting something from breast feeding and is not dehydrated. She also had a poopy diaper, although I don’t when exactly that was. The goal for the first 24 hours was 1 wet and 1 soiled diaper and she reached both goals with no problem.
* 8:30am We were anxiously awaiting them to remove my magnesium. We had asked Juan’s parents to visit this morning at 9:30am to bring tacos because I was starving. They came in to tell me the orders were that I had to stay on magnesium for 24 hours FROM DELIVERY. That was not what I wanted to hear and it upset me greatly. My blood pressure had remained down since the delivery, but apparently my liver enzymes were still going up. That meant it would be almost 33 hours since I had been allowed to eat, get out of bed, or even go to the bathroom. I was also still feeling very sick from the magnesium.
* 9:30am Juan’s parents arrived to visit, although they left the tacos in the car. It was obvious I was still struggling and in a lot of pain, so they didn’t stay long and told the rest of the family to wait to visit again until Saturday.
* 9:50am Madalynne had a wet diaper, the first of the day.
*12:30pm Dr. Farrow arrived to explain why I needed to stay on Magnesium for 24 hours. She was still concerned with my blood work and those liver enzymes. They did tell us after she left that the orders said they could take me off at 3:15pm.
* 2:45pm Debbie arrived to visit. She didn’t hold Maddy as there was a lot going on and she didn’t stay long but brought us flowers and congratulated us.
* 3:08pm The lactation consultant FINALLY arrived. My milk has not yet come in and I am having all sorts of problems getting Maddie latched. She is making sucking noises but the nursery nurse from the night before said that she was not latching and to take her off when she did that. I told the lactation consultant that she had to come back later, it was literally 7 minutes until they take me off the magnesium and I had to get off that and shower to feel human again as I was losing it quickly. She said she was booked until 6:30pm that evening and that she needed to feed again shortly as it had been since noon or so since I had tried to feed her. I told her I would as soon as I got out this magnesium and showered.
* 3:15pm They removed my magnesium but left in the catheter and IV until I used the restroom. I was drinking a ton of water, since that’s all I had been allowed for the past two days except for jello and popscicles and apple juice so I had no problem with that. They removed the catheter and I was finally able to shower. They made me shower on the chair in the bathtub and Juan couldn’t help because Maddie would be in the room alone. It was EXTREMELY hard, painful and difficult to get showered with an IV in one arm and alone. I finally managed it after about 30 minutes, although Juan did have to move Maddie to the bathroom door and try to help me while watching her.
* 3:45pm Vanessa arrived to visit and hold Maddie for the first time.
* 4:00pm Mom arrived to visit and I was frantic to get food ordered and delivered.
* 5:05pm the nursery nurse came in to check Maddy and we realized we hadn’t fed or changed her in over 5 hours. Up to this point, we had let the nursery nurse change her and track her outputs as Juan was doing his best to take care of both me and Maddie. I was horrified and felt like a terrible mother. Madalynne did have another wet diaper and her goal for the day was 2, which she reached. After this we started tracking her diapers and breastfeeds ourselves.
* 5:50pm Madalynne had another wet diaper.
* 6:15pm They finally removed my IV.
* 6:30pm the Lactation consultant returned. I was already extremely emotional and feeling terribly guilty and everything she said just seemed to reiterate that we were doing a terrible job. She basically told us we MUST start Maddie on formula immediately and must start feeding her every 3 hours and pumping for 20 minutes prior to every feeding to help my milk come in. She also gave us a syringe to feed her formula through adjacent to my breast so that Maddie got used to feeding from the breast, but got enough nurishment. She gave us a schedule chart to follow and just seemed way too accusatory to me. Madalynne had another wet diaper.
* 7:30pm As the Lactation consultant continued to belittle me, or so I felt, I was still not in control of my bowels; and when I asked Juan to come help me out of bed, the lactation consultant came over and got my side-rail stuck in the up position and couldn’t figure out how to lower it. I literally almost punched her as a frantically tried to make it to the bathroom. There I completely lost it and broke down into a tearful mess.
* 8:30pm They came to tell us that Juan had to go get the car seat today as they were going to complete her car seat test that night in case they released us tomorrow. Juan left to go get the carseat and I was left alone with Maddie for the first time.
* 9:15pm They came in to do her heel prick test for jaundice and they weighed her again. She was 5lbs and 8 oz and had lost 4.7% of her body weight. That only made me feel worse, especially as no one told me late pre-termers were expected to lose 10% of their body weight before they were discharged. I had no idea this was normal, but at that point decided to start her on formula from a bottle.
* 9:30pm Madalynne had another wet diaper and drank 20mL of formula for the first time via a syringe. I also pumped for 10 minutes and got nothing.
2011-09-17: Day 3 (Saturday) –
* 12:30am Juan and I did our first feeding and diaper change together. We used Enfamil premade bottled formula and got her to eat 20mL, they told us to shoot for 15mL. Her diaper was just wet and I pumped for 10 minutes and got nothing again.
* 1:00am The nursery staff took Maddie for her car seat test and were supposed to return her by 3:30am. I was a little panicked in letting them take her as it was the first time she was out of our sight. I even asked my nurse if the lady that took her was indeed from the nursery.
* 3:45am They still had not returned Maddie so I panicked and started calling the nurse and the nursery; but they assured me she was on her way back to us, and indeed she arrived just minutes later. We fed her formula via a bottle with a nipple for the first time and she drank 40mL!
* 4:08am I pumped for 10 minutes and still got nothing.
* 6:30am Madalynne drank 25mL of formula and I pumped for 10 minutes, no avail.
* 7:00am Madalynne was in her bassinet looking towards me in the bed when Juan started talking to her on the opposite side. I swear she recognized his voice and turned right toward him.
* 8:30am The nursery came in to tell us that the blood test for jaundice came back lower than the device reading had indicated, although it was on the slightly high side and jaundice doesn’t peak until 3-5 days old.
* 9:15am They came in to do Maddie’s hearing test, but there was too much distraction as Maddie was hungry so they left to return later and try again.
* 9:45am Dr. Berger was the pediatrician on call and she examined Maddie and cleared her to leave, although she said that she looked jaundice to her. She also had a soiled diaper and drank 29mL of formula.
* 10:15am Dr. Watkins was on call for Dr. Farrow and came in and cleared me to leave. She also mentioned that Maddie looked a little jaundice.
* 10:45am Maddie had a hearing test for the second time today and passed.
* 10:50am Marco and Gracie arrived to visit and stayed to help us check out.
* 11:00am New lactation consultant, Jana, came in and discussed breast topics and pumping issues. She also talked us into renting the commercial grade breast pump for two weeks to help my milk come in.
* 11:15am They gave me the Tdap shot for Protessin (whooping cough), diphtheria, and tetnus (good for ten years).
* 12:00pm Renee’, from the nursery came in to check us out and stayed to answer a million questions, she was AWESOME. She told us that Maddie should not be in public or around children until at least she was full-term. This made me panic as a ton of people, including children had already visited and touched her.
* 12:45pm Madalynne drank 30mL of formula and had another soiled diaper.
* 1:15pm We finally started to check-out.
* 2:15pm We left the hospital.
* 3:00pm We arrived home. Marco and Gracie followed us home and helped unload.
* 4:30pm Adam arrives to meet his new little sister.
2011-09-18: Day 4 (Sunday) – Our first night home went ok, but we got basically no sleep all night. Our current routine is as follows: I pump for 20 minutes, while Juan changes her diaper and tries to wake her up and checks her temperature. If I got anything, a couple of mL at the most, then we would put that into a syringe and while I tried to get her to latch, Juan would drip that breast colostrum onto my breast for her. We were using the boppy pillow and the football hold. After she tried to latch, which always failed; we would switch to Similac premie 22cal formula premade and stop her to burp every 10 mL. Our goal was 15-20mL each feeding but she usually ate closer to 30-40mL. When we burped her we did what they taught us at the hospital and put one hand almost around her thoat and jaw sitting up and leaning over as we tapped her back with our other hand. After the feeding was over, Juan would change her and redress her as I cleaned the breast pump parts. This entire process took us about an hour and a half so we usually ended up with about 30 minutes before it was time to start the process over. Mom came over first thing this morning and stayed most of the day to help us out. Juan went to church this morning and Vanessa, Jeff, Jakob and Ashlyn came over to meet Madalynne. I had a panic attack after they left worried that I shouldn’t have let Maddie be around more children and was very anxious that she would become sick. We washed and sterilized everything, but I still was freaking out. My hormones seem to be out of control completely. I am completely exhausted as there is so much to do and no time to do it. I have not had a single minute of napping since we arrived home and very little sleep at all since the birth. Tonight at 7:05pm I pumped my first breast milk, although it was only 3mL on my left breast. We also gave Maddie her first sponge bath and washed her hair. She hated the sponge bath part of it, but seemed to love the hair washing portion. Weight update: 246 lbs.
2011-09-19: Day 5 (Monday) – Last night and all morning today, Madalynne was not herself. She would feed fine, go to sleep and within 30-45 minutes awake just screaming unconsolably. We would finally get her down and within 15 minutes it would all start again. I was convinced she was having a reaction to the Similac Formula. Today we had a lactation consultation at “A Mother’s Gift” at Presby Plano. The first question I asked was about Maddie’s recent behavior. She told us that Maddie was probably still hungry and they needed 10mL (approximately) for every day they have aged at every feeding. We had been feeding her 40-50mL at every feeding, but apparently she needed more. They weighed her and she was at 5lb 11.6oz, which concerned me; but apparently my expectations were off as late preterm infants are not expected to gain back to their birthweight until 2 weeks and Madalynne is almost there at 4 days. They also checked Maddie’s bilirubin levels again to see if her jaundice had increased. The test indicated she was at a 12.5 (if 11 or less they do not need to do the heel prick) so they had to prick her heel to determine her true level. They had me breastfeed her while they pricked her. Our consultant immediately changed our entire routine and told us to go buy new bottles that simulated the breast/nipple more closely: Adiri, First Years, or Tommy Tippee. I had all sorts of questions and once Juan told her I was an engineer she told me that the questions were ok as that was how I processed, but that I was wearing myself out and needed to trust my instincts and let things go or I was going to drive myself crazy. She told us that my milk was almost in and after looking at my breasts told me that she was going to be honest and realistic with me, based on the shape and invertedness of my breasts and nipples, there was a possibility Madalynne might never latch. She said we would try and give her an good effort; but be prepared that if she didn’t latch, it wasn’t my fault, God made my perfect the way it was intended and if I needed to pump and feed her via bottles then that would be just fine. Then she gave me a breast shield to help Madalynne latch. She got Maddie naked, skin to skin and told us we needed to feed her everytime like that. She also told us to skip the football hold and hold her with my right hand at each ear with her feet at my right elbow and feed her on the left breast. She said not to worry about her ears as she doesn’t even know she has them yet. She also said to keep her head, spin and hip in line. I was astounded when Madalynne immediately latched. As my milk was not really “in” yet, she didn’t seem to be getting anything, although she was sucking. Then she hooked up an SNS (supplemental nursing system) which was a bottle of Similac and a small tube with an open/close valve. She first put the tube under the breast shield and then over. Madalynne seemed to drink much better with it on the outside of the breast shield. It took a bit of maneuvering and trial and error, but once it was in we could shut it off and allow Maddie to suck and get breast milk or open it and allow her to rest and get formula more easily. I was amazing at how well she was feeding, she fed for 30 minutes on just my left breast. Glenda told us to feed her for no more than 15 minutes at one feeding as to not over-tire her and then top her off with formula from one of the bottles she recommended earlier. She also told us to only use the SNS every other feeding, again to keep from over-tiring her. She told us to continue to feed her every 3 hours and to continue to pump for 20 minutes prior to feeding. She weighed Madalynne before and after the feeding and determined that she had drank 47mL of formula and 28mL of breast milk. She was also nursing when they pricked her heel for the bilirubin test and Madalynne didn’t even flinch. Her level was 14.5 which was just below the high intermediate risk zone, at the upper end of the low intermediate risk zone. As Maddie was doing very well with the number of poopy diapers she has been having each day and based on her weight gain, they told us to just watch her and put her in the indirect sunlight for 10 minutes a day, each side. I learned a ton during that single 2 hour meeting, which made me feel a ton better about how I was doing. Colostrom appears from 0-5 days, transition is from 6-14 days with flow beginning between days 6-8 at which time volume is set, and finally 15+ days is mature milk. I also learned that to get and keep your milk supply the three most important factors are rest, eat (3 meals and 3 snacks), and fluids (need to drink 8 oz everytime you feed or pump. I am failing miserably at all three of these and need to do better. Amazingly enough, that single 30 minute feeding on my left breast was enough to bring my milk in on that side and by 6:00pm that evening I was pumping 20mL. Additionally, Glenda said my right breast was even more of a concern then my left; but this evening she latched onto my right just fine. Our feeding process is still at least two hours for each feeding. Weight update: 242 lbs.
2011-09-20: Day 6 (Tuesday) – Today I was extra exhausted and I had to go to a follow-up appointment with Dr. Farrow. I went alone as we didn’t want Madalynne out in public again if she didn’t have to be. Dr. Farrow drew blood to check my liver enzyme levels once again and make sure they were going down. My blood pressure was back up 136/86, not a great sign. On a brighter note, my milk seems to be in now as I am pumping up to 40-45mL on my left and 15-20mL on my right breast. We are feeding this to Madalynne before we feed her the formula. Also this morning at 10:23am, Madalynne’s soiled diaper turned to yellow, which is another really good sign. Suprising enough, we do not call Madalynne Coco at all. Her daddy calls her Mousy (mimicking the little squeaks that she makes when she cries) or Precious. I have taken to calling her Munchkin or Pumpkin. Weight update: 235 lbs.
2011-09-21: Day 7 (Wednesday) – Today was Madalynne’s first pediatrician appointment with Dr. Hubbard and she is FABULOUS! She told us that my milk is obviously in now and we need to get off the formula completely and just breast feed every time, start with 10 minutes on each breast and if she is still hungry then put her back on each for another 5 minutes. She also told us to STOP pumping at night and let Maddie sleep for 4 hours between 10pm and 6am unless she awakes and is hungry. She also told us to quit pumping before each feeding. She said that pumping was not necessary now unless I wanted to start pumping a few weeks prior to returning to work to stock up. 4:00am this morning was the last formula that we gave Madalynne. From this point forward we tried to feed from each breast and then supplemented with what I had pumped from the previous feeding. These things alone give me a sense that there was a light at the end of the tunnel, I may actually be able to rest or nap once in a while. They weighed Madalynne and she was at 5 lbs 13oz and OVER her birth weight in less than 6 days! She measured 19-1/4” long and her head was 12-1/2” around. Her temperature was 99.2 degrees which they said was just fine. We also gave Maddie a sponge bath and washed her hair. Weight update: 233 lbs.
2011-09-22: Day 8 (Thursday) – Tonight I was sitting on the couch eating a bagel and Juan was walking/bouncing Madalynne trying to soothe her. He looked over at me and said, “I hope you are confortable since I’m here doing all the work.” He was totally kidding, but I just looked at him and said, “that is so mean” and promptly burst into tears. Now everytime he says something to me he follows it with, “No, please don’t cry.” It is now a running joke. Today I took our pediatrician’s advice and only pumped 3 times today. Weight update: 231 lbs.
2011-09-23: Day 9 (Friday) - Today we spent most of the day trying mini photo shoots with Maddie. There was a photo of Juan holding her little nakedness on his arm that I really wanted to get. We had some camera issues and Juan actually had to edit it quite a bit, but I think the shot turned out ok. Also today, Juan had to run to work to have Maddie put on the insurance and a couple other errands and I managed to undress her, feed her, change her, and re-dress her all by myself! That was quite an accomplishment as it has taken four hands just to get her latched on the nipple shield at most feedings. Another achievement today, as of 8:00am this morning, Madalynne has fed solely from my breasts without additional breast milk bottle supplements. We are feeding her once or twice a day straight from a bottle (expressed breast milk of course) in order to allow me a break and a rest. Weight Update: 228.0 lbs just 10 away from my pre-pregnancy weight.
2011-09-24: Day 10 (Saturday) - Today was the first day that I have taken time to upload and edit photos. We did take a couple of great shots with Juan and Maddie together on the floor. We also gave Maddie her first tummy time. She is so strong that she took to it fairly well and managed it for about 4 minutes. I think my milk is finally completely in, as I had to graduate to pumping into bottles this morning (3 oz on the left and 2-1/2 on the right. I realized today that everytime I hold Maddie she now expects to be fed. That was a bit heartbreaking as I guess I've been so tired and busy trying to keep up with everything that now she just sees me as food. That was today's breakdown if anyone is keeping track. She is still right on schedule with awaking and feedings, exactly every 3 hours...sometimes 15-30 minutes before but always almost on cue. We also gave Maddie her first tummy time. She went for four minutes although she pretty much just layed there and turned her head to the side. I also started using the boppy pillow and the football hold again today as it is soooo much easier on my back, although Maddie refuses to nurse football style on my left breast.
2011-09-25: Day 11 (Sunday) - Our currently procedure for feeding the munchkin is: I get the boppy, burp clothes, nipple shield and myself ready to feed while Juan gets Maddie naked (except for her diaper). Then I feed breast feed her, first on one side for at least 10 min if, we are lucky, and then burp her, then on to the other side for another 10 min, and finally she gets burped again. Then Daddy takes her and changes her, puts her clothes back on and wraps her like a little burrito and rocks her to sleep, while I pump. I am only pumping 2-3 times during the day now and not at night at all. We had a bit of an incident this morning. Juan was changing Madalynne and kissing her tummy, like he always does, when his necklace got caught on her belly button and ripped off the little protective piece that had not yet fallen off. Maddie screamed for just a minute or so and then Juan was able to calm her. It didn’t bleed at the time, but looked a little raw. Juan felt absolutely terrible about it; but of course he didn’t mean to do it. We called the pediatrician’s nurse and she said to keep it clean and dry and it should be alright, even if it bled a little. I teased Juan that he just gave Maddie and outie, which is exactly what it looked like, but we shall see. Juan went to church this morning and Maddie and I had mommy time and I read her a book for the first time: Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are by Dr. Seuss. When Daddy came home we put your footprints on a paper for your monthly frame. Nana and Tia Vanessa came over this afternoon to visit. I also managed to get Madalynne to nurse football style on my left breast today! Weight Update: 226.4 lbs, just 7.4 lbs away from my pre-pregnancy weight!
2011-09-26: Day 12 (Monday) – Last night Maddie decided she was only going to sleep in 3 hour increments so it was a relatively long night as Juan starts back to work today so I was handling the feedings solo, except he was getting up to change her when I was done. She did sleep from 7:30am until 10am so I got to take a nap along with her. She is so adamant that her hands be unbound, but I am sure that is what woke her up so much last night, as she tends to scratch and hit herself with her out of control little hands. Daddy is working ½ days for a couple of weeks to ease us into the day alone and ease him back into working when he really just wants to be here at home with you. We did tummy time again this morning for 4-1/2 minutes, although you pretty much just layed there again with you head to one side before you got upset. We also tried to stamp your handprints for your monthly frame, little did we realize there is a reason they only do footprints at the hospital; because it is impossible to get a newborn to release their hand and allow a full handprint. That plan was quickly squashed. I also called about my blood test results and apparently there are two numbers they were watching my ALT and AST numbers, both which should be 40 or less. My AST was at 44 which isn’t that bad, but my ALT is still 88. I don’t know what it was at the hospital so it is impossible to know if it is decreasing or not, but they want to test it again at my post-partum visit in a couple of weeks. Juan came home this afternoon and told me that he had somehow used all of his vacation time already so our plan for him to work half days for the next couple of days is out the door; not good news for an overemotional exhausted mommy. He even had to go back to work this afternoon. Weight update: 223.8 lbs just 5.8 lbs away from my pre-pregnancy weight.
2011-09-27: Day 13 (Tuesday) – Last night we wrapped Maddie’s hands in her burrito bundle and although she was not at all happy about it, she did sleep for four hours twice last night! Juan gave her a bottle and took care of her at the 6am feeding so that I could sleep for another hour or so. We also realized last night that her belly button was bleeding just a tiny bit. I’ve been cleaning it multiple times a day with Alcohol. Danna came to visit and meet Madalynne today at lunch. She was also sweet enough to bring me lunch. After she left, I actually took an hour nap with Maddie, my first one since the delivery. We have used about 100 diapers in the 10 days since we've been home, that is about 10 per day; of course that is probably because Juan is known to use (4) at a time! LOL The hospital had us use Huggies and we had received three (20) count pacakges of Newborn Pampers Swaddlers. Juan and I both agreed we liked the Huggies better so we bought a huge box when we ran out of the Swaddlers. For some reason, the weren't the same as the one's we used in the hospital so we decided to switch back to Pampers.
