Foto Friday - 2011

Foto Friday - Santa

Because I missed last Friday...

Madison with Santa on Christmas Eve.

Foto Friday - Packing...

Madison's Last Friday in Her First Home

It's bittersweet...

4 Months!

Miss Madison is 4 months old today!

Is she not the cutest baby ever? I am in love with this picture!

Madison's about 18 lbs. and 24 inches long. She is a big girl, and we love her to pieces. Last night she rolled over (belly to back) twice! I think Madison and I were both surprised! I am still trying to catch her on video and will post it once (if) I get it. I am so glad both Josh and I were home. She did it once for me, then Josh saw her the second time.

Such a happy girl!!!

Madison is a playful and silly baby. She loves smiling, laughing and giggling! Daddy can get the most giggles out of her...usually in the evenings. She is very vocal and loves making the sound "geeeeee." Right now we have Benny living with us, when Winky and Benny play she cracks up while watching them!

"Why does Mama always make me take pictures with you?"

Madison is learning to grab at objects really well. She loves chewing on her fingers. She loves watching everything around her. We love watching her!

The next American Idol? Maybe!?! (Probably not though.)

We are excited to see Madison enjoy her first Christmas in a few weeks!

Foto Friday - Daddy's Girl

Two of my favorite people!

Foto Friday - Shhh

One of the few times she fell asleep in her swing. Notice she is holding her paci...what a silly girl!

Foto Friday - 1st Thanksgiving!

Wishing she could try a bite of Daddy's food!

Cousins!

Madison has TWO 3rd cousins that were born this year! One from my side, and one from Josh's. I think it is so fun for her to have two cousins so close in age to her.

Ava is about 7 weeks older than Madison. Her Daddy is Josh's cousin. Here they are meeting for the first time about a month ago. (Yes, Madison is a tiny bit larger than her older cousin...)

Grant was just born 9 days ago, so Madison is about 3 months older than him! His Mommy is my cousin. Baby Grant is just so tiny! Madison wasn't sure what to think about him!

Yay for cousins!

Tickle, Tickle!

Madison is really discovering her voice! Right now her laugh is kind of a funny sound...it always makes Josh and me crack up.

Enjoy!

Foto Friday - Yum

She's starting to try and put whatever she gets a hold of in her mouth!

Yum...right?!

Three Months!

Miss Madison is 3 months old today!!!

I'm estimating her weight around 15 lbs., and she is about 24 inches long.

Going after Pooh's honey...just like last time!

A close up!

Madison is a happy, happy baby!

My only challenge with her is the sleep issue! Yes, she is still sleeping in our bed at night, and she hates taking naps now! And yes, I just looked at a previous post where I stated she'd be out of our bed by 12 weeks. Oops!! :( But, I'm slowly working her to sleeping in her crib for naps. Sometimes I'll get lucky and she'll stay asleep for 30 minutes to an hour in her crib for her naps. Other days, she just wants to be held. I just can't bring myself to let her "cry-it-out."

I'm starting a bedtime routine this week and will start the long (and tiring) process of helping her learn to sleep through the night on her own in her crib. I think she is ready, and I know in the long run it's what's best for her. Wish me luck! I think I will need it!!!

Foto Friday - Makin' Faces

I love sticking out my tongue! :)

Update Time!

Time for another update about our little baby Madison.

Her newest skills include:

-following objects and people

-grabbing at and getting a hold of objects

-recognizing voices and faces

-sticking out her tongue

She loves watching Mommy and Daddy and following toys with her eyes. She has much better control over her head, and can look from side to side. She loves watching Winky. She also loves looking at herself in the mirror.

Just like her Mommy, Madison enjoys watching TV...she laughs all the time at Muno from Yo Gabba Gabba! Don't worry, I'm not plopping her in front of the TV all day...we just let her watch Yo Gabba Gabba for about 15 minutes a day or so. She loves the singing parts and laughs during parts of the show. Josh says he will dress up as Muno next year for Halloween for her...I am going to hold him to it!!

Won't Josh make a great Muno!

She does great grabbing at, reaching, and hitting her toys on her play mat. She can entertain herself for quite some time. She "talks" and laughs at her toys all the time! She also loves her toy ducky on her car seat and has intense stare downs with him.

