Bubbles

Today was yet another day of firsts for my sweet little baby. Except that with every passing day, I Maddie is less and less my little baby, and more and more her own child. I'm happy, I'm sad. It's such a blessing that Maddie is growing up to be such an independent, smart, and sassy girl. But it's just happening too quickly. I sound like a broken record, but I'm just repeatedly amazed at Maddie's progress.

Enough with the gushing...on to our day. First of all, Maddie sprung a tooth! This is her third tooth to date...This one happened to be the right, front, top tooth. I'm SO grateful that Maddie's chomper finally popped. The last couple days have been totally miserable because Maddie's poor gums were pink, swollen, and I can only imagine that they've been shockingly painful. We haven't slept well the last couple nights, which is what I expect when Maddie is teething. I mean, really. If it was me, I'd be kicking, screaming, biting, asking for something for the pain, and cursing the world. Maddie, on the other hand, handles her pain like a champ; there's a little extra drool, a few extra nibbles, and a lack of sleep, but other than that, Maddie seems normal. What a trooper!

The tooth is AWESOME, but the even better part of our day happened in the bathtub. I feel like everything neat that happens in our life happens in the bath...I already knew that I had a water baby, but I'm starting to really realize how MUCH of a water baby she is. We took our daily shower today (I have to stick Maddie on the floor of our shower while I'm showering so she doesn't seriously injure herself or someone else), and it was just as much fun as always! Maddie always takes her pink ducky into the shower, and we sing duck songs while we're washing up. (Oh, yes. Maddie and I are super, duper shower singers). Anyway, I digress. My story has nothing to do with the shower, and instead takes place in the bath.

We all know that Maddie LOVES the water, right? She splishes and splashes like a little duckling. When I could get a splash in edgewise, I showed Maddie how to blow bubbles in the water. This was not the first time I'd demonstrated how to blow bubbles, but Maddie seemed more interested tonight. After I did it once, I noticed how closely Maddie was watching me. So I did it again! And worked hard to emphasize how I was blowing the bubbles. Then...all of a sudden...Maddie just stuck her face in the water and blew bubbles!! I was so sure I'd seen wrong, but she did it again, and again, and again! Matt saw her a few times too! The last time she tried, Maddie blew a LOT of bubbles, and then tried to inhale...Oops. She swallowed a good lungfull of water, but then recovered and went right back to splashing. What a trooper.

I can't imagine feeling any more blessed than I do today. I've got the most amazing daughter!!

Amazing Love

I am so blessed to be Maddie's Mama. Today was probably my favorite time I've spent with her to date. We spent time reading, playing in the pool, playing with our kitties, and playing in the bath. I can't quite do justice to our experience, but I'll do my best.

Maddie loves her baths. Every night before bed, I turn on the bath water in our master bathroom. As soon as Maddie hears the water crashing, she comes crawling over with a silly grin on her face. She's almost too excited, as she stands up at the edge of the tub, trying to crawl in. Since the tub is taller than she is, Maddie just grabs everything on the edge that she can and squeals with delight.

Tonight was no different; Maddie was exhausted from our busy day but thrilled for her bath time, nonetheless. We got into the tub, and I gave Maddie a couple of her bath toys. Rather than play with her purple octopus or her little orange whale, Maddie just splashed. She splashed herself, she splashed me, she splashed her toys, and she splashed the bathtub.

After we'd been playing for about ten minutes, I gave Maddie her favorite toy of all, the red, plastic, disposable picnic cup. This cup is literally Maddie's favorite. She crinkles it and gets a great sound from it. She fills it up with water and then pours it out. She chews on the cup. She introduces the cup to her other bath friends. She loves this cup. Maddie took a bit of time to reacquaint herself and the cup, and then she did the most amazing thing. She shared it. Maddie would chew on her precious cup for a few seconds, and then she put it in my mouth so I could chew on it with her. We took turns for a good five or ten minutes. Nothing made her happier than to see me enjoying her cup as much as she did. The whole time she was "feeding" me, her eyes were filled with joy and mine were filled with tears and pride. I can't believe that I am blessed with such an amazing little girl. When we got bored of chewing on the cup, Maddie figured out how to play peekaboo with it. All of a sudden, Maddie put her face into the cup as far as she could. In fact, she was so fascinated with the inside of the cup, she went a bit cross eyed. She looked around for me, and realized she couldn't see me, so she quickly pushed the cup away from her face, and I giggled and screeched, "Peekaboo"! Well, Maddie caught on immediately, and we played peekaboo for the rest of the bath! If I didn't respond with appropriate enthusiasm, she would give me this, "Come on mom, you can do better" look, and of course, I did.