2011-09-28: Day 14 (Wednesday) - Today we bought a swing. We had borrowed my sister's to use, but after recieving gift cards from some generous friends, we decided a swing would be worth the investment. Today was also the first day that I didn't cry, small miracles. Mom came over to help me with Maddie and we did another photo shoot with adorable props that Mom made. Of course that meant that I didn't get a nap, again. Maddie seems to be eating well, 10-15 minutes on each breast at every session. She is definitely addicted to having my finger in her mouth though. She is still using the breast shield. I am a little worried about post-partum depression. I would never consider getting back on anti-depressants as there is a very small risk while breast feeding and I would never take that chance with Madalynne; but it does worry me.
2011-09-29: Day 15 (Thursday) - Today was Madalynne's 2 week appointment with her pediatrician, Dr. Hubbard. She now weighs 6lbs, 8 oz. and is gaining wonderfully although only in the 10th percentile for weight. She was 20-1/4" long, in the 60th percentile; and her head circumference is 13-3/4", in the 30th percentile. I did have a mini heart attack when they first put her on the scale it said 5lb 3.7oz and we thought she had lost 1lb 10oz, then the nurse reset the scale and we breathed easy again. Milestones - she can lift her head momentarily, she can turn it from side to side, she is beginning to focus on faces up close. Dr. Hubbard did give us some bad news, her "fussy crying increase" this past day or so is normal. Dr. Hubbard said the first 2 weeks are the "Honeymoon phase" and the easiest, from week 2-10 things get significantly harder......SERIOUSLY? I don't know that I can handle things any harder than they are right now. I feel like I'm barely hanging on. She is not supposed to smile until about 2 months and won't have control of her limbs until 3 months. Dr. Hubbard did tell us to use a pacifier immediately. Maddie is a sucker and needs that to be soothed and there is no reason to wait for the 4 week mark. That will be a help, we believe. Maddie had her 2nd Newborn Screen today where they pricked her heel; she did NOT like that. Dr. Hubbard also looked at her belly button where her umbilical cord used to be and used silver nitrate to seal it so that we could now bathe her in water. She also told us that Maddie did not need a hat inside all day, but swaddled in light blankets would still be good. Dr. Hubbard also wants us to start Maddie on Vitamin D supplements every day. Today I also decided to put on makeup and my contacts and feel human again. I asked Juan to take some photos of Madalynne and I. We also had our first diaper blowout - with the Huggies diapers, good thing we are about to finish those off.
2011-09-30: Day 16 (Friday) - Where are the days going? They just seem to be a blur of feedings, burping, diapering and rocking at this point. I can't belive how much I am coming to detest breast feeding. It takes so long. I watch Juan give her a bottle, burp her and change her within 20 minutes and I can't even finish one breast and get her burped in 20 minutes. I know it is better for Maddie and I'm not giving up, but it is really weighing me down with the time it requires. Maddie has also become conjested lately, although the pediatrician told us that is normal for a newborn. Daddy has started calling Madalynne by the nickname Monkey and Possum, possum because we have possums living in our bushes that drive the dogs bananas and Juan started telling Maddie that the dogs thought she was a possum, which quickly turned into her nickname. Weight update: 219.7lbs, only 1.7lbs away from my pre-preg weight.
2011-10-01: Day 17 (Saturday) - We gave Madalynne her first official submerged bath and it was a terrible failure! We used the PUJ bathtub in the sink and I thought it would work wonderfully, but it didn't hold water at all, so she was freezing (even with the warm ducky towel we had over her) and then Juan tried to turn on the faucet while she was under it. I know that is a NO-NO, especially with our unpredictable water temps. Madalynne screamed the ENTIRE time, Juan got frustrated, I was frantically trying to hurry, and to top it off; I wanted photos of her first bath so the camera was sitting on the toilet and fell off on the floor. Then Juan was really upset. All in all, I never want to bathe her again! Maddie is mostly wearing one-piece outfits that snap in front and have feet. She has outfits with monkeys, bunnies, etc. Daddy tells her everytime she wears one that these outfits were created out of real monkeys, bunnies, etc.
2011-10-02: Day 18 (Sunday) - Today I got to attend church for the first time since Maddie was born. Mom came over to watch the little one while Juan and I went to church and to a much needed trip to the grocery store. The message was about selfishness and it was a message that I really needed to hear, so it was great. I am also becoming worried about my milk supply. The pediatrician told me that pumping was no longer necessary unless I wanted to stock it and freeze it. I am only pumping twice a day, just enough to store milk for a nighttime feeding so Juan can help; but today I pumped for 20 minutes and barely got anything. Then I pumped again this evening while Juan gave Maddie a bottle, thinking since I hadn't fed her, I would pump a ton; but I barely pumped 1-1/2 oz. Then I freaked out, thinking my milk supply is going down and maybe that's why she is waking up every 2 hours wanting to eat. Maybe she is no longer getting enough to be full when I feed her. I know it has to do with fluids, eating and resting and I'm not doing great at any of those.
2011-10-03: Day 19 (Monday) - Today we have to return the breast pump that we rented from the hospital. I have two other breast pumps, but this one is commercial grade and I know how to use it. I am dreading having to figure out another one. Last night Maddie cried almost all night long. She slept great yesterday evening while we were watching a movie, but once we moved her into our room she slept from 11pm until 1am and then I fed her and tried to get her to sleep until 3am. I finally let her sleep in my arm on our bed and then transfered her into her bassinet only to be awoke to screams at 3:15am. Juan got up with her at 3:30am and changed her and gave her a bottle at 3:45am. She then cried until about 5:30am before she finally fell asleep, only to have me wake her up at 7:45am this morning for another feeding. I think I got about 4 hours sleep all night. I pulled a TON of all-nighters in college, at least 1-2 a week my last semester when I was writing my thesis; but that doesn't compare to this. I think because I always had a day or weekend to catch-up on sleep and just pass out completely and there is no "catch-up" time with Maddie. Juan finally saw yesterday and last night what I've been talking about when I tell him that she cries unconsolably for hours on end. I swear he didn't believe me as she is always sweet or sleeping. WHEN does it get easier? It was beautiful this weekend and we wanted so bad to take Maddie on a walk around the neighborhood and that never happened. It is ridiculous! I have also become suddenly very worried and afraid of dying. I have never felt that way, I believe the Lord is waiting for me and whenever it happens I will return to Him and be at peace; yet suddenly I am terrified of it. I don't know if I am terrified of leaving Maddie alone or what but it is really bothering me. We are doing 5 minutes of tummy time a day, along with the Vitamin D supplements and Maddie does not like either, especially Tummy Time. She gets very frustrated quickly and almost manages to roll over every time. I also started feeding her without using skin to skin, aka with clothes on. She seems to be doing fairly well with it, although she still tends to try and fall asleep so once in awhile I have to change her before switching breasts so she reawakens.
2011-10-04: Day 20 (Tuesday) - Wow, I can't believe Madalynne is already 20 days old. It really has seemed to fly by. Today Abby visited me and Madalynne and brought me lunch. It was good to hear that I am not alone in how I've been feeling post-partum. We had a good talk that seemed to help. I got out Danna's breast pump this morning and realized that I never bought the third part I needed, the tubing. I went back through my emails and realized that was because it is not available except through Medela on-line. I finally got ahold of them around noon and it was going to take 5-6 business days to arrive. I can't wait that long to pump, so I had to have it overnighted. The tubing costs $20 and the shipping costs $34! Ridiculous, but what could I do; just another thing that didn't get done before Madalynne arrived. Hmmppphhh. Madalynne is definitely staying awake longer inbetween feedings, unfortunately it is a lot at night right now. Sometimes she stays awake for almost and hour after a feeding, just watching things. Tonight was also bath night. We tried filling the sink with water and putting the PUJ in the sink. This worked a little bit, but she still screamed the entire time and Juan was REALLY frustrated and I was crying and it was another all around disaster. I'm beginning to think our baby is just going to have to get used to being dirty.
2011-10-05: Day 21 (Wednesday) - Today was a very rough day. It started out ok as Maddie and I went back to bed and managed another hours sleep. Then my tubing arrived and after 30 minutes of pumping I had only 2mL. I don't know what the problem is, but I am devestated. Does that mean my milk is drying up? Is that why she is waking up after 2 hours and crying unconsolably? Is she not getting enough to eat? I am feeding her almost 15 minutes on each side and she seems to be getting a lot at the time. If this pump doesn't work, then that means I can't even pump enough to have Juan help me feed her once at night. The prospective of breast feeding just seems overwhelming to me. As does the thought of feeding her every 2 hours in lieu of every 3! I just don't think I can handle that. This afternoon we did tummy time in her crib and she actually didn't seem to mind so much. I had her monkeys on and she lasted 6 minutes. A definite improvement. Then I put her on her playmat and let her look out her bedroom window as I put more flowers on her wall. She just looked out the window and looked at me, perfectly content for over an hour. She is definitely staying awake longer; but then I noticed she was really tired, red eyes, rubbing them and I spent the 3 hours in the late afternoon trying to get her to sleep. I tried rocking her, bouncing her, putting her in her swing, holding her, etc and to no avail as those ear piercing screams continued. Finally Daddy came home and took her for a few minutes as I composed myself from my flood of tears and then I fed her and she was fine. I am getting to the point where something has to give. I either have to stop breast feeding or I need to see about getting back on anti-depressants. It seems like my emotions should be back in check by now. This evening I tried to give the breast pump one more try. I took all the parts apart again and noticed that the membranes were still wet from when I sterilized them this morning. Could that be why I wasn't able to pump anything this morning. I dried everything off and put it back together and viola!!!! Milk was flowing like a dam had burst. At least that gave me a bit of metal relief. Juan will be able to take one of the feedings tonight.
2011-10-06: Day 22 (Thursday) - Maddie is 3 weeks old today! I just can't seem to comprehend that. Everything seems to be flying by so fast. She is getting so long, I notice this as I go to burp her after feedings as she always decided at that moment to stretch as far as possible. She seems to be listening to my voice more now, and she really does like those monkeys! We did have a slight issue with the alarm last night. I fed her and got her to sleep and right on cue, about 2 hours in, she awoke crying. I ended up laying her in my arms on the bed between Juan and I with a sturdy pillow (I know, this is not recommended, but you do what you must and I really don't move in my sleep and I had her very protected in my arm). Pretty soon I awoke and asked Juan what time it was and we realized it had been 5 hours and 15 minutes since we fed her and she was just sleeping away in my arm. I felt terrible and immediately awoke her and fed her all she could handle. Our goal for the day, take Maddie out for a walk in her stroller. Update: we took Maddie for a walk in her stroller for the first time at lunch. I could have walked with her for hours. It was beautiful out and the sun felt so wonderful. She slept through the entire experience. We also noticed that none of our sidewalks have ramps, what a pain with a stroller. Weight updated: 219lbs, only 1 pound from my pre-preg weight.
2011-10-07: Day 23 (Friday) - We took Madalynne on her first outing today, a trip to the arboretum. It was a beautiful overcast day and Juan took off work a little early. We thought we could avoid the people and get some sunshine. My goal was to get a good photograph of the three of us together. Talk about a major ordeal. I had to get ready, pump so we would have a bottle for her, freeze the bottle holder ice pack, charge the camera battery, pack the diaper bag, pack the camera bag, pack the tripod bag, Juan even packed some stuff in his backpack. We then had to get it and Maddie all in the car. Then we realized we hadn't ate all day and drove through McD's for a quick bite. It was probably 1:45pm by the time we got there. It was PACKED, although mostly at the pumpkin patch (55,000 pumpkins) which we avoided like the plague. We immediately went to the back of the park to our "hidden" spot overlooking the lake and setup the tripod. I brought the camera remote that we bought with the camera and had never used. After a few trial and errors, it worked wonderfully. Juan was very concerned we were stressing out Maddie, but I think she absolutely loved it. She pretty much slept the entire time, except when I changed her and when she got hungry. We only stayed a couple of hours, but it was a WONDERFUL chance to get out of the house. I also discovered that Madalynne does tummy time spendidly in her crib. For some reason, the mattress and her monkeys seem to soothe her. She even managed 6 minutes today. Weight update: 217.6 lbs!!! I am below my pre-preg weight in just 3 short weeks.
2011-10-08: Day 24 (Saturday) - Vanessa came to visit this morning and it was a HUGE help! I had so many questions and things to ask her about. She answered all my questions and even helped me bathe Madalynne. She showed me a couple of obvious tricks that I had never even thought about. First, we had been using the ducky cover to keep her warm, but I was wringing it out which immediately made it cold. Vanessa had me just leave it sopping with warm water. She also put a pacifier in Maddie's mouth when she was screaming, which worked immediately. Then she pretty much just sat there and let us bathe her. Amazing! Don't get me wrong, she still didn't like it and we worked quickly; but it was WAY better then our two previous attempts.
2011-10-09: Day 25 (Sunday) - Mom came to babysit Madalynne today while Juan and I went to church and ran some errands. Unfortunately, when we arrived at church, Pastor Keith was not there and the Life Pastor that was giving the sermon we don't care for at all so we immediately left. We had a ton of errands and even managed to get to the camera store and purchase a light kit for photographs. I needed to be out of the house and baby free for a couple of hours desperately, so it was wonderful. Last night Maddie cried almost the entire night and it was very, very rough. I think I only slept about three hours the entire night.
2011-10-10: Day 26 (Monday) - Maddie did amazing last night. She slept fairly well in the evening and after her 9:30pm feeding, she fell asleep straight away in our bedroom. Juan had to wake her up for her 1:30am feeding and then she went right back asleep and awoke at 5:10am. Juan had placed her rock-n-sleeper on his side of the bed. I'm sure if it was that or something else; but we were both very thankful. Of course I am paying for it today. It is 2pm and she has not slept more than a total of one hour all day, the rest has been extreme crying. I know this morning she was having lots of tummy, gas, poop issues. I just hope the rest of the afternoon gets better. She also spit up for the first time this morning. She spit up just a little once with me and twice when Juan fed her from the bottle and let her drink it too fast; but this was the first random time.
2011-10-11: Day 27 (Tuesday) - Maddie didn't get better yesterday afternoon, in fact she went downhill quickly. She was unconsolable all afternoon, even while we held her and into the evening and night. At 3am when I changed her, she had pooped green and sort of solid. That freaked us out and had us reading the baby books at 3am. She seemed to be a bit better after that but then this afternoon she was obviously in pain again. We had been "riding the bicycle" with her legs to help ease her bloated belly to no avail. Miriam stopped by and said we should ask the pediatrician about gas drops as they really helped her niece. I had read online this morning that gas is very common from 3-6 weeks. I called the pediatrician and spoke with a nurse. She told us gas drops were fine, 6mL four times a day and when I told her she had not pooped since 3am the night before she told us to use a thermometer rectally 1/4 - 1/2" in coated in vaseline. When we did that, the poop flowed. The nurse told us if she hadn't pooped by tomorrow to call and talk to the lactation consultant because there was a concern she wasn't getting enough breast milk. This evening we gave her two bottles with express milk to make sure she was getting plenty. Today was also my due date, Maddie should have been born today! She also spit up again today, still just a little; but it was as she was laying in her rock-N-cradle. I had my follow-up appointment with my OBGYN today. My blood pressure was great at 116/80 and my weight was 219.5lbs, with clothes. I am officially back below my pre-pregnancy weight. They took blood again to check my enzyme levels, so hopefully those are all back to normal as well. My stitches are good and I am basically healed.
2011-10-12: Day 28 (Wednesday) - Maddie pooped this morning at 5am and again at 10am! Yeah. I never thought I would be so excited to see poop. I can't believe how much you can worry about when your child is pooping. She seemed to be much better and happy this morning. In fact, Mom came over and we managed quite a decent little photo shoot with multiple setups and she did great. Then we gave her a bath. This afternoon she seemed to be in pain again and was crying constantly through the evening. She also had not pooped again so at about 9pm we tried the thermometer again. This time we got nothing, so we decided to just wait it out. We did continue to give her gas drops.
2011-10-13: Day 29 (Thursday) - Maddie did semi-ok last night, still in a bit of pain. Today she is officially 4 weeks old! I can't believe it. They say time flies, but I never imagined it going quite this quickly. I am SOOO glad we managed another little photo shoot yesterday; I was getting pretty depressed that we had not taken enough photos while she was little little. I know we got some good ones yesterday. She was very happy this morning, even if it was briefly. She did 10 minutes on her tummy in her crib and was perfectly happy. I think she is getting more used to being on her tummy and not fighting it quite so much. I think it also helped her burp and release gas this morning. At lunch we were trying to take her 4 week photo with her elephant and she spit up so much that milk came out her nose, curdled milk. That was definately a first, poor baby.
2011-10-14: Day 30 (Friday) - Things Maddie can currently do: recognize Juan and I's voice, focus on our faces at a close distance briefly, follow and object from side to side (sometimes), lift her head completely, kick mama really hard, knock out her pacifier with her hands. Things she can't do: smile for real (although Juan swears she smiles at him); hold objects in her hands briefly.
2011-10-15: Day 31 (Saturday) - Monumental day! Maddie was able to breast feed from my left breast without the nipple shield, YEAH!!!! Also, I managed to finish my first scrapbook layout of Maddie. Double YEAH!!!!! She was fussy this morning but napped well this afternoon. We also had an adorable photo shoot this morning for her 1 month photos and they turned out great. Soon to be posted. Things are still difficult, but they definitely seem to be getting better.
2011-10-16: Day 32 (Sunday) - We took Maddie to the Arboretum again today just to get out and walk around a little. It was a beautiful day, although we were only there for about an hour. Then we went to Nana's house for the first time so Daddy could help Nana start her mower. Then Daddy took a nap while Mommy and Nana sat on the patio and Nana held Maddie. We have also started playing with rattles with Maddie. She also has really begun to watch her bird mobile. Juan and I gave her a bath this evening and she didn't CRY!!!!! Well she did once we took her out of the bath, but she did really well while we were bathing her, a first. Then Juan made me dinner of chicken breast, corn, rosemary potatoes, and cheesecake for dessert. He even cleaned up, sort of. :) He really is good to both Maddie and I!
2011-10-17: Day 33 (Monday) - This morning I think Maddie smiled at me for the first time. She is always happiest in the morning. This morning at about 7am she awoke in her cradle while I was pumping so I began talking to her to distract her. I always sing a little song to her in the morning. It goes: "Good Morning, Good Morning, We love to say Good Morning. Good Morning, Good Morning, Good Morning to You!" While I was singing she looked right at me and smiled. I wondered if it was just gas so I waited and then sang it again and I got the same result. I know it's a little early for her to smile, but she could be a prodigy, right? :) We also went to Maddie's 1 month pediatrician appointment today. She now weighs 7lbs 9oz, where head is 14.5" in circumference and her length is about 21-1/4". They measured her length wrong at 24.5" and then again at 20.25"; but Juan and I double checked and they mis-read her length. 20.25" is the same as two weeks ago and I KNOW she has grown significantly in length. She is still in the 10 percentile for weight but in the 50 percentile for length and head circumference. Dr. Hubbard said she is gaining weight well. She should gain 1 lb per month and she gained 1 lb in the last three weeks. She also told us if we feel Maddie is not getting full, to offer her formula after breast feeding to see. She told us to begin to let Maddie sleep through the night as long as she wants and not wake her for feedings. She did tell us to continue to wake her every 2-3 hours during the day for feedings. That disappointed me, but Dr. H said they eat every 3 hours for the rest of their lives...consider a toddler who eats breakfast, a snack, lunch, a snack and dinner before bed. She also said that waking her will help her keep her days and nights straight. My hunch is that we will still be waking every 3 hours or so at night. She doesn't seem to sleep in long stretches. She also told me that a glass of wine a day while breastfeeding is perfectly fine, YEAH!!! I am still struggling and she reiterated that it was normal; newborns are HARD work, especially if you have one who cries a lot like Maddie. She told us her crying could be gas issues, or could just be fussiness, colic, irritable, over-sensitive, etc. whatever name you want to call it. She said we could continue to give her the gas drops 4 times a day, or try a dropper of camomille tea, gripe water, or baby probiotics. She said nothing is gaurenteed to help, but different babies respond to different things. She also told us that her belly button is a little hernia and it will go away, but it will be that way until probably 3-4 years of age. She said it was nothing to worry about and that she wouldn't need surgery for it and it wouldn't be an outie. Juan asked about her catywhompus eye and she said that was still normal at this age and the little red spot on her right eyelid is a little birthmark that will also go away eventually. Maddie was very fussy last night and Juan took care of her when I fell asleep at about 10:45pm. Juan woke me up during the night and asked what time to feed her and I said 1am and he said it was already 3am. She had slept from about 11:45pm until 3am. He fed her a 3 oz bottle and she was still very fussy, so he changed her and I fed her another ounce, which she snarfed down. She stayed fussy the rest of the night and I finally put her in bed with us and she slept about 45 minutes or so until her 6am feeding. She has napped very well today, so I anticipate another rough night tonight.
