Toofs!

If you click on this picture it will enlarge and you can see her toofers! :)

FOOOOOOOD!

We began the journey to solid foods a few weeks ago when Madleyn was just about 6 months. It was pretty easy to hold off with the move and all. Well if you know me, you know that I am pretty much terrified to start feeding her any kind of "big people food" and I freak when someone gives her a bite of something foreign! ahhh A couple of years ago I was out to dinner with a friend and her little girl who had begun eating table food too. While eating a piece of bread she started choking and couldn't catch her breath. Of course mom just stuck her finger in her mouth, pulled it out an she was fine, no biggie. ME on the other hand was traumatized for life! I swear, I get sooo nervous at the thought of Madelyn choking and I'm just scared to start this new phase in life with her. I really hope I can get over this or else my daughter won't be eating anything but baby food in a jar until her 2nd birthday!! :) No really....
On another note, she is doing great with her oatmeal and veggies, not so much the fruits but we're working on those. She has also tried the sippy cup and had success the very first time but now she acts like she has no idea how to suck on it so we do it without the lid and she's pretty good at it. :)
She cut her first teeth a month ago also. We were lying around and she pulled my finger into her mouth OUCH! "Madelyn has a tooth!!" It was so exciting because I had no idea she was even teething, except the constant need to gnaw on EVERYTHING within a foot of her and her everflowing drool, but as far as how she was acting-she was fine. It wasn't but 3 days later and her other one popped through! So now she has her 2 bottom toofers and looks so gosh darn cute when she's grinning from ear to ear!! :) I think she's working on her top ones now. Since she has some teeth, I decided to give her a teething biscuit and she went to town with that thing! No messing around!! They're a HUGE mess but she loves those things! (and I watch her like a hawk!!!) I just have to make sure she doesn't stick the thing down her throat, which she tried a couple of times.

Praise Jesus!

Wow- what a an emotional few days it's been for my family. My Grandpa has made HUGE steps forward and some steps backward but always ends up in the right direction. He has gotten back quite of a bit of his speech and is able to laugh and carry on conversations. This is huge because the day after his stroke he was unable to communicate and what came out didn't make any sense. It's such a scary thing to see someone you love be so vulnerable and so dependent on everyone else. It's life changing and really makes you cherish life's blessings each day. I've been at the hospital every day since last Wednesday and it's been wonderful to just be in the presence of my family through this whole experience. I've realized how easy it is to get wrapped up in the material things of this world and forget to be thankful for the most important gift, LIFE. He should be getting transfered in the next couple of days to a rehab facility in Chelsea. Praise God for his unending love and power to heal! Have a blessed day all!

Please pray with me...

This past Saturday my family experienced a scary situation when we heard that my Grandpa had what is said to be a "mini stroke" at his house. My Grandma took him into the hospital right away to be checked out. His only symptoms were that his left arm "felt different" and he couldn't get out the words he was trying to say. By the time they got to the hospital he felt better and didn't think he needed to be there. Pretty typical of him because he is very active and in good health for his age. The doctors did all their tests etc. on him and found a 65% blockage of his coratid artery. He was given a couple of options but the best would be to go in a clear out the blockage first with surgery. He had this surgery yesterday at 4 o'clock in the afternoon and all went well. THey were able to clear it and he was told he would just be in ICU for about 12 hours of recovery.
Then last night happened....He had another "mini stroke" in the middle of the night, but it wasn't so "mini". He IS OKAY but can't say a whole lot. He is having trouble getting the right words out and can only say a few phrases right now. I feel so bad for him because he is getting so frusterated because he is aware that he isn't saying the right words for what he wants to say. What a terrible feeling that would be to know what you want to say but then when you try, all the wrong words come out and no one can decode the message. The good news is that the doctor said this is a common side effect from the surgery and 99% of all patients do return to normal. The problem with that is they don't know how long it will take, 24 hours, a few days, a week...longer. We've also tried the writing it out and I guess it just confuses him:(
I'm going to visit him this afternoon when Madelyn wakes up from her nap but I am a little nervous to see him this way. I don't really know what to do or say. When I was there on Sunday, he was completely fine and normal so I didn't have any trouble going. I'm just praying for the wisdom of the doctors and patience for my Grandpa. If you could remember my Grandpa in your prayers it would be greatly appreciated:) Thanks!

