Friday, April 30, 2010

Night one of night time crib training

We just laid her down. No crying yet, but I know when she has her first awakening in the night, and realizes she's not in our arms/bassinet the crying will start.

My heart is breaking, the tears are flowing. My baby is going to cry tonight and I am not supposed to do the one thing that will calm her...

Baby faces


Happy baby face

Yum Yum fist face

Tongue sticky-outty face

Hasn't there been enough pictures face

Oh wait face

Reaching face

Nom Nom camera strap face

And people say babies aren't expressive! 

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Day 11 vs 3 months and 2 days

She's definitely grown!



















Tuesday, April 27, 2010

New weight!

Today at mom's group (which was an amazing one, Maddy was great and I had the chance to get to know some moms. Including one with a baby as big as Maddy is!) I weighed Maddy.

15 pounds. FIFTEEN!

Aack!

Monday, April 26, 2010

Month three letter

Dear Maddy,

You are three months old today. THREE months! How can that be already? I remember bringing you home and thinking about the "fourth" trimester and how long that will take, to fully develop you. And we're here!

The last month came in like a lion and out like a lamb. The start was hard. You were grumpy and fussy and miserable much of the time. The last 2 weeks? You have been just amazing. Grumpy at times, yes, fighting the sleep still but most of the time just amazing. Your personality is coming through now. You will be a talker! You interact with us so much more. Giggles and coos and so many huge smiles. Which we haven't been able to catch on film yet, but we'll keep working on it. Emotion is a volatile thing for you. The line between very happy and very sad is very thin. So? Your mom and dad have a wicked time watching you flit back and forth when you are upset. Dad is the best at it. You could be so grumpy and he'll come in and make you giggle. Then you're back to grump, then giggle... Yes, it is the small stuff that amuses us right now!

It's been a month of watching you do new things, and the looks of amazement when you do. You are still reluctant to lift your head during tummy time. Instead? You move your head over your hand and start sucking. Pacifiers? They are now passe. Instead it's all about your fingers, fist, our fingers, arms... anything person! When I pick you up I barely use a finger to hold your head up. Your head lolls a little, but you're getting it. You are learning where your hands are an how to lift them. I am not going to say that you reach on your own now, but you obviously want to. You look at something and get so excited for it, but can't figure out the next step. If anything, my little monkey, you are reaching up with your feet.

You are starting to love the TV. You stare at the pictures and kick and flail. Right now, you're sitting in your vibrating chair and washing CSI. I am pretty sure you don't get the meaning of the show, yet, but so soon we'll have to remember you're learning. Your dad and I have made (another) promise to each other to stop the swearing. It's a nasty habit and it's something we don't want you to learn too soon. But wow, it's hard to do! Just make sure your first word isn't something that will make us blush.

We also think you may be starting to teeth. You drool like a champion and are sticking your tongue out like you are running it over your bottom gums. I keep checking, no tooths emerging yet. But maybe soon!

Things I want to remember to tell you. You got your first scar this month, you scratched your left cheek one day in a nasty way. Your only birth mark! It's on your belly, on the left side. Otherwise your skin is flawless porcelain. Except for that little hairy spot on the bottom of your back. It's just a thicker blonde patch that is like down. Oh! And the skin on your knees and shins is slightly rougher than the rest of you. I think it's because your knees are still always up and bent and moving like mad against your pjs.

Today we're officially starting your crib training. Right now you have been sleeping in your swing during the day (when at home) and bassinet at night. We're starting you on crib during the day and this weekend will be night crib training. I have to say, I will miss listening to you snuffle and talk as you sleep (and in your sleep) but it's time. Partially for your safety, you are definitely outgrowing your bassinet!

We (mom, dad, baba and dido) will do anything and everything to make sure you are safe and happy and loved. You are 1/4 of a year old and you are already our world. Happy 3 month birthday my baby girl!

Love,

mom

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Sleeping updates

Yesterday was not as good of a napping day. We had errands all morning/early afternoon which meant naps in the car seat. Then she was not interested in napping when we got home, especially not the crib! She was a tad fussy last night, but went to sleep at 1030-ish and slept until 730 this morning! She had a 40 minute nap in her crib, when I put her down, this morning. And again she is in her crib, napping peacefully. This time dad put her down and I think he sprinkled her in daddy-magical-sleepy-baby-that-loves-her-crib-powder (name to be trademarked soon) because she's happily napping there now.

Oh! One of the errands yesterday was to get Neil some new glasses. And they are AWESOME. I can't wait until he gets them. And I will be posting a pic, to show them off, whether he likes it or not!