2011-10-18: Day 34 (Tuesday) - Last night we fed Maddie at 9pm and put her down for the night. She didn't wake up until 2am, so we got almost 4 hours of uninterrupted sleep! Then she only slept about 2 hours the second round. This morning she was pretty good, but at about 2pm this afternoon she had a meltdown and never recovered. She literally cried from 2pm until 6pm when Juan got home. She kept crying with him, but I was so burnt out that I just handed her over and went to the bedroom and shut the door. Not sure what tonight will be like.
2011-10-19: Day 35 (Wednesday) - Today Madalynne started using her voice for good versus evil, ha ha. She started making some non-crying sounds. Not really coos and not really talking, but more short bursts of screams. Granted, they are not really all that loud and she sort of startled herself everytime she did it; but she "talked" to me on and off for a good hour while laying in her crib and on her play mat.
2011-10-20: Day 36 (Thursday) - Today Madalynne was a very different baby. She napped easily, stayed awake and just looked around and was thoroughly entertained by me and everything else; but most importantly, she only had a couple of crying bouts and each lasted no more than 45 minutes. It was awesome. I must say, I totally believe this is God's grace. I have been praying every night for Maddie's tummy and gas issues to calm down so she will not be in such pain and today my prayers were answered. Today was a good day. Last night was also good. We put her down at about 9:30pm and she slept for 5 hours, fed and was back down in less than 30 minutes and then slept another 4 hours. Juan and I got almost 7 hours of sleep!!!! Maddie also has begun to notice her hands. I wouldn't say that she "found" them yet; but this afternoon she was definitely focusing on them up close and turning them. She would go cross-eyed looking at them and then sort of spaz out and shake them and then refocus on them. It was too cute. I also took her upstairs for the first time today to hang out with The Momma. I took her brightly colored little play mat upstairs with us and she seems content just to look at all the stuff hanging from it, well content for 30 minutes or so which is about the length of her attention span right now. I also found my little cabbage patch doll bed that my dad made me when I was little. I put Maddie on it to see how little she was and she fit! Well sort of fit. She is 5 weeks old today, and I wish I would have thought to put her on it sooner.
2011-10-21: Day 37 Friday - I knew it was too good to be true. Today Maddie was ok this morning, but by noon she had disolved into fits. I'm pretty sure it was her stomach, we are still giving her gas drops 4 times daily. I am suddenly having a lot of pain, specifically on my right side, when I breastfeed her. I think it started because I pumped at a higher lever because I don't seem to be getting as much milk when I pump. Then she because a little barracuda and has been really causing a lot of pain. I think my milk is not letting down very quickly and now the nipples are oversensitive. Juan has now taken to calling Maddie - Little Monkey. I'm not sure why, but it seems to be her latest nickname.
2011-10-22: Day 38 Saturday - I am still in a lot of pain everytime I breastfeed and it doesn't seem to go away even after the milk lets down. It is becoming harder and harder to feed her on my right side. This morning when I pumped I only got 1 ounce from the right and 0 from the left after 30 minutes. I am struggling with whether she is eating more and draining me, or if my milk production is having problems. I focused today on drinking about a gallon of water. Juan has discovered a way to calm Maddie down that works most of the time. He puts her in the burping position on his chest, over his shoulder and taps her little butt while saying, "Maddie's got a pretty little bootie. Maddie's got a pretty little bootie. Maddie's got a pretty little booite." All the while he is repeating this phrase he varies the tone of his voice. It's pretty cute. I did take a video of it this morning.
2011-10-23: Day 39 Sunday - Last night was another rough night with Maddie. She seems to be up every 2 hours either in pain from her tummy or hungry. I fed her at 2:30am and she ate 7 minutes on one side and then fell asleep, refusing to wake up. Then she was up demanding to eat at 3:30am. It has been like that for two days now. Her duration between feedings has gone from 2-3/4 or 3 hours down to 2 or 2-1/2 hours at the max. She has also been extremely fussy all day from lack of sleep. I broke down this afternoon to feed her and then offer her formula as the pediatrician suggested to see if she was still hungry. She fed for 28 minutes on my breasts and then ate 2 ounces of formula. Now I feel terrible, what if she hasn't been fussy with gas for the past couple of weeks but fussy because she has been starving? Why am I not producing enough milk to satisify her? She seems to be finished everytime I feed her. The pediatrician said not to let feeding times extend past 30 minutes so do limit her; but rarely does she hit that 30 minute mark. Why is she not getting more efficient. Now I don't know if we need to offer formula everytime? I read that everytime you offer formula it reduces your milk supply. Am I beginning a chain of events that will stop my milk? Why is this so hard? I have been trying to suck it up for two days and let her feed on my sore breast; but it literally brings tears to my eyes. Why is it suddenly so painful? I don't think it is her latching wrong because we are still using the breast shield; so provided that she sucks enough to get a latch, I don't think she can really do it wrong. I have also been varying which breast I start on and what position I have her feeding in. Nothing seems to be working. I pumped again last night and only got 1 oz on each side, still not even enough for one feeding. If we continue to offer formula, now that is about another 30 minute process added on top of the regular feedings. I am so close to giving up on the breast feeding; but I just read that breast fed babies are smarter and there are studies that show the longer they are breast fed, the smarter they are. I so want to do right by my baby. I am going to call the lactation consultant tomorrow.
2011-10-24: Day 40 (Monday) - We went to the lactation consultant today, Kathy. She did not really give us good news. Basically, she thinks I have hindered my milk supply by going so long at night without feeding or pumping. She said that I need to drain my breasts in some form or fashion at least every 5 hours. So that means if we are serious about this breast feeding thing, now I have to do EVERY feeding. I'm not sure I can handle that right now, but Juan says he will do everything else at night to help, so we are going to try. She also said that she thinks Maddie is getting enough milk, but since breast milk goes through their system so fast, we may need to feed her more. Also, she is apparently a "snacker" which means she is getting enough to be satisfied for the moment, but she is drawing out the process. In lieu of emptying my breast in 5-10 minutes, she takes 15-20. She wants us to feed her on demand, even if it is every 1-1/2 to 2 hours; but limit it to 10 minutes on each side with a maximum of 3 minutes burping between. Again, I'm not sure I can handle that, but I do feel it is important for her so I am going to try. The only good news is that she said if we are truly feeding on demand then we don't need to wake her to feed; provided that we are still feeding her at least 8 times a day. We anticipate if she wants to be cluster fed every 1-1/2 to 2 hours then she should have a longer stretch at some point. The pain I've been feeling is from her not latching properly. Apparently she is sucking to shallow and that is causing trauma to my nipples. She showed us how to get her latched better and also suggested we experiment with positions. She think Maddie is basically gulping the milk because it is coming at her too fast, potentially also making her have gas with all the air she is sucking in. She thinks we need to position her in a more upright position and for me to lay back to help the milk not flow so quickly. As far as pumping, she said I need to be pumping a minimum of twice a day to get my milk back where it should be and if I plan to pump and store to return to work. Actually she said I need to pump way more than that, but start at twice and increase it. She did say I didn't need to pump for 30 minutes each time. This makes it even harder because I can't pump when I'm here alone with her, even though it's hands free. She is too demanding. Again, I'm going to try and we will see. The only good news is that she gained about 8 oz since we went to the doctors last week, which is really good; so she is not starving, even if she thinks she is. She now weighs 8lbs 2oz. Also, I noticed yesterday her snap up outfit appears to be tight in the length and around the neck and it is really hard to get her little arms in. I think she is finally outgrowing some of her newborn stuff. Today I put her in the "I love Mommy" snap front outfit and I noticed the same thing. Looks like she may be graduating shortly to some 0-3 month sizes.
2011-10-25: Day 41 (Tuesday) - Well our new system is going ok, but today was terrible. Yesterday I fed Maddie at 7pm about 10 minutes on each side. Then she seemed to be hungry again at 9pm so I started feeding her on my left breast. She ate for about 7 minutes and then promptly fell asleep; so I pumped. Not 10 minutes after I finished pumping, she was awake and extremely hungry again. I was concerned that I didn't have any milk after pumping for 30 minutes. After another 30 minutes of her screaming to eat, we went ahead and fed her the milk I had just pumped. She drank almost 3-1/2 oz and then finally seemed full. We put her to bed and she awoke us to eat at 3am. I fed her on both sides, again for about 10 minutes. Unfortunately I realized that I hadn't fed her or pumped for 6 hours on my left and for 7 hours on my right. We are supposed to be doing one or the other every 5 hours max. She awoke at 5am and I tried to feed her again. My right side hurt so bad that I couldn't feed her for more than 4 minutes and I was in tears. We didn't have any other milk expressed and she had been on the left for 10 minutes so we put her back down. At 8am I had the same problem, she ate for 18 minutes on the left and again only 4 on the right before I was in tears. At this point it wasn't even just hurting on the nipple, but the entire breast was burning and throbbing long after she stopped eating. I also realized that my nipple was white, "blanching" and it was also cracked and flaking. I called the lactation consultant to ask her what that meant and she said it could be vaso...somthing and I needed to call my OB. She instructed me to use warm compresses on it. I called Dr. Farrow and her nurse told me they were calling me in a perscription for antibiotics, that I probably had mastisis, an infection in the breast typically caused by germs in the babies mouth being transmitted into my breast where the nipple is cracked. She also told me that I need to continue to either feed or pump to keep from getting engorged and/or loosing my milk supply on that side. So today I spent the day trying to feed her only on my left side every couple of hours and follow that with pumping for the right side. The problems began in the early afternoon when Maddie began to get extremely fussy with a ton of gas issues. So I tried to pump, although she was screaming and refused to be soothed without being held. Needless to say, I pumped little to nothing as I was pretty stressed out the entire time. So then I became engorged, sore, and Maddie was determined to kick my breast over and over as I tried to soothe her while I held her. I was in pain, tears, and all over beat-down when Juan arrived home. I then went to pump and still had painful lumps afterwards. I'm also not sure what we are supposed to do at night. There is still no way I can feed her on my right, and if we are to maintain the less than 5 hour rule then I will have to pump at 3am after feeding her. Can this breast feeding thing get any harder? I did start the antibiotics, but I'm guessing it will be a couple of days before I begin to feel any relief. I cried more today then I have since her first week home and most the night as well. Maddie also rolled over today, sort of. This morning I was having her do tummy time on a blanket on the floor and she was so upset that she pushed herself over. I know she didn't do it intentionally, and I don't know if she even realized that she did it; but I do have a video of it. She also grabbed onto my hair and glasses while I was feeding/burping her today. She is so strong that I had difficulty getting released from her grasp. That was definitely a first.
2011-10-26: Day 42 (Wednesday) - Last night went horribly bad, I even had problems feeding Maddie on the left breast. I am pretty sure it is now infected as well. I did my best to apply hot compresses and pump throughout the night; but it is so hard on top of trying to feed her. Juan and I were both stressed and he was upset with me that I couldn't get her latched on my left side. We were both also exhausted and he finally said we need to give up breast feeding. That just made me cry harder because then I felt that I had failed at the one thing I'm supposed to be doing for my little girl, feeding her. I also wonder if it is just the infection and if we can get through it, would it be ok again? We finally just gave her bottles of expressed milk that I had pumped. We slept about 3 hours total last night and I spent about 80% of the remaining crying. Not a good situation. This morning I tried again to feed her on my left and she latched right away. I was sitting on the couch instead of our bed. I think I was so focused on getting her at the right angle and trying to lean back that I messed up both of our positions last night. Today I tried getting her to latch while she was laying down and then leaning back and pulling her up into almost a sitting position. Tricky, but it seemed to work. She seemed full after about 18 minutes. Then we went to the arboretum with Mom to see the pumpkin patch. We were there right at 9am when they opened and it was fantastic, there were about 4 people total in the entire pumpkin area, so we got excellent photos with NO ONE in the background. It was perfect weather and just a bit sunny.We were only there about an hour and the mobs of people arrived, along with a million school children so we headed out. Then, after feeding Maddie again and pumping again, I went to the grocery store while Mom watched Maddie. We have not been to the grocery store in a month and we were out of EVERYTHING! When I returned home, I fed Maddie again and then Mom helped me give her a bath. She was due for one last night, but both her and I were at melt down mode when Juan arrived home and not about to attempt a bath night. Today she was great in the bath, didn't cry and didn't even need her nookie! I think she is learning to like them. I read in a book that by now we should be able to distinguish her cries.....hummpphhhh uhhhh all of Maddie's cries are either a fake single cry to get our attention or all out scream fits at the top of her lungs with mouth wide open. There is no in between and no way to distinguish differences.
2011-10-27: Day 43 (Thursday) - Today Maddie is 6 weeks old. It seemed to go by so quickly. We are still breast feeding. Yesterday went fairly smooth as I had an extra set of hands with Mom. Last night we decided to just give her a bottle with expressed BM at each feeding so that I could pump. I think it went ok, although Juan did all the feedings and I think felt that he was doing more than his share. It takes me almost and hour to put together the breast pump, pump, take it all apart, store the milk, clean the pump parts, and store the milk away. Also, since I have mastisis I have lumps/knots in my right breast that have to be constantly massaged while I pump in order to express any milk. I learned this the hard way last night. I pumped at 9pm and was massaging the right breast; but after 15 minutes I had not expressed any milk. I could feel lumps where the milk was backed up so I continued to massage and pump - bad idea. After 30 minutes I had no milk so my breast was still engorged and now my nipple was so sore from dry pumping that I couldn't attempt to pump again. The pain and engorgement continued to worsen. I put hot, wet washclothes on my breast to help break up the milk, but they kept cooling down to fast. I finally put a heating pad on my breast and cranked it up and fell asleep. At 12:30am I awoke and tried again to pump. Thankfully the heating pad helped and with massaging I was able to pump out about an ounce which helped the pain. I definitely think my milk supply on the right side has diminished. I read that not only will mastitis dimish the milk supply, but it can permanently damage the milk ducts. I really hope I caught it in time.
2011-10-29: Day 45 (Saturday) - We are still having major issues with feedings. I think my right breast should be seeing relief by now, but it still seems to be very painful. I am only managing to feed her once a day from the right. We have determined that she has definitely not been getting enough from my breasts alone. This week she has been averaging 3-4 ounces at each feeding and we are still feeding her every 2-1/2 to 3 hours. I'm not sure how much longer I can stand the pain. It is not so much while she is feeding, although that hurts as well; but more of a burning/throbbing that happens about an hour after each feeding and continues until the next feeding starts.
2011-10-30: Day 46 (Sunday) - This morning I threw in the towel and gave up breast feeding; at least directly from my breast. This morning I fed her on both breasts after not feeding her all night and immediately was in so much pain that I was crying. It is making me miserable and I am dreading every feeding. By this afternoon I realized that stopping feeding cold turkey is just as painful. I pumped just to get relief. After Juan and I talked about we decided that I would continue to pump every 5-6 hours to get relief until my milk dried up. I am so sad about it. I feel that I failed a major part of being a mother. I know they say not to feel guilty, but let's face it....I don't fail. I suck it up, I get the job done, I figure out how to make it work. The only thing I've ever struggled with is getting pregnant and now, apparently, motherhood! Juan knows all the pros for breast milk and is really wanting me to keep trying. I would love to keep trying, but I guess I am a bigger woose than I thought, because the pain is just no longer worth it.
2011-10-31: Day 47 (Monday) - Pumping seems to be working fairly well. Juan is still helping out a lot at night. He is doing all of the changing, feedings, and getting her back to sleep during the night while I pump. Since it takes a good hour, we both end up losing quite a bit of sleep. I help him by getting the bottles ready, either warming up the breast milk or making the formula. I also managed to pump a couple of times today while he was working, which was extremely hard with an infant demanding my attention. As long as the pumping is working, we have decided to stick with it. I am trying now to pump every 4 hours or so. I am managing to pump between 3-5 ounces each time, although she is now eating 4-6 ounces at each feeding! Today was Halloween and Maddie was a little Pea in the Pod, my little sweet pea. We went to Mom's to hand out candy to the trick-or-treaters and see Ashlyn and Jakob's costumes. They were an owl and a blue monster, how dang cute! I will post pics soon.
2011-11-01: Day 48 (Tuesday) - We figured out that we are only feeding her about 50% breast milk as she ate 6 ounces at EVERY feeding today. Juan asked what we could do to keep giving her breast milk today. I have still been feeling guilty and this afternoon I was looking at her sleep and really had the urge to breast feed her again. Maybe the pain wasn't that bad....maybe I can get over it....maybe now it will be better. I called the lactation consultant again today and scheduled an appointment for tomorrow. If the pain is from the way she is latching, which it must be, then if we can correct it I could feed her. I've noticed that past couple of days that she is squirting/spilling a ton of milk/formula from the corner of her mouth while she eats. She keeps curling her tongue and I know that she must be doing the same thing with my breast. She has also suddenly started to cry/scream whenever we stop feeding her to burp. We try to burp her every 1-2 ounces and she screams like we are not going to give her more. That makes me feel horrible because she must have been starving which is why she thinks she is not going to get any more. She is still eating every 3 hours or so and having gas pains/issues. Typical routing at night currently: Maddie awakes and awakes Juan and I, I get the bottle ready while Juan changes her, Juan feeds her 4 ounces of breast milk (if we have it, otherwise it is formula) while I begin pumping, I fix her 2 more ounces of formula (Enfamil gas ease) while Juan burps her, Juan feeds her the rest, burps her, and takes her back to bed while I finish pumping and clean up. During the day I fix her bottle, feed her, burp her, try to get her to sleep and then I pump for 30 minutes. In the morning she stays awake and I lay her on a blanket on the floor and I pump next to her and talk to her or play with a rattle to distract her. Most of the time it works. In the afternoon she will usually nap for 20-30 minutes allowing me to pump if I time it just right. Maddie and I ventured out to a restaurant today for the first time. We met Sarah, Abby, Janet, and Danna for lunch at Travernas. Maddie did great and pretty much slept the entire time. It was so great to get out and feel normal again! I did something terrible though. Everyone held her and then the food came and we sather in her car seat and I draped a blanket over her lap. When we left I was so busy saying goodbye, paying the check, making sure I got the diaper bag - purse - keys - cell phone - gift from Janet-Maddie, etc. that I forgot a critical step. When we arrived home and I removed the blanket to take Maddie out of her car seat, I realized that I never buckled her in. I almost had a heart attack right then and there. What if we had been in an accident? What if she'd been hurt? I was totally sick to my stomach. I confessed to Juan this evening and he said, "Do you know what else we did? We left the keys in the front door last night." Yes, on Halloween night we left our keys in the door all night after returning from my mom's with hands and arms loaded. OMG! What is the matter with us? Sleep deprivation is the only excuse we have.
2011-11-02: Day 49 (Wednesday) - We went back to the lactation consultant today, although we saw a different lady, Pat, as Kathy was out. Pat thinks I might not have had Mastitis, but Raynaud Phenomenon of vaso constriction. This is where your blood vessels constric at your extremities, ie. fingers, toes, nipples, etc. She gave me a larger nipple shield to help my nipple not rub while Maddie nurses. She also checked the latch and told us to switch our bottles to BreastFlow by 1st years as the nipples are larger and have a double nipple to force the infant to both suck and compress it similar to a breast. She said it would also teach her to open her mouth wider as the nipple base is larger. Great, yet another set of bottles; but if it works it will be worth it. She also said my second let down may not be occuring quick enough, forcing Maddie to hang out and suckle on a dry breast and cause more pain. She said to have hot compress or heating pad near and immediately apply after she feeds to release those constricted blood vessels. She said my right nipple also still appears to have trauma and if it is painful while nursing continue to pump until it heals. She said I may never be able to nurse from the right side. She also said some other things to try are vitimin B6 (max 25mg per day), limit caffeine, use evening primrose oil. I nursed Maddie on both sides and my right side did burn while nursing and they both burned after nursing. She got about 3 ounces and then we supplemented her with 2 more ounces of formula. They did weigh her before we started to nurse and she was 9 lbs - 2.4 ounces so she is definitely gaining weight. Her face is filling out and her checks are getting puffy. I also checked with Babies R Us and our rocker is in and they are going to schedule delivery within 24 hours. It may help significantly to have a comfortable place to feed her. At least by going to the lactation consultant one more time, I feel like I have really tried my best. Pat said if none of those things help and I still continue to have burning, that stopping BF is our only other option and she would recommend that. I am still hoping maybe this will all work it's way out. Tonight I really think Maddie smiled at me for the first time. We were laying on her play mat this evening playing and she smiled a couple times at me. She was in a pretty good mood, so I don't think it was gas this time. LOL.