Saturday we went to Toys R Us, and Josh couldn't resist buying her this new fancy toy. She's still a bit too little for it...but for now she watches the lights and loves the music. Her little arms are still a bit short to reach all the toys, and her toes barely skim the bottom keys, but I know she'll fit into it soon, and probably grow out of it before we know it!

She is already a Daddy's girl...when he gets home from work, she immediately gives him huge smiles and kicks her legs and swings her arms in excitement! It is the CUTEST thing ever and totally melts our hearts. She looks for him when he leaves the room, and perks up whenever she hears his voice.

She has been changing SO much lately, and developing and practicing new skills. It's so much FUN to watch her. Each day Josh and I are so proud of her accomplishments! :)

Foto Friday - Gotcha!

Admiring her new skill of grabbing a hold of objects!

Foto Friday - Family Foto

Our first family photo since Madison was born.

Of course our little chunker thought the table filled with caramel apple goodies was more interesting than looking at the camera.

Foto Friday - Giant Flower Headband

"What the..."

I used to think these headbands on babies were dumb.

But on my baby, of course it's adorable! :) (Wow, am I obnoxious or what?!)

I don't think Madison appreciates it that much though...

Madison In Action

A couple weeks ago Madison discovered her reflection in the mirror!

Don't ya love her big smile and laugh at the end? :)

102.6

My baby girl's first fever! :( On her two month birthday of course. You'll probably see a LOT of ":(" in this post.

My Dad was visiting last Wednesday. Around 6:30pm she was a bit fussy, and I figured it was just because she was getting hungry. I went to change her and when I laid her on her back, she SCREAMED. Her face got deep red, her eyes popped open, her arms and legs went crazy, and I immediately picked her back up. I knew something was wrong.

I calmed her down, and tried again. She screamed again, but she needed changed, so I went as fast as I could. I figured once I started nursing she'd calm down. Nope. Our little chunk wouldn't nurse. Ok...now I really KNEW something was wrong. :(

I called my cousin, Erin, (a Mom of 3 with 1 on the way, and she's a nurse, too), and she stopped over since she was out driving anyways. My Dad said maybe she had a tummy ache or gas since she wouldn't eat. So, Erin brought some drops to help relieve gas (as there were no other symptoms besides the fussiness). We tried those, and she seemed to calm down while being held (but she didn't really burp or toot).

After a bit, I kissed her forehead and thought it felt warm...so, we took her temperature. 102.6. I started crying. I felt horrible for her. I called the doctor-on-call. He told us to give her Tylenol and to bring her in Thursday if the temperature didn't go down. That seemed to help, and she finally ended up nursing. Dad and Erin went home (Josh was in Des Moines), and we went to bed around 10:30pm. Well, Madison slept (on her side)...I stayed up just watching her sleep I was so nervous.

She still had a temperature Thursday morning around 101, and still screamed when laid on her back. Our appointment wasn't until 1:15pm. She was really tired Thursday morning, but was nursing at least. We finally made it to the doctor. After checking her out, our Doc. couldn't find a definite cause for the fever, so she told us we had to go and have Madison's blood drawn, and to have chest x-rays. Of course this scared the living day lights out of me. But, off we went.

After waiting for FOREVER, it was time. I was trying to prepare myself because I knew I wouldn't like watching her get stuck, and I knew I'd probably have to help hold her, and I knew she was so uncomfortable on her back. Well, I don't think I could have prepared myself enough. As we held my poor baby down, she screamed the loudest I have EVER heard her...the kind of baby cry where they stop breathing in between screams. She had veins popping out of her deep red little face. :( AND, to make matters worse, the nurse was not able to get the blood out of her first arm, so after trying that for what seemed like FOREVER, she finally had to switch to the other arm!!! I lost it then and started crying. They let me hold her and comfort her while they prepared for the other arm. I think she was comforting me, too! Geesh. Finally, they had the blood drawn, and we were done.

After that, we headed down for her x-rays. Oh goody. More holding down my sick baby. :( After laying her on the machine (on her back of course), with one nurse holding her arms up by her ears, and me holding down her legs, she technician went to shoot the x-ray...AND THE F-ING MACHINE wouldn't work and re-started itself. (Sorry for dropping the F-Bomb, but I was at my wits end here!) So, more comforting and waiting. Then, more holding down my screaming baby. They took their two shots....and then decided something wasn't as clear as it should be for the second shot. (Seriously now...what the...) so, MORE holding down and more screaming so they could re-do the x-ray. I actually didn't cry during this procedure...I think I was too angry.

