Update after today's doctor appointment:

Maddie is now 22 inches (90th percentile) and 10 pounds 11 ounces! I told you she was growing fast!

My Little Girl Is Growing Up!

This is Maddie on the day after she was born:

And this is Maddie today:

I can't believe how much she has changed in just one month! I already feel like she is growing up too fast!

On another note, I'm really not sure what I did to deserve this face, but it's too priceless not to share:

We are getting Maddie's first professional shots done this weekend, so I will post them as soon as I can!

All Together: "Aww!"

Hank and I were feeling very adventurous on Saturday, and decided to take Maddie with us to dinner, clothes shopping for Hank, and then grocery shopping. This was a big trip for us, and she did great!

After my years working in the restaurant business, I now feel very worried about how my baby will behave in restaurants. I am terrified that I am going to be the mom with the screaming baby irritating everyone in the entire establishment. When I was a manager at Friday's, there were several times that guests would ask me to tell parents that their child was disturbing everyone else, but this, of course, was never well-received. So many times, the parents would get defensive, and I eventually learned that it was a no-win situation for me to say anything other than offer to help by bringing crackers or refilling drinks for the children. Based on this experience, I can assure you that I will never get defensive, but at this point, I am probably overly worried about how much noise the baby is making and whether it is affecting others within earshot.

We went to Red Robin, and fortunately, we were able to sit outside. There was only one other table out there when we sat down, so when Maddie woke up and starting crying, at least the entire restaurant wasn't affected. She only cried for a little bit, and once we fed her, she was so good for the rest of the time that we were there. I wound up carrying her out of the restaurant in my arms, and two women stopped me to ask her age and tell me how precious she is.

Maddie was great while we were clothes shopping. Once we arrived at the grocery store, she woke up and was hungry again. I fed her a little bit in the car, and then while we were inside, Hank pushed the cart and held the bottle for her to eat while she was in her car seat. When she needed to be burped, he would hold her and walk around, and I swear there was a chorus of "Aww! Aww! Aww!" coming from every direction as we went through the store. Again, everyone asked all kinds of questions and told us how adorable she is.

I have to admit, it's kind of fun getting the attention from so many people when we go out in public, and I know that Hank was especially loving it. He is such a very large man that the image of him carrying such a tiny baby is really a sight to behold, and some people are really in awe of him. Of course, Hank doesn't mind being the center of attention (or at least sharing it with the baby) and he sang and talked to Maddie all the way through the store, making the entire scene even cuter.

Pics and Fun Stuff

Alexis got Maddie a tummy time play mat. So far, Maddie is not such a fan of being on her belly, but the pillow is cool because it props her up when she is on her back so that she can look around. This is has been great for playing and she is usually really content in this position!

The cats have been really great with Maddie, although it is pretty clear that they are all starved for attention since the new arrival. Before the birth, Neo had always been in my lap any time I sat in the living room, but since the baby's arrival, he has been a little miffed that his position has been taken. However, it looks like he has decided not to give up his space completely, and is willing to begrudgingly share with Maddie:

Of the three cats, Neo has definitely been the most interested in Maddie, checking on her when she cries and sniffing her pretty often. Once, he even licked her head, which means one of two things: either he recognizes that she is part of the family and is willing to treat her as one of the pride, or he thinks she tastes good and plans to eat her when no one is looking.

It looks like we aren't going to the shore this weekend. Hank feels like we have too much to do here and wants to have time to recharge his batteries. Quite frankly, I'm not sure what happened to my husband, since I never thought there would be a time when he would turn down an opportunity to go fishing, but apparently there is a first time for everything. Whether I am here or at the shore, my plan is to catch up on some sleep!

Maddie has been A-M-A-Z-I-N-G with how well she is holding up her head. I think it will only be a week or two before she will be able to do it on her own. Yesterday, she rolled over onto her side and then rolled back again! She was laying on the couch, so it wasn't a flat surface, but it was still absolutely incredible!

Catching Up

Wow, it's not easy to stay on top of blogging! I am working hard at it, but the sleepy-head we had during the first couple of weeks has disappeared, and Maddie is keeping me busy-busy-busy! She is awake more often now, and we get to see much more of her pretty blue eyes!