2011-11-03: Day 50 (Thursday) - Today Maddie is 7 weeks old! That is just crazy. Last night weent ReALLY well. I nursed her at 10pm and then Juan took her and topped her off with a bottle while I applied a heating pad to my crazy breasts. We had her down by 11pm. My breasts did both burn, but it seemed maybe managable. Of course I only fed her 6 minutes on each side; but I was proud that I even managed to feed her on the right side. Then she only ate 3 more ounces out of the bottle, so I am convinced that she got at least a couple of ounces from me. The best part of the night, she slept until 5AM!!!!!! We got 6 hours of solid sleep! I don't know if it is the new bottles, the fact that she finally got full consistently for the last couple of days, or if she is just finally growing out of that other stage. I also am hopeful that it will last; but we shall see. She also had a 3 hour nap and a 2 hour nap yesterday, so I don't think she was too exhausted. Praise the Lord!!! He is answering our prayers. I pumped this morning and got 6-1/2 ounces as well. Of course I didn't pump or feed for 7 hours last night which isn't good; but that uninterrupted sleep was SOOOOOOO worth it!This afternoon did not go so well. This morning I tried my best to feed her, have a bottle ready and then immediately transfer her from breast to bottle and apply a heating pad; but it did not work so well. I was planning to try again this afternoon, but the cable guy arrived. So then I did not get to apply heat at all and I have been in a lot of pain ever since.
2011-11-04: Day 51 (Friday) - Today we went shopping with Mom at JCPenny's. Maddie did great. She slept and when she was awake just looked around at all the clothes. I had to get her some 0-3 month clothes as she has officially grown out of all her newborn outfits. This afternoon I tried to feed her with Juan's assistance and it went horribly bad. My milk would not let down, Maddie was hysterical trying to feed but getting nothing, and I was so stressed that I was crying. We finally gave up, Juan took Maddie to bottle feed, and I tried to pump. I pumped for 30 minutes and only got 1-1/2 ounces total. I am pretty sure this is the last time I try to feed her at my breast. It is too stressful for both of us. Maddie is definitely smiling at me now! She seems to be so happy, just since yesterday she seems like another baby. The pediatrician said that would happen, but I really didn't believe her. I hope it's here to stay.
2011-11-05: Day 52 (Saturday) - Shannon arrived last night to meet Maddie! This morning Juan watched Maddie while Shannon and I went to get pedicures and go to lunch. It was fabulous! Then we took Maddie to Waxahatchie to the scrapbook store. She seems to love the car and being out and about in her stroller. Then tonight Juan watched Maddie some more while we scrapbooked for awhile. He is really a great Daddy! Bad news of the day is I have pumped 30-40 minutes every 3 hours and I am only getting about an ounce each time. I am also in terrible pain again. I think the milk is there it is just not letting down. I have tried heating pads and massage but nothing seems to help.
2011-11-06: Day 53 (Sunday) - We took Maddie and Shannon to the Arboretum to take pictures this morning, then Juan watched Maddie most of the day and evening. I was in a lot of pain and still pumping almost nothing. I decided today to quit pumping all together. I tried wet hot washclothes and the heating pad all afternoon and then a super hot bath this evening. I have been taking Tylenol, but it is not helping either. I finally started taking the hydrocodine my OB perscribed after the baby. I hope my milk dries up quickly because I don't know how long I can stand this. I am also very concerned because I pumped for the last time this morning at 8am and already I have intense knots in my breasts. I don't want to get another infection because the milk ducts are clogged. We looked online and it didn't tell us anything about what to do to stop breastfeeding. All I know is that this breastfeeding was a horrible experience for both Maddie and I and now it appears even trying to end it is miserable!
2011-11-07: Day 54 (Monday) - I slept with a heating pad on my breasts all night. This morning they seemed to be a bit better, but it may be all the hydrocodine I have taken. I also took a super hot shower this morning. They are definitely still hurting. I called my OB and the nurse called me back this afternoon. Apparently I have done everything wrong to stop milk production....go figure. I am not supposed to stimulate the breasts in any form or fashion. No pumping, no heat, no hot water, no hot showers, no intercourse. She said to bind the breasts as tight as possible, put cabbage on them, and take Bynedral at night. She said it will take about a week and the pain will get worse before it gets better. Great! She did say the hydrocodine was fine as well. I guess it's a good thing I called. Why don't they put that kind of stuff in the millions of books I am reading? Shannon left today. It was great having her here! She took to Maddie right away and was sooooo much help. She was constantly feeding, changing, and holding/playing with Maddie. I told her that she should just stay forever. This infant thing can be pretty easy with six hands! Maddie has been great all weekend. She is almost on a schedule of her own making. She eats every 3 hours, almost on the dot. She seems to get in one 6 hour stretch from evening until the wee hours. We are almost completely out of breast milk. This morning twice she ate 8 ounces in one sitting. I fed her 4 ounces and then gave her 2 more; but she was still crying and obviously hungry. She snarfed down another 2 ounces. This is strange since last night she only ate 3 ounces in two different feedings. All other feedings she is eating 6 ounces. She is really smiling and even laughing a little once in a while. Shannon was thoroughly entertaining her. Last night she was in a great mood at 2am after Juan fed her. He just layed her on the bed and watched her because she was wide awake and just smiling, as happy as could be! She also blew out of 2 diapers today in a huge - we had to bathe her - kind of way. I think it is time to upsize to the next size diaper. What are you supposed to do with those that are left over? I was trying to use them up, but what a mess the cleanup is! I spoke with the OB nurse today and she said if we were trying to stop breast feeding then absolutely NO stimulation to the breast. Grandpa Dragoo and Grandma Sheryl arrived tonight to meet Maddie for the first time. The didn't get her until about 6pm and since they were staying with Vanessa, they left at about 8:45pm. Maddie slept the entire time. Maddie's glider chair finally arrived today! I really wish I would have had it when I was trying to breast feed.
2011-11-08: Day 55 (Tuesday) - Today is my 36th birthday! Maddie and I spent the day with Grandpa George, Grandma Sheryl, Uncle Jeff, Cousin Jakob and cousin Ashlyn. We wanted to go to the Arboretum, but it was raining this morning so we headed to Northpark Mall. After spending a couple of hours and eating lunch, we headed off to the Arboretum. All three kids were pooped by the end of the day and the adults were not far behind. Tonight Juan told me that one of my birthday gifts was a full night sleep!!!! He took care of Maddie all night at every feeding and did it all himself. It was blissful and an amazing birthday present, just what I wanted. Maddie is cooing a little bit more now. She tries to talk to her birdies on the mobile in her crib.
2011-11-09: Day 56 (Wednesday) - Maddie and I took Grandpa Dragoo and Grandma Sheryl to the Galleria today. We were all planning on having to dinner together with Vanessa's crew; but Maddie was fussy from all the overstimulation the past couple of days, so we bailed out.
2011-11-10: Day 57 (Thursday) - Today we were supposed to take Maddie to ccrd for her "Sip-N-See". Since Maddie came early and we missed the baby shower, we scheduled this for her to meet everyone instead. I got up and showered, got ready, gave Maddie a bath and at about 1pm realized that I was no feeling so good. By 2pm I was extremely nauseous with abdominal pains. By 2:30pm I was hugging the porcelain toilet. I had to call and ask for the "Sip-N-See" to be rescheduled for tomorrow. I'm not sure if it's food poisoning or stomach flu, but I have been miserable all afternoon. Juan is working on a project and unable to take off, so we called Thelma to come over and help me with the baby. I am so scared that she will get sick. Thelma and Sole arrived at about 4pm and Juan came home early not feeling so well himself. He thinks it is food poisoning from the chicken I ate Tuesday night at Outback. He ate just a little bit of it.
2011-11-11: Day 58 (Friday) - Last night was miserable. I was up every 2-3 hours losing everything inside me. Juan kept Maddie in the living room and took care of her all night while I quarentined myself in the bedroom. Mom came early this morning to take over while Juan went to work. I just hope it is food poisoning. I never ran a fever and it seems to be finally passing, thank the Lord! I was even able to attend the "sip n see" that my office threw for us this afternoon. It was great to see everyone and introduce them to Maddie. We are blessed to have such great friends and co-workers. They pitched in and got us everything on our registry related to feeding, including the baby food maker/processor that I wanted. So sweet of them. Afterwards we headed over to Juan's parents house so everyone could see Maddie. It was her first time visiting there.
2011-11-13: Day 60 (Sunday) - Last night we transitioned Maddie to her crib to sleep. We expected to be up all night, but she did very well. We put her down at about 10pm, fed her in her rocker with only her nightlight on, red her a book, kissed her goodnight, put her in her crib, and turned on her sleep bear. She was awake and fussed just a bit as we had her in a sleep swaddle and then fell asleep. She slept until 1:30am and we fed her, put her back in her crib, turned on the sleep bear again and to dreamland she went. We were very excited for her first night alone. This afternoon we took Maddie to her first BBQ at Mom's house. Vanessa, Jakob, and Ashlyn also attended. Ashlyn was very interested in Maddie and wanted to touch/smack her. I think they will be great friends soon.
2011-11-14: Day 61 (Monday) - Last night went about the same as the night before. Maddie went down fairly easy at about 7pm. I was a bit surprised that she only ate about 4 ounces at each feeding instead of her usual 6. In fact, she didn't seem to eat much all day and was overly fussy.
2011-11-15: Day 62 (Tuesday) - Last night went the same as the two before, only she reduced her intake to about 3 ounces at each feeding. She would just flat fall asleep and refuse to awaken. I am getting a bit worried as to why she doesn't seem to be eating much and is getting more and more fussy each day. Today she cried for about an hour in the late morning and then all afternoon and into the evening until we put her to bed. Her tummy seems to be acting up more and more each day. This evening I fed her at 6:30pm and tried to put her down for the night. She was extremely fussy and didn't end up falling asleep until 8:30pm. We even had to start her entire bedtime routine over again. I hope the rest of the night is better. Today Maddie is officially 2 months old! We played on her play mat this morning and tried to get her to swat at her hanging dolls and heart. She hit the heart accidentally a couple of times and thought it was great. She also loves when I sing her the "Itsy Bitsy Spider".
2011-11-17: Day 64 (Thursday) - Grandma Louise came to visit and meet Maddie. She came over and spent most of the day with us. Maddie was very fussy and Gam Gam held her almost the entire afternoon to soothe her.
2011-11-18: Day 65 (Friday) - Gam Gam and Nana came over and then we all went to the Arboretum this afternoon. We took a few more pictures in the pumpkin patch.
2011-11-19: Day 66 (Saturday) - Juan and I took Maddie to JCPenny's for her first professional photo shoot. There were a million people there and we were disappointed with the photos our photographer took. We did get a few tips on taking newborn photos, including using a pillow under the boppy to prop her up and using a white sheet and keeping it messy in lieu of trying to get it layed out all flat. They did give us a bunch of free sheets so it was still worth it and they said they would make it up to us next time if we come back. After taking her pictures we went to lunch at Juan's mother's house. Gaston, Juan's brother, came into town today so we went over to Juan's mother's house again so that Maddie could meet him. She was in awe of him when he held her. She just stared at him confused. I really think he looks so much like Juan that she thought it was Daddy, but knew the voice was wrong. It was too cute.
2011-11-20: Day 67 (Sunday) - Daddy has started calling Maddie "Pretty Pretty" because she is doubly pretty. Daddy also gave me my first day away from little Maddie. He left with her this morning at 9am and didn't come home until almost 5pm. They went to the museum in Ft. Worth and to his mother's house. I spent the day scrapbooking and enjoying the free time and quiet. It was wonderful and it was good for Maddie and Daddy to spend the time together.
2011-11-21: Day 68 (Monday) - Today was Maddie's 2 month checkup. She weighed 12lb-3oz. I can't believe she has gained that much. I was betting 10lbs and Juan guessed 11, we were both very surprised. She is now in the 85th percentile for weight and has caught up nicely from being premature. She is now 23-1/4" long (80th percentile) and her head is 15-1/2" (60th percentile). Dr. Hubbard also indicated that improvement and then slight regression is perfectly normal. She said her belly button is still fine and that mixing different formulas is also fine. She said there is really no difference in all the different formulas, just marketing ploys. Maddie had a ton of immunizations today: Hepatitis B, DTaP, Hib, Pneumococcal Conjugate, IPV, and Roatvirus. It was a total of three shots in her thighs and an oral medicine. She was a real trooper and cried only briefly when the shots were injected. She slept this afternoon and became fussy this evening, even though she didn't run a fever we gave her come children's tylonol. I was a bit concerned that Maddie is not holding objects or reaching out for things, but Dr. Hubbard said that she is not supposed to do those things until 4 months. Right now the only thing she should be adept at is smiling and responding when someone speaks to her, which she is doing fabulously. That made me feel much better. She also rolled over twice today when I put her on the blanket to do tummy time. She really hates Tummy time.
2011-11-22: Day 69 (Tuesday) - Today Maddie was happy and fine this morning and then super fussy and upset this afternoon. I couldn't get her calmed down at all and we finally gave her more tylonol this evening.
2011-11-23: Day 70 (Wednesday) - Maddie was up almost all night long. One of her injection points swelled up and there was a bump, the source of her pain. Everytime we moved her at all she screamed. Poor little thing. Today Juan's brother, Jaime, arrived from San Antonio. We let him use my free Southwest ticket to spend Thanksgiving with the family. Maddie and I picked him up at the airport. She was excited to meet another Tio and Jaime was immediately enamoured of her.
2011-11-24: Day 71 (Thursday) - Maddie's first Thanksgiving. She did great considering there were a million people here. She was an angel all day until everyone left and then the overstimulation took its toll. Those in attendance: Nana, Abuela, Abuelo, Tio Jaime, Miriam, Adam, Tia Gracie, Prinscella, Isabella, Juan, Maddie and Myself. It was a very long and tiring day; but great to be able to spend it with family.
2011-11-25: Day 72 (Friday) - This morning we took Maddie to buy her first Christmas tree. We just went to Home Depot. Then Juan decided to have an improptu barbeque and invited over his entire family again. Jaime, his mother, his father, and Adam all came. Later, Gaston his wife, Lupe, and two of their girls came over to say hi. It was another long day, as I was also trying to decorate for Christmas; but it was good to spend time with Juan's family and he enjoyed himself a lot.
2011-11-27: Day 74 (Sunday) - Today was cousin Jakob's 3 year birthday party. Maddie slept the entire time. Then we took her to Nana's while Juan and I went to a movie and dinner. It was great to have some time to ourselves. This was the first time Nana babysat Maddie at her house. We also decorated Maddie's first Christmas Tree. We should have put twinkling lights on it.
2011-11-28: Day 75 (Monday) - Today I took Maddie to see Santa for the first time. We went to Northpark Mall. It didn't go well and she had quite the meltdown. I tried to take her by myself and that was a bad idea. 5 of the 6 photos she is screaming, but what can you do? I still bought the photos. She also seemed to eat a TON today. I don't know if she is going through a growth spurt or what. She usually eats 4 ounces every 2-1/2 to 3 hours and today it has been 6 ounces every 2 hours or so.
2011-11-29: Day 76 (Tuesday) - Last night Maddie slept through the night for the first time!!!!! Based on how much she ate yesterday, I think she is definitely having a growth spurt. I don't know if that is the only reason that she slept through the night, but I hope not. She ate at 6:30pm but then fussed and didn't really go to sleep until about 10:30pm. At 4:30am Juan woke me up concerned that she was still asleep. I went to make sure she was still breathing and then we went back to sleep. That woke her up and she ate 8 ounces and then went back to sleep until 7:30am. It was WONDERFUL! Juan did swaddle her again, so that may have something to do with it.
2011-11-30: Day 77 (Wednesday) - Last night Maddie slept the entire night again! We put her to sleep at 7:30pm and she didn't wake until 3:30am, a FULL 8 hours! After she ate 7 ounces she went back to sleep and slept until 8:00am! I really hope this all night sleeping is here to stay. Maddie is really holding her head up a lot lately. She is so strong and kicks away really hard went she does not want to be burped. I also found out today that she loves it when I sing "We wish you a merry Christmas!" She just smiles and coos. The cooing is a fairly new thing. She is just beginning to make purposeful noises, although not too many yet. It usually ends up as drool bubbles.
2011-12-01: Day 78 (Thursday) - Last night Maddie seemed to regress a bit, she only slept about 6 hours. She is also getting extremely fussy again. We switched her formula to Similac gas and fussiness and I hope that is not what did it. Today she cried unconsolably most of the day again. She also hasn't pooped for 36 hours and I think that is also contributing. I finally used the thermometer rectally, but that didn't even stimulate it or help.
2011-12-02: Day 79 (Friday) - Last night was miserable, Maddie was up every 2-3 hours and was in obvious pain. This afternoon we gave up on the Similac and switched her back to Enfamil hoping that was what was causing it. She finally did poop late this afternoon, so hopefully that will help as well.
2011-12-03: Day 80 (Saturday) - Maddie slept about four hours at a time last night. I don't know if those two wonderful nights last week were just a growth spurt or what, but I wish they would return. Maddie has been a bit better today, but still crying out in pain quite a bit. All that we did all day was try to console her. Again, she hasn't pooped all day. We also discovered today that Maddie loves looking at twinkling lights. We put lights on the staircase and placed her on a blanket at the base and she looked up at them and oohed and awed for about 45 minutes, just kicking and moving her arms and legs and smiling at the lights!
2011-12-04: Day 81 (Sunday) - Yeah, last night we put Maddie down at 8pm and she didn't wake until 2:30am, 6-1/2 hours. I'll take it! Then she went back to sleep until 7am, another 4-1/2 hours. She also finally pooped today, twice! She was a MUCH happier baby today for the most part. She is really lifting her head up a lot now. She still doesn't like tummy time and will only do a couple of minutes, but she lifts herself up alot when we put her on our chest in the burping position. Today when we did tummy time she lifted up with arms and head and even followed a toy key rattle from right all the way around to the left side as I was shaking it.
2011-12-05: Day 82 (Monday) - Last night we put Maddie down to bed at about 8pm and she didn't wake until 5:15am!!!!!! Yes! We fed her and then she slept for another hour and 1/2. We did make a big effort to keep her awake yesterday, probably too long because she got pretty fussy last night in the evening. She has been very conjested in her nose every morning for the past 4-5 days. We are constantly using the nose sucker, which she hates.
2011-12-06: Day 83 (Tuesday) - Today I took Maddie to get her 3 month photos taken at JCPenny's. She had a complete meltdown and cried so much that they literally took 6 photos and she looks like such a sad baby in all of them. I am sooo disappointed with her photos. I have tried so hard to get portrait photos for her frame and each month they have turned out worse and worse.
2011-12-08: Day 85 (Thursday) - Today was my first day back at work. Juan's mother, Maria, is watching Maddie during the day at our house. She arrives by 6:30am or so and then I am taking off work at 2:30pm so that I can be home each day by 3pm. This allows his mom to miss the rush hour traffic back to Oak Cliff and allows me 3 hours or so with Maddie before Juan gets home. Work has not changed a bit and I walked right back into a crazy mess. I was so busy that I was in shock when Juan called to ask where I was and I realized it was already 3:15pm! I completely lost track of time. Then I felt bad that it was so easy not to think about Maddie, what a bad mother I am. I am definitely going to have to set an alarm on my phone to warn me when it is 2:15pm. Maddie did great today and so did I. It was really nice to use my brain and have adult conversations and be needed. I often feel like I just don't know what to do for Maddie and that I am a bad mommy; but I am an excellent engineer and manager. I was pretty excited to see her when I got home. Juan's mother put Maddie in some of her 3-6 month clothes because she thought the 0-3 were too small. I ended up pulling out a lot of the 0-3 month stuff to pack away.