It's so strange to me that something so seemingly small can create this rush of emotion. My heart is overflowing with pride, happiness, love, and awe. I can't believe that my little girl isn't just a baby anymore. I can't believe what an intelligent, fun, outgoing, and BUSY little girl I have. I'm so grateful that I had today. I can't wait to see what tomorrow holds for her.

Our Trip to Oregon

It's been awhile since I wrote, so as you can imagine, there's a lot to say. We've been extremely busy: we moved to Wickenburg, I had to take care of my sick kitty, Buster (who ended up having to be put to sleep), I've worked hard to be a good mom and wife, and of course, Maddie and I took a much-needed trip up to Oregon.

Our trip was wonderful! First of all, Maddie is a pro at air travel. On the way up, we were seated in our row, Maddie started to do her, "I'm tired" screaming thing, and then we lifted off and...silence and sleep. Maddie literally slept from take-off to landing. Perfect! On the way home, she didn't sleep the WHOLE time, but she was quiet and loved looking out the window and reading her books, so the trip back to Arizona was just as good.

We spent three days at the beach during the first week of our trip. Maddie had many firsts: her first trip to an aquarium, her first splash in a swimming pool, and her first time with her toes on a sandy beach. We had a wonderful time.

Maddie was considerably awed by the aquarium. The first fish tank she saw prompted an open-mouthed stare down. I think in the end, the fish won, because I had to show Maddie all the other neat things. We saw the jellyfish, the fish, the OddWater exhibit, AND we got to touch things. I "helped" Maddie reach into the touch pools so she could experience the unique sliminess of the skates, the stickiness of the anenomes, the hard shells of the abolones, and the cool salt water. She's a very tactile baby, so she really enjoyed feeling things. By the time we got to the shark tubes, which I know she would have loved, Maddie had about had it. She was a very tired and cranky baby. So what's a mom to do? I put her down on the floor, of course, and let her crawl all over the glass. I like to think that she was intrigued by the sharks and fish, but more realistically, I think she saw the reflection of the lights and herself. Either or, she was happy.

The swimming pool that we played in was outside (yes, in Oregon, in the spring), and it was COLD. Maddie was a good sport, and put on her swimming suit and a swim diaper for the first time, but we didn't last long.

On this trip, we also got the chance to see Grace and her sweet little boy, Zeke. It was so neat to watch the two interact and play off one another. I'm still hoping that Maddie (and I!!!) will make some friends like that here.

Like every trip to Oregon, this one was wonderful and FAR too short.

Busy, Busy, Busy

I swear...sometimes it feels like we just can't catch a break. After the craziness of everything in our lives, the "good" news just keeps on coming. Again, Matt and I have each dealt with our own issues...fortunately, we're actually doing something, being proactive, changing the way we've been operating. Finally. Then, a couple weeks ago, we discovered that our home is going into foreclosure. We've been paying rent to our landlord, who in turn has not been paying his mortgage. It's a good and bad thing for our family; Matt and I were planning to move to Wickenburg, but we wanted to wait a bit. Obviously, that's not an option anymore, and we've found the house in Wickenburg we're going to move to. Ideally, we want to buy, but we just can't make it happen right now. So, we're moving on March 14...which just happens to be the same day that Maddie and I are headed up to Oregon. That's going to be one VERY long day.

In the meantime, Maddie and I have been dealing with medical issues. Last week, we were at the doctor 4 out of 5 weekdays. Maddie, with her UTI, needs to have some more tests done, so on Friday, I have to take my sweet baby to the Phoenix Children's Hospital. I'm sure everything will be fine, but knowing that there may be something wrong with my baby is terrifying. As for myself, I'm having some abdominal issues. So, last week I had to get my own series of tests done, blood drawn, etc. Tomorrow, I'm seeing a specialist to try and diagnose what exactly is going on with me. Hopefully nothing, but with my family history of some scary diseases...we'll just have to see.

