"Let It Snow, Baby. Let It Reindeer"

Jenn has been doing most of the blogging lately, but I've got to get this one off my chest.

It's amazing how things hit you sometimes. All Christmas (sorry Holiday) Season, we've been so busy with a hundred different things that it really hasn't felt like Christmas. Sure, we got the tree up and the lights on the house, but that feeling in your gut that accompanies this time of year just wasn't really there.

This morning, I was driving home from running some errands and a song came on the radio by a christian group named "Relient K". Now, when you hear most of their music it wouldn't strike you as something that carries a heavy message, but I've always had a special place in my heart for the lyrics written by Relient K. In their Christmas album, titled "Let It Snow, Baby. Let It Reindeer" they have a song called "I Celebrate The Day". HERE is a link to the song and the lyrics are written below.

And with this Christmas wish is missed

The point I could convey

If only I could find the words to say to let You know how much You've touched my life

Because here is where You're finding me, in the exact same place as New Year's eve

And from a lack of my persistency

We're less than half as close as I want to be

And the first time

That You opened Your eyes did You realize that You would be my Savior

And the first breath that left Your lips

Did You know that it would change this world forever

And so this Christmas I'll compare the things I felt in prior years

To what this midnight made so clear

That You have come to meet me here

To look back and think that

This baby would one day save me

In the hope that what You did

That you were born so I might live

To look back and think that

This baby would one day save me

And I, I celebrate the day

That You were born to die

So I could one day pray for You to save my life

This has been a really hard year for our family. My job has been somewhat unstable, I haven't worked a 40 hour week in months. To say we've been tight financially is a gross understatement. It is so easy to get bogged down and bitter about everything we've been going through. Yet, hearing this song made me remember my little girl. She's a little more than a year old now and I was thinking back to last Christmas when I felt like we were very special, getting to have this little baby around the time that we celebrate Mary giving birth to The Savior of The World, like we were in some special club or something. Even though things have been hard, our health has been fine. We haven't lost anything or anyone, we just have had to get a little tighter.

Madalyn is sick today and we are taking her to the doctor later this afternoon and then will be heading out for our annual Christmas traveling. And I realized, this is really the first time she's ever been really sick. Like fever, can't sleep kind of sick. First time ever. I can't even begin to tell you how fortunate that makes me feel.

I love that little girl more than anything I've ever done or seen or been in my entire life. Which makes me love our God even that much more. I'm very sorry to all of you, but if I had to let my daughter die in your place, you'd all be screwed. Because I don't have that kind of love for you. But God does. He loved you so much that He allowed his ONLY SON to come down and be ridiculed, beaten, abandoned, and killed - all for people who at the very least are indifferent towards Him. Think about your own children - would you give them up to save someone like that?

In this Christmas Season, you've been told it's about Santa, it's about presents, it's about Baby Jesus. But, this year, what if it was about you? What if Christmas wasn't a season to celebrate the Jesus that we only talk to on Sundays and the occasional Wednesday? Like the song says, "From the lack of my persistency, we're less than half as close as I want to be". This Christmas, think of the sacrifice it would take for you to make the same choice that God made and realize the abundance of His love for us.

A God that will protect me at any cost, even the death of His own Son? Now, that's a God I can get behind.

Merry Christmas everyone!

First Birthday Party Fun

I am so behind on updating this blog that I'm going to have to catch it up in shifts...this time I will write about Mady's birthday party and later I will write about her actual birthday and Thanksgiving. BUT FIRST...her party.

Here's the thing...I'm kind of a closet snob. I want my kid to have the best clothes, the cutest shoes and, apparently, the best party. I wanted it to be one of those picture perfect nights where everyone came and had the best time ever. I guess I want Mady to have 'super childhood'. To accomplish this goal, I booked Mady's party at Gymboree. If you've never been there, its pretty cool. Its a whole play area made out of squooshy toys and climbing things...all for kids. When you book a party with them, they provide everything except food and invitations. There is even a person that comes to lead the party-goers in games and other fun activities. Its great! You get the most out of the party with the least amount of preparation.

So, I got off early on Friday (I work on Fridays while Michael stays home) and went to get the cookies. I love these cookies. I got them from my favorite bakery in OKC. I ordered pink and blue flowers (they matched the invitations) and they turned out perfectly! While I was there, I also bought a cupcake. It was too cute and I wanted to have something to put Mady's candle in. I can't explain why, but I almost cried when I saw the cookies and the cupcake. I can't believe Mady is a year old!!! It seems like I just blinked and she turned from a little baby who grunted like a pirate into a toddler that can point to her nose and dances like a pro. Too crazy.

When I got home, Michael and Mady were playing in the living room. While I was going to check the mail, I heard a thud and then a scream. Mady had crawled up to the window to see me and as she was reaching for the window sill, she missed it with her hands and hit it with her head. It was horrible! She had two large red spots that surrounded the place where the sill hit. Of course she would get a huge bruise on her HEAD the day of her party. I'm so glad she had enough hair to cover it up! We got Mady ready and off we went. It was perfect, Mady fell asleep on the way so she would be perfectly refreshed for the party...right?!

