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.