Playtime

Maddie has a new best friend - herself. She is so excited to see herself in the mirror. Here are some pictures of her playing with the girl in the mirror (it's on the back of one of the hanging things).

Insert foot into mouth..

I know what you're all thinking, but no, it actually wasn't me this time.
We have a neighbor that always seems to know exactly what not to say. Up until this point, she has said nothing but sweet things about Madelyn. She is brought to tears every time she sees her - and is constantly talking about how beautiful she is. Well, last night she came over and began gushing about my "precious baby." She sits down on the arm of the chair that I am feeding her in, and starts playing with her hair, and touching her cheeks. Then she begins: "Those eyelashes just curl right up, don't they? Gosh she's beautiful. Look at that hair - It's so gorgeous. I have to say, she looks like her daddy. Do you know how lucky you are? She is perfect. Just perfect. I don't think I can find a single thing wrong with her. Except she's kinda chunky. And her ear is crooked."
Apparently - Maddie is almost perfect. But we should probably look into liposuction, and maybe ear reconstruction. Then she'll be perfect, just perfect.

Back to Work

I guess I really cant call it work, because it's just watching my nieces two days a week. But it really is funny to see the way that they interact with Madelyn. The older niece is Abby, and the younger is Sydney. They truly are adorable. Abby (5) is getting to a very independent age - and spends most of her time running around the neighborhood with her friends. But whenever she comes home, Abby has to check on Maddie. She is constantly asking me age questions..."when I'm 15, how old will Maddie be?" I answer, and the following question will be, "and I can babysit her then, right?" Oh yes, Abby. You are going to regret asking that one day - when I really take you up on the offer.
Sydney (2) is hillarious with Maddie. We truly have the same conversations three times a day, every day. First of all she calls her Maduhwin, and she is constantly correcting Abby who often forgets Maddie's name. When I feed Maddie, Sydney has to hold the bottle with me. Her arm will get tired, so she then holds up her arm with her other arm. She is always bringing Maddie random things - like plates, or fake flowers, or toys. She then says, "Maddie wants this.." I explain that Maddie is too little, and I get.."No she's nooooot...she told me." But my absolute favorite is Sydney consoling Maddie. ANY time that Madelyn cries, Sydney is right by her side. "It's alwight Maduhwin, Don't Cwy Maddie, It's alwight.." This goes on for maybe thirty seconds every time - and when Maddie doesn't stop crying, she ALWAYS says, "I think she's sick," and walks away.
I am so grateful to have cousins close by who are so excited to help with Maddie. We really have a lot of fun together.

Sorry - the first picture is a bit blurry, but Maddie has found her thumb!

Maddie's Angels

I swear that Maddie sees angels. I will walk in the room and find her laughing at nothing - and watching something go back and forth, but there's never anything there. Then she will start playing "shy baby" with the same spot she's been laughing at. She will smile at it, then look away - then look back and smile again. She is such a flirt! I guess if there have to be ghosts in my house, I'm glad that they make her laugh. That's reassuring - if she starts screaming at those things, I'm moving!
As Rob and I were giving her a bath tonight, we were talking about how different life is. Now instead of going out to a movie, we stay in and give baths. The funny thing is I enjoy this so much more. I absolutely love being a mom. It truly is the most amazing and fulfilling thing I could possibly do with my life.
We took some pictures tonight.. and Yes, Rob really does feed her in the middle of the night. He is the most wonderful husband and father. I truly consider myself to be the luckiest girl in the world. I have a healthy, happy, beautiful daughter, and I'm married to my best friend. Does it get any better than that?

Oh the changes...

I cannot believe how big Madelyn is getting. Rob and I can't figure out what happened to our little baby. She's already trying to get out of everything - her swing, bouncer, and even off of the changing table. She just digs her heels in, and starts walking her body up. She is such a strong baby. Not to mention the fact that she's already wearing 3-6 month clothing. Having Madelyn is more like having a toddler than a baby.
We moved her into her own room this weekend, and I was scared to death. I woke up every hour to check on her. I felt so powerless - but that feeling was gone by the second night. I had forgotten what it was like to have my own room!
Here are some pictures that we took tonight - and also one of her when she was one day old. It's amazing how much different she is!

One Long Week

Sorry I haven't posted anything new lately, Maddie has a cold. I think she's getting better, but she was miserable for several days, which in turn keeps me pretty busy. She's been running a fever, and completely stuffed up. We took her to the doctor and he said things looked pretty nasty. Luckily, there isn't any fluid in her ears.
Speaking of doctors, I should add a quick note... I truly think we have the greatest doctor ever. He found out that we were paying for her appointment out of pocket (our new insurance doesn't kick in for 50 days, and our temp insurance is mostly for major medical) so he offered to see her for free. This is the same doctor that gave me his cell phone number just in case we had any more stomach problems with Maddie. Last week when I called his office to ask the nurse a question - he called me back personally. It truly is a blessing to have a doctor that is so willing to help.
Anyway, I'm sorry that I haven't posted any pictures - but they would all be crying shots. I'll get more up as soon as she's happy again.

Pretty In Pink

Rob decided to put Maddie in the chair that Cathy Kosiek gave me for my shower. We both thought she'd immediately freak out and fall over, but she really liked it! She just sat there and smiled. When she finally did fall over, she was just as happy. What a great gift - thanks Cathy!
Rob also took a few shots of our little sleeping beauty. There sure is a lot of pink in these pictures.

Madelyn's Big Day

On Sunday, September 4th we blessed Madelyn in church. My mom preserved my blessing dress so well that Maddie was able to wear it and she looked gorgeous. I'm so grateful that my family was able to fly in for the event. It was the first time that many of them got to see her. Unfortunately none of the family pictures turned out - but here are the pictures that did!

First Portraits

On Wednesday we took Maddie to the mall to get her portraits done. I used to always laugh at the poses that they were making kids do: naked baby casually taking a bath in huge metal tub, three month old wearing chef's hat, and thousands of Anne Geddes rip-offs - but I gave in. I wouldn't allow for any cheesy props, but I still think they turned out pretty cute - then again, I am the mom...