2011-12-10: (Saturday) - Tonight was our ccrd Christmas party at Rick's house. We left Maddie with Nana this afternoon and evening. Juan and I went out to have drinks and snacks at Northpark, do a little shopping, and then headed to the Christmas party. We didn't stay out late, but it was wonderful for us to get away for a little while.
2011-12-15: (Thursday) - Today Maddie is 3 months! She weighs about 16 pounds and is 24" long.
2011-12-17: (Saturday) - You have gotten to be such a big baby! Today, Daddy started calling you Gigantor. You just smile everytime he says it. Daddy also decided to play horsie with you today to keep you from crying. He sat you on his knee and bounced you while saying, barump, barump barump-bump-bump; barump, barump, barump-bump-bump. You are probably a little young, but you just smiled everytime he did it.
2011-12-18: (Sunday) - We finally moved Maddie to size 2 diapers today. We didn't quite use all of the size 1's but they were really tight around her little legs.
2011-11-19: (Monday) - Work, family and life are all going well. It is wonderful to be able to concentrate while at work and not worry if Maddie is being properly taken care of. It's working out great with Juan's mother watching her. Our typical day begins between 4am-5am when Maddie awakes. We both get up, I make her bottle while Juan changes her and then he feeds her and I go back to bed. Once he puts her back down, he comes back to bed. I get up at 5:30am and jump in the shower and get ready for work. Juan gets up after me and gets ready. Most days Maddie goes back to sleep and doesn't wake until we leave for work or after. Maria arrives at about 6:30am and we take off for work. I get off at 2:30pm and am home by 3pm. Maddie and I play on her matt, read books, eat, and take a nap before Juan arrives home at 6:15pm. Then he takes Maddie and plays with her or lets her nap in his arms until it is time to put her to bed. Typically we put her down between 7pm and 7:30pm. She is still going to bed like an angel, although she is not napping at ALL during the day unless she is being held or once in awhile in her swing, and even then for only 20-30 minutes at a time.
2011-12-20: (Tuesday) - I read in the baby 411 book that at 2-4 months they will eat 6-8 oz per feeding and total 21-40 ounces per day. We have been freaking out because she has been eating more than 32 ounces. We have been limiting her in the evenings to 4 ounces before bed just to keep it around 34 ounces a day. Maybe that is why she gets so fussy between 5-7 pm. Of course I think the not napping also plays into that. We decided today not to limit her feedings as long as they don't exceed 40 ounces.
2011-12-21: (Wednesday) - Tonight Maddie laughed out loud for the first time. Juan and I were playing with her on her matt and he started tickling her and she hollared and laughed. It was sort of a cross between a scream and a laugh, but it was obvious that she was enjoying it.
2011-12-24: (Saturday) - Today we ran some last minute errands for Christmas before heading over to Nana's to celebrate with Maddie's cousins, Aunt and Uncle. She was in awe of all the commotion, decorations and people. We had food, opened presents and then tried to go to the Candlelight service at First Presbyterian Church in Mesquite. We loaded up all three kids, in their matching red and white striped jammies and headed out. The service started fine, Maddie was falling asleep while I bounced her on my shoulder, Jakob was being a typical 3 year old and Ashlyn was sitting on Nana's lap drinking a bottle. They started the bells, the choir came in singing and the sermon began. Ashlyn and Jakob got restless so Vanessa took them out and returned without them. Apparently they have a nursery. Then Juan took Madalynne and she was sleeping fine, but Juan was extremely tense because there was a lot of coughing going on throughout the congregation. When Maddie started crying, Juan bolted of the pew and headed out. We didn't make it through the service, which was diappointing; but we will try again next year. I feel so blessed, Christmas used to be just us three girls; Mom, Me and Vanessa. Now, our little family has grown to 8, with husbands and three little ones. I can't wait until Maddie is able to really play with her cousins! Maddie had trouble going to bed tonight. It took 3 tries to get her to sleep. I think she was over stimulated.
2011-12-25 (Sunday) - Christmas was a wonderful but crazy day. Maddie woke us around 5am and we had our own little 1st Navarro family Christmas on the floor under the tree. Maddie was perfectly content to watch us from her bouncer. She didn't care much about the wrapping, but she did seem to like the light up butterfly that we gave her. Daddy gave Mommy some great gifts, including a tea set for work, an IPhone charger, and a Tiffany necklace. Maddie gave Mommy some MAC makeup. Mommy gave Daddy a backpack for his camera, towels, glass animals and a green OTT light. Maddie gave Daddy the Lion King on blue ray. Mommy and Daddy gave Maddie the butterfly, a singing farm wrattle, a stackable plastic ring set, and a book. Daddy also gave Maddie the book A Charlie Brown's Christmas in which he pre-recorded the story so she could always have Daddy read it for her. We all got ready and headed over to Abuelita and Abuelitos to have tamales and see Thelma, Aram and Sole. Monica, Jose, Alexis, and Olivia also stopped by. Then it was off to Tia Gracie's and Tio Marco's. We spent a nice afternoon with them having yummy dinner and exchanging presents. Maddie had trouble going to bed again tonight. It was definitely the overstimulation today. I hope this isn't the start of a new pattern.
2011-12-26 (Monday) - I spent most of the day taking down the Christmas stuff. Tonight Maddie went to bed just like a pro, yeah! We weighed Maddie today and she was 17.8 pounds and 24" long. She is getting so big!!!!
2011-12-31 (Saturday) - We are such and old married couple. We put Maddie to bed and then I skypbooked with Angie for a couple of hours while Juan snored on the couch. About 10 minutes before midnight he woke up and we celebrated together briefly and then listened to all the craziness going on outside with the guns going off. I was really worried about Maddie being alone in the front room.
2012-01-01 (Sunday) - New Years Day! We ran some errands, picked up the last of the Xmas stuff and spent a lazy day at home.
2012-01-02 (Monday) - Maddie is outgrowing her 3-6 month clothes already. It makes me sad because she got a few really cute outfits for Xmas that she will be lucky to wear once.
2012-01-03 (Tuesday) - Today during tummy time Maddie immediately lifted her head and looked all around the entire time. She did almost 5 minutes and then I rolled her over, which she seemed to like. A few minutes later we did it all again. She is really changing now. I also noticed that I put her in her crib to watch her horsies and she really followed them with her entire head and she knew to look back left to find the next one and then followed it all the way to the right until it was out of direct sight and then she looked back left for the next one again!
2012-01-07 (Saturday) - Today I finally got Maddie to hold Sophie the giraffe and put her in her mouth. She is not coordinated enough to hold it and find her mouth, but with a little help from me she found it. She really doesn't like anything but her hands and her sleeves in her mouth.
2012-01-08 (Sunday) - Today Nana watched Maddie while we went to church. Church was a great message and I'm glad we went.
2012-01-10 (Tuesday) - This evening I was reading about games to play with your baby and it said at Maddie's current age, to use a flash light and let them watch it. Juan decided to try it out and Maddie was thoroughly entertained. He layed her on the changing table and then shined the flashlight all around her room and on faceted objects that would reflect on the wall.
2012-01-11 (Wednesday) Tonight Juan played the flashlight game again with Maddie. He was making shadows on the wall but then was afraid it might scare her.
2012-01-12 (Thursday) - Maddie has been fussy the last couple of days, Juan swears she is teething, but I think it is still too early. She might be though. I did try to get her to chew on the froggy teether. She could sort of hold it, but not at the same time that it was in her mouth. If I held it for her, she would chew on it. When she held it herself, she just sort of licked it because she couldn't hold it at the right angle to get it into her mouth. Today I put her in the bumbo and gave her a book. I'm not sure if she was trying to turn the pages or she just accidentally did, but it was entertaining to watch.
2012-01-13 (Friday) - Juan didn't play the flashlight game with her yesterday and tonight she was watching the wall and looking all over for the shadows and lights as we changed her for bed. She actually remembered it. I also cut Juan's hair this evening. First time ever.
2012-01-15 (Sunday) - Today Nana watched Maddie while Juan and I went to church, lunch, and a movie. I think she was a little warm and she ate an extra lot today and was a bit fussy but not too bad.
2012-01-16 (Monday) - Maddie is officially in size 3 diapers. Today was her 4 month well baby exam. She weighed 16.14 lbs (100th percentile, off the charts), 26" long (95th percentile), and 16.5" circumference head (75th percentile). Dr. Hubbard said that she is not teething at this age, all 4 month babies put their hands in their mouths and drool. It is her digestive juices gearing up for solids. She said not to start her on solids until about 5-1/2 months and then cereal and vegtables first. Just a little once a day to get her used to a spoon and the texture in her mouth. She also said 30-35 oz of formula a day is the limit, not to go over 35 but she can have water. She also told us to get out the bouncer that it was time. Maddie got a ton of shots as well. We noticed when we were waiting for the doctor that she had a ton of little red spots on her legs and feet that were not there this morning. Dr. Hubbard said that it could be Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease (HFM) caused by the Coxsachie virus. This is very contagious and typically occurs in toddlers. These bumps get in the mouth and hurt and typically have a fever associated with it; but not everyone has the same symptoms. The bumps are typically at the end of cycle so that may be the only symptom that she has. I came home at noon to take care of Maddie in case she started running a fever. She was lethargic most of the day and slept quite a bit. She felt warm, but I didn't think she was super hot. When Juan came home at 6pm she was asleep in my arms watching Baby Einstein and he immediately said she was burning up and had a fever! I didn't think so at all, but we took her temperature rectally and it was 102.1 degrees! I was motified. How long has she had a fever? We gave her meds but I didn't want to bundle her up in a swaddle, so we put her in a short sleeved onsie and pants. I was sure she would wake up around 10 and we could check her temp again, give her more meds if needed and then swaddle her; but she never woke up. The house was 75 degrees so I though it would be fine. This mrorning I went in to check on hr about 4:30am and found her little arms and hands to be freezing. I felt so bad.
2012-01-17 (Tuesday) - Maddie didn't have a fever this morning and seemed to be fine. Juan came home at lunch and checked her temp and it was 100.8 so he gave her some more tylenol. When I got home at 3pm, Maria said she haad been crying non-stop since about 2pm or so. She was only a little hot and her temp was 100.6 degrees. She was a bit fussy this afternoon, and wanted to be held and walked but she was good and happy. This evening when we tried to put her to bed we swaddled her and she went ballistic and wouldn't calm down. I finally took off the swaddle and changed her into a long sleeved sleep and play. She then talked and cried out off and on for about 10-15 minutes and then fell asleep. We'll see if she makes it through the night or wakes up.
2012-01-18 (Wednesday) - Maddie didn't wake up during the night. Looks like the swaddle is now a thing of the past. We are putting her in a sleeveless sleep sack now. She still ran a little fever this afternoon, 100.8 although she has been acting fine, but was fussy this evening so we did give her more tylenol. She ate so much today that I just gave her water before bed. She drank it just fine and went to sleep.
2012-01-19 (Thursday) - Maddie was still running 100.8 fever this afternoon. This evening we finally put together her Jump-A-Roo. We put her in it and she just stared. Didn't really seem to know what to make of it. She didn't cry, but didn't laugh or jump either. I think she was tired and it was too new for her to do anything except take it in.
2012-01-20 (Friday) - Maddie's temperature was 100.2 today. YEAH! She is now laughing real laughs out loud when tickled. In these photos, Juan was touching her chin, just under her lips and saying, "A-Goo" and she would just laugh and laugh. She also anticipates the tickling and smiles huge whenever we start the "here comes the bee, here comes the bee" game. Her laugh is sooo cute. I really wish she would laugh more. I love hearing it. We've also starting watering down her formula. We typically give her 6oz formula + 1 or 2 extra ounces of water. She doesn't seem to mind and then it usually holds her for 2-1/2 to 3 hours.
2012-01-22 (Sunday) - I packed away almost all of her 3-6 month stuff today and reorganized her closet to pull over all the 6-9 month clothes. She is growing so fast. This week she has also started paying attention to other things when eating and stretching her head all the way around so that her bottle almost falls out completely.
2012-01-24 (Tuesday) - She really loves her alien right now. She really talks to it. We put it in her crib next to her and she even manages to pick it up. She is starting to be able to get things into her mouth. She can almost get Sophie into her mouth if we get it into her hand first. Most of the time it ends up being licked with her tongue. She wants everything in her mouth, she just can't get it there. She sucks on her fingers and sleeves all the time, but never took to the pacifier.
2012-01-26 (Thursday) - Last night Juan woke me up and was freaking out because Maddie had sort of half way rolled over and appeared to be contorted with her little head. I told him she was fine, but I finally went to check on her. She was fine and immediately rolled back into this inverted U postition. We've noticed lately that she does this on her mat trying to see what is behind her. She is so close to rolling over.
2012-01-28 (Saturday) - Today she managed to squeeze sofie the giraffe and get her to squeak. So cute, but she was more interested in getting her into her mouth. She has become a perfect baby. She rarely cries unless she is hungry, tired, or bored. She is also about to grow out of her swing. She was in it rocking while I was cleaning bottles in the kitchen when I heard it thudding against the wall. I leaned over to check on her and she had almost rolled completely out of it. Here little legs were dangling clear over the sides and the offset of her weight was giving the swing momentum and thus the banging into the wall. Then later in the day I decided we should start buckling her in, only to realize there was no way that buckle was going to reach around her chunky thighs and chubby belly, LOL! Looks like it is almost time to put the swing away.
2012-01-29 (Sunday) - Last night we awoke in the middle of the night, looked at the baby monitor and could only see Maddie's feet where her head should have been. I have no idea how she managed to rotate 180 degrees on her back, but she did! This is definitely a first. Her eyes have almost changed completely brown, a clear brown that is. There is still a hint of green, but I think that is soon to be gone.
2012-02-09 (Thursday) - Maria said that Maddie rolled over today 3 times from her front to her back. I tried for two hours this afternoon to coax her into rolling over and nothing. I wonder if Maria didn't "help".
2012-02-10 (Friday) - This afternoon I went to get my haircut while Juan watched Maddie. When I got home he was congratulating her and said I had missed her rolling over by 3 minutes. She was totally cheesing it up and was obviously very proud of herself. We flipped her back over and we waited to see if she would do it again. Juan distracted me for a minute talking about the mylar balloon that was still on our ceiling and when I looked back at Maddie, she was on her tummy! I missed it again!
2012-02-11 (Saturday) - This morning we had Maddie on her mat and she was rolling to back non-stop! She always rolls to her left and can't roll to her back, so after a few minutes on her belly she starts to scream. Juan has a bridal photo shoot this morning, so Maddie and I went shopping with Nana. Then Juan met us out for a late lunch to celebrate Nana's 60th birthday tomorrow. Then Nana babysat Maddie while Juan and I went to my co-worker, Nathan's, 30th birthday party. We picked up Maddie around 9:30pm and she was zonked out.
2012-02-12 (Sunday) - Last night Maddie woke at 2am. I don't know if it was because she fell asleep at Nana's or because she is rolling over now, but Juan got up and changed/fed her and put her back to sleep. Then she woke up again at 3am and Juan said it was my turn. I simply rolled her back over, she was wide awake, patted her tummy, and said, "go to sleep, mommy loves you." She obeyed quite nicely.
2012-02-13 (Monday) - Looks like this may become a regular occurance. Last night Maddie woke at 3am. Juan did what I had told him to do the night before and just rolled her back onto her back and she fell back asleep.
2012-02-14 (Tuesday) - This morning Maddie woke at 4:00am. Still early, but this is a bit more acceptable time than the 2AM wakening. Juan changed her, fed her and put her back to sleep.
2012-02-15 (Wednesday) - Last night when I put Maddie to bed, she immediately rolled over onto her tummy. I immediately rolled her back over and about 2 minutes after that she was on her tummy again. This wouldn't be a big deal, except everytime she rolled onto her tummy she cried because she could roll back. After playing this game for 10 minutes, I lodged her alien (little stuffed animal) between her side and the edge of the crib so she couldn't roll over. That seemed to work. This morning Maddie woke at 4:30am. Juan told his mother that she is having trouble sleeping at night and not to let her sleep so much during the day. I told him he was crazy. She is still going to bed easily at 6:30pm without fuss and still sleeping at least 7-8 hours. Not only that, when she does wake and he feeds her, she immediately falls back asleep for another 2-3 hours with no fuss. I wouldn't say she is having trouble sleeping. I think we have an ANGEL from the sleep aspect. I sure don't want to mess that up with her being cranky or over tired; plus the books still say she should be getting 14 hours of sleep per day, which is about what she sleeps. I think the rolling over has just affected her a bit.
2012-02-16 (Thursday) - Last night when I put Maddie to bed, she fell asleep and then 30 minutes later I went to check on her and she had rolled on to her tummy. I gently rolled her back over and when I went to bed at 8:30pm, she was on her tummy again. I rolled her once more and then started searching the internet. Everything I read said once they can roll over on their own and roll back it is fine to leave them on their tummy, but she cannot roll back on to her back yet. I was very concerned with SIDS, but it's not practical to roll her every 30 minutes. I also read to take out all stuffed animals, blankets, etc. so when they do roll they won't get caught up in them and possibly suffocate, so I didn't put her alien in to keep her on her back. At 1:30am Juan woke me up to tell me that it was my turn and he had rolled her every 30 minutes for the last hour and a half, only everytime he rolled her she woke up. I told him to stop and just let her sleep on her belly. I went to check on her and then we did just that.
2012-02-17 (Friday) - Last night when I put Maddie to bed, she was so exhausted they she fell asleep on her back and stayed that way until about 3:30am. Then when she rolled over it woke her up. She layed there awake for about 30 minutes before she started fussing, so then Juan went to feed her and put her back to sleep.
2012-02-19 (Sunday) - Sunday - Today we fed Maddie cereal for the first time. She did AMAZING and managed to eat about 1 tablespoon. She tried to suck on the spoon a bit and she wasn't quite sure what to do with her tongue, she wanted to put it on top of the spoon; but for her first time, she did great. We used Earth's Best Organic Whole Grain - Multi-Grain cereal. I followed the directions on the box and mixed it with formula, but it seemed too runny so I think I will put in less formula tomorrow.
2012-02-20 (Monday) - Cereal again for Maddie today. We feeding her solids at about 3-3:30pm each day. I know they recommend feeding in the morning so you can see if they have any sort of allergic reaction; but with us leaving at 6am in the mornings, that just doesn't work out for us. Since she is only eating solids once a day, I feed her when I get home, after her afternoon bottle and then we still have 3 hours or so to see if she has a reaction. So far it's worked out well for us. Today we gave her water in a cup for the first time. She immediately figured it out. We had to help her not dump it all over herself and she sort of flung the cup sending water everywhere; but she REALLY liked using the cup and managed it fairly well for the first time.
2012-02-21 (Tuesday) - We haven't taken Maddie's high chair out of storage yet, so for now we have been feeding her on the kitchen table in her bumbo. She already gets excited when we put her in it. She knows it's time to eat. She is really taking to solid food and opens her mouth when I put the spoon up to it.
2012-02-22 (Wednesday) - Maddie is now very proficient at rolling from her back to her front, always rolling right; but she hasn't rolled from her front to her back yet. She gets close and can do it with help. I don't think it will be too much longer. She loves books, especially the soft books she can get in her mouth. She is also totally in love with her Jump-A-Roo. Everytime she makes one of the animals sing a song she smiles and looks to us for approval. What a great investment
2012-02-23 (Thursday) - Nana came over this afternoon to babysit while Juan and I went to meet the realators to discuss putting his house on the market. Today was also the first day that we gave Maddie a vegtable - Squash! I used the babycook last night to make her carrotts. Since it was the first time I had used the Babycook, it had to run through 3 cycles to sterilize, then I had to wash and cut the carrots and cook them. Then I started working and was so exhausted that I fell asleep and completely forgot about the carrots. I woke up in the middle of the night and remembered they were still sitting in the babycook. I threw them out and this morning made squash instead, before I went to work.
2012-02-24 (Friday) - Maddie LOVES squash! I thought she liked the cereal; but the squash she literally has convulsions for. She inhales it and opens her mouth before I can even refill the spoon. I don't know if it's because it has so much more flavor then the cereal or because it is sweet. I hope she likes everything we give her as much as she does this first veggie.
2012-02-25 (Saturday) - We finally bit the bullet and traded in my Honda Civic for something that a car seat fits in a little better. This is my new Honda CR-V in Twilight Blue Metallic. It's nice to be sitting a little bit higher and it is DEFINITELY easier to get Maddie and her stroller in and out! Oh yeah and Maddie finally rolled from her front to her back today! She was SOOO proud of herself.
2012-02-26 (Sunday) - Today we gave Maddie carrots for the first time. We didn't think she would like them, but she opened wide! She didn't eat quite as much as with the squash, but I think she ate about 1 ounce. I'm so glad that she is doing so well with solids.