Ahhhhh sleep:)

Beginning a couple of weeks before moving back to Jackson from Charlotte, Madelyn started getting up every 3 hours or so in the night. This was a huge step BACKwards for her and it was exausting to say the least. I was still having to get up for work at 5 am sometimes earlier. She was also still sleeping in her bassinet at our bedside. Yeah yeah I know what some of you may be thinking- "at 5 months?" but yes at 5 months. It was easier for me with nursing her in the middle of the night since it was happening so often. Anyway, I decided once we moved back to Michigan, then it would be time to make the transition into her crib and in her own room. So we did just that and she and I have had no problems with the seperation part. It's been 2 weeks I think. When we first got back, I made a docs. appt with her new pediatrician (Dr. Williams) because she had been being fussy and that was just unlike her. She wasn't even really "fussy-fussy" but since she very rarely ever "fusses" it was out of character for her. She did have an ear infection caused from a cold she had gotten shortly after the move. I also asked the doc. about her sudden need to eat so much through the night. I had figured she was just getting more hungry as she was growing (as I previously posted) Well what I didn't put in the last post was that the doc. wanted me to work on weening her from nursing in the night and eating period because at this age she doesn't actually "need" the food and should be able to make it through the night. (6-8 hours) I put that new information in the back of my mind and continued to wake with her and nurse each time she cried in the night. She always fell back asleep as soon as she got a snack so I had gotten the routine down pretty well.....

This brings me to my random and very sudden decision I made last Monday. I happened to be catching up on her chapter in WHAT THE EXPECT THE FIRST YEAR (great resource) and I came across a Q & A about sudden frequent night feedings/wakings. I read about the "Ferberizing" method and decided I'M IN!! Basically it's a decision to quit night feedings cold turkey but allows you to go into the baby's room to offer some comforting words, rub her back, say "I love you" etc. Robert was in and wondered why I hadn't done this sooner. We put her to bed around 9:30 with a full belly. The next thing I know I am waking up around 3ish to the sound of her crying. I look around and Robert was not in bed. Look who was the first to run into her room and comfort her! haha It is quite a sweet thing. Obviously daddy wasn't doing the trick b/c she wanted momma to come feed her. We ended up just putting her back in her crib and turning off the monitor to let her cry it out. She didn't cry it out- she SCREAMED it out...for almost an hour!! It was awful to hear but I just kept reminding myself that she wasn't really hungry and she will feel much better once she is sleeping through the night too. Luckily with the monitor off we couldn't hear her very well so we were able to try and get back to sleep. It was almost 4 when I heard her bloody murder all out scream die down and turn into a wimpering whine and then....ALL WAS QUIET. It worked! (at least for that night)

Now this post is getting so long so I will quickly come to a close with an update of the next night. I was expecting the screaming session to continue but hoping it would be shorter than the first night. Again, she went to bed at 9:30 and.......

I awoke at 6:30 and she was STILL SLEEPING! She didn't wake up until 8:15 that next morning and I was soooe excited!! I guess we lucked out and had a great transition because she has been doing awesome since! I couple of nights I hear her kind of whining a little bit but it only last maybe 5 minutes and she puts herself back to sleep. She's sleeping 9-10 hours every night now. So for all you moms out there who are dying to get some sleep...try the ferberizing method! It may take a solid 4 nights but be strong and you will soon be sleeping through the night. (of course wait until they are old enough to not require night feedings:) Hope you find this helpful:)

Brought to you courtesy of the RED, WHITE & BLUE!

We had the best time over the 4th of July weekend. Of course, I had to forget my camera out at the lake and didn't get back out until yesterday. So I will fill you in on our celebrations:)

On Friday the 4th, we went to Round Lake (Manitou Beach) to visit the Ryan and Alesia Shuman who were home visiting for the weekend. Robert lived with Ryan for 2 years while attending U of M. Anyway we visited out there for a few hours just sitting around, eating and talking and catching up. After leaving there we made our way to my Grandparent's house on Lake Columbia. My FAVORITE place to be in the summer! Some family were visitng from Chicago so we were able to catch them in time for a boat ride, drinks and sparklers at night. I don't do the whole sparklers thing but the kids love it so it's fun to watch them run around being crazy, excited to be with their cousins. Madelyn hadn't had much sleep during the day so I fed her some peas, nursed her and got her to sleep so we could hang out for awhile. I had wanted to get home at a decent time so we could get back out earlier the next day since we had to leave early but that didn't so much work out. We stayed until I think 11 or so and then went home and crashed.