Maddie has been as wonderful as ever lately. She can just look through me. When she looks at me with the eyes full of love, innocence and wonder, I can't imagine anything being wrong with the world. Maddie has been saying "Mama" a lot still, especially when she's upset or wants attention. She'll sort of just chant, "Mamamamamama", and then she'll pause, make sure I'm paying attention, then do it again. She already knows just how to get my attention.

Maddie's still working on crawling. She's up on her hands and knees ALL the time, and she's figured out how to move an arm, or a leg, but still no actual CRAWLING...sooooo close though. Her frustration sometimes gets the best of her, and I admit...it's really cute. Maddie and I are both perfectionists, and we want so badly to just get it. Sitting is still on the back burner, as sitting still is not Maddie's thing. She can sit on her own for short periods of time, but she generally gives up pretty quickly to pop back on her hands and knees. When she's on the ground or in her chair, Maddie's started to reach her arms up to me when she wants to be picked up...it's amazing to get the feedback that she actually wants me to hold her. Finally, I think my little darlin is finally teething. Who knows though. I'm living with a drool monster who literally puts EVERYTHING in her mouth: the floor, blankets, her clothes, obviously her toys, electrical cords, furniture, the cats if she can, my face...the list goes on. It's hilarious. If she doesn't sprout some teeth soon, I think I might need to start feeding her more than I am so she doesn't turn into a vampire!

Maddie's On the Move!!

The last week has been much more dramatic than I care for. I don't want to go there again. Maddie was sick with the bladder infection, of course, which was more than enough to wreak havoc on my emotions. While she was on her antibiotics, Maddie developed a cold. So during the week, I forced antibiotics down her throat, sucked boogies out of her nose, dealt with my own ickiness, and struggled with my husband through some difficulties of his own. Today, life is finally calming down.

Maddie never ceases to amaze me. Yesterday, she got up on her hands and knees for the first time!! She also moved her knee forward and crawled her first crawl. Stretching it, I know, but still amazing to her mama. Today, Maddie spent a lot of time on her tummy, working to get on her hands and knees again. She's already getting more steady. She stayed up for a few seconds today, several times. Matt and I have decided it's time to start baby proofing the house!! I didn't think we'd have to worry about baby proofing until she was older. Who baby proofs their house when their child is four months old? I mean, come on!

Maddie has learned how to open up the diaper wipes and stick them in her mouth, get kleenex out of the box and stick them in her mouth, find receipts in my bag and stick them in her mouth...Let the baby proofing begin!

Another Good Day

I'll start with yesterday...darn it Cardinals! Maddie, Matt and I went to a Superbowl party with some friends up in Wickenburg. We had a great time, and Maddie was the hit of the evening...especially since our beloved Cards lost. Maddie did great and there was no sign of a fever all day. We haven't had to resort to Tylenol for a couple days. It's strange how relieving it is for Maddie to be better after being sick. I follow a couple stories of children who have been hospitalized for their entire lives, and I imagine how relieved THEY'D be if their child had only gone through what Maddie did. Experiences like this make me even more grateful for Madelyn's health, strength and disposition.

Today was, like the title said, another good day. Maddie is getting so strong. She can scoot like a champ now, and she's really getting the hang of pushing off with her legs. Once Maddie figures out how to push up with her arms and legs at the same time, I fear she'll be off. Matt and I are talking seriously about baby proofing our home. I can't believe it's already come to that. Yikes!

I have to brag on Maddie for just one second...while we were at the doctor and the hospital, Maddie kept saying, "Mama". People kept asking me how old she was. It took her saying it several times for people to actually believe their ears. I just smiled through the tears and told them she'd been saying it for a couple weeks. And yes, she is just four months old. I've included a picture of my little sweetie making a face like her mommy.

Relief

The last few days have been rough for me, but I can only imagine they've been far worse for Maddie.