Friday, April 23, 2010

Napping success

This morning I laid Maddy down for a nap in her crib. I think she was mostly asleep when I laid her down. But she napped there for 3 hours! This afternoon I calmed her for sleep, then laid her in her crib again. She was awake when I laid her down and just sang to her a little before leaving the room. Another successful nap in crib, this time for an hour. Now? She was showing signs of sleepiness and again I laid her in her crib. AGAIN she naps in her crib. No fuss, no crying... just sleep. I think she's broken... *grin*

Head and chest are up!

Today I rolled Maddy on her tummy and she kept her head and chest propped up! She wanted to continue to look out the window *grin* My girl will do it, with sufficient motivation.

Thursday, April 22, 2010

An update

The last 2 weeks with Maddy have been wonderful. She has her moments, but they are just that. Moments. She is generally happy and easy going.

She's growing leaps and bounds too! Every morning she seems to weigh just a little more. And her head control is getting so close to being there! I am carrying her around in her Ergo carrier and she's good there for about 30 minutes. She LOVES laying on her back and kicking away. Tummy time is even tolerated for short periods of time. As long as she is on soft ground. When she decides to relax her neck muscles and her head plummets forward? It's best to have something soft to cushion the fall. I learned that the hard way. A blanket on laminate was not enough to prevent a thunk and a bit of a wail. She is also starting to watch TV. It makes me realize that soon we'll have to be cognizant of what is appropriate for children to watch. I guess no more CSI marathons during the day. Although it won't all be treehouse in this house! Our girl is going to have to learn to love Sci Fi as much as mom and dad do.

Maddy is trying SO hard to talk. Well, to mimic our sounds. I know that she doesn't understand what she's trying to say. But she can mimic "hi" quite well now. And the sounds and volume that come out of her are pretty amazing. And her smiles light up a room, when she's trying to communicate. She still loves singing and now even tolerates my voice! "My Bonnie lies over the Ocean", with Maddy instead of Bonnie, and "ABC" are her favorites right now. And there is an annoying "OOOaa OOOaa" noise I make that is a favorite too. It annoys me to hear me, but her smile is worth it.

Today I had her on the magic happy place (aka the change table) and we were singing together. She, for the first time, reached up and touched my face. She stopped listening as she focused in on her hand on my mouth. Her look of confusion and then amazement as she touched the place where the noise comes from was so wonderful. My baby girl reached up for the first time!

On Monday I was trying to cut Maddy's nails and for the first time I cut Maddy, instead of the nail. I was devastated. She was in shock and cried, she bled... and my heart broke. But thankfully she forgave me quickly and her little thumb is healing well.

On Tuesday I went to a joint baby shower for Maddy and a co-worker's daughter. It was wonderful fun to see everyone again! The decorations were stunning, the food plentiful and the gifts so very generous! I work with some really amazing people. There were a few people who weren't there, that I missed seeing. But that just means I'll have to go back one day and spend an afternoon catching up, with those that were there and those that were not. I have many pics of everyone, but again I forgot to ask if pics are ok to post.

Yesterday baba, aunty olga, Maddy, me and the dogs all went for a walk around the neighbourhood. Maddy seemed to enjoy looking around. I know the dogs loved the walk! They ran and pulled mom in every direction as I pushed the stroller. I look forward to Maddy being comfortable enough in the carrier that I can walk the dogs with her in it. It'll be good exercise for me and the dogs!

OK, we have a busy evening of errands tonight and so it's time to get Madds washed and ready to go. Well, and maybe throw some clean clothes on me too.

Monday, April 19, 2010

Doctor, doctor

We had Maddy's 3 month check-up (a week early) and all is good! She is still playing around the 90th percentile for height, weight and head size. She's meeting milestones according to the doctor (despite the lack of tummy time). My girl is growing and thriving! And she's looking more like her father every day *grin*

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Maddy's first friend

Last Thursday I went to a friend's place and we had a wonderful mini mom's get together! We had our kids laying side by side on a blanket, looking to see what would happen. I think the two are just a little too young to be true friends (they barely noticed each other) but us moms? We had a blast with the pics! For the record, Caleb is 4 days older than Maddy. 




Our first almost hand holding! This is right after Caleb lifted Maddy's shirt up.



We forced them to look at each other. Maddy finally noticed Caleb. Caleb? Nope! I was much more interesting to watch



Finally, laying side by side. I love my daughter, she's my baby girl! But I can be honest. My gal? She's got a head on her. And as Blessie so wisely said, Maddy is what 30 hours of labour looks like while Caleb is what 4 hours looks like 

And I got Blessie's permission to post pics of Caleb in case anyone was worried.