2012-02-27 (Monday) - We gave Maddie carrots for the first time today. She seems a little taken aback at them but then got totally into eating them. I didn't realize carrots would be so messy. There is orange everywhere! She ate every bite and probably would have ate more.
2012-03-02 (Friday) - This evening we went over to Marco and Gracie's to celebrate Juan's dad's birthday with dinner. We arrived at about 5pm and finally gave up and took Maddie home at about 7:45pm. She did awesome though. She didn't cry or fuss at all. She was entranced with being in a new house and around so many people. She wasn't scared at all. She is so awesome! She was exhausted, but refused to go to sleep and miss even a minute.
2012-03-03 (Saturday) - Today Maddie babbled mama and dada both. She has been really talking up a storm for the past couple of days. It is soooo awesome to hear her talking. I could listen to her all day. She acts so confident, like she knows exactly what she's saying.
2012-03-04 (Sunday) - Maddie definitely loves food. When she sees us eat or drink ANYTHING she stops and stares at us and then makes mouth eating motions. We gave her asparagus for the first time today. I think she liked it better than even the squash. She literally tried to throw herself at the spoon and didn't just open her mouth but stuck out her entire tongue. LOL! She ate 2 ounces the very first time. She is really starting to get distracted with her bottle though. She babbles a lot while drinking, so she is making quite the mess. Maddie has also started laughing a LOT. We gave her a little crocidile that says colors in english, french and spanish and she laughed hysterically at us for about 30 minutes. It was so cute.
2012-03-07 (Wednesday) - We gave Maddie green beans for the first time today. She ate them, but didn't seem to be too impressed. She also is using her fore finger and thumb to pick up things. She layed on her pink mat today and picked up her bug and turned it over back and forth looking at it and putting it in her mouth. She is starting to reach for things.
2012-03-08 (Thursday) - Juan fed her green beans today and she choked most of them back up. She was pretty much gagging herself the entire time and only ate about 1 ounce. I don't know if she didn't like them, wasn't hungry, or was confused because Daddy was feeding her.
2012-03-09 (Friday) - Today Maddie sort of reached for Juan. She was sitting on my lap and he asked her if she wanted to "come with Daddy" and she flapped her little arms and kicked really hard. I think she did want to go with Daddy. She later did the similar with me.
2012-03-10 (Saturday)- Today Maddie and I went on our first road trip. Nana road with us and we went to Tahlaquah, OK to a scrapbook retreat. Joining us was Angie and little Kayla (8-1/2 months), Aunt Vanessa and little Ashlyn (15 months), Shannon, Debbie, Carrie and little Lauren (2-1/2 years), Sabrina and Joselyn (6 years), and friends Sabrina, Michelle, and Michelle. It was about a 4-1/2 hour drive and we left at 5:30 am. Maddie did great in the car until about the 3-1/2 hour mark. It was slightly crazy with so many little ones, but they all did really great and enjoyed each other.
2012-03-11 (Sunday) - Maddie did great her first night away from home and in a pack-n-play. She went down like clockwork at 6:00pm (she was exhausted) and slept until 4:45am (5:45am because of daylight savings). I fed her and she slept for another hour. She didn't nap much throughout the day, but was really good for a 6 month old. She loved everyone and didn't mind being passed around at all. She was also extremely interested in the babies and watched them constantly.
2012-03-12 (Monday) - Maddie did great again last night. I was extremely stressed and worried, but she went down after reading Goodnight Moon twice. She woke up about 30 minutes later, but then went right back down and slept until almost 6am! We left OK at about 11:30am and she only slept about 40 minutes then entire trip and cried almost the rest. Nana started out riding with Vanessa, but after about and hour and a half into the trip we had to stop because Maddie just wouldn't stop crying. She needed her diaper changed and we had lunch and let the kids out of the car for awhile before starting off again. For the second half, Nana rode with us and I was VERY glad as the last hour she literally had to play peak-a-boo the entire time to keep Maddie from crying. She was exhausted, ready to be out of the car, and ready to be home. She was also VERY glad to see Daddy! He missed us both a ton. We gave Maddie a bath tonight and she kicked/splashed for the first time. She was having a blast kicking in the water and is amazed when Juan pours water from the pitcher. She tries to catch it in her hand. She is still too timid to splash her hand, but loves kicking her feet. Daddy bought flowers for me and Maddie her own separate bouquet of gerber daisies in her room. It was so sweet!
2012-03-13 (Tuesday) - Maddie sat up alone for about 30 seconds today for the first time. She also played with her plastic stacking rings and managed to take the rings off by herself. I laid her on the floor and put her cloth book about three feet away and told her to get it.....amazingly, she did! She rolled over to it and picked it right up...and it went right in her mouth. I was so surprised.
2012-03-14 (Wednesday) - We gave Maddie Zucchini for the first time today. She liked it as much as the first squash that we gave her! We also got an offer on Juan's house today. It was quite a bit less than we were hoping for, but they want to close May 1st which is perfect. We are going to counter tomorrow with a pretty high number.
2012-03-15 (Thursday) - I can't believe that Maddie is 6 months old today. It seems like yesterday we were bringing her home from the hospital. She is growing so fast. She is sitting by herself for longer and longer periods of time. She is also beginning to shake and bang objects to make noise, even if that means banging them on herself. She reaches for toys and even is managing to take the rings off the stackers by herself. Daddy helps her do it with her feet and she thinks that is hilarious. She still LOVES to kick. They countered our counter offer on Juan's house. They came up a little, but not what we were hoping for.
2012-03-16 (Friday) - Today was Maddie's six month well baby visit. Juan had a management course that he was taking for work, so Maria went with Maddie and I. Maddie was 20 lbs and 11 ounces at 95% she off the charts. She was 28-1/4" long at also 95th percentile. Her head circumference was 17-1/2" and at 92nd percentile. Dr. Hubbard said she is definitely a big baby, but as all of her stats are off the charts and in proportion she is not worried. We told her that Maddie is just not napping in the crib. She is doing great at night and going right down and still sleeping 10-11 hours straight, but if we put her in the crib during the day she only naps for maybe 10 minutes; hence the reason Maria holds her to nap. Then she sleeps 2-3 hours. Dr. Hubbard says we have to break her of that now or when we come in at 9 months we will be telling her that now Maddie's nights are screwed upa nd she is not sleeping through them. She said that at 6 months Maddie is learning to reason and that she will eventually question why does she have to sleep in the crib at night and not in the day. She said to do some sort of routine when she gets sleepy and then put her in her crib and leave. She said to let her cry it out, even if it takes an hour. She said do not go back in and pick her up. She said at 10 minutes go in and tell her everything is ok and that we are here but she has to nap. She said leave again and return in another 15 minutes. Maria was continually saying no, no, no. Dr. Hubbard also told us that if she was taking to solids well, give her more; feed her 2-3 times a day and feed her two different things. She still recommended giving her all the new vegtables first, then fruits and then meats. She also said we could continue to give her a bottle before bed for as long as we wanted. I also asked her about pierced ears. She said if we wanted to pierce Maddie's ears we should do it sooner rather than later. As she gets older she moves around more and we won't be able to get them even on both sides. She also said that she probably would pull on them or notice them this early. So I decided to pierce them today! It was $100 I wanted her pediatrician to do it since she is so young. Poor Maddie screamed a lot during the first one, then she screamed even more for the second. It was very hard to watch. Then we turned around and she was immediately given her three shots. It was a very rough day for her. She was pretty traumatized that the time.
Maddie cried a lot this afternoon and Maria gave her Children's tylenol. I gave her another dose before bed. We also accepted the offer on Juan's house and finalized the contract today. It should go to the title company tomorrow.
2012-03-17 (Saturday) - Today we went and bought Maddie a ton of fresh veggies from Central Market. We went way over board; but I wanted to make a ton of food to freeze and last us the next couple of weeks. Maddie was only running a very slight fever this morning 100.6 degrees, so I went ahead and gave her a dose of Tylenol. Juan had his management class today, so I had Maddie all day. I decided to try an put her down for her nap at about 1pm. She cried for an entire hour and never did fall asleep. It was terrible and I was totally stressed out. I am really worried about how this is going to work. We went to Alice's 1 year birthday party this afternoon. This evening Maddie had a lot of issues going down to bed. I am so worried!
2012-03-18 (Sunday) - I told Juan he had to put Maddie down for her naps today. This morning he put her down and she fell right asleep. This afternoon she cried for about 10 minutes and then finally fell asleep. She slept for about an hour both times. I am extremely nervous about how she will do with Maria tomorrow and whether or not Maria will give in. This afternoon we went to Kaitlyn's 3rd birthday party. It was actually a lot of fun and Maddie enjoyed watching the children and was extra amused by Alice. This evening I started making the mounds of baby food. I only got though the peas, lima beans and broccoli. The peas didn't turn out at all. I bought fresh frozen ones and cooked them, but the skin didn't really blend up well so we were afraid Maddie might choke on it. I ended up throwing out all three batches. We did give Maddie a cracker for the first time. We only had club crackers, but she loved them. She would have ate the whole box, but we only had a few. Looks like we need to buy some Saltines.
2012-03-19 (Monday) - Today Maria put Maddie down for a nap at about 9am and she slept for an hour with no problems. Then she slept again for an hour at about 11am, with still no crying. Juan tried to put her down at lunch for anthother nap, but she would have none of that so they let her up and then Maria put her down again later and she only cried for about 10 minutes. I am so glad that she seems to be catching on. Today I gave Maddie lima beans for the first time. She made some very funny faces. I think the consistancy may have been too thick. She only ate about 1 oz and then refused any more.
2012-03-20 (Tuesday) - It POURED all night long. Vanessa texted me at about 11pm last night that the roof was leaking. Great! I was awake most of the night stressed about it. Our inspection is Thursday morning and I am just sure they are going to demand we fix it....if they don't just back out completely. Maddie took naps again today well in the morning for an hour and then in the afternoon for only 30 minutes, so Maria made her stay in the crib and apparently she cried for an hour and then finally fell asleep at 2:30pm. I felt bad for her. I told her that as long as she takes at least two naps and sleeps at all, that is fine. She fed Maddie oatmeal for the first time today, but I think was too runny so she didn't eat it well. This afternoon I gave her broccoli for the first time. She really seemed to like that and eagerly opened her mouth for more. About 3/4 of the way through it she stopped eating it so I tried it and realized that it was completely cold. Poor thing had been eating it cold. I heated it up some more and then she ate the rest ok. I felt so bad. This evening she had difficulty going to bed again. She cried for 10 minutes or so and Juan finally went in and rubbed her back until she fell asleep. I guess it is going to take her awhile to figure it all out.
2012-03-21 (Wednesday) - Maddie did better today. Maria said she took three naps, one for an hour, and (2) for 30 minutes. She did go to bed better tonight. We went to look at the leak and it was just the water heater flue needed to be sealed at the roof. Juan took care of it, but said the roof looked really bad. We went ahead and called the insurance agent.
2012-03-22 (Thursday) Juan is sick. He stayed home from work today, although he ran a million errands. I don't think he understands the definition of "staying home sick". He is a terrible patient. I literally had to pour niquil down his gullet. I also gave Maddie brussel sprouts for the first time today. She seemed to like them ok, at least better than the lima beans. I did have to urge her to finish them.
2012-03-23 (Friday) There was a death in the family of some Juan's parents old friends, so Maria had to go to the funeral today. Since Juan is still sick, I got to take care of both Maddie and Juan today. The bad news is I think I am now getting sick as well. Maddie has found her feet and loves to pull on her socks and the feet of her sleep N plays.
2012-03-24 (Saturday) We were going to take Maddie's 6 month photos this morning, but I was feeling so miserable that I cancelled it. I spent the day in bed and Juan spent the day with Maddie. I don't know if Maddie has learned a new trick or if it was because she is not feeling well, but she has started squeling at the top of her lungs. Sometimes laughing, most of the time irritated about something.
2012-03-25 (Sunday) I am still feeling extremely lousy and while Juan is better, Maddie seems to be coming down with it now. She is playing fine, but you can see it in her little eyes. They are watery and red and she is beginning to cough. She ran a slight fever today so we gave her some children's tylenol. Today we gave Maddie toast for the first time. This crazy girl that sticks EVERYTHING in her mouth, refused to put it in her mouth. Every time we tried to put it in her mouth, she just blew bubbles at it. She FINALLY tried it and then couldn't seem to get enough.
2012-03-26 (Monday) I stayed home ill today, it seems to be in my lungs now. I can't seem to get overe sickness quickly. Maddie is also worse today. She doesn't have a fever but it obviously not feeling well and we gave her medicine twice. She is napping well now, although night has gotten worse. She has trouble going to sleep every night and then seems to wake up. Tonight Juan finally had to pick her up and rock her to sleep in the big chair. She is definitely feeling ill. I gave her toast again today and she did the same thing as yesterday, refused to even try it. Was more interested in the texture of it. Once she realized it was yummy, she couldn't cram it in her mouth fast enough.
2012-03-27 (Tuesday) I am STILL feeling poor today, but definitely on the mend. Juan had to fly to San Antonio today and stay overnight. I'm not looking forward to a long night with a sick infant. She did better today. Her eyes weren't quite as watery and she seemed a bit less conjested. I hope the worst of it has passed. She was so tired this evening that she went straight down to bed. Unfortunately she woke up 45 minutes later screaming and it took almost 40 minutes to get her back to sleep. She's woke up about every hour for the past three hours. Today I fed her cauliflower for the first time. She wasn't too excited, but I think that was the cold. I mixed it with zucchini and she managed to eat it all. This girl is crazy. Today I gave her toast, for the third day in a row and she acted again like it was the first time. She wouldn't even tasted it. Once she did, she ate every bit of it. She is also lifting onto her hands and knees. I looked up and there she was, poised to crawl. She gets better at sitting up alone every day.
2012-03-29 (Thursday) Today Maria caught Maddie pulling down her entire mobile while she was in her crib. Time to say bye-bye to her mobiles. We took them down this evening. She is also pushing herself up enough to almost see out of the crib. Looks like we are going to be lowering her crib this weekend. Also, today Maddie got her first tooth! Maria found it because when Maddie was drinking from her cup she was rubbing it against the side and Maria heard it. Sure enough, a little tooth has popped through on the bottom right front. We didn't even know. She was just a little fussy this weekend, especially at night when I put her down; but I just thought it was the whole nap thing her learning to sleep in her crib. She is such a tough little baby. We bought her a pop up animal box and she really likes it. She hasn't figured out how to make any of the animals pop up, but she has became a pro and pushing them back down. I am convinced that she thinks that is the goal. She has grown out of all her clothes, again! Her 12 month clothes are too small now.
2012-03-30 (Friday) Maddie loves crackers and eats anything we give her.
2012-03-31 (Saturday) Today we had Maddie's 6 months pictures taken at JCPenny. Tiffany was back and managed to get a couple of cute shots. Maddie was too interested in the camera and lights and just did NOT want to smile! I also went to see Vanessa's new house and help her do a few move in type things. Such a cute little home.
2012-04-01 (Sunday) Today we dropped Maddie's crib down to the next level. She is getting to where she is pulling herself up by the crib bars so we decided it was time. We also drove around to look at neighborhoods. We really like the Lakewood area. Maddie was wonderful and napped the entire time. We also gave Maddie banana for the first time. She didn't really seem to like it and was a little bit hesitant.
2012-04-02 (Monday) We went to dinner at Dave and Siobhan's this evening. Maddie was great. We stayed until almost 8 and Maddie was perfectly content to sit and watch the adults. We did give her a strawberry for the first time. She loved it! Too funny, guess it's really time to start her on fruits.
2012-04-04 (Wednesday) I had to travel to KC for work so Maria stayed late and gave Maddie her first taste of sweet potatoes. She said that she didn't like them at all. That surprised me.
2012-04-05 (Thursday) I gave Maddie sweet potatoes today and she liked them just fine. We found out that Maria gave them to her slightly cold because she was afraid of burning her little mouth. Apparently Maddie likes her veggies warm. She is really getting on her hands and knees and rocking a lot. Sometimes she even launches herself forward. She definitely does the backwards scoot thing. She will end up on the other side of the room in a blink of an eye.
2012-04-06 (Friday) Yesterday I noticed Maddie has a pretty bad rash on her chin and cheek. Apparently it started Wednesday while I was gone. I put lotion on it, thinking it was from all the milk she drips, but today we decided to go ahead and take her to the pediatrician. It was worse today and now her little chin is scabbing over. Dr. Hubbard said it is excema from all of the drool and wiping of her mouth. She said to put Aquaphor on it, especially at night when she is sleeping so she won't rub it off. They weighed her, with clothes and she was 21 lbs 14 oz. I'm so glad it was nothing serious.
2012-04-07 (Saturday) Today we took Maddie to the zoo. We put her in the stroller without her infant seat and she did pretty well. She is still a little small, but seemed to enjoy the freedom of sitting and looking around. She was definitely more interested in the people and other children than she was the animals. I did hold her while I fed the giraffes and she was interested. Not interested enough to try and touch the giraffe, but she wasn't scared either. We then went to my in-laws for lunch and we gave Maddie her first tortilla. She loved it and nawed on it forever. She did drop quite a few on the ground, and Maria was quick to give her another. I also fed her peas from the store. I had a few store bought ones that Vanessa gave me that Ashlyn didn't like, so I had packed one for convenience and she ate the entire 3.5oz. Guess she doesn't mind the store bought food. Good to know. We then took Maddie to Nana's so we could go to our missed anniversary dinner and a movie. We ended up just coming home and taking a nap for 3 hours! How crazy. We then grabbed a quick bite at Macarroni grille and went to stock up on more veggies and fruits for Maddie. We bought more broccoli, asparagus, green beans and spinach. We also bought apples, pears, strawberries, and prunes for her to try.
2012-04-08 (Sunday) Juan moved Maddie's jump a jump off the beam in the living room, because I didn't feel it was safe. She really wanted to jump in it and kept looking longingly at it. We moved it to the stairs and it was too high for her to reach the floor so we put a big box under it and she went to town jumping. She absolutely loved it! She also loved that she could spin and see herself in the mirror. She LOVES the mirror! We went to Mom's house for Easter and had a fun time. Nana gave Maddie an Easter basket and she loved it.
2012-04-09 (Monday) I gave Maddie Spinach for the first time today. She ate it, seemed to think it was ok. It is not one of her favorites, but she did eat it all.
2012-04-11 (Wednesday) Today I took off work to spend the day with Maddie and Mom. We took Maddie to a field of bluebonnets. Juan was worried she would get eaten by bugs and snakes, but I told him he was being silly.
2012-04-13 (Friday) Juan fed Maddie Spinach for the first time today. He managed to get her to eat most of it. Then he gave her watermelon for the first time. She really liked it. I don't know if she likes it or just likes to feed herself, but she seemed to enjoy it thoroughly!
2012-04-14 (Saturday) Maddie is getting really good at standing in one position. Today, Juan stood her up at the coffee table and then let her go and she managed to stay standing for a few seconds alone. We took Maddie swimming for the first time today. It was Blake's 6th birthday party at the indoor swimming pool in Plano. Maddie had a blast and wasn't scared of the water at all. She was very interested in the other little girls playing in the pool and wanted to make friends. We also gave her canteloupe for the first time. She loved it. She is going to be a fruit lover like her father.
2012-04-15 (Sunday) Maddie turned 7 months old today. She is now bigger than her elefant. She loves books and constantly looks at them.
2012-04-16 (Monday) Miriam came to visit today. She brought some new form of cheap camera and Maddie thought it was extremely interesting. She is definitely going to be a photographer.
2012-04-18 (Wednesday) Maddie LOVES her jumpy jump. She loves trying to reach out and grab things while she is jumping. It's a big game to her. She gets such great excercise out of it.
2012-04-20 (Friday) This evening we went to Gracie's parents 50th Wedding vow renewal reception. Maddie did great, but she really wanted to eat off of our plates and there wasn't much we could give her. I gave her a piece of lettuce and she chewed on it forever and never could swallow it. I ended up taking it out of her mouth. Some friends of Gracie's sat with us at our table and gave Maddie lemons for the first time. She made funny faces, but seemed to enjoy it until she rubbed her eyes.
2012-04-21 (Saturday) Juan took Maddie to his mother's and let her play with Sole and Aram. He also took her to the park and let her swing for the first time. He said she loved it and laughed everytime she swung toward him. We also took Maddie to the Pancake House for breakfast. Maddie loved the pancakes and bananas. She ate the entire time we were there.