**Let me stop here and make sure I state that I totally respect those in the health care profession field. I know they were all just doing their job and doing the best they could do. I also know they weren't purposefully trying to make Baby Madison cry. I also know that all these procedures were of course necessary to find out what was wrong, so I knew it was the best for Madison.**

So, back to the doctor's office to await the results. In the end, her chest x-rays were good, so no pneumonia or other issues there. But, her white blood cells were high, meaning she had some type of infection. :( So it was a good thing we tested her blood. The type or cause of the infection is unknown at this time. The doctor suspected a urinary tract infection (she said until the age of 3 some children get those sporadically for no specific reason), and if that's what it was, it was NOT due to anything I had consumed. She would have had to use a catheter to test Madison's urine, but didn't want to put her through another procedure that day.

So, Madison got a shot (yes, more holding her down, although, not as long for that at least) of antibiotics, and 3.5 hours later, we were on our way home. She slept and ate and slept until Daddy got home late Thursday night. She finally cracked a smile once she saw Daddy, so I knew she was feeling better. Her temp was down to around 99.5, too.

Friday morning, we had to go back for another antibiotic shot. Her fever was gone, and she was able to be laid on her back without discomfort. I have a prescription for antibiotics that I have to give her for the next 8 days. If she gets another fever with an unknown cause in the next 3-6 months, she'll have to have the catheter put in for sure in order to test her urine.

Here she is, exhausted, but feeling better, Friday morning after her second doctor's appointment. (Yes, she finally sleeps and is more content in her car seat!)

I know this whole ordeal was probably MUCH harder on me than Madison, and I know Madison won't even remember all this! It was just a first experience for a new Mommy with a sick baby, and one I know I will experience again, as all children get sick and get hurt growing up. There is nothing worse than watching your baby in pain or discomfort and not be able to help them or to know what is wrong.

But, we survived. Madison was pretty much back to normal Friday, and even played on her play mat last night!! What an ordeal though!!! Madison won't remember it...but it's definitely an experience I won't ever forget!

Foto Friday - Me w/ GREAT G'pa Louie!

Two Months!

Miss Madison is 2 months old today!

I'm estimating her weight to be right around 13 lbs. and her length to be around 23 inches. She is our BIG girl! We love her chubby cheeks! She goes for her official "2 month appointment" in a couple weeks, so we'll have more accurate numbers then.

"I'm gonna eat your hunny Mr. Pooh Bear! Can't you tell I'm starving?!"

Happy Baby.

"Mom, I'm tired of taking pictures."

Madison loves spending time with Daddy. I think she saves her biggest smiles for him. She also has great conversations with him...probably complaining about Mommy :) Haha!

Her hair is always sticking straight up on top. Josh calls her his "little Einstein."

She found her reflection in the mirror on her play mat, and talks to herself all the time. I'll try and post a video of it soon. It's pretty cute.

We can't believe how much she grows and changes every day, and we're loving every minute with our sweet baby girl!

Foto Friday - Winky and Me

Foto Friday - Snuggling w/ G'pa Dave

Looooong Update!

I can't believe Madison is already 6.5 weeks old!

This may be somewhat of a boring post, and is probably more for me than my readers in some ways, so sorry! I just wanted to document some things while I remember them!

Here is a picture of her from yesterday morning...in her car seat. She hates her car seat, and she promptly started screaming after I took this photo. We were on our way to Hy-Vee for some grocery shopping. Luckily she settles down a bit once the car (or cart in the store) is in motion.

Anyways, I thought I'd touch on a few baby choices we've made in caring for Madison. I know I don't know everything, and I'm sure we're making some "mistakes." I'm just doing what we think is best for Madison.

*I am open to comments/suggestions/feedback/questions.*

Feeding

So far I've managed to stick with breastfeeding. The first 3 weeks were horrible. I'm not going to lie. I had two major breakdowns about it. I'm also not going to go into details (on the blog anyways). But, things are much better, and I'm really glad I stuck with it. I plan to continue nursing until she is at least 6 months old.

