Five Months Old!

Time is flying! I can't believe Maddie is five months old today. She's very excited about it, though!

Happy Little Cereal Eater

Maddie has been eating rice cereal for almost 2 weeks now and has finally gotten to a point where she loves to gobble it up! Here's the proof:

Headband!

Mommy is one happy lady today. This picture is evidence that Maddie finally wore a headband and liked it! This marks the first time she wore one without screaming since the hospital.

Four-Month Checkup

Today we took Maddie in for her four-month checkup (even though she's four-and-a-half months now),  and everything was great! She weighed in at 16 pounds, 13 ounces (Mike and I were guessing over 20 pounds, so we were way off) and she was more than 26 inches long. That put her in the 85th percentile for both height and weight.

The doctor was excited to hear that she's rolling over in both directions, sleeping through the night (except for last night), pushes herself up well during tummy time and can sit up supported. She also gave us the go-ahead to start her on rice cereal (keep an eye out for pictures of that soon!) and also said that we don't have to sterilize her bottles anymore, which is awesome and one less thing that we have to worry about everyday.

Poor little girl had to get two shots and an oral vaccine, which made her cry big crocodile tears :( But she's having a nice, quiet relaxing day. She has been a big fan of her swing today, so I'm just letting her hang out there and relax.

And one last note: Yesterday, while packing Maddie's suitcase for our upcoming trip, I wanted to see if her sunglasses fit, so I put them on her. She was definitely a fan, and Mike caught this picture.

New Blankie

It's been awhile since I've posted, but instead of writing a novel, I'll just update you on Maddie's recent find: her own blankie!

Lately, we've been noticing that she loves to grab at the receiving blankets and play with them, cuddle them and shove them into her mouth (like everything else she gets her hands on!). So this weekend, while at Target, I found a Maddie-sized blanket that has little ribbon loops around the outside edge with all different textures. She loves to chew on the loops and play with them, and loves to snuggle up with it when she's sleepy or relaxing.

Two-Month Checkup

Yesterday was Maddie's two-month checkup and boy has she grown! She's 13 pounds, 6 ounces and 23.2 inches long. That puts her in the 80th percentile for weight and 75th for height. When we were at the doctor for her one-month checkup, she was in the 75th for weight and 25th for height, so we're definitely glad to see that her proportions are becoming more even. This also means that she's grown two inches in one month. We definitely felt like she was getting longer because we had to move her out of all of her 0-3 month clothes because she couldn't straighten her legs in the sleep-n-plays and her pants looked like floods. Looks like she's also catching up to the estimate our OB made during my pregnancy that she would have very long legs (she was always in the 97th-99th percentiles for length during my pregnancy).

The doctor seemed impressed with her head strength--when she put her on the table to test it out, Maddie skillfully held up her head and chest for an extended period of time, and had the doctor not been standing there to stop her, probably would have rolled off the table! We were glad that she was in a show-off mood because it would have been embarrassing after we told the doctor how strong she is if she just face planted into the table.

We asked about her teeth, and the doctor said that sometimes teeth move into position early, but don't necessarily come through quite yet. But, for some kids they do. So we'll just have to wait and see! Otherwise, we'll be investing in teething bib stock.

We also asked about the bump she has had on her neck since birth, and we were referred to a dermatologist who is going to decide whether we should do something about it. The pediatrician thinks it's harmless, so fingers crossed it either goes away or it's an easy fix.

At her two-month checkup, Maddie got two shots and one oral vaccine, and she did great! She was pretty mad after the pokes in each leg, but calmed down pretty quickly once it was over. The only effect she seemed to have from the shots was a bit of fussiness during the day. She also made a whining/crying noise that I've never heard before, and it made us feel terrible. So she got lots of extra snuggles and kisses to help her feel better.

Two 10+ Hour Sleeps and Cutting a Tooth :/

The past few days have been full of more firsts around here. On Sunday night, Maddie slept from 7:30pm until 6:15am. Normally, she's up for a bottle around 2am or 3am, so this was a bit of a shock. So much of a shock that we decided to wake her up because we were afraid something was wrong. But, it turns out that at her age, a 10 or 11 hour nighttime sleep is considered "sleeping through the night".

On Monday, we took bets on whether she'd sleep through the night again. I figured it was a fluke, like those couple of 9 hour nights she had. But sure enough, she slept through the night again! So I had my fingers crossed for Tuesday night, but she was up for a bottle at 2:30am. Oh well--we still have hope that she's starting to get on a longer nighttime sleep schedule!

All this came at the same time that Maddie decided she really likes play time--both tummy and on her back, or sitting up against one of us. Before this week, if one of us put her down on the floor to play, she'd spend a few minutes staring into her mirror or looking at a toy before crying and wanting to be picked up. This was definitely true of tummy time. Maddie definitely did not want to spend time lifting herself up or rolling over, so she'd just put her face down on the floor and cry.