After two weeks of not seeing Maddie, my mother came on Friday and said that she has already changed so much. It's hard to be aware of all the changes since I see her every day, but I do think she is getting longer, and she is definitely filling out a little bit. She seems to be growing into her chubby cheeks too, although I can assure you that they are still quite kissable! Maddie finally lost all of her umbilical cord yesterday, and now she has a cute little kissable belly too! There are some onesies and a couple of sleeping outfits that already don't fit anymore, all of which were size 0-3 months!

We are taking our first trip to the shore this weekend, and I am already overwhelmed thinking about all of the stuff we will need to take with us! I told Hank that I hope he is prepared to be a pack mule, carrying everything that Maddie will need. I am looking forward to getting a change of scenery and introducing Maddie to her great-grandmom. I think it may be a little soon for a trip to the beach, for both Maddie and me, but while we are in Brigantine, I might shop around for one of those SPF-protected tents that we can take with us when we do go to the beach in a few weeks--I can't wait to swim!

On the past two Mondays, I have gone to a mother-baby support group for new moms that is offered by the hospital. This has been a terrific way to meet other women with young babies, and we are planning to have a picnic together on Thursday. It has been great to get out of the house and compare notes with other people who are going through the same things that I am right now.

After three weeks of having almost 24-hour support from friends and family, this is the first week that I am alone with Maddie, and so far it is going well. I am a little tired, and I haven't been able to get naps as much as I had been when others were available to cover me, but overall, things are going well, and I feel confident. It's actually really nice to have Maddie all to myself, rather than sharing her with everyone else! Plus, I am working on getting a little bit more structure into her napping and feeding times.

That's all for now. I realize that I haven't been taking as many pictures this week, but I will work on that. I also need to do a test video to see if I can figure out how the camcorder works and how to post online. That will be a project for the next couple of days.

And Finally... Here's Pooh!

So cute, I had to post right away:

Steep Learning Curve

I really need to remember something that is very, very important. When changing Maddie's diaper, I should immediately place a clean diaper under her after removing the old one. If I don't, do you know what happens? The poor kid invariably winds up pooping or peeing all over herself and whatever she is laying on. I have made this mistake not once, not twice, not three times, but FOUR times within the past two days. Yesterday, my mistake wound up in Maddie getting an emergency bath in the middle of the afternoon. Today, I was at Borders, changing her diaper in public for the first time, and Maddie peed right before I could get a fresh diaper under her. Fortunately, I was prepared with a fresh change of clothes and a Ziploc bag to put all of the wet stuff in. Needless to say, it was traumatic for both of us.

Maddie has been sleeping fairly well at night, getting up only twice and being very good about going right back down again. Overall, I am getting a reasonable amount of sleep. I keep forgetting that I am supposed to be napping when the baby naps. I feel like there is so much to do, and the only time to do any of it is when she is sleeping. It takes a lot for me to let things go and relax enough to take a nap, but I do find that when I get more sleep, I am much more effective at accomplishing everything.

Identity Crisis?

Madeline may never learn her name. She already has a ton of nicknames!

• Maddie - of course, this is obvious, and we planned to call her this all along


• Monkey, or Monkey Foot - Hank has been calling her this due to the size and strength of her feet. Have I mentioned that we have been told by several doctors and nurses that Maddie has the biggest feet and hands that they have ever seen on a newborn? Yup, Hank is already planning her career in the WNBA


• Happy - my dad has said he is going to call her this, because he doesn't want to call her Mad-die


• Little Bit - my mom started this one before Maddie was born, and it seems to have caught on with Hank


• Toodle Bug - something else my mom has started calling her
  

Hank has made up a few songs to sing to Maddie in the past couple of weeks. One of them is, "I am the daddy, there is the mommy, you are the baby." So, now we are referring to everyone as "the mommy", "the daddy", "the baby", "the grandmommy", etc. It is goofy how baby-talk suddenly takes over all conversation.

