7 Months... Sunday

What?! Madelyn will be 7-months old on Sunday. I feel so blessed I was the one chosen to be her mom, she is such a joy to be around. Now...not everything with Maddy is roses and peaches... but then not everything with anyone is.
I figured for just for fun I would do this baby questionnaire... It is very conducive to my reminiscing ways lately...

1) Where were you when you first found out you were pregnant?

I was at work. I didn't feel well and thought maybe I should check... Surprise :)

2) Who was with you?

Just me.

3) How did you find out that you were pregnant?

I took a test and then later went to the doctor's to confirm.

4) Who was the first person you told?

Ray and Angela. I remember when I told Ray I just keep repeating "I took a test." He asked what grade I got on it!

5) What was the sex?

We found out we were having a girl sometime in June/ July of 2008. I was convinced she was a boy! It took a full day to believe it.

6) Did anyone throw you a baby shower?

Nana Pam threw me the shower of the century. I have never before had such a special day, it was perfect.

7) How much weight did you gain?

40 lbs... I was confined to a bed for most of my pregnancy.

8) Did you get a lot of stretch marks?

My tummy looks like a road map :) Worth every one though.

9) What did you crave the most?

Coca-cola! But, because of the sugar and caffeine I rarely indulged.

10) Did you crave anything crazy?

I wanted spinach and artichoke dip CONSTANTLY. It is crazy because my face completely breaks out whenever I have spinach.

11) Who or what got on your nerves most?

Bed rest... It. drove. me. crazy.

12) Did you have any complications during your pregnancy?

Yes, diabetes and high-blood pressure. I felt like I had a constant insulin tap.

13) Where were you when you went into labor?

Sitting on the hospital bed ready to go!

14) Did your water break?

The nurse manually broke it... whoa... that was an experience in itself.

14) Who drove you to the hospital?

Ray

15) Did you go early or late?

I was induced at 39 weeks.

16) Who was in the room with you when you gave birth?

Ray and Nana Pam-a-lama... Nana Patsy immediately after.

17) Was it video-taped?

No... I was SO against any recordings, now I regret it.

18) What was your first reaction after giving birth?

That was quick!

19) What did you name the baby?

Madelyn Eileen :)

20) How old is your baby today?

7 months...

21) When is the next one coming?

Whoa... let's enjoy the first, first!

22) If you could, would you do it all over again?

Of course :)

She'll be a cruiser soon...

It is almost time to retire the Swaddlers... Pampers Swaddlers that is. I nearly had a break-down in the aisle of BJs. I went to grab our normal box of Swaddlers and noticed the weight limit... At 22 lbs she will need to move over to Cruisers. Does it sound crazy to you that I am so upset? It probably does, but this diaper fact means that my baby is growing up... and out of MY favorite diaper.
On thing I am really excited about... My new signature! Check it out below... I will start using this to end all my posts. Nice, huh?

Dollies, Mohawks, and Memorial Day!

Nana Patsy bought Maddy a brand new doll. :) This will be her new friend! Every now and then I catch her "talking" to her stuffed animals... I think this may be her new favorite.

We also discovered that when wet we are able to "mohawk" Maddy's hair!!! Wahoo!

Then for our first Memorial Day, Maddy and I went to Bridgette's to see Sophia and Nick. We also got to swing in a swing for the very first time! Sophia is the one pushing Maddy... Nick refused any pictures, but was quite taken with Maddy if I say so myself!


Bonus bath time picture!!!

My Little Girl

My little girl is not so little anymore... I look back at pictures like the one below and wonder where the time has gone. Isn't it funny how time does that? Runs by you while you aren't looking... As a child I can vividly remember waiting, for what felt like forever- for Christmas/ my birthday (probably any day where I got gifts) to come. I now only have to blink and another week has passed. I sometimes feel as though I get so wrapped up in making sure I cherish every. single. moment. that I still in fact miss some of them. I never want to forget what she looks like, feels like, and acts like at any one of these stages. She will one day, probably sooner than I would like, want no part of lying on my chest while I sing to her before bed. She will not let her Daddy walk her around the house and tell her silly stories and there will be no more calling our daughter by the name of "bubba gurl." So, because time is going much faster than I intended I will hold her as much as I want, sing to her in whatever key I can manage, and let her be a kid for as long as possible.

In My Daughter's Eyes

In my daughter's eyes I am a hero,

I am strong and wise and I know no fear.

But the truth is plain to see, she was sent to rescue me

I see who I wanna be, in my daughter's eyes.

In my daughter's eyes, everyone is equal.

Darkness turns to light and the world is at peace.

This miracle God gave to me- gives me strength when I am weak,

I find reason to believe- in my daughter's eyes.

And when she wraps her hand around my finger, it puts a smile in my heart.

Everything becomes a little clearer, I realize what life is all about.