Friday, April 16, 2010

Now to prove I still exist!

Last week was hard. This week has been so much better! I have learned to read Maddy's signs and for that she has been a much happier baby. I am seeing when it's all getting overwhelming, when it's time to nap, when food is needed. Although a routine still eludes us. I know there have to be a few naps but they don't always come at the same time. But we don't wake at the same time either.

We have stopped the crib training. She's sleeping... be it in her bassinet or the swing. At 3 months or so we can try to start the training. I think that was part of what led to the fussy week for her. Hell, the kid was 10 weeks old. Maybe mom should cut her some slack and let her sleep where she's used to. Change can happen at 3+ months! And we have been careful to get out of the house and interact with adults. As much fun as Maddy is and no matter how much I love my house - getting outside is good. Today we head out for sushi with friends. SUSHI! Yum!

But it's sinking in, how absolute motherhood is. There are no vacations, there are no days off, no slacker breaks. There is a tiny (well, not so tiny... 14 pounds, 1 ounce at 11 weeks!) little girl that needs me for everything. And the only breaks I get are her naps, which are my chances to eat (damn, haven't done that yet today) or wash dishes or laundry or clean the bathroom (the last three I did get done this morning). As much as I love her and love being her mom this is my first role in life that is constant. I can take a break from working Wendy, wife Wendy, cleaning Wendy, friend Wendy... but I am always mom. Even when she's not near me I am still present in that mindset.

Well, I have about 15 minutes before I have to wake a sleeping Maddy and get her ready to go! Which is just enough time to throw some makeup on the bags under my eyes and get clean clothes on. And get her diaper bag packed too. Another reason to wish we were breastfeeding. The food is always there and always ready to go *grin*

Monday, April 12, 2010

Just to prove they still exist...

The boys! Our dogs, Walter and Sherman. They have been just troopers with all the change of Maddy's arrival. And they have been such wonderful little pups. So patient and so gentle. They even tolerate the crying well. I can't wait to watch Walter sneak into Maddy's toddler bed for some snuggles one day.


Professional pics of Maddy

We have the first glimpses of them! And the ones on the blog are stunning. Click this link to be taken to Sohobutterfly Photography, and see the pics of Maddy. When I get them all, more will be put on this blog. But I love them. Natasha is wonderful!



Last night Maddy slept from 1030pm until Neil had to wake for work - 545am. And then Maddy and I napped from 730-830am. I am feeling almost drunk from enough sleep. This will get me through the inevitable fussy days/nights ahead, since I am jinxing myself by mentioning how much sleep I got. You all know I am!

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Things have been good!

Things here have been good. After an easier day on Wednesday Maddy again was a complete grump on Thursday. Add too little sleep and being home-bound and hormones and fears of failing as a mother led to a sad couple days for me. But talking to Neil brought me out of my funk and we had a wonderful few days. Today we went for lunch with some friends and then went to a bookstore, where I bought an html book. Hell, why not! I can fix up the blog nicely then *grin*

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Sometimes it's easier

Today was a much better day. Maddy slept more (yay!) even if that meant in her swing. She was sweet and cooing and kicking and laughing. We tried tummy time and she was able to lift her head for short periods of time. So no missed milestone! If you look at the size of her head... I am impressed she can lift it any amount. I love my girl, but she's got a head on her! And we went out for that walk and loved the sunshine. Little miss slept most of it. When she was awake, she was happily looking around.

We went to Costco tonight and she was sweet there. Some minor fussing but nothing a pacifier wouldn't control. And then when we got home there was a bit of melt down but she was just tired. A good feed, a swaddle and a jiggle? She's fast asleep in her bassinet. Although we're still waiting for that poo. It's gonna be a gooder when it comes out.

Maddy is not an easy going child. She can be fussy. She gets overtired and fights sleep. She has a dramatic flair. She knows what she wants and just waits (impatiently) for you to figure it out. But she's perfectly Maddy. She's my beautiful baby girl. I wouldn't change a thing about her.

Sometimes it's hard

Yesterday was hard. One of those days you wonder if you'll stay sane. Maddy was a bear all day. Although I did have a lot planned for her.