We went to pick up the balloons. I ordered one for every kid and and a silver 1 that was taller than Mady. As I'm trying to shove this HUGE bouquet of balloons into the car, Mady wakes up and is totally freaked out by the large shiny objects that were seemingly attacking her. She immediately started crying. Can you imagine waking up to 20 balloons in your face...it was all she could see! It would be so frightening. By the time we got to the party place, she was a little leery of this whole party idea. I don't think that she fully recovered from the balloon attack. She was in an okay mood, but she wasn't her normal perky self.

The party went well. I think everyone had a good time. Mady liked seeing everyone and some of the games she really got into. She loved bubble time but HATED the parachute. She also loved the cupcake. She really dug into it. I finally took it away when she was about to put a very large blob of icing in her mouth. The thought disgusted me so I took the rest of the cupcake away immediately.

I think her party was a success. Now, I'm worried about how we're going to top it next year.

Geez, has it been a month since I last posted something? That's dumb. I'm sorry everyone. I'm also sorry that I'm sitting down with nothing really planned for this post. I just knew I needed to write something.

Mady has been doing great lately. She is growing up SO fast. She now has three teeth. I just discovered one more this morning. It makes sense, she has been a little grumpy lately and hasn't been sleeping very well. That reminds me of something new I've discovered about myself...

When Mady was a newborn I could wake up as many times as she needed and it didn't bother me. I had an endless supply of compassion for her in the middle of the night. Somewhere along the way I have lost that midnight-compassion and it has been replaced with 'Just go back to sleep already! I'm tired!' I'm not really proud of myself but I feel like honesty is important so I'm sharing it with you. Maybe there's a young mother that will discover my blog and find comfort in knowing she's not the only mother who loves her little one but is passionate about getting more sleep. So, instead of sitting up with Mady and rocking her until she drifts peacefully back to sleep, I bring her to bed with me and Michael. NOT a good idea. Now, instead of her being awake in her room, she's laying next to poor Michael who has to get up in two hours. Mady loves her dad so much that she has a hard time leaving him alone. Usually, she punches Michael in the eye as a 'Hey dad! I'm here to play!' announcement. If she's not wanting to play, she will just flop around trying to get comfortable. Finally, usually after about an hour of trying to get her to be still, I get up, even more frustrated, and take her back to her room where she falls asleep quickly but only for a short while.

The other night, after fighting with Mady for an hour, I got up in a huff and told Michael how tired I was. He said to me, 'You know why you can't sleep? Because you keep bringing Mady to bed with you!' I wish I could report that this statement was in a loving tone, but it wasn't. I guess I say all of this to get to the conclusion: I'm ready for Mady to not be teething anymore so she (and as a result, the rest of the family) can get some good sleep.

Other new developments include Mady learning where her head is. She's been watching a Baby Einstein video that sings the 'Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes' song. Now, when she hears head, she puts both of her hands on her head. Its pretty cute. She has also developed hand signals for the song she wants you to sing. She claps her hands if she wants Patty Cake and she wiggles her fingers if she wants Itsy Bitsy Spider. I love that! She isn't walking yet...that we've seen. Heather, a frequent nursery worker at church, says that Mady has been taking one step at a time. It makes me so mad that Heather gets to see her walk! Mady has always done stuff in nursery before she does it at home. So, I quit working so I could witness all of Mady's milestones and she accomplishes them during the two hours a week that I'm not around. Great. Oh, Mady also knows 'Hi' and 'Bye'. She can't say the words but when she hears them she knows

to wave. Her wave is pretty funny, she lets her hand dangle lifelessly and just shakes her arm.

Oh! Mady's first Halloween! We had a great time. Actually, Noble and Norman did their trick or treating the day before Halloween so I forgot to put her in her costume on the actual holiday. Ooops. No big deal though, she was Pebbles for storytime and the church party on Wednesday and on Friday for a Halloween party and to pass out candy.

At the church party, we forgot the bone that I made for her hair. I ran to the resource room to try to make a stand-in. I was kind of freaking out and Michael said to me, 'Jen, she'll have a good time without the bone in her hair. Lets just go let her play.' It was then that I realized how important to ME it was that she have the bone. I put so much time working on her costume that I wanted it to be perfect. For that few moments I let myself be the baby! I figure I only have a small amount of time to get things my way before she starts giving me her opinion. I'm clinging to this time when I can pick out her outfits and do her hair how I want. Its fun and she's so beautiful...I guess I will gradually start giving that up though.

Warning... Shameless Bragging Ahead!

Nothing makes me more happy than someone gushing over my pretty little girl. You know, when you have a child you think they are the most beautiful creature God has ever created...even if they look like Elmer Fudd. Before I had Mady I was worried she would come out looking like a little old man, bald and wrinkle covered with exaggerated features. You know, when men get

older their nose and ears don't stop growing, so eventually those parts become way too big for their face. Don't pretend you don't notice when babies have the same issue...it happens.

Well, I was greatly relieved when Mady was born not only looking like a girl, but when I saw her pretty features too. Don't get me wrong, I know that some people told us how pretty she was just out of that awkward obligation you have when you meet a new baby, but as she's grown, I've noticed people going out of their way to comment on her looks. We were at Wal-Mart the other day and as we were loading Mady in her stroller a man driving by stopped his truck, rolled down his window and said, "That sure is a pretty baby!" He didn't have to do that...so that leads me to

believe that she really is pretty. Not only that, but Michael says that similar things happen to him all the time when he's out with Madalyn. One day Michael told me that 10 people stopped him at the store and commented on Mady. I'm so proud to be sharing this!