2012-04-22 (Sunday) Maddie officially crawled today, well sort of. She has figured out how to rock until she gets up enough momentum to pull both her legs forward and then sort of lunges with her arms. She can get from one side of the room to the other. It won't be long soon. She really gets motivated to move when you put an I-phone out infront of her. She is also officially in size 4 diapers. She is growing SO fast! Juan took her to Central Market today and she came home happy with a balloon.
2012-04-24 (Tuesday) Today I gave Maddie mandarin oranges for the first time. She seemed to like them, although she squished them up quite a bit.
2012-04-25 (Wednesday) Today Maddie figured out how to make both her arms and her legs work together. She crawled all the way across the room to me. She was so proud of herself. I even managed to video this amazing first. No more scooting/pulling, she is on the road to independance.
2012-04-26 (Thursday) We saw a house that we are going to make an offer on. It is in the Moss Park neighborhood that we have been looking in. Our realtor heard this house was going on the market before it was listed with MLS, so we were able to be the first to see it. The floor plan is perfect, it is really move in ready and has a great yard. We doubt they will accept our offer, but we are going to give it a shot. I spent the entire night getting all of our paperwork in order to send to our loan officer to see if we can even qualify for our offer without Chimneysweep being sold.
2012-04-27 (Friday) They accepted our offer today. We qualified for the loan, made an offer and they accepted. No negotiations, other than moving the closing date from June 15th to May 31st. Good grief that is only a month away! Now we just need to get the inspection done.
2012-04-28 (Saturday) Today we took Maddie to Ellie's 3rd birthday party at Bob Jones nature center. She likes watching all of the little ones. She even went on the nature walk.
2012-04-29 (Sunday) We took Maddie to church and left her in the nursery for the first time today. She did great although when we arrived back after we discovered her eating cheerios, something we have decided not to give her yet due to the sugar content. She didn't cry at all though and seemed to have done wonderfully.
2012-04-30 (Monday) Yesterday Juan and Maddie went to Central Market while I was working. They came home with an early Mother's Day present for me from Maddie, tulips! How sweet are my two sweeties?
2012-05-01 (Tuesday) Today we officially closed on Juan's house!!!! What a relief. We even came out of it with $6799.26 minus the plumbing $205, the roofing $354.77, the AC fixes $250, 10% to the church $680 we came out at $5,309.49. At least we weren't negative!
2012-05-02 (Wednesday) Maddie has just about figured how to pull herself up into a standing position. She LOVES standing, and if you stand her up next to something, she will stand there forever. She has figured out how to play with her sit and stand if we get her into the standing position.
2012-05-03 (Thursday) Maria said that Maddie pulled up into a standing position at her monkey sit and stand today. I tried all afternoon to get her to do it again, but no luck. This evening, Maddie refused to let us put clothes back on her. I walked into her room to find her in this state and Juan sitting on the floor next her. She was just happy as a clam.
2012-05-04 (Friday) Today Maddie decided to stand on her own. I managed to film it all. She crawled all over the place and got to the stairs and was desperately trying to determinte how to get on her feet. Pretty soon, she figured it out. She also crawled straight the mirror and proceeded to bang her head into it over an over. She got stuck under her highchair and pretty soon figured out how to get out.
2012-05-05 (Saturday) This morning I put Maddie in her crib, turned around to pick up a few things and turned back around to see her STANDING at the edge of her crib. I layed her back down and rushed into the other room to grab something and quickly returned to see her standing again! It appears she has figured how to quickly get to her feet. We had to lower her crib to the lowest level this evening. I was terribly afraid she would stand up in the night and fall out of her crib. Juan had a management class at work, so we went to the "dump" with Mom. I also took Maddie to the grocery store this morning for the first time by myself. She did great. I did break down and get her a ton of different puffs. I really don't like all the sodium and preservatives in them, but she really needs some sort of finger foods. I also got her baby yogurt to start her on.
2012-05-06 (Sunday) Today we gave Maddie yogurt for the first time. She seemed to like it, just like everything else. I also gave her puffs, which she checked out very intently and then ate right up. In fact, for the last one she stuck the entire thing in her mouth and then sort of choked.
2012-05-07 (Monday) Today Maria gave Maddie wagon wheel puffs and said she shoved the entire thing in her mouth and choked, so she didn't want to give them to her anymore. I told her to give her the little ones and she said ok.
2012-05-08 (Tuesday) This morning Maddie waved for the first time. I was getting ready to walk out the door to head off to work and Maria was holding Maddie. I told her goodbye, but then decided I wanted a hug and took her from Maria's arms. Maddie instantly turned to Maria, Maria said, "Bye Bye Maddie" and waved. Maddie then smiled and waved back, like she was determined to got to work with Mama! Soo cute. She wasn't too happy when I handed her back to Maria, but they followed me outside and said goodbye without any tears. This evening when I arrived home from work, Maddie was still crawling all over. Maria said she had napped for an hour and a half, but she was still very tired. All that crawling is hard work, and Maria said she explored from one side of the house to the other. I was feeding her dinner at 4pm, we had just finished the broccoli and I turned to get the new potatoes and when I turned back around, she was sound asleep, poor little thing.
2012-05-09 (Wednesday) Maddie has started taking steps, not alone of course; but if you hold her she tries to walk. She lifts each leg really high like a horse, silly girl! Today I tried to feed Maddie new potatoes again and she continually choked and seemed to gag. I don't think they were cooked enough and the have too many chunks. I gave up and threw all of the potatoes and the chicken away. I am just not comfortable taking any chances with her choking, especially when she is such a good eater. I also tried to give her cottage cheese today and had the same reaction. I think the large curds were just too much for her. Instead I gave her a chunk of cheddar cheese and she snarfed that right down with no problem. She LOVES cheese!
2012-05-10 (Thursday) Last night Maddie refused to go to sleep and fell down twice in her crib and hit her head. She finally fell asleep at about 8:30pm. She slept fine during the night, woke up happy, ate breakfast and played like normal. At about noon Maria called to say she had been crying non-stop for over an hour and she wouldn't eat at all. I went home to check on her and she was asleep, but then was non-responsive when I picked her up. She finally awoke and was then unconsolable with me as well. I called the doctor, concerned that it was her head, she did have a bump; and they said to bring her in. Dr. Hubbard was not available so we saw Dr. Prestige. By this time it was almost 2pm and she still was not acting herself at all, and was very listless. The doctor said he couldn't see any reason she would be this unhappy. We checked to see if she was teething and couldn't see or feel any new buds. He then sent us to the ER at Children's Medical Center. He said more than likely a scan would come back negative, but we should just make sure. We then spent the next 3 hours in the ER. By the time we were checked into a room and the doctor arrived, Maddie was much more herself and smiling and trying to desperately crawl off the bed. The doctor checked her skull and said that he really didn't recommend a scan as she was so young and she wasn't vomitting, hadn't lost conscienceness, and was not acting herself. So $120 and 5 hours later we were at home, back where we started; but I am just glad she is ok and there was nothing seriously wrong with her. They also weighed her and she was 23 lbs 4 oz.
2012-05-11 (Friday) We had lunch with Siobhan today at Birsch Beers and had a great time. It was so good to see her! We were notified that the Summer Glen home owners were going to be able to close by the 24th of May in lieu of the 31st and asked if we wanted to move up the closing date. Crazy, we could have a new house in just 2 short weeks! Typical schedule for Maddie right now, breakfast - 1/4c iron fortified cereal or oatmeal, 1/2 container of yogurt, 1/3 a banana; lunch - (2)2oz servings of vegtables and puffs; dinner - (2)oz fruit, (2) oz vegtables, piece of cheddar cheese, 1/2 slice toast. Formula - 25-28 oz throughout the day. Also today, Maddie managed to work her way, standing, around the end of the coffee table trunk. She was trying to get to Juan's glasses and my iPad at the other side and managed to move her feet enough to do it! She is going to be walking so soon I can't believe it.
2012-05-12 (Saturday) This morning we headed off to Central Market to get Maddie some more food. I am determined to make her meat, chicken and tenderloin. We stopped for breakfast at Rusty Tacos and gave Maddie scrambled eggs for the first time. I don't think she was very hungry, although she did eat a few bites. We also gave her edamame for the first time today. I spent the afternoon making her new baby foods: eggplant, new potatoes (again....this time they turned out), beef tenderloin with apples and sweet potatoes, and all of the regular stuff as well. This kid eats like a queen!
2012-05-13 (Sunday) Today we went to Mom's for mother's day and had a Bar-b-que. We had a great time and the girls had a great time together. Juan taught Maddie how to slide down the side and she laughed a lot. Juan got me a very sweet card and a beautiful purple and opal necklace. It was a very good Mother's Day!
2012-05-14 (Monday) I took today off to pack and managed to almost finish packing my scrap room. Maddie stood by herself for the fist time today without holding on to anything, briefly. She also waved for the first time today. Everyday when I take her into the kitchen to put her in her highchair for dinner, she sees herself in the mirror and I sing, "It's Maddie and Mama, Maddie, Maddie, Maddie, Maddie, Mama." She always smiles and laughs. Today as I sang it, she waved at herself in the mirror.
2012-05-17 (Tuesday) Maddie turned 8 months old today. She is starting to really like her elefant. I make stomping noises and move him toward her talking in a funny voice and now she crawls toward it. When I sat her in the rocker today for her picture, she immediately turned and tried to crawl off. Maddie also found the flowers on her wall today. She touched them and was really checking them out. Maddie is making broom broom broom noises now. That is her favorite at the moment.
2012-05-16 (Wednesday) Today Maddie really explored her room. She tried to open the cabinet, spun the flower drawer pulls, tried to open the drawers, and crawled back behind the rocker. When Juan came home, he was playing with Maddie's tinker toy ball and making it bounce off the floor and Maddie just laughed and laughed. She laughs so much at everything he does. She also loves for you to chase her and say, "I'm going to get you, Momma's going to eat the baby!" and then she crawls away as fast as she can laughing. Maddie is still going down to sleep at night easy peasy at about 6pm or 6:30pm. There have been a couple of nights every few weeks where she cries and doesn't want to go down; I think during these nights her teeth are hurting her.
2012-05-17 (Thursday) Today Maria gave Maddie eggplant for the first time. She liked it and ate it all. I also got her some rotisserre chicken and mixed it with apples. She ate some of it; but I had given her a scrambled egg prior. She ate the eggs well. She is also waving at everyone now. When I got home and picked her up, she immediately started waving bye bye at her grandpa like she knew mama was home and grandpa and grandma were leaving. Vanessa's art show was tonight and there was a silent auction. I bid on a ton of pieces and spent $22. The art the grade school kids created was fabulous. It was a great art show and Vanessa did a great job putting it all together.
2012-05-24 (Thursday) We closed on our new house today. Now for the renovations.
2012-05-27 (Sunday) We had A&B moving move 75% of our stuff to the new house today. The new house is still being renovated: crown moulding, base boards, paint, etc. We also had to "declutter" chimneysweep in order to take photos while there is furniture.
2012-06-04 (Monday) Today was our second day of moving. A&B moved the remainder of our stuff including furniture. It was very nerve racking, but we are officially "in".
2012-06-06 (Wednesday) Today Maddie went straight for the stairs and was up 3 steps before I even realized what she was doing. She is SO fast at crawling, and apparently climbing. We installed the stair gate this evening.
2012-06-07 (Thursday) Maddie "cruised" for the first time today. I was sitting on the couch and Maddie was standing at my feet holding onto the couch. I put my I-phone down on the couch and Maddie "cruised" along the couch with a mission to reaching that phone.
2012-06-12 (Tuesday) Maddie said "dog" today for the first time. It took me awhile to realize what she was saying, but she was standing at the window to the backyard saying "dog".
2012-06-14 (Thursday) Today was Maddie's 9 month well-baby checkup with Dr. Hubbard. She weighs 25lb 4ozs over the 95th percentile, she is 31" in length over the 95th percentile, and her head is 18-1/8" at 92 percentile. Her two top teeth are beginning to come in. She didn't have any shots today and Dr. Hubbard said to start feeding her all solids all the time. She can eat anything and everything that is soft and cut into very small bites.
2012-06-15 (Friday) We gave beans for the first time today. She loved them and snarfed them up.
2012-06-19 (Tuesday) Today Maddie took a couple of steps behind her push turtle. She still does not want anyone holding or touching her hands. Maria says Juan was the same as a child and would actually wipe off his hands on his shirt when touched. I came home from work today to find Maddie outside in her swing with her Abuelito sitting on a chair infront of her and pushing her. They were both having a great time.
2012-06-24 (Sunday) Today we took Maddie to lunch at a restaurant and gave her fish for the first time. She had blackened mahi mahi with only salt and pepper and loved it! She ate the entire fillet. She also ate grilled zucchini and squash with tomato for dessert. She is an AMAZING eater! I'm so glad that she likes fish!
2012-06-27 (Wednesday) Maddie has not been going to bed without a lot of hassle for the past week or two. She seems to be getting worse and worse and we are up to almost 2 hours to get her to sleep. We have tried letting her "cry it out" and that has just made her worse. She screamed for 2 hours and still never fell asleep. I just can't let her do that everynight. She is such a good baby all day. So we started letting her stay up later. Since Juan gets home at about 6:15pm, instead of immediately putting her to bed, we have been letting her stay up for an hour or so to play with Daddy. It seems to be working, but only time will tell.
2012-06-29 (Friday) Maddie is learning to communicate. Juan placed little toys all over the house, Peter from family guy on the door frame over the dining, duckies over the entry door frame, Bender over the door frame for the game closet. You can ask Maddie, "where's Peter?" and she will look up at Peter and wave. Then you can ask her, "Where are the duckies" and she will look to the duckies and wave. She does the same with bender, the dogs, etc.
2012-07-05 (Thursday) Maria and Juan are positive that Maddie is saying "ten". It means here in spanish and Maria says it to Maddie all the time. Juan and Maria swear that Maddie is repeating it. I'll admit, it did sound like that was what she was saying.
2012-07-09 (Monday) Maddie is saying Johnny now when you ask her where her brother is. Of course, it sounds like that is what she is saying. Who knows for sure.
2012-07-16 (Monday) I left today for Aruba. Juan's parents are staying with him to help with Maddie. I miss her already. Juan is planning to bring Maddie to Aruba on Thursday. It is a 3-1/2 hour flight to Miami, a 4 hour layover, and another 3 hour flight to Aruba. I'm really nervous as to how she will do.
2012-07-17 (Tuesday) Juan took Maddie to the doctor today. She ran a fever yesterday and last night. The doctor said it was just viral and didn't even give her any medicine. Hopefully she will be well for Thursday.
2012-07-18 (Wednesday) Juan said Maddie still ran a fever last night. He doesn't think they are coming. He is going to plan on coming and then see how she does tonight. I miss her so much it hurts. I want my baby with me.
2012-07-19 (Thursday) It was a long day and I was completely stressed for Juan and Maddie. Apparently they are coming but Juan couldn't find the umbrella stroller, so he is carring her and all his bags all day. Their flight was delayed and they didn't get in until 9:45pm and then couldn't find the big stroller they checked. Finally they came out, and I was literally in tears I was so anxious to hold my baby. She was instantly mesmerized by the palm trees. She wasn't even that excited to see me, but she was exhausted.
2012-07-20 (Friday) Maddie loved the palm trees and immediately started saying "Palm". She was mesmerized. The palm trees sway “whoosh, whoosh, whoosh”. She also loved the water, the ocean, the pool, even the bathtub. She loved the sand, but immediately tried to eat it…in fact, she did eat it. She also drank the ocean water and the pool water. She was curious about EVERYTHING! She ate well, and slept well in the crib, but wanted to try and play with everything. She was really great and it was an awesome opportunity. She also is getting two more teeth on the bottom which may be why she ran a fever earlier in the week.
2012-07-21 (Saturday) We took a bus tour today. Maddie did ok, but was fussy about sitting still for so long. She slept for quite awhile on the bus.
2012-07-22 (Sunday) We spent a lot of time at the pool today. We also rested a lot in the room while Maddie napped. She is finally adjusted to the time and schedule and now we leave tomorrow, but it was worth it to see her experience such new things.
2012-07-23 (Monday) Our flight was scheduled to leave Aruba at 3pm so we arrived at the airport at noon. Then our flight was delayed and the flight out of Miami was also delayed. We didn't arrive in Dallas until well after 11pm. I do not know how Juan did it alone with Maddie and no stroller. We stripped her stroller down so we could take it with us and it was still so difficult. She didn't nap until the last 20 minutes on the first flight and then didn't sleep until about 45 minutes into the second flight. At least we know a 3 hour flight within the US will be cake with her! We arrived home to find Juan's parents and Jaime at our house.
2012-07-24 (Tuesday) Juan's parents are going to stay with us for a couple of weeks as his father has a broken hip. When the police tackeled him before we left, it apparently fractured his hip. Also Jaime is going to stay and visit for awhile.
2012-07-25 (Wednesday) Typical schedule for Maddie right now, breakfast - 1/4c iron fortified cereal or oatmeal, a container of yogurt, 1/2 a banana; lunch - (2)2oz servings of vegtables and 2oz of beans or turkey, fruit, and cottage cheese; dinner - an egg, 2oz vegtables, 2oz fruit, avocado, piece of cheddar cheese, 1 slice toast. Formula - 16-20 oz throughout the day. Typically she snacks on cherrios and/or puffs.
2012-07-26 (Thursday) Maddie has started refusing to wear a bib, but she makes a huge mess, so it is a fight at every meal. She is such a stubborn little thing. She has also started screaming a high pitch scream all the time.
2012-07-27 (Friday) Believe it or not, Maddie is wearing a 3T. The pants are super long, but the 2T's are too tight around her little tummy. The 3T shirts are big around, but the 2T shirts won't fit over her big head. So crazy. She is in size 5 diapers and size 5 shoes. She is such a big baby.
2012-07-28 (Saturday) Maddie climbed onto the couch by herself today. I can't believe what a little climber she is. The only problem is she is not scared of falling at all and doesn't realize how high she is. We also finally took her 10 month photos today at JCPenny's.
2012-07-29 (Sunday) Maddie has become quite clingy toward Juan since I left for Aruba. She doesn't cry when he leaves, but if he is in the room she want's him to pick her up. She has also started demanding to be picked up and then immediately wanting down, then back up and so on. Very annoying. I can't wait until she can talk and tell us what she wants.
2012-08-13 (Monday) Juan was fired today. It was quite a shock to me as I didn't expect that at all. We met Gracie and Marco for drinks most of the afternoon.
2012-08-19 (Sunday) Maddie has really started cruising. She walks from one end of the couch to the other; but seems to be more interested in climbing on it than walking.
2012-08-20 (Monday) Juan is staying home with Maddie for the time being until he finds a job. Today was the first full day he was with her and it was more demanding than he expected.
2012-08-27 (Monday) Juan is beginning to get into a routine with Maddie. He is enjoying staying home with her; but hasn't figured out yet how to get anything done while watching her, i.e. dishes, etc. Most days I come home and she is still in her jammies.
2012-09-01 (Saturday) We took Maddie to Quiggly's today to paint a plate with her handprint for her birthday. She did ok with her handprint and footprint, but just wanted to eat the paint and paintbrushes and had no interest in painting. The plates turned out pretty cute though.
2012-09-10 (Monday) Juan has finally developed a routine with Maddie. He even manages to get a bit of cleaning up completed. He has ventured into washing clothes or cleaning the house, but he is picking up the remains of her meals, giving her baths, cleaning the bottles, and sometimes even the dishes. He is bonding with her a lot, but is ready to find a job.
2012-09-11 (Tuesday) Zach, Lauren and Henry came over this evening to bring Maddie a birthday present. They will be out of town this weekend and unable to attend her party. Maddie and Henry were so cute together. He is about 2 months older than Maddie. She immediately tried to give him a kiss. They had races climbing the stairs and Maddie even shared her toys with him. I'm not sure where she even learned to do that, but I was super proud! They played at the music table and danced. It was very cute!
2012-09-15 (Saturday) Angie and Kayla came down last night to visit and attend Maddie's party. Kayla and Maddie were so cute together and even played somewhat. They definitely were interested in watching each other. Miriam and Mom both came over to help with all of the pre-party baking and preparing. It was a busy, crazy day; but also a lot of fun.