We started at UofA Almuni mom's group. It was a yoga class! Well, Maddy fussed the entire yoga part. I had to hold her and jiggle her the entire time. So I missed on the yoga part. And then the instructor made a somewhat snide comment about now that is was quiet, she could talk, as both Maddy and another baby were fussing. Well, that made a mom feel good. After yoga we sat around and chatted. There were three of us chatting, me, other mom and snide mom (you can see where THIS is going). Well, snide mom used only cloth diapers. Which made her better than us other 2, who are using disposable. I tried the gDiapers, they just don't fit Maddy well and every pee would result in leaking. Poo? Got everywhere. I mentioned, in hopes of not being too harshly judged (women and cruel, yet we still feed into it...) that we tried gDiapers. Snide mom? She says "Oh, they slightly better disposable diapers". Other mom made a comment later about wipes, and how expensive they are. I mentioned Costco has then for pretty cheap. Snide mom said "Are they biodegradable?" I replied no, they aren't. They only place I could find the biodegradable ones were online and they were very expensive. Again, snide mom told us how much better she is than us, as she just bought washcloths. Well, I left soon after. A fussing Maddy and snide mom took it out of me.

Maddy fell asleep on the way home. We got home, she slept a bit more then she had some bottle. Then? It was off to mom's group number two! This time at the health clinic. Maddy slept for the first 20 minutes or so. Then? Then fussing went into HIGH gear. Nothing would calm her. Being held upright, cuddled, on her back, in her carseat, walking, jiggling, feeding (both boob and bottle), pacifier... I didn't get a chance to hear much of the presentation on milestones. Other than I mentioned that we don't use toys with Maddy yet. We hold her and sing to her and play "This little piggy" and she loves to look around. Rattles and those things? They don't hold as much interest for her. I was assured that was fine, but the looks we got... the mother that denies her child TOYS. Also, apparently we aren't doing enough tummy time. With a fussy child who hates tummy time, I have been avoiding it. Yes, I have been an apparently neglectful mother. She's missing a milestone (head up at 3 months, if not head and chest up). We had to run at the end, missing the socializing time. When we got home Maddy completely melted down. About 30 minutes of screaming and tears and wailing and kicking. She was inconsolable. She was tired and hadn't pooed and nothing would make her happy. 

Luckily my mom was planning to come over and babysit while I went grocery shopping. She was able to first hug me as I cried then take over with Maddy. I went grocery shopping, a job I usually love. But every time I'd hear a child fuss I'd get upset and tears would come. Mom stayed at the house after I got home, to help me try to calm Maddy. But she fussed all evening long... thankfully at 930 or so Maddy fell asleep for the night. She slept until 445am, when she had a feed, and then went back to sleep until 730am. She was fussing this morning (no clue why). But now she sleeps.

Yesterday was hard. For the first time I cried from the frustration of being a mom. I had a fussing child on a day I was looking forward to (getting out of the house to meet new people!), judging mothers and instructors, missed milestones, tiredness... Today we're staying in. Maybe heading out for walk with mom later. I have to say, without the help and support and hugs of Neil and my mom, I would have also melted down with Maddy yesterday. The support they provide makes it all bearable. Being a mom is hard.

Sunday, April 4, 2010

She's still a-growin'!

Our little-ish Maddy continues to grow. She's officially in 3 month clothes and often in the 3-6 month outfits (which are thankfully still a little roomy). But there is nothing tiny about her anymore. And her alertness and smiles and moving and head control... every day it's all a little more, a little better. She's even trying to communicate! She's cooing in response to things we say. The other day she was trying to mimic me saying "hi". Everyday we leave the newborn Maddy behind just a little more. 

We're picking up new nicknames for her. Maddy-moo, Maddy-moo-foo, Foo, Nu-nu, baby-girl, Madeline (said the french way), bebe (again, said the french way), Madeline-spadeline-doo. And the list changes daily!

On Thursday Maddy and I went to meet baba and dido at the mall, for their mall walking session. We arrived a little late for the walk but sat with the friends for coffee. And gave the grandparents a chance to show off the little one. There baba bought an Easter dress and I bought a completely impractical outfit of skinny jeans and a flowing top (pics to come). I figure if I am too large for skinny jeans I may as well put them on my daughter, while I still have control over what she wears!

Today we're having a friend come by and take some professional pics of Maddy. We were at baba and dido's for Easter lunch today. Of course, there was much new stuff there and people to talk to... so someone didn't have a nap. And that someone had a meltdown on the way home. And then continued to be a teary screaming puddle when we got home. I am not naming names, but she's now in her swaddle and in her little lamb swing having a much needed sleep. Hopefully it will be enough sleep so that the pictures turn out well! But... ya... I'll protect the identity of the parties involved.