One day Mady was particularly cute so I took some pictures. Here are a couple:

I just love that kid! She also has many new things that she does to establish her cuteness. She blows raspberries, kisses cheeks, she waves (she actually knows the word wave), says 'yes' with a little lisp, and squeals when Michael tickles her (or when you sing Itsy Bitsy Spider to her...her favorite song). Yeah, she's the cutest.

Friday I was having a meltdown so I blew off work and we took Mady to the Zoo for the first time. It was lots of fun! Mady was perfect the whole time. She even left her hat on for some of trip!

Mady with a bear in the background.

We had tons of fun. Actually, it was the perfect weekend. God is so good to us.

First Tooth and Emotions

Thats right! Today Madalyn Rhea Garner got her first tooth! Its really more of a nub...its just barely sticking up out of her bottom gums. I think it was bothering her all day though. At lunch, I gave her some oranges and I noticed her trying to bite them with her new tooth. I don't know if she wanted to get some use out of the thing or if the cold oranges felt good on her sore little gums.

Today, when I discovered the nub, all I wanted to do was look at it. Mady didn't want me anywhere near her mouth. It sounds dumb, but it kind of hurt my feelings. It was like she had done this 'growing a tooth thing' by herself and kept it a secret from me. Then, when I realized what had happened, she didn't want me to be a part of it. Is that the dumbest thing you've ever heard? Maybe I'm just feeling sorry for myself because she is growing up so fast. If she keeps getting older this quickly, I'm afraid I won't be able to keep up. Soon she'll be making friends and having sleepovers and if it happens too fast I wont be ready! Is being a parent like everything else? Does it take practice to get it right? Is there a right? Do I have enough time to practice before I start messing things up?

I know that part of this drama comes from my discovery of my daughters personality. She's already showing me how curious and independent she is. Here's the problem: when I was little, I listened to my parents. When they told me not to do something, I figured they had a good reason so I stayed away from the situation. Michael did not learn this way. He's the type of person that had to feel the heat to know the stove was hot. I'm so worried that my little girl will get un-necessarily 'burned' because she has to find out life on her own and not listen to the protective suggestions that her loving (and experienced) parents offer. Don't get me wrong, I don't want to shelter her...and I want Mady to live her own life, but I don't want her to suffer when she doesn't have to. I don't want her to 'experience life' but have to deal with the consequences that some decisions bring.

Here's a word to future Mady: I love you. I want you to live a wonderful life that is full of music, fun, beauty and love. The only way to experience all of these wonderful things to their fullest is through a relationship with Christ and a life lead by the Holy Spirit. God created life, I'm sure He knows how its supposed to be lived. When I discipline you or try to steer you away from certain situations, its NOT because I don't want you to have fun or because I don't want you to grow up. Its because, through an imperfect life, I have learned things that, if for no other reason, I've learned but to save you from heartache and regret. I try to keep you from things so that you WILL have fun and so you CAN grow up into the person you want to be, not just the product of what you've been through. There is a difference. You can see it on people's faces. Some people's lives are a result of the ride, others drive themselves where they want to go. Oh how I want you to grow into a confident, fun-loving, sometimes crazy, beautiful Christian woman. I will try to be an example for you...but here's a secret...I think your dad might know...I'm not perfect. I'm not always going to have the answers or be the example you want or need. Please forgive me for my shortcomings. I pray that you will look to God as your ultimate example and will live a life that is sensitive to the Holy Spirit. And that God will use your energy and curiosity to further your relationship with Him and your witness for Him. Oh, one more thing, you can tell me anything. I want to be a part of your life! No matter what, I'm here to love and help you. You are the most fascinating person to me.

Oh, how I wish I could spare Madalyn from some things...like Jr. High. Nothing good ever happens in Jr. High and everyone dresses in a way that they will regret, and hair is always a mistake and everything is just awkward. I hated Jr. High.

-AND girls. Girls can be so mean. I'd like Mady to only have the best girlfriends... who never talk behind each other's backs and who don't try to look better than each other. (Do those girls exist? Even now, I find myself competing with other women. Not only that, but I try to make sure Mady has the best outfit at story time...that's right, I'm using my 10 month old to make me look good in front of the other moms...what is wrong with me? I guess I need to work on this one before Mady gets old enough to learn from my example! She does have the best outfits though.)

-AND boys...they are always up to no good.

-AND homework...really, who needs it? Work is for work and home is for home. Never the two shall (should) meet.

-AND 8am college classes. Dumb idea. Nothing in college should happen before 10:30am. None of this, 'preparation for the real world' crap...SLEEP IN! Its your last chance until you're retired...

So far its a short list...oh there is more...but I think I'll save it for a later blog.