Pacifier

Before Madison, I was always against using a pacifier. And, once I started breastfeeding it's recommended you wait anyways. However, we (Josh) occasionally give one to her if she's really upset. I decided I'd rather have a calm baby than a screaming stressed out baby if I'm not around. I also take one with me when we're out...like yesterday at the grocery store. So, I'd say I've compromised on the pacifier issue and only use it in emergency situations.

Sleeping

I'll admit it. We are currently doing something I thought I'd never do, and I can't believe I'm doing it. As of the past 2-ish weeks, we are co-sleeping. Madison sleeps next to me in bed during the night. I know that this can't happen for forever, but after trying it once (at Josh's suggestion) and managing to sleep with her for 4 hours straight, I was hooked, that is on getting decent sleep again. I did some research on-line though, and am comfortable with our decision on letting her sleep (safely of course) in our bed with us for now.

I'm currently researching how to transition her to her crib, and my goal is to have her sleeping in her crib by 12 weeks. I know it will not be easy...for her or me.

Right now, she falls asleep in my arms. She likes to be walked/bounced around to be put to sleep. Sometimes she likes to be rocked. She'll sometimes stay in her swing or bouncer after falling asleep, but will wake almost immediately if laid in her crib or bassinet.

Even with all this talk about her sleeping habits and feeling like I've been slacking on working her into better sleep habits, I still remind myself she is only 6.5 weeks old! It may be how I justify things now, but I know I'll only be able to hold her in my arms and watch her sleep for so long before she is too big, so I try to enjoy those moments now.

(After a bath.)

Schedule

Of course I'm interested in scheduling my baby's day!!! Usually she goes 3-4 hours between feedings. So, she eats for 30-45 minutes, then has awake time for 30 minutes-1 hr., and then naps for 1.5-2 hrs. before repeating the cycle again. After her "late" feeding around 10pm, we'll go to bed, and she'll not wake until 3 or 4am for her early morning feeding. After that feeding, we go back to bed until 7 or 8am before we start our day.

More About Madison

Madison is very alert during her awake time, and I love being with her as she is learning about the world around her. She will lay and watch her mobile in her crib and/or play on her play mat for a good 10-15 minutes (depending on her mood) at a time.

She'll humor me for about 5-10 minutes during tummy time until she gets frustrated and starts crying. Yesterday she ALMOST rolled over!! At least, she got onto her side and was kicking her legs, she just couldn't make it quite all the way over.

She loves looking at the lights. She loves staring at our wall hangings in our family room.

She's able to make really solid eye contact now. She'll smile at you, and sometimes laugh. She sometimes coo's at you, and it seems as if she really wants to talk but just can't find the words. She loves sticking out her tongue.

She's got a great grip, and loves grabbing Mommy's hair. Last week she grabbed her own hair and screamed so loud because she couldn't figure out how to let go and was pulling her own hair! Poor girl!

(In an outfit from Great G'ma Bev.)

I'm so proud to be Madison's Mommy, and Josh is without a doubt a fantastic Daddy. Parenthood is more than I could have ever imagined.

Wow! This is LONG! If you've made it to the end, congratulations, and thanks for reading!! If you didn't read it all (don't worry...I don't blame ya) and just checked out the cute pics, thanks for that, too! :)

Foto Friday - Bad Hair Day

Smile!

This video of Madison seriously melts my heart!

(Try and ignore my annoying Mommy voice, please!)

Every time she's on her changing table we can manage to get some smiles/laughs/"talking" out of her. Most of the time her diaper change leads to feeding time. Josh says our chubby girl is just happy in anticipation of getting food! :)

Foto Friday - Play Mat Fun!

Mommy bought me a play mat!

One Month!

Madison is one month old already! Of course we had a photo shoot to commemorate this special occasion. Madison is our little chunker! We estimate her weight to be around 11-11.5 lbs. at least. She is a healthy eater and we're pretty sure meal times are her favorite. :)

"What'chu lookin' at bear??"

Here she is smiling! :)

Now for some random facts about our baby girl.

-She loves moving her arms and finding her hands and sucking on her fingers whenever she can.

-She is now able to focus better when looking at us or other objects. (I'm buying her a play mat later this week.)

-She hates her car seat.

-She makes lots of fun sounds when she sleeps.

-She likes getting her hair washed, but hates the rest of bath time.

This first month as really flown by! We are so thankful to have a healthy beautiful baby girl!