Well, this week, she's suddenly interested in her toys and being on the floor. Thanks to a brilliant suggestion from my sister, I used some of her links to hang toys from her playmat/gym further down to where she can bat at them. She loves it! Right now, she's fascinated by a set of teething keys and an O-ball that rattles. And because I took the mobile part off of the gym in order to hang more things off of it, she's now able to be entertained by the flashing lights, which she loves! In fact, today I put her down on the mat while I filled bottles, and she entertained herself for a whole 15 minutes and was squealing and doing her own version of giggling the whole time (this was another first--normally she doesn't like play time by herself).

In addition to her gym, we also have a soft blanket that we put on the floor with some toys for tummy time or just another spot to play. This week, Maddie lifted herself up with locked elbows for the first time (usually she just rests on her forearms) and also tried to do an army crawl. She can't get too far though because she has only figured out how to move one arm and one leg--since she can't seem to shift her weight yet, this leaves an arm stuck underneath of her :) The good news is that she's enjoying tummy time, which makes us happy because we can tell that she's getting stronger every day that she does it. When she's lying on her back on her blanket, her favorite toy is a plastic snail that has a mirror, can rock back and forth and lights up and plays music when you touch it. When we first got the snail a couple of weeks ago, Maddie never touched it, just stared at it until one of us pushed it to turn on the lights and music. Then, she constantly batted at it. This week, she seems to finally have realized the cause/effect of the lights and music--she hits it, waits for the lights and music to stop and then hits it again. She's a smartie pants!

The other big news here is that Maddie is starting to get her first teeth. Most babies teeth around 4-6 months, but it's not uncommon for them to start at around 2 months. And, like everything else she has managed to do early, this is no exception. We started to suspect something was up when she started drooling like crazy. Then she started biting her fist. Then she started refusing her pacifier and only wanted something in her mouth if she could chew on it. She's also been a lot fussier at random times of the day. The crummy part about her teething early is that there isn't much she can do for herself. We have plenty of teething toys and rings, etc. but she can't hold them. She's dependent on one of us to do that for her. We've tried frozen washcloths, which were okay for about 2 minutes and also tried using the toothbrush designed for baby gums which helped a little. So far, the most successful tool has been her Sophie the Giraffe. She'll chew on the ears or face for about 10 or 15 minutes to calm herself down and relieve some of the pressure. Of course, it comes with a caveat--you have to be holding her chest-to-chest, and you have to be either walking or rocking back and forth. Do you think insurance covers the attachment of a third arm?

How to Clean Spit Up Off a Wall

Today I had the pleasure of trying to figure out how to clean spit up off of a wall. Here's how it all started:

Maddie and I met with the mom's group this morning for a walk. She was really fussy, but I gave her a bit of a bottle and she calmed down enough for us to finish the walk and get home. Once we got home, I changed her, and she started rooting around for something to eat. So, I got the rest of the bottle that she hadn't finished, and started feeding her. Mid feed, she pooped, and I decided to go ahead and change her right away (and boy was I glad I did--we were just a few seconds away from a blowout!). So, I changed her and brought her back to the living room to finish her bottle. After she finished, I took her into the kitchen to burp her (we burp in the kitchen because it's much easier to clean spit up off tile than carpet!). She almost immediately hiccuped and then spit up. So, once she was finished, I started carrying her to the bathroom to get her cleaned up.

Bad move! Once I stepped from the tile onto the carpet, she spit up again, this time into the dog's bowl, on the wall, on the carpet, down my shirt, bra and pants, and onto my glasses. The poor thing threw up so much that she had it coming out of her nose :(

So, I took her into the bathroom and ran the bathwater, put her in, and the second I set her in the tub, she peed. So, I took her out and started the process all over again.

The good news is that once we were both cleaned up, she fell asleep pretty quickly.

Oh, and in case you were curious, Lysol mixed with hot water takes spit up off of a wall :)

Definitely a Journalist...or a Politician

Since she was born, Maddie has fought sleep because curiosity always gets the best of her. She doesn't want to miss anything. And when you're holding her, unless she is falling asleep after a bottle, she better be facing out because she wants to know everything about the world. This leads me to believe that she has a little journalist in her :)

Today, she came to physical therapy and my trainer walked her around the gym showing her off to people while I did some weight training and stretching. Well, she certainly knows how to work a room--she gave huge smiles to everyone and didn't fuss at all. So, maybe she has a little politician in her?

Two Months Old!