Sneaky Sneaky

Whew, it has been a busy couple of weeks for the Garner Family. Two weeks ago Michael rode 100 miles in a bike ride called 'Hotter Than Hell'. Mady and I tagged along (on the trip...not the ride) and had a good time. )If I haven't told you the story about our hotel, here's the short version. We checked into a hotel in Wichita Falls, TX. Nasty! Hair, bugs, stains...just gross. I cried thinking about my little girl staying in a place like that. So, we ended up staying in Lawton in a Hampton Inn...it saved the trip!) She clapped for her daddy as he rode through the finish line. Then, last weekend, Granny and Papa (Vivian and Roger) were here. We had a nice visit. Madalyn really bonded with Granny AND Papa. She loved it when Roger would play his guitar...she would throw her head back and laugh. Granny gave her a bath and they laughed and splashed. Rog and Viv also did some babysitting for us! Thats right...we went on a date...dinner and a show! Of course, the date was in Poteau, Oklahoma...dinner was Arby's drive through and the 'show' was Walmart. We did see a Tahoe that was pretty pimped out so that was exciting. Honestly, it doesn't sound that glamorous, but it was exactly what we needed.

I decided that, after nine months, everything had caught up to me. I was so tired, Michael and I had been squabbling over stupid stuff and I was at the end of my rope. Michael, being the WONDERFUL husband that he is, devised a plan to help fix all the tension that had been building up. Monday nights are now my night off. I am supposed to go somewhere and sit. I can read, drink a chai, drive around, anything...as long as I relax. Tuesdays belong to Michael, Wednesdays are Awanas (huh, I'm sure this will come up in a later blog), Thursdays are date night and Fridays are family night. My mom has graciously volunteered to babysit on Thursdays and Saturdays (so we can clean our house). It all seemed to fall into place. Its like I told God how tired I was and He said, "Okay...heres the solution." It was perfect. I really think spending some time alone, and having alone time with Michael, will be the break I need to calm down. There for a few days Michael was beginning to wonder if I was pregnant again...I think he saw glimpses of 'the dragon' coming back. Michael even volunteered to take night duty with Mady for a couple of nights. It was amazing to get a full night's rest!!! I feel normal again.

So, nothing new had developed with Mady these past couple of weeks...or so we thought. Apparently, in nursery, she has been STANDING UP. Sarah Neal had been watching Mady in nursery and afterwards commented on how Mady had been standing during the church service. Michael and I were shocked! We didn't know she knew how to stand on her own!!! We shouldn't have been surprised. Mady has begun to be very sneaky. She will sneak to a shelf that she knows she shouldn't pull up on. She sneaks out of the living room. She sneaks shoes and pieces of fuzz into her mouth. All the while, she give us this grin over her shoulder like, "Remember how cute I am? Good, let that distract you while I do what I'm not supposed to do." No good. I have already begun to ask God to morph her curiosity for life into a curiosity about Him and His Word. Oh dear...we sure do have our work cut out for us, don't we!?

New Tricks

It seems like everyday Mady is learning something new. Michael and I find ourselves stunned when she does these things. We ask each other, "Did you teach her that?". Here's a break down of some of her recent accomplishments.

In the past few weeks, she has begun waving. Its great! When she sees someone she likes, or she gets attention from a stranger, she flaps her arm at them in a uncontrollable, 'I'm so happy that all of my energy is escaping through this one arm' kind of way.

Almost everyday I watch an old episode of Gilmore Girls. In the intro, there is a Carol King song, 'Where you Lead', and I sing along to Mady. Last week, when the song came on, Mady started bobbing up and down and waving her arms. She was DANCING! I was so excited! The next day I showed Michael and we played the song over and over just watching her dance the whole time. It was great. I think she gets her moves from Michael because I'm not as good of a dancer as she is.

***This is a little off topic but I have to share*** I hope she become a fan of great older music like Carol King, The Carpenters, The Beatles, David Gates and (especially) James Taylor. The first song she ever heard was 'You've got a Friend' by James Taylor. It was one of those moments that you know you'll remember for the rest of your life. It was the morning after she was born, Michael and I were just staring at her with the music in the background and the morning light shining brightly through the window. She looked like a little angel still shining with Heaven's light. Our first family memory. Perfect moment. (I know that was a little cheesy but that's how it was and now I'm crying.)

She has been crawling for a while but lately has been very interested in pulling up. It seems like her toys have totally lost her interest and all she wants to do is crawl up to me or the couch and pull up. Up and down, up and down...all day it seems. And of course it makes me terribly nervous. I don't feel like she has a real handle on getting down safely. Sometimes she lets go of the couch and just plops onto her bottom. I'm sure it doesn't hurt but it scares me...and sometimes her too. Her face scrunches up and a little 'Ahhhhh' creeps from her mouth. It gets louder and louder until its a full-on wail! She doesn't always land on her bottom either. Many times she goes stiff and will fall backwards or sideways hitting her head on the wood floors. Not fun.

Lately we have found that Mady is a good singer. She will sit in her car seat or in the living room floor and sing to herself. She writes her own songs too. I'll be driving around Norman and hear a gentle 'Ahh-ahh-ahh'. Its a Mady-original just for me. I love it!

Our little girl is becoming more grown-up and independent every day. It seems like she smiles and laughs more everyday too. Its exciting but a little bittersweet too. We are so proud of her. I don't know why God chose to give the cutest creature ever made to us, but I sure am glad He did.

Jump In and the Death-Roll

Oh my! I haven't written since March! So much has happened! Madalyn is growing so fast and learning even faster. It didn't take long, but she is absolutely the pride, joy and love of my life (I'm pretty sure Michael feels the same). Lets see...there is too much to catch up on so I'm just going to jump in.