Foto Friday - Go Vikings

I'm sad the Vikings lost...but at least I looked cute for the game!

Foto Friday - I Love You, Too!

What a cutie!

Foto Friday - Red Robin

My first time out to eat with Mommy, Daddy & Great G'ma Bev.

(I'm angry because everyone got to eat but me!)

12 Days Old

Madison is 12 days old today!

In her first 12 days of life outside the womb, she's had a lot of "firsts!"

-Met many family members and friends

-Met Winky

-Had her first bath

-Had her first "manicure" (I just got done filing her nails)

-Enjoyed her first walk outside with Daddy and Winky

-Her umbilical cord fell off (ewww)

-Took her first trip to Grandma Tracy's

(Some of) What have I learned these past 12 days?

-Josh is amazing...well, I already knew that...but, it's just worth saying again. Madison has a wonderful Daddy.

-Madison definitely calls the shots around here now... :) If the girl is hungry - feed her immediately!

-I think the amount of laundry is doubling...how can that be when she's SO tiny?!

-Who needs sleep? Seriously though, I am napping during the day and feel pretty good for the most part.

-No one really tells you you're going to look pregnant for a few weeks AFTER delivery...seriously uterus...could you shrink a bit faster!?!?!

-The color pink is growing on me...I hate to say it, but it's true!

Madison's Arrival

I wanted to let everyone know how Miss Madison Smyser decided to grace us with her presence on Friday, August 13th (minus all the yucky details, because really, who wants to think about that). This will be a long entry, but I'm going to bold the important/funny parts, so feel free to skim through my ramblings!

Thursday, August 12th, I went in for a non-stress test and check-up as I was just 3 days overdue at that point. The appointment went well, and I was told to plan on coming back the following Tuesday for another non-stress test and an ultrasound if I hadn't had her by then. After those tests, we'd talk about inducing. I really felt like nothing was going to happen, and in my head planned on having her the following week. I joked with Josh that I was glad because I didn't want to have a Friday the 13th baby. Josh was so supportive of this and sang, "1-2 Freddy's coming for you," multiple times to me that day. Jerk. :)

Later that evening, Josh and I went to dinner at Exotic Thai with my Dad and brother. Brandon bought our dinner (what a nice brother), and I casually joked, that he was buying my last dinner before I went into labor.

Around 9:30pm, Josh and I just sat down to watch the "So You Think You Can Dance" finale we had dvr'd (yes, Josh is a fan of that show and watches it willingly). All of the sudden...I felt something different, and I ran/fast waddled to the bathroom...just in time for my water to break! I started to panic a bit and couldn't believe that "it" was finally happening. I yelled for Josh, and we called the doctor's office. I packed a few last minute items and we were off to the hospital!

We were finally admitted and all settled in around 1am. We were up all night in labor, and at about 4am I decided the have an epidural because contractions are NO fun and being told to just "breath through them" was irritating me. I had really wanted to try and have her without drugs, but oh well... (A huge kudos to all you Mom's with natural drug-free deliveries!)

Around 1:15pm on Friday it was time to push. And I did just that...for 3 long, tiring, exhausting hours. I was physically exhausted from being up since 8am Thursday morning, and I was also starving the whole time since I had not eaten since dinner around 6:30pm on Thursday. Go figure, I'm having a baby, and all I can really think about is what I want to eat once she is born.

About 2.5 hours in, we discovered that Madison had a bigger head than they had thought, and I have a tiny pelvis...what a great combination, right?!? Finally, the doctor arrived around 4pm (I'm guessing), and had to use the vacuum to assist in the delivery. She arrived at 4:17pm with a head full of hair, just one small wail, and eyes wide open. We couldn't believe she was only 4 ounces from being a 9 lb. baby!!!

Josh was absolutely the GREATEST husband throughout the delivery. And, I had the best nurse! I am so thankful because I don't think I could have done it without them.

Delivering Madison was one of the most challenging experiences of my life, but also the most wonderfully indescribable. Seeing Josh hold her for the first time melted my heart...he finally had his "mini-Meg!"

Foto Friday - A Close Up...

of Madison's foot...

What do you think?

You all know I really don't like feet.

I can't get over how long her toes are! Look at that pinkie toe!

Foto Friday - Josh's Current Read

He's going to be a wonderful father, no doubt in my mind!