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!