Our little girl is two months old today and we have no idea where the time has gone! The past couple of weeks have brought a lot of exciting developments. Maddie is rolling over now (and seems to be very frustrated when we turn her back over, but she loves showing off her new skills to everyone) and wants to crawl, but she's still working on coordinating her arms and legs. She is also smiling in reaction to those around her. She finds it very funny when you stick your tongue out at her, and she tries to mimic you. We love her smiles and they light up her entire face :) Sometimes, instead of smiling, she just opens her mouth really wide like she wants to tell you the funniest joke or laugh.

Maddie and Miley are getting along much better these days. Maddie doesn't fuss when Miley licks her feet (or her face) anymore, and loves to stare at Miley during tummy time.

Maddie has gotten much better at riding in the car--we took a road trip to Illinois, and spent about 8 hours in the car each way. We were a little bit worried, but she was a delight and only cried when it was time for a bottle, so we'd pull over at the next rest area, feed, change, put her back in the car and she'd fall back asleep. Maddie had a great time seeing Grandma Judy, meeting Great Grandpa and meeting all of her aunties, uncles and cousins and they all loved snuggling with her.

Maddie had her first waterpark trip last week. She definitely liked all of the white noise created by the water slides, and she had a great time having water splashed on her. She did get a little crabby by the end of the day, but once we were back in the car, she fell back asleep.

She was also treated to a visit by her cousin and second cousins, all 13 years old, and she loved them! The took turns making faces and sticking out their tongues and making each other laugh. It was great to have the girls around to entertain Maddie, especially on the way to the waterpark.

Our biggest recent change was Maddie's move to her crib in her own room. Last night, one day shy of being two months old, we decided to move her out of our room. We figured we'd all sleep better--especially Maddie, who seemed to wake up a little bit every time she moved because the top piece of the Pack-n-Play she sleeps in "floats" making it rocks back and forth. She's also been sleeping pretty consistent 6-8 hour stretches at night, so we figured we'd give it a try. It went really well! She woke up once at midnight for a bottle, and then got up at 5am for another bottle and to play. She seemed to sleep much more soundly.

We're also happy to announce that Maddie is no longer taking medicine for her reflux. Her last dose was on July 5, and everything has been great so far. Fingers crossed, she won't need to start it again!

9 Hours, 15 Minutes

Last night was a wonderful night, and was well deserved after a long day. Maddie decided that she didn't want to nap at all yesterday (she got about 40 minutes in at 7:30 am and didn't go to bed until 7:15 pm). It wasn't so bad that she didn't sleep all day, it was more that she wanted to be held every second, and when I'd put her down, she'd start screaming. But when I put her down for the night, she slept until 4:30 am--her longest sleep ever (her previous record was 9 hours right after her two-week growth spurt). And after her 4:30 am bottle, she fell back asleep until 7 am.

It was amazing! I'm not holding my breath that it will happen again tonight, but I'll certainly be holding on to the fond memories of getting more than 3 hours of sleep!

Six-Week Growth Spurt: Check!

From this past Thursday through Saturday, Maddie went through her six-week growth spurt. She had her first growth spurt around week two (right after we felt like we were getting into a rhythm with her feedings, of course!). We were definitely better prepared for round two--when she was fussy, we knew she wanted to eat again. And she definitely ate like a horse! Typically, we give her four ounces every three to four hours, but during her growth spurt, she would have her usual four ounces, and then immediately want another two or three ounces. And she was eating every couple of hours. The hardest part was keeping enough bottles clean to keep up with her insatiable hunger!

The nice part about the end of a growth spurt is the sleeping--she slept a nine-hour stretch from Friday night into Saturday, and then slept most of the day on Sunday. I think it's nature's little gift to parents exhausted by all of the feedings.

We can definitely tell that she's gotten bigger over the past week or so--she is bursting out of her SwaddlePods (thank goodness we bought the next size up), her sleep-n-plays seem to actually be fitting properly (rather than looking ridiculously baggy) and some of her onesies are becoming harder to snap. She'll be growing out of 0-3 month clothes in no time!

Professional Narrator

Add to my many jobs these days the title of Professional Narrator...

Unlike some other babies, Maddie is not necessarily a huge fan of the car. She might be asleep when you get her strapped into the car seat, but once you put that thing into the car, she loses her mind (and last week she lost an entire bottle all over herself and the car seat :/).

Early on, we tried giving her a pacifier, which worked great, until you got five minutes down the road and it fell out of her mouth. We can't very well pull over to give it back to her every few miles (although I have been guilty of pulling into the McDonald's parking lots once or twice and hopping out of the car to give it back to her when I couldn't take it anymore).