This summer has been a busy one. Mady and I have been attending story time since she was three months old. We still go every Wednesday morning and Mady is loving it more every week. The last two weeks she has discovered how great 'Bubble Time' is. She gets so excited when the bubbles come out that she waves her arms and kicks her legs (she's sitting on her own now so I have to make sure her excitement doesn't topple her over). In May, the library began sign up for the summer reading program. Mady (through my interpretation of course) decided to be ambitious and set a goal to read 100 books this summer. I am proud to announce that last Wednesday we received our medal and they posted 'Madalyn Garner' on a gold-music-note with all the other kids who had reached their goal. Michael was able to be there when she got her recognition and noticed that there were not that many gold-notes posted. (The gold ones were saved for the brilliant few that read more than 100) Michael was beaming! The best part was that Mady picked out her own medal. Ms. Susan held up a basket that had medals on different colored ribbon. Mady first reached for a pink one, then scanned the basket again, and finally decided on a purple one.

Mady has been very good at deciding things lately. Some mornings I let her choose what she wears. The other day I had two outfits laying out for her to choose from and she very enthusiastically chose one over the other. By enthusiastically I mean she waved her arms and spit. Not very lady-like...but effective. She also likes to choose what toys she plays with. In the living room we have a basket of toys. I will lay out the bigger toys for her but she inevitably scoots or crawls (her version of crawling is actually crawling on her knees for a few inches then she stands on her feet with her hands still on the ground forming a sort of yoga pose then back down on her knees) to the basket and digs through until she decides on a toy. Today I watched her try for 3 minutes to get a toy car out of the basket. It kept getting hung on the side of the basket and falling back in. At one point I could almost hear her thinking, "Is this worth the effort?" as she looked at the toy. I wish I had a picture of that look.

Other developments aren't awesome. :) She has begun a very interesting maneuver that Michael and I call the Alligator-Death-Roll. When she doesn't like what we're doing, like changing her diaper, holding her a certain way or laying her down for ANY reason, she will arch her back and roll. You know, like when an alligator has a death grip on some poor victim and they want to really finish the job...yeah, that what she's trying to do...finish us off. Oh, and the moaning. When she's tired or hungry she moans...its indescribable. Remember that scene from Dumb and Dumber when the make the most annoying noise on earth? Its like that.

I don't want it to sound like I don't love every minute with her...because I do. She has this way of making me so full of love and joy. Like, when she wakes up from a nap and I come into the room, she smiles like, "Hey! I've missed you! I like you so much and here you are!". Or, we have conversations together. She'll squeal, "Ehhh" and I'll respond, "Ahhh". We'll go back and forth for a while. Its the best thing ever to talk to your child, even if its not words, its amazing! And, its great just to watch her discover. The other day she was holding a straw, she just stared at it for the longest time. Then she twisted her wrist to see how it looked a different angle. Then she put it in her mouth, then she banged it on the table... then she dropped it and I took it away, but for those few minutes that straw was the most fascinating experiment she had ever encountered.

I guess I'd better wrap it up. I'll just say this. Every day I thank God for such a perfect gift and for making it possible (only with HIS power is it possible) for me to stay home and hang out with such an amazing person. And she's only 8 months old! How much more awesome will she become?!

Baby Crafts and a Splashing Contest

Mady and I have been pretty busy lately. I discovered the Norman Public Library has free activities for babies during the week and we've been taking advantage!

On Wednesday we went to our first story time. We got to the Library at 9:00am and Madalyn decided that she needed a nap. I was hoping she would wake up for the story at 9:30 but she slept the whole time! She almost woke up at the end when the bubbles hit her...I'll explain.

Mady woke up for the 10:30am story time and we both had a great time. We walk in and the lady who leads story time, Mrs. Susan, greets everyone at the door. She commented on how pretty Madalyn was, so automatically I liked her. Story time isn't just Mrs. Susan reading a story...there are songs with motions and all the stories have actions that the babies participate in. Mady just looked around and gasped when I helped her 'jump' and 'hop' along with the stories. I think she liked looking at the other babies and mommies. At the end of story time, Mrs. Susan goes around with a bubble machine and fills the air with bubbles...that totally entranced Mady. I think we both left as huge-story-time-fans.

That's something I want to take a moment to comment on...Mady and I have really been bonding lately. I feel like we're becoming friends! We share secret smiles with each other and we both make the other one laugh. We just have a good time together...unless Mady gets tired...then she screams a lot.

Today we went to baby crafts together. We made a trinket for Michael's desk out of a foam cube and picture of polar bears and a crown out of leopard print paper. My favorite part was when we were leaving...Mrs. Susan stopped us and told me how alert Madalyn was. She said that she noticed how Madalyn was watching the other children and smiling at things...Mrs. Susan was impressed! That made me so proud. I'm glad I'm not the only one who notices how awesome and smart Madalyn is!



Oh, yes...splashing contest...Wednesday night is bath night and Mady was in a particularly good mood. We let her sit in the bath for a while when shes happy. We put a washcloth on her chest to keep her warm and Michael splashed it to warm it up. I think Mady took this as a challenge because she splashed back! This went on for about 5 minutes and by the end the whole bathroom was wet...and Michael was soaked.