The next day (the 5th) was the official 4th of July party where EVERYONE and their brother would be there. It was the day of the boat parade and fireworks. We got out to the lake around 11 that morning so we were able to have a good while before the wedding. The weather was B-E-A-utiful! I played volleyball with Robert and holy cow I was so sore the next day! hahahha That tells you just how "in shape" I am:)
We took Madelyn swimming in her little seahorse floaty and she loved it. The waters were so rough and she was riding the waves like a champ! It kept her dry in the face too, which was cool! It wasn't splashing her all over the place like I was expecting. So that was fun. Robert kept busy for most of the day playing volleyball (being the monkey in the middle) with all the girls. I captured some pics of him and the girls. (my cousins)
We had to leave around 3:30 after putting Madelyn down for a nap. She stayed with her Grammy and Grampa for the rest of the night and fireworks. We had a good time at the wedding but being the first time leaving her for that long, I missed her A LOT! She amazed me and stayed up with her Grampa, all wide eyed and bushy tailed until 11:30 before falling asleep!! To say the least I had an exausted girl for the next 3 days.....
Now the 4th is over and sadly fall is just around the corner:(

I'm baacck

Good News- our computer is restored and working great again:)
But I'm waiting until I have my camera back so I can post with pics. I forgot it out at the lake (my grandparents house) and will get it TODAY- yay:)

Boo:(

My hubby broke the computer so I won't be able to blog too freely for...who knows how long....:(
So sad......

Let Freedom Ring!!!!

I am soo excited for today and tomorrow and the whole dang weekend! If you know me, you know that the 4th of July is like the ultimate holiday for me and I look forward to this weekend practically all year long. There's something about spending the weekend at my grandparents' lake; riding the wave runners, boating, swimming at the island with all my bazillion cousins (and now my daughter), eating good food, drinking beer, getting a fresh sun-kissed tan, the boat parade and fireworks at night. Ahhhhhh I LOVE IT!!!! I am so excited because now Madelyn gets to be a part of it all. Of course, the last 3 years we have had weddings on this Saturday but that's become a part of the weekend tradition too I guess. It's all so much fun and then it's so sad when it's over because the summer begins to wind down after that. boo.

I will post pics after the fantabulous weekend celebration!!!!
HAPPY 4th OF JULY EVERYONE!!

Complete 180!!!

Okay so my previous post was about my struggle with getting Madelyn to take solids. I am SO HAPPY TO REPORT that this morning went great and....SO DID TONIGHT!!! She ate ALL the carrots I had poured which was about half the container. HUGE STEPS have been made. She had no problems what-so-ever and she loved her carrots! I can't wait to see what time she sleeps until tonight. (or I mean "morning") Here's how happy she was after filling her belly with yummy carrots!

Almost 6 months and I can't keep up!

Madelyn will oficially be 6 months next Wednesday. I'm beginning to get somewhat frusterated with the whole nursing thing right now. I love that time with her so much and don't want it to end but lately it's just so hard to keep up with Madelyn's needs. For instance, the past 5 or 6 weeks she has been waking in the night pretty much every 3 hours give or take an hour. She isn't waking up to play but just because she is so hungry! I feed her and then she's back to sleep until waking up a couple hours later. Every once in a while she will sleep 4 -5 hour stretches but like I said "every once in a while". Keep in mind, before this all began she was sleeping 7-8 hours every night:) So like any mom would assume, she needs to start solids. Well, so far I have given her rice cereal, pears, bananas, sweet potatoes and currently we are on carrots. I've only started doing this consistently for a little over a week. It was too hard to stay consistent during the move and staying at my parents house for 2 weeks. The problem is that she just isn't very good at eating from a spoon. She has so much energy and flails her arms and ends up knocking the spoon and the food flings all over the place. It's so frusterating and I have to hold both of her hands down to get the spoon in her mouth, only for her to spit it right back out. She sometimes opens her mouth and actually goes "blaaah". I will admit that is pretty darn cute though- haha

Well, it's now an hour and a half later....I heard her wake up in her crib so I got her up and decided to give her morning cereal another shot. (with bananas) I am happy to report that she DID REALLY GOOD!!! I think she probably managed to swallow like 10 bites before calling it quits!!!! Yay!

Back to what I was saying earlier in the post: I have her 6 month appt. coming up next week and I am going to start talking formula with her doc. Not all the time formula but like when I'm away from her or a couple times a day. Nursing is just plain easier if I am around and not busy at the time so I won't cut it out completely, as long as my supply keeps up. So yeah...that's my....plan with nursing....as if ya'll care right? :)