It's hangin' on when your heart has had enough

It's giving more when you feel like giving up, I've seen the light, it's in my daughter's eyes.

In my daughter's eyes I can see the future, a reflection of who I am and what will be.

Though she'll grow and someday leave, maybe raise a family

When I'm gone I hope you see- how happy she made me,

or I'll be there in my daughter's eyes.

-Martina McBride

Parental Abuse! Parental Abuse! :)

I think Maddy may have won this fight :)
Do you see the Amby bed in the background? Ask us if we have used it... we are chicken. Can you blame us? She can pack a punch!

It is here... Amby bed!

The Amby bed came today! I am hopin', wishin', and prayin' that the Moops likes it! Wish us luck! Here are some of our Amby trial pictures for now...

Doctor's & Shots

Oh my!
Madelyn had an appointment on Monday to get shots and have a well-visit check. Shots went beautiful...at first... not one peep. Those cut little chubby thighs probably padded the needle. :) She was then weighed... 18lbs 10ozs... 95% percentile. Her height was also in the 95th percentile at 26 inches. The doctor told us to change her diet a little, this is where our (Maddy, daddy and myself) week went down hill. It first started with a really bad reaction to the shots... a 101.8 temperature that seemed to last for days, but actually was about 24 hours. Once we got through that we changed her diet... She has been screaming in hunger ever since. Needless to say, I am calling the doctor today.
A wonderful, heart-warming moment occurred while Madelyn and I were driving to Market Basket a few days ago though... She was in the back seat talking and because her car-seat has such a high-back I can not see anything expect her little toes. I reached my arm back to check and see if she had put the recyclable shopping bag in her mouth and felt what I thought was her chin. Next thing I know a tiny little hand grabbed my hand. We drove the rest of the way with our hands clasped together. She is such a sweet baby girl.

My Gift :)

I received my mother's day gift from Ray and the baby today...

The outside circle has Maddy's birthstone. The solid circle says Love MEL & RFL on the front, and on the back 5-10-2009. The necklace came in a beautiful heart box with "Happy Mother's Day" written on it.I could not even have expected something so beautiful, truly amazing.

Mother's Day

What a wonderful day! I must say that I probably have the most wonderful family out there... hands down. My mother's day started Thursday, when beautiful roses arrived from Bridget (mum)... Everytime I look at them I smile. Events continued last night when Dad and Pam gave me a really special card with a gift card! Woohoo! :)

Then to today... I woke up to Maddy and daddy handing me a card... "Mommy~ Happy Mother's Day :) Daddy and I love you very much. Thank you for being the best mommy in the whole wide world. #1 Mommy. Maddy and Daddy." There are no words for how beautiful that is. We then left to take a quick trip to Crane Beach. I had a project to do for one of the mommy's on JustMommies... She is gathering photos of her daughter's name written in the sand from all over. Her angelic daughter passed away at 23 days old, this month marks her 2nd birthday.

We then took at trip to Portsmouth, NH and Newburyport, MA. A really funny side note... my mom was at Newburyport with Auntie Carol and we never ran into eachother! I wish we had known! After having a late lunch/ early dinner at my favorite Not Your Average Joe's it was time to go home. Maddy pooped herself out with constant raspberries that she ended the day...

Happy Mother's Day to all the mom's out there. And thank you to stars for allowing Ray and Madelyn to be a part of my life.

Poor Baby Girl...

This is what we put our baby girl through...

Yes, she has a diaper on her head.

Yes, she now has her pants on her head.

Yup, there is the diaper again.

And now she is in Mommy's pants WITH her pants on her head. Poor baby girl. She is just so freaking adorable that we can't seem to help it most of the time!
I am also on a "Mommy Board." You can request to have signatures made for your posts... You can use pictures, poems, anything you'd like... Here's ours...

Isn't it great?

Grateful

I am grateful. My daughter is wonderful.
She smiles when you do a funny dance. Laughs when you tickle her. Coos when you enter the room. And rolls around when you let her. She is perfect and I am grateful.

Amby Pamby

Sunday night we attempted the Ferber CIO... never again. After an hour of "ferberizing" she was soaked, near vomiting, and swollen from her crying. That just does not seem ok! I am a firm believer that kids are all different... go figure! Madelyn seems to be a high-needs baby, she loves to be held, comforted, and cuddled with- I don't see the horror in it. One day she will want nothing to do with cuddling, why do I need to force her now?

Long story short, we may have found the nighttime solution... The Amby Bed.

This hammock like bed mimics "swaddling." When Maddy was teeny-tiny she loved being swaddled, but then grew out of it. I really feel that this may be the answer.

There is no book at Barnes and Nobles that tells you the hands down, correct way to parent- trust me I looked. Ray and I just want a happy, secure child. We want her to have the world.