Other developments:
-Mady will only talk when her hand or a toy is at her mouth.
-She is so close to rolling over but just can't do it yet.
-Madalyn seems to be left hand dominant so I keep moving her favorite toys to her right side.
-Her head is getting dry and its causing her hair to thin...it makes me so sad.
-We've caught her sucking her thumb...Michael is afraid it will become a habit.
-I don't know where she learned it but she acts like shes bashful. She'll smile at you and then bury her head into a toy her her car seat...like she's saying, "Don't look at how cute I am!"
-My daughter LOVES to stretch. Her best stretches are when I take her out of her swing. Sometimes she spreads her legs and points her toes and other times I lift her up and its like she's still sitting, with her legs crossed and arms straight up...always with her lips pursed.

We'll write more later!

The Smartest Kid in the WORLD

Sorry its been so long since I've written. Michael's mom (Vivian) came into town last week and this week has been busy...with what I don't know...but I don't feel like I've had any time. Here's what's been going on:

Vivian flew into town last Sunday night. When she pulled up at the house I had Madalyn ready to hand off. She loves her Granny Vivian. (BTW, Michael thinks Vivian is too young to be a 'Granny', she's under 50!) On Tuesday, we drove to Red Oak to visit the Garner family. We stayed with Ma and Pa (Michael's grandparents). There are two things you need to know about Ma and Pa...Madalyn LOVES Ma's kitchen. It has a lot of lights and she likes to look up at them...for hours. AND, Madalyn LOVES to 'Go down to the valley'. Here's the story: Pa has forever put kids to sleep by rocking them and singing an old song, "Down in the Valley". He's like the Baby Whisperer, I swear. You put a crying kid in his arms and they are out like a light in 10 minutes flat...Pa always says, "They want to go down to the valley". Mady took many trips "down to the valley" last week.

When we got back home on Wednesday, I put Mady on her play mat. Its this really cute material cut in the shape of a flower. It has two arches that go above the flower that you can hang toys on. I've put Mady on it before but she would always just look at the toys. This time, she reached right up and hit a toy! MY DAUGHTER KNOWS HOW TO USE HER HANDS!!! It was amazing! Now, every time I lay her down she kicks and punches at the toys, most of which respond with a chime of some sort. I tell her she's abusing her friends.

As if that wasn't enough to excite me...we rolled her onto stomach. When I took her to the doctor for her 2 month check up, the doctor told me to give Mady more 'Tummy-Time'. This is supposed to help her build the muscles in her neck and keep her head from getting flat. Madalyn HATES tummy-time. As a result she has the makings of a flat spot and, something that mortifies me, a bald spot. It wouldn't be so bad, but her hair is so long that a bald spot really sticks out. The poor girl looks like an old man with a flat head from the back. Its horrible.

So, we're trying tummy-time and Mady ALMOST rolls over! That's right! My kid is super-smart and so strong that at 2 months she's almost rolling over! I don't really know if this is actually a great accomplishment at her age but we thought it was the most amazing thing we'd ever seen. Mady is laying on her mat in the middle of the living room grunting and drooling trying to get onto her back and she's surrounded by Vivian, Michael and me...all yelling, "Come on Mady!" "You can do it!" "You're almost there!" You'd think we had a horse race in the living room instead of a small child grunting. She didn't roll over that day, but she will soon!

One more cool thing happened. On Tuesday I was talking to Michael on the phone and I put the phone up to Mady's ear. She immediately smiled and began to talk back to her daddy. It was great. I think it made Michael's day too.

That's it for major developments but I would like to take a moment to vent. Today I went to Hibdon Tires because the breaks that they just put on were squeeking. The first hour that we were there was alright. Madalyn slept some and then smiled at me and the lady sitting next to me. I knew that she would be getting hungry soon so I warmed up some milk for her (I wasn't about to whip out my breast in the middle of Hibdon!). When I went to take her out to feed her I realized that she had pooped all over herself (She only poops on the clothes that I really like by the way). I pack up and go looking for the restroom... No one wants to see what I was about to reveal. Guess what? They don't have a changing table in the bathroom! So the only place to change my little girl was out in the middle of everyone. (In retrospect, I guess the bathroom floor was an option but eww!) I went back to my seat and appologized to the college girl that was sitting near me. I said, "You don't have kids yet so I'm sorry to break you in like this...it's not going to be pretty". I warned her and half way through the change she got up and walked away...it was pretty bad. The worst part was that my precious little girl was exposted to a room full of people...and men. I had to strip her down because poop was everywhere. So, there she was, totally naked infront of everyone with poop up to her belly button. Not only that but it takes a while to clean up that much poo so I know she had to be getting cold. It was sad, and it made me very angry. To top it all off, they just had to add oil or something to my breaks...that took them an hour and a half?

Sleeping Habits

This week has been pretty tame but I wanted to fill everyone in anyway. 

Madalyn was very fussy at the beginning of this week. She would wake up screaming. It was really startling to be fast asleep and then...out of nowhere...ahhhhh!!! In between the screaming, if she wasn't sleeping, she was grunting. 'Uhhhh...uhhhh...uhhh', non stop. It nearly drove me crazy. I have no idea what was wrong with her. When I called the nurse, she said to give Madalyn some Mylicon, which is a gas medicine, but these weren't Madalyn's normal 'gas signals' so I don't know...

