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!

Madalyn Rhea Garner

Well, she's here. Madalyn Rhea Garmer was born Tuesday, November 25, 2008 at 8:44 p.m. She weighed in at 6 lbs. 12 oz. and was 20 inches long.

Jennifer did so well during the delivery. She pushed for a little less than two hours and was such a trooper.

Everyone was excited to meet her. So far, I think she's had close to a thousand pictures taken of her. I've been in a couple (which is just fine with me) but I think it would be easy to feel like someone normal that's dating a celebrity.

Anyway, I will write another post soon and will include some pictures. Unfortunately, I can't add pictures to the blog from my iPhone. However, if you are on Facebook, I have posted a few pictures and my sister has put up a small album.

Thanks...