I got a picture of Maddie with her grandpop last night. Note the matching hair-dos:

Pooh Poo

My friends Tammy and Jess gave us this adorable Pooh bathrobe and booties for Madeline:



Needless to say, I have been dying to get a picture of Maddie in this outfit. So, yesterday, Hank and I decided it was Bath Day. We are still doing sponge baths because Maddie still has some of her umbilical cord that hasn't fallen off. We decided to start by washing her face and hair, and then flipping her over to wash her back before putting her in the tub. With the Pooh robe all laid out on the kitchen counter, we started working the plan: we washed her face, then started on her hair, and Hank flipped her onto her belly to start on the back. Of course, the girl was screaming her poor little head off, and I guessed we completely stressed her out because as soon as she was face-down with her little legs still tucked under her, she shot poop halfway across the kitchen! It was all over Pooh, all over the counter, the floor, and all over Hank's pants! It was projectile poo! Needless to say, we did not get a picture of Maddie dressed as Pooh, and decided against getting a poo shot as well. I will make sure the robe gets a good washing and then we will try again!

Maddie still has her days and her nights mixed up. She slept like a champ all day yesterday, and then wanted to stay up ALL night last night. Hank and I need to do better about taking naps during the day when she is sleeping. I have taken advantage of napping more than he has, but we are both a little on the tired side at this point. He is going back to work tomorrow, so I will need to make sure that he starts getting more sleep than he has been.

Cute picture of the day:

All Better!

The visiting nurse came again today and Maddie's jaundice has gone away enough for her to be off of the light blanket! Hooray! Now we can actually put her in her bassinet at night and Hank and I can both sleep in our bed. We have spent the past three nights alternating sleeping on the couch next to the pack 'n' play downstairs. Not only are the sleeping arrangements going to be better now, but we can actually move Maddie around the house and even take her out.

The other thing the nurse found today is that Maddie gained six ounces between yesterday and today! Holy cow! I think she has been catching up from the beginning of the week when she wasn't eating well. At this point, Maddie weighs 8 pounds 6 ounces, so she has already regained her birth weight and then some. If she keeps going like this, she is going to outgrow all of her 0-3 month clothes before we can even put all of them on her!

Jaundice

Maddie is jaundiced. We went to the pediatrician on Thursday, and we were immediately sent to the outpatient clinic at the hospital to have her biliruben checked. Her levels were extremely high, so now we have an at-home UV light blanket that she has to be on 23 hours a day. She actually seems to like it because it is warm, but with her blankets around her, she looks like she glows in the dark!



On Thursday, Maddie slept all day, but since being on the blanket, she seems to be doing much, much better. It stinks that this happened, but fortunately, we are able to treat the jaundice at home rather than having her in the hospital. A visiting nurse has come to test her biliruben levels twice, and there seems to be steady improvement. Hopefully, she will be all done with treatment after tomorrow. Keep your fingers crossed!

Other than that, we are doing pretty well. I am tired, and really haven't been able to return phone calls. I am making it a priority to try to update the blog when I can (you can tell that it isn't often), so that way, I can communicate with as many people as possible at once. My mom has been here this week, and she has been an incredible help in keeping everything together. Hank has also been terrific, and he is just completely enamored with his little girl. Here he is checking the batteries on the Kick 'n' Play (picture came out weird, but he is wearing it around his belly):



That's all for now, except for a few adorable pics of Maddie. I just can't get over how darn cute she is!

Where Do I Start?

Well, if I actually get this finished and posted, it will be a huge accomplishment. I haven't gotten the chance to communicate with most of the outside world yet, so here is a rundown on the past five days...

I started the beginning stages of labor on Saturday night, and we went to the hospital on Sunday morning. When we got there, my contractions were three minutes apart and I was three centimeters dilated. I was sent to a labor & delivery room and given an epidural. Hank and my mom were there. I spent all day in labor, and three times, the epidural wore off, which, more than anything, was hard because I wasn't prepared for the pain to come back. Once I was finally able to push, it took less than an hour to deliver--it was something I was not wanting to drag out!

Maddie was born at 8:34. I remember most things about it, but I missed some of the details. My mom says that the first thing that Hank said after the birth was, "Look, Hon! No conehead!" I know that I was very worried because she didn't cry right away, and Hank told me later that the cord was wrapped around her neck once. Hank cut the cord, and they took Maddie across the room to make sure she was okay and get her clean. I was crying, and I was so happy that Hank stayed next to me until they put the baby in my arms.

Gotta run. I will post more later. In the meantime, enjoy the pics!