We stayed home on Monday and Tuesday because she wasn't feeling well, but by Wednesday I was ready to get out of the house. So, we decided to have lunch with my friend Paula and her daughter Lexi (who just turned 1 on Sunday). Well, the morning was filled with fussing and grunting and, as a result, we left the house later than I wanted to. Lunch was ready when we got to Paula's house and Madalyn slept while I ate. Now, I must confess a recent addiction of mine...large cokes from Sonic. Oh, they sure do know how to hit the spot! Since Madalyn was dosing and I was thirsty, I tried to sneak out to get a coke. 

As if the grunting, screaming and cabin fever weren't enough, my car wouldn't start...great! I guess the coke wasn't meant to be. Of course I had parked behind Paula's car and we couldn't get it out of the garage to jump mine. So we're backing up her car and turning the wheel every which way trying to maneuver the car out and the whole time we're running in and out of the house tending to our screaming daughters. Chaotic sums it up. Long story short, we get my car started so I load Madalyn up and we head off to Auto Zone. About the time the young man at Auto Zone tells me that I need a new battery, I realized that I had left my wallet at home...and Madalyn is crying. I guess what I'm trying to say is that Wednesday was frustrating. It all ended well though, we went to Target and Madalyn hung out in her sling (this great thing I got at a shower, it wraps around me and Madalyn so I can hold her close to me without using my hands) while we walked around. I love that sling thing...it has saved many a shopping experience. 

The rest of the week has been better. Madalyn's mood has greatly improved. The big news from the week comes from last night and this morning. 

Currently, Mady sleeps in a bassinet next to the bed. Its tall enough that I can't see into it when I'm laying in bed. So, at night, I can hear Mady when she gets upset. Here's how that goes: I hear her grunt...and I wait to see if she gets more grunty. If she makes more noise, I look at the bassinet...not in it, but AT it. She has this teddy bear mobile attached to the bassinet. When Mady is really getting upset the bears shake because she's kicking. So, if I see the bears dancing and shaking, I know she's getting mad. We heard that when babies kick their legs, they are telling you that they feel out of control. Mady does this often. When she sleeps, we have to wrap her in a swaddle blanket to keep her feeling in control, but her legs are so long and strong that she is constantly kicking out of her blanket. So, if I hear grunting and I see bears dancing, I can look into the bassinet and, usually, she has kicked out of her blanket. She's laying there, legs and arms getting cold in the night air (she gets too hot with a night gown and the blanket). If this happens, I have to wrap her back up and try to hold her legs down (so she feels in control) and give her a pacifier at the same time. This may sound easy, but it is surprisingly difficult and often frustrating (remember, this is usually in the middle of the night...Jennifer doesn't like being sleep deprived). 

So, last night, MADALYN (almost) SLEPT THROUGH THE NIGHT! I don't know if everyone is as excited as I am but here's the story! I fed Mady last night around 12:30am and she woke up at 2:00am. Well, I'm trying to feed her every three hours so instead of feeding her, I just got her back to sleep. She didn't wake up again until 5:30am! I fed her and she fell asleep for a little bit but woke up as Michael was getting ready for work (around 6:30am). She usually wakes up when he's getting ready which is fun because she is always in a great mood. Michael would get to work earlier if Madalyn wouldn't spend the whole morning smiling, laughing and talking to him. She is a morning person I guess...or just a daddy's girl. After he left, she went back to sleep until 10am. 

I guess that doesn't REALLY count as sleeping through the night, but its still pretty nice that I only fed her every five hours. I see it as improvement from the 'every-two-hour' schedule we were on two months ago. 

Thats all I've got this time. Tonight I'm going out with some friends and Michael is watching Madalyn by himself...I'm sure there will be a good story to write tomorrow! 

Shots and Stats

Okay, so don't get spoiled by my writing two blogs in two days. There is no guarantee that this will ever happen again. We just had an eventful day and I thought I should share it with everyone.

Today was our two month check up with the pediatrician. If you have kids, you may remember that the two month check up begins immunizations...

So the day began with Madalyn and I having a very enjoyable morning. I put her in her 'Smart Cookie' onsie and her awesome (and the only pair I can find) newborn jeans. Off we went to impress the doctor's office. We only showed up 5 minutes late, which is impressive, and soon we were called in by the nurse. Upon taking Madalyn out of her car seat, I discovered that while she was looking all cute in the waiting room, she was creating something all together awful under the cover of her blanket. She had 'a mess' all over her. It was on her jeans, her onsie and almost up to her bellybutton. I think the nurse was a little grossed out. After a thorough cleaning, Madalyn was measured and weighed. As of 10:30am Madalyn weighs 9 pounds and 6 ounces (up from 7 lb 2 oz at her two week appointment) and is 22 3/4 inches long (up from 20'). Her weight is in the 12% range for her age group and the 60% range in length. That means she is long and skinny! I have to admit. I've taken inventory of other people's babies and they all seem...well...bigger. (Please, no one take offense! All of your babies are adorable!) So, I was a little worried that Mady wasn't growing like she should be. But, the nurse and doctor assured me that she was doing great.

Here comes the sad part...