2012-09-16 (Sunday) Today was Maddie's 1st birthday party. It was a huge success. The house looked great, the mini dessert table and all the food turned out terrific, and everyone was finally able to see our new home. Maddie really isn't into sweets. We gave her a mini cake to smash, and she ate a bit of the frosting, but really wasn't too interested in it. She dumped it all over me instead. I just can't believe my baby is 1! After the party we had her open her presents. She is still in a kissing mode and EVERY single present that was an animal, had a picture of an animal (like a shirt with a kitty), or had a box with a picture of a baby on it, she had to kiss. She is such a friendly little thing.
2012-09-18 (Tuesday) Maddie isn't talking much, but she does say "Da" a lot! She still says Mama sometimes and Dog; but most of the time it is still screaming or nonsense blabbling.
2012-09-20 (Thursday) Maddie had her 12 month well baby checkup today, it was a rough one. She is 28 lbs is 32-1/2" tall and her head circumference is 18-3/4" (all are over the 95th percentiles)! She was very interested in all of the tools that Dr. Hubbard was using to examine her. She did not like the 4 shots (MMR, Chickenpox, Hepatitis A, and Ful) or the blood draw that came after. It was obvious that she didn't know what was going on. Her big tears broke my heart, but she quickly got over it and was her typical happy self for the rest of the day. She is such a tough little baby! They gave her 4 shots (two in each thigh) and had to prick her finger to draw blood. Poor thing didn't know what was going on. She is such a strong and tough little baby. She played all afternoon like nothing had happened. She also took her first steps today....sort of. We were in the spare bedroom and she wanted to get to Juan and I on the couch and was standing holding onto the chest. She turned, let go, took a step toward the couch and then sort of lunged herself forward onto the couch. I was quite surprised. She wouldn't do it again, of course. Looks like she will be walking very soon. Dr. Hubbard said to go cold turkey on her bottle and on her formula. She said the rash that has been on her arm is exema and to put cortaid and lotion on continuously. She said her little habit of chocking herself with her fingers until she throws up, is a phase and she will eventually realize "this isn't fun" and stop. The Dr. also said that not wanting to use a spoon is because she is smart, why use a spoon when handfuls are so much more efficient?
2012-09-21 (Friday) Juan said that Maddie took another step today. She is also really understanding us. She will respond if we ask her to bring us something, or look for something, or find something. She nods yes and no quite often, although sometimes I think she doesn't really know what that means. She is still eating great. Juan has started giving her an egg, and toast in the morning. I have been cutting up spinach and putting it in her eggs. She LOVES eggs and inhales them by the fistful. She also loves cheese, cottage cheese and fruit of any sort. She eats her veggies well normally and also loves meat, specifically hamburger, hotdogs and even speghetti (yes very messy). We also tried to get Maddie to color for the first time today. She loved the crayons and wated to hold all of them and eat them. She wasn't really interested in the "Coloring" part.
2012-09-22 (Saturday) We went to the Ft. Worth Botanical Gardens today. It was a lovely day and perfect for Juan, Maddie and I to get out of the house together and just have fun. We also managed to get a couple of family photos. Maddie loves the outdoors and seeing all of the other children. We had her in a little skirt, but that didn't stop her from climbing/crawling all over the rocks and walls. She is definitely going to be a Tom Boy! She is also actively taking things out and apart. She really isn't interested in putting toys or blocks into boxes or building anything; but she is beginning to love pulling everything out. She has also become the little destroyer; Juan will build lego towers and Maddie instantly wants to tear them down and pull every block apart. She also likes taking all of the puzzle pieces out of the puzzles, and shapes out of the shape sorters; but not so much putting them in and back together.
2012-09-23 (Sunday) This morning as we were getting ready for church, I leaned over and gave Juan a kiss. We looked up and Maddie was staring at us and making a kissy face with her lips. Juan calls it her Sha-Ney-Ney kisses because of how she puckers up! I tried to get her to kiss me, but she wouldn't. She finally did once, but that was it. Today we went to Audrey's 4th birthday party. Juan let Maddie slide down the big slide alone, she even managed to stay upright. She looked enthralled and scared at the same time, but ended with a huge smile. We also gave her pizza, which she loved. She was very fussy tonight, I'm not sure if her shots are causing her to not feel well, the change in schedule this weekend, or not having her bottle/milk. We finally gave her a bottle with a mixture of formula and milk this even to put her to sleep. She woke at about 9pm crying and I had to rock her for another 20 mintues or so. Poor thing. We gave her medicine as I think she was running a bit of a fever as well.
2012-09-24 (Monday) Maddie is not walking, but she had started walking across the room on her knees, crazy girl. I'm not sure how that is better than crawling, but she apparently thinks so!
2012-09-26 (Wednesday) Juan has been having a rough time getting Maddie to take her naps. She has been crying for 20-30 minutes each time he puts her down. She is doing a little better at night, but still fighting it. We are not sure if she is ready for 1 nap in lieu of 2, because then she is exhausted by nighttime. I think it has to do with cutting of her formula and bottles as well. Juan has been trying to give her milk or even a combination in the sippy cut.
2012-10-03 (Wednesday) I made macarroni and cheese for the first time tonight for Maddie. She has had M&C at restaurants, but never the Kraft kind from the box. We gave her chicken and veggies first and then the M&C. As I predicted, she inhaled it and would have ate as much as I put I on her plate. She ate an entire little baby bowl full. It was definitely a hit.
2012-10-05 (Friday) Maddie loves technology including TV remotes, laptops, keyboards, mouse, cameras, etc. and the IPAD is no exception. Juan has been working with her on the memory game app and she is picking it up so quick. In the last couple of weeks she has learned to touch with one finger in lieu of her whole hand and she can conquer the 8 card memory game all by herself. She actually remebers where she sees the animals and can return to them. I was a bit shocked when I saw her play. I told Juan we need to get out the real card version and have her play, although she is still putting EVERYTHING in her mouth and eating.
2012-10-06 (Saturday) Maddie loves "Monkey See, Monkey Do" on the Sprout TV channel. She even tries to play along with the warm up song! "...slowly bend over and touch the ground. Now stand up straight, put a smile on your face, and let's start jumping all over the place. We're warming up, we're warming up, we're warming up now, we're warming up." She touches the floor and then today stood up completely on her own without holding on to anything....then she jumps, jumps, jumps. It is so cute.
2012-10-06 (Sunday) We gave Maddie peanut butter on crackers for the first time today. She loved it, but was interested in the stickiness of it. It of course, went right in her hair. She didn't seem to have a reaction of any sort. Maddie is now wearing 3T clothes, size 6 shoes, and size 5 diapers....she is getting so big!
2012-10-07 (Monday) Suddenly Maddie is going down for both naps and at night easy peasy. Juan has figure out to get him to help "put monkey (her sock monkey) to sleep" first. He doesn't even give her milk or her sippy cup. They cover Monkey with a blanket and pat him to sleep. Apparently then she lays down next to him and curls up and is out. It is amazing, she doesn't cry at all. At night our current routine: change her diaper, pick out jammies, put medicine on her arm (Aquaphor) she knows her arm itches and likes the medicine put on it; then we brush her teeth (she tries with the brush and I try with finger brush), then we turn on her nighlight and rock while she drinks her milk/formula combination from her sippy cup (we are trying to use up the rest of the formula). Usually once she has had enough she will fight to get off and I lay her in her crib, fix monkey monkey, turn on her sheep and put a blanket on her. I even get to tell her goodnight and pat her back. She lays right down and out I go. It is truly amazing.
2012-10-09 (Tuesday) Dr. Hubbard said Maddie would start going through a picky eating phase, so far she has not. She loves food and eats almost anything we give her. Mornings Juan fixes her an scrambled egg (usually with spinach) and toast which he dunks in milk for her...she loves it; and fruit and milk. For lunch she eats (2) servings (2oz) of veggies - typically brussel sprouts, green beans, peas, chayote, squash, carrots, zucchini or broccoli. She loves broccoli and still remembers the trees (whoosh whoosh whoosh and then we eat them). She also loves carrots, especially if we say the bunny hops, hops, hops and then eats a carrot Hummphhh. She mimics and loves that. She also has turkey, beans, lima beans, or fajita beef, and then cottage cheese, avocado and fruit. She eats it all usually. For dinner we have been trying to eat together as a family and she usually gets a little of what we are having and then extra veggies and fruit for dessert. She is such a great eater, although if she doesn't want to finish eating something...it goes straight to the floor in what she thinks is a great game. She has 2 percent milk at every meal and is beginning to drink it very well. I think she is finally becoming accustomed to it in lieu of the formula. She still loves water with ice as well.
2012-10-10 (Wednesday) As mentioned before, Maddie is a climber and fearless. This afternoon she climbed on the couch, stood up in the middle and proceeded to walk across the couch. I immediately lunged for her, but it was like a slow motion action film. She lost her balance, landed on the edge of the counch and fell to the hard wood floor. Thankfully she landed on her booty, but the impact caused her little head to bounce back and hit the floor. I missed catching her by inches. She wailed quite a little bit, but she didn't have a bump or a cut. Juan was very upset with me, as he thought it was my fault for not watching her close enough.....hmmmmppphhhh.
2012-10-15 (Monday) Maddie has started saying "no" once in a while and she shakes her head for both No and Yes. If we tell her "no", she shakes her head no and waits for us to confirm.
2012-10-20 (Saturday) Maddie has started signing the work "more" by poking the palm of her left hand with the index finger of her right hand. That is her version of "more". She says it about everything, songs, food, drinks, TV.
2012-10-31 (Wednesday) Juan said that Maddie said "bird" today and pointed to the birdies on her pillow. I'm not sure I believe that, but Juan swears it's true. He also said that she says "Gol" (goal) That one I almost believe because I think they watch soccer during the day while I'm at work!
2012-11-01 (Thursday) - Maddie took about five steps for the first time today. She still sort of lunged at the end, but she is definitely starting to get the concept.
2012-11-9 (Friday) Maddie is now saying "IPAD". She sees it, she wants it. Simple as that. She loves all the different apps and is actually pretty good at the memory game. She also likes to play the piano and the monkey drum.
2012-11-10 (Saturday) Maddie started walking today. She just stood up and walked to us multiple times throughout the day. She is so proud of herself. My little girl is growing up so fast. She walked from the breakfast room clear across the living room and has started walking all over the house holding on to the walls.
2012-11-11 (Sunday) Maddie started saying "Hi" today. She says it randomly and over and over. Still lots of "Di di di di" and "dog" as well. She also says "dad" a lot, but very seldom does she say "Mama".
2012-11-12 (Monday) We took Maddie for her 14 month Christmas pictures. She loves to be beautiful and let us put on her dress and shoes but the shoes kept falling off. She loved the ornaments and ended up with glitter all over her face.
2012-11-13 (Tuesday) Juan called me at work today to tell me that Maddie was saying "mama", "mama" and looking for me. When Juan said, "Where's mama, baby?" Maddie took off for our bedroom. Guess Mama is now officially on the talking list.
2013-01-01 (Tuesday) The past couple of weeks, Maddie has figured out where the snacks are kept, in the refrigerator. She goes to the refrigerator door and starts wailing and trying to pull on the door to tell us she wants a snack (fruit, go-gurts, water, etc.).
2013-01-02 (Wednesday) Maddie hasa become a little chatter box. Tonight when I put her to sleep and was walking out the door I said, "Night, night Maddie; Momma loves you." and she replied, "Night"
2013-01-03 (Thursday) I was late getting dinner on the table and Maddie was obviously hungry. We move her highchair into the dining room each evening so she can eat with us at the table. Usually we put her in it and give her a train ride saying "choo, choo". Tonight, she went over to the high chair and started pushing it into the dining room herself saying, "choo choo". I think she was telling us she was ready to eat.
2013-01-05 (Saturday) Maddie grabbed my ear this afternoon and said "Errrr". I thought she was trying to grab my earring, until I realized that I wasn't wearing earrings and that she had grabbed both my ears simultaneously. She was saying "ear". I then asked her where my teeth, nose, tongue, eyes, and hair was and she found them all. She is also saying "eye".
2013-01-06 (Sunday) I'm not sure where she heard it, but lately every time Maddie drops something or spills something she says, "oooooohhhhhh noooooo". Obviously it is a major catastrophe in her eyes.
2013-01-08 (Tuesday) Tonight during Maddie's bath, she didn't want me to use the shower hand held to rinse her hair. I used the pitcher and she said, "no, no, no". This is the first time she has been adamant that she didn't want to rinse her hair. Looks like baths may no longer be such a fun experience. She is learning to voice her opinion.
2013-01-11 (Friday) - Today was the first nice day in weeks so I took Maddie out front and let her walk up and down the sidewalk. At one point I said, "Let's walk back toward our house." to which she replied, "house, house, house" over and over.
2013-01-12 (Saturday) - Maddie is repeating so much: She can say the letter, O, T, I, and repeat any words we say: TV, bub (for bubble guppies app on the Ipad), mon (for monkey), mov (for movie), turt (for turtle), brrrrr co (for cold), one, two, pi (pig), ber (beer), and many more.
2013-01-15 (Tuesday) Tonight during Maddie's bath I tried to get her to lay on her back to float and rinse her hair. She wasn't too thrilled with it, but let me for a moment. I explained to her if she let "swam" on her back like Elmo, we wouldn't have to dump the water over her head to rinse the shampoo. She seemed to understand and then let me. I might have figured out how to kill two birds with one stone.
2013-01-17 (Thursday) Maddie let me help her float on her back in the tub again tonight to rinse her hair. I'm hoping this will solve our hair rinsing issue.
2013-01-20 (Sunday) Maddie has 2 of her incisors bust through on the bottom. She is about to get her upper ones and her molars on the bottom as well, poor little thing.
2013-01-27 (Sunday) Maddie has had another of her incisors come in. Her upper right one. Her upper left one is almost through.
2013-02-03 (Sunday) Maddie has her first molar on the bottom right. She has one on the bottom left trying to bust through as well. Maddie has started wanting to climb the stairs alone everytime we go up. Daddy usually goes upstairs with her when we put her to bed. He started saying "boom, boom, boom" and stomping with his hands on either side of her as she climbs the stairs. She loves it and now when I tell her its time to go upstairs for bed, she yells, "Dad" "boom" and expects him to come to go up with her. It is very sweet.
2013-02-10 (Sunday) Maddie is still working on her last incisor and her other molar on the bottom. She seems to get them all at once.
2013-02-16 (Saturday) Maddie is officially a little parrot. She mimics EVERYTHING we say, "Boon" for balloon, cold, hot, blow, "p" for penguin, Mia, dog, car, soooo many more.
2013-02-17 (Sunday) Maddie screamed uncontrollably and forcefully held onto my shirt this morning when we dropped her off at church. Thankfully, Ms. Gerrie said she only cried for about a minute and then played the entire time. She was not crying when we picked her up, but she came running and teared up the moment she saw us. She did say bye-bye to Ms Gerrie and to her little friend in her class. I am hoping she will eventually adjust.
2013-02-17 (Monday) Tonight when I gave Maddie a bath, she ran over to her potty training toilet saying, "poop, poop". My mother-in-law opened it up and put it in her bathroom a couple of weeks ago, but we haven't started trying to potty train her yet. I was a bit surprised when she ran over to it, so we quickly stripped her down and sat her on the chair. After a couple of minutes she got up. I started running her bath and she was alternating between sitting on the potty and getting up. I finally turned around to put her in the bath and realized that she had at some point pee'd all over the floor. So I guess she really did need to go. Looks like maybe we should start potty training her.
2013-02-18 (Tuesday) Juan said that Maddie pooped in the potty chair today. He could tell that she was starting to poop, so he ran her upstairs to the potty chair. She had already started, but then finished in the potty chair! This evening, we were playing in Maddie's playroom and I was digging in her closet and found a wooden alphabet puzzle that Maddie got for her birthday and Juan put in the closet for when she was older. I opened it up and Maddie could not only match every letter to its space (although she hasn't figured out how to turn them to get them into the space) but she also picked up 5 letters and told me what they were. "O" which I knew that she knew, "B" which I thought maybe was a fluke, then she said "Q". That was definitely not a fluke. She also said "P" and "I". Wow! I was quite surprised.
2013-03-12 (Tuesday) Maddie's night routine has changed up a bit. Typically about 7pm we tell her its time to go, "Put on Jam-Jam's and Brusha-Brusha." Then we all go upstairs together. I put her to bed, but Daddy has to go "boom - boom" with her up the stairs, which consists of him putting his hands done on either side of her as she climbs each step saying "boom, boom, boom". Once she reaches the top and goes through the gate, she turns around and closes it on Daddy and then kisses him night-night through the bars. Now when we "brusha-brusha" she climbs on her little 2-step step-stool in lieu of sitting on the counter. I still brush her teeth, but she uses a measuring cup of the top of a children's motrin bottle as a drinking "cup" and fills it with water and drinks in between teeth. We have started brushing her teeth first, then changing into her jam-jams as she usually gets wet brushing her teeth. Then we sit in the rocking chair with her on my lap and read 2-4 books. Usually she picks them out. Right now her favorite is "A Wocket in my Pocket", she calls it "pock". Last week it was Curious George feeds the animals and Curious George at the Aquarium. We still read "Goodnight Moon" once in awhile, but not too often. After books she helps me turn of the light and then she lays down in her crib with Monkey-Monkey, her blankets (2-4), Mr. Elefant and any other friends she can find. Some nights she demands to sleep with a book. I usually ask for a night-night kiss and she stands up to give me one and then plops back down in her crib. I still sing to her. Often "Itsy bitsy spider", "twinkle twinkle", and her favorite right now, "Jesus Loves the Little Children". If I am singing a song that she doesn't want to hear and she wants me to instead sing, "Jesus Loves the Little Children" she will say "sing, sing". She says her S's like she is trying to kiss someone, almost a "SH" sound.
2013-03-14 (Sunday) Maddie routinely drags us to the fridge by a finger to indicate that she wants a snack. When we open the fridge, she dives right for the fruit drawer and pulls out an orange or a plum. Today she pulled out an enormous apple and said "ap-l" (apple) with a lengthy pause between syllables and then took off running. It was odd as we have not really let her have apples due to the choking hazard. We give her every other fruit under the sun and applesauce, but not raw apple chunks. How she even knew it was an apple, I don't even have a clue.
2013-03-15 (Friday) She has started saying her first 2 syllable word, "Gar-den" she loves the outside and will grab our finger and drag us to the door to indicate she wants to go outside. If we say no it is too cold, she goes over and grabs her coat and says, "coat". She also knows we have to have shoes on to go outside and will bring us our shoes and say "shoe" trying to make us put them on, in anticipation that we will then go outside.
2013-03-25 (Monday) Juan says that Maddie is now saying "Tank u" (thank-you) I have not heard her but Juan says that she says it sometimes randomly after he gives her something. She will not say it if you ask her to.
2013-03-27 (Wednesday) Maddie's lower left molar is in.
2013-03-28 (Thursday) This afternoon while outside, Maddie said "air P" for airplane. She also began saying "Hap-P" (happy) over and over all evening.
2013-03-31 (Sunday) Maddie's upper left molar (the last one) is in!
2013-04-05 (Friday) We took Maddie to the playground at Merriman Park Elementary school. We tried to get her to slide down the slides, but she kept saying, "no, no, no". Then I put her on my lap and slid down the big circular slide, but we really didn't fit. We headed over to yet another set of playground equipment and for some reason she slide down that circular slide by herself. I caught her high and made sure she slowed down. Then she ran up and continued to slide down it 4 more times alone.
2013-04-06 (Saturday) Today Juan BBq'd and Maddie was all excited to slide down our slide by herself. She did great. I guess her sliding down the big slide yesterday gave her the confidence to try our slide. She continued to climb up and slide down the slide over and over.
2013-04-07 (Sunday) Maddie said her first two word sentence today, "Super Baby". Maddie and I went out front to play while Juan walked the dogs and we went over to talk to Le Anne and Charlie next door. Charlie gave Maddie a flower and then the kiddos chased Juan and the dogs into the backyard. Charlie and Maddie started playing on the swingset and Juan called Maddie "Super Baby" while she was climbing the stairs to the slide. She immediately repeated it.
2013-04-22 (Monday) Today I learned Maddie knows all but 5 of her alphabet letters. She has a wooden alphabet puzzle and I handed her a puzzle piece and said, "what letter is this?" She said "O" and then put the letter in the puzzle. I handed her another piece and said, "what letter is this?" She said "T" and then put the letter in the puzzle. I was stunned when she proceeded to tell me every letter of the alphabet except for 5. She got stuck on F, G, X, W, and H. She is brilliant! :)
2013-04-23 (Tuesday) This afternoon while I was changing Maddie on her changing table she picked up her shoes and said, "One, Two". She later counted her blocks the same way. She can say three, but has yet to do it in sequence with one and two.