Well, last week we got stuck in traffic on the way to pick up our weekly CSA share. It was near her feeding time, and she did not want to be in the car anymore (neither did I, so I can't blame her). So first, I started shhhing to try to get her to calm down. And before I passed out from shhhing, I started narrating our trip. "Looks like we're stuck in traffic....oh the light's out at the intersection ahead....There's a red car in front of us....Do you remember the last time we drove this way?....Oh look! We're moving....Only two more turns until we get there...etc...etc..." Well, it worked, and by the time we got to the farm, she was sound asleep. So, when I put her in the car yesterday to head to my physical therapy appointment, we repeated the whole process. And for 20 minutes I did nothing but talk to myself about everything I saw from our house to the Wellness Center. And sure enough, she fell asleep again!

Luckily, she's a bit more calm if her car seat is in the stroller, otherwise today's trail walk with some other area moms could have been a little bit embarrassing and a lot less enjoyable! (After all, I meet with these women for adult conversation.)

With our long car trip coming up next week, I'm guessing we'll be spending some time narrating again. Luckily, we'll both be in the car and can take turns coming up with something to say about all of the nothingness in Indiana...

Swaddle-less Naps

Since she came home, Maddie has always been swaddled for sleeping (unless she was sleeping on one of us). This is great if we're at home, but sometimes we're somewhere and she can't be swaddled (in the car, stroller, etc.). And even though she is definitely sleepy, she'll only sleep for 15-20 minutes before waking herself up and getting upset because she isn't swaddled. So, today we're going to attempt to start getting her to take her daytime naps without her swaddle. She went down for a nap at 1:15, and one hour later has only woken up once and gotten a little fussy. But with a little shhhing, she eventually fell back asleep. Here's hoping this works!

Six Weeks Old!

It's hard to imagine that it was six weeks ago that we welcomed little Maddie into our family! At this time on May 9, I was not only excited to finally meet our little girl, I was also excited to be finally getting solid food after being on the perinatal beef broth and ginger ale diet.

So, six weeks in, here's where we are:

Feeding
Maddie is eating 4 oz. at every feeding now (a far cry from less than an ounce when we first brought her home), and she eats anywhere between every 3-5 hours.

Sleeping
Two day-time naps (usually) and a 5-6 hour stretch at night before she wakes up for an early morning feeding.

Favorite Things
Snug-a-Bunny swing, snuggling, SwaddlePod (aka: baby straight jacket), walks in the stroller, watching Mommy and Daddy's faces, staring at lights

Attitude Toward Miley
Maddie and Miley are still pretty indifferent toward each other. Miley likes to let us know when the baby has pooped, and loves to lick her face, hands and feet. Maddie is getting used to being licked, but if she's fussy, Miley had better stay away! Miley does seem to want to calm Maddie down when she is crying by giving her kisses or bringing a toy over to her.

Other Fun Facts
Maddie still has her dark hair that she was born with, but it seems to be getting lighter in the front--who knows what color it will be! Her eyes are either dark blue or dark brown depending on the day. We have a crabby time each day around 6pm during which nothing really makes her happy. She has lots of smiles, but only when she has gas :) She loves to listen to classical music on WKSU during the day, but in the afternoon, she likes to dance with Mommy to whatever is on the iPod.

Meeting Madelyn six weeks ago

Big(ger) Girl Bed

Since we brought Maddie home, she's been sleeping in the bassinet portion of her Pack-n-Play in our bedroom. However, for the past few weeks, she has been way too long for it. We put her in her swaddle and put her into the bassinet, but even with her head at the very top, she still needs to bend her legs to fit them into the bottom. And by the time she wakes up in the morning, she has squirmed herself to a point where her legs are hanging over the end.

We've tried a few times to move her from the bassinet to the upper portion of the Pack-n-Play, but she doesn't seem to like it. It seems like she just enjoys being all snuggled into the tiny space. Well, last night, we decided to make our greatest effort to date to move her out of the bassinet. And, after one hour of shhhing, rocking and replacing her pacifier when it fell out, she finally fell asleep! And she stayed asleep there for three hours!

Fingers crossed tonight will be a bit easier, but for the next week or so we'll certainly have to have our patience turned way up at bedtime to help her stick to sleeping in her new space.

One Month Checkup

Today we took Maddie for her one-month checkup (which actually came at nearly six weeks). She's 10 pounds, 10 ounces, and just a little over 21 inches long, putting her in the 75th percentile for weight and the 25th percentile for height. Mike and I thought this was pretty funny considering when we went for ultrasounds before she was born, she always measured in the 97th-99th percentile for height. We're definitely happy to see that she's putting on weight (she's up two pounds from birth, or more than three pounds from where she was after we brought her home) and the doctor was happy that we seem to have her reflux under control.

She only needed one vaccine while we were in for this checkup, and just like when she was born, the needle didn't seem to phase her at all! She gave one little cry for a second or so after the nurse gave her the shot, and that was it. She's a trooper! She was even calm enough that Mommy and Maddie were able to go to the grocery store to pick up a few things after the appointment--of course, she got fussy right as we were checking out, and then immediately fell asleep in the car.