While we are discussing growth and hiccups, my precious baby Madalyn was beaming with pride. I think she liked the attention because she was all smiles and laughs. She was winking at the nurse and checking herself out in the big mirror next to the table...then came the shots. Now, I had always secretly made fun of moms who went on and on about how horrible it is to watch your baby get shots. After all, I've gotten shots and I know that they really don't hurt that bad. I figured I would be able to shrug off Madalyn's crying and assure her that she would be fine...its just a little shot! Here's something you don't hear from me very often: I WAS WRONG!!!

There was my little girl, innocent, pure...she's never hurt anyone or anything (well, unless you've read the blogs from my last few months of pregnancy...she did cause me some pain then) and she was smiling at us like a little angel. All of a sudden, her face changed: Her eyes got narrow and filled with tears, her chin quivered as she drew in a long breath that made her cheeks turn bright red. Then, she let out the most pitiful sound I've ever heard. What was I doing here? How could I let these people hurt this small person that I love so much? I swore to myself that I would keep her safe and every day I pray that she's happy...I couldn't help but well up myself. My poor baby was in pain! 

Immediately I had a flash back of the night we left the hospital. Madalyn was experiencing her first bout with gas and Michael and I were clueless as to how to help her. I remember thinking, 'How can I NOT know how to help my baby girl' and 'Why am I going home with this little person who depends on me when I have no idea what I'm doing'. The baby is supposed to be the one who is helpless...right? We quickly learned what Madalyn needs to feel better and, like today, we made it without the supervision of professionals.

After much comforting, of myself and of Madalyn, we both left the doctor exhausted. She is now asleep in her swing, hopefully dreaming of a lovely place where they don't give babies mean shots and where her mommy and daddy know exactly how to make her feel better...I think I'm dreaming of the same place.

Oh, geez...how am I going to make it as a mom if I'm already crying at these 'minor' pains? After all, shots aren't nearly as mean as classmates and boyfriends. 

Catch Up

Okay, we're going to give this a try...this is Jennifer. Michael has decided that he can't do the blog anymore...so I'm going to try to keep it updated. Hopefully I will be more faithful than Michael, but we'll see. I will warn you that this will not be funny. I just don't have the humor that Michael does. He's better...lets just establish that right away. 

To catch everyone up, Madalyn was born November 25th and has been consistently more awesome every day. The first few weeks were pretty fun. Michael stayed home with us the first three weeks (we thought he was only going to stay home two weeks but Thanksgiving made it possible for him to be home three...I was very grateful).  Our routine was pretty simple. Madalyn ate every two hours but would stretch her eating time to every three hours at night. At around 5:00 am she would get angry and we would take her to Vivian, my WONDERFUL mother-in-law, and we would get more sleep. We would usually get up around 9:30 or 10:00 (thanks to Vivian), and then we would hold Madalyn as much as we could. 

She did the normal cute things that you would expect from a newborn. She would fall asleep on Michael's chest with her arms around him, like she was hugging him. She would hiccup and make cute little baby noises...but she did other things that you wouldn't expect from such a small and beautiful little baby. For starters...this kid has got GAS! Some people think its cute when a baby 'poots'. There is no 'poot' about this little girl! She lets it rip! It sounds like what you would expect from a grown man but it comes from a small child. And when she burps you can't help but check to make sure nothing came up with it. Its pretty powerful. And oh, the poop...here's the story. We're giving Madalyn her first bath at home. She's looking all cute and naked, we let the innocence fool us. As Michael is holding her so we can wash her adorable hair, she squirts...thats right, squirts...a horrible mustard colored mess all over us. I'm all for thinking that my kid is cute, but this was not one of those moments that you capture on film and think fondly of years later...this was nasty!  

She also got the nickname 'Pirate' in her first few weeks. She was constantly grunting and would open only one eye at at time. It was pretty funny. 

Madalyn is now 2 months old and is changing every day. Bath times have become more tame. She loves to sit in her little tub and kick her feet. She also loves to hang out in her swing. It has a colorful mobile that includes a frog, toucan and a monkey. It spins above her as jungle music plays. She will just sit and watch those animals spin. I like to think the swing is teaching her to love music and color, but I'm also happy she likes to sit in it while I clean or cook dinner.  

The most exciting development has been her smile. On January 3rd (a Saturday morning) she was hanging out with Michael in our bedroom and she smiled at him. I missed it! I was so disappointed. Later that day my mom came over and held Madalyn while I was in the shower. As soon as I got out of the shower my mom asked , "When did she start smiling?". I was so mad. Just the joy in moms voice verified that my child had the cutest smile on Earth and I had missed it again. The worst part was that she would NOT smile for me! I'm her mother. I carried her in my womb for nine months, I gave up Starbucks for her, I started eating healthy, I went through 14 hours of labor for her...all of that and she wouldn't even give me a small grin! Well, later that weekend I got my smile and now she smiles all the time. Usually she's at her 'smiliest' in the morning or when she's looking at her daddy. (I think she likes Michael's green eyes...she's a big fan of bright colors.)

She also loves to stretch and talk. She is always singing along with me or carrying on a conversation. She, apparently, has a lot to say. 

I think that is all for now. I could talk about Madalyn for hours but I will try to limit it! Hopefully I will write again next week!