Starting on Tuesday evening, Maddie started to run a fever. I was worried and I called the doctor. On his advice, I pumped my little one full of grape Infant's Tylenol, which wiped out the fever. Well, over the next couple days, the fever would rear its ugly head, but I second guessed my mommy instinct and tried to convince myself that nothing was wrong. After two night of Maddie spiking a fever of 103+, I finally took Maddie into the doctor. We spent four very, very long hours at the doctor's office on Friday, trying to figure out what was wrong. They finally decided that she probably had a UTI and called in a prescription to our pharmacy. As we were checking out of the doctor's office, my poor little girl started to shake and her lips turned blue, so I insisted we see the doctor before we left. Her temperature was 104.8 so they promptly sent us to the ER. We spent four hours at the ER where we found out that Maddie had had a febrile seizure and that she had a pretty serious UTI. They shot her full of antibiotics, and sent her home. Over the course of the day, Maddie had to get four catheders, she was poked three times to try to draw blood, and she got one nasty shot of strong antibiotics. Maddie did such a great job; she was far braver than her mother.

I'm so glad Maddie's all right; I feel like I can FINALLY breathe a sigh of relief. I can't imagine much being scarier than watching my baby shake and turn blue. I'm so grateful that everything worked out as it did, and everything happened WHILE we were at the doctor's office.

Today, Maddie is almost totally back to normal. Her fever is almost nonexistent, and she's been such a sweet and energetic little girl all day. I've learned I really need to listen to my mommy instict, because it's better than I give myself credit for.

She Just Gets Better and Better

So, Maddie had a great day today. We got to take a nice LOOOOOONG nap this morning, which was very needed, and then we just had a lazy, quiet day. After cleaning like crazy yesterday, I think we both really needed some time to just be, rather than to do. Maddie napped like a pro today, and we spent whatever time she wasn't sleeping just playing on the floor.

Maddie loves playing on her stomach so much. I remember, she absolutely HATED tummy time for awhile. She would either fuss or just lie on her tummy. Then, all of a sudden on December 15, she realized that she could push her chest totally off the floor and roll over! It all sort of happened at once; she pushed up until her arms were straight, and then she rolled. It was amazing to see her reaction - shock mixed with pride (because I was cheering and laughing, I'm sure). Then she just started rolling from back to front and front to back like a pro. She's turning into this little person more and more every day and moving farther and farther away from being just a "baby".

I included some video of Maddie's latest "communication" with me. Like I said yesterday, she either whines and squeals or has in-depth and very serious conversations. Guess which one this is...

Tomorrow, Maddie and I have plans to head to a play date and breakfast at one of our friends' houses. It's in the middle of her morning nap, so I guess we'll have to see how it goes...

UPDATE: Maddie just got her first real temperature. Not the milestone I was hoping to get to...it's at 101.7, so we're going to give her some Tylenol and hope it goes away, or it's to the doctor tomorrow instead of to Rachels.

Monday with Maddie

Well, in the last couple days, Maddie has declared war on sleep. Yesterday, she did everything possible to avoid it and really only napped for about 30 minutes total. I'm a very tired mommy. Thankfully, today she slept a bit better and was much more enjoyable to be around.

Maddie is quite a little talker...she goes through these phases where she'll shriek all day at the top of her lungs, or blow raspberries all day, or goo and gaa...she's currently in the "I'm very concerned so I'll look you in the eye and appear very distressed while I'm talking in low tones" combined with the "whine like a puppy dog" modes. So, all day, it's either "whine, whine, whine" or "let's solve the budget crisis". I admit, I like both of these better than when she shreiks - it really is ear-pearcing. She will only work on one thing at a time, like crawling, talking, sitting, standing, etc. Today, Maddie decided to chill out on her belly and whine; she also decided to make an 'o' with her mouth. It was quite a days work for her and kept her busy, busy, busy. We also played with Lightning outside, and I'm happy to say, she actually acknowledged his presence and went so far as to try to touch him. Lightning, of course, was very obliging and proceeded to lick her little hands at every opportunity he got.

There are so many little things that amaze me about my daughter. I just can't stop talking about all the wonderful things she did today! Maddie's started to grab my cheeks and pet my face like I do to hers. She's also biting. A lot. We're working on that...

I was looking through some pictures today from when Maddie was just born, and I was already feeling nostalgic! She's growing up way, way, way too fast.

Here We Go!!!

This is it! I've finally started a blog to record all the wonderful and amazing things that Maddie does on a daily basis. Now, most posts probably won't be as thrilling as one might hope, but I'm writing them nonetheless. Today, Maddie is 4 months and 6 days old. The time has flown by way, way, way too quickly. As of today, Maddie coos and caws, giggles, laughs, loves to be tickled on her ribs, rolls from front to back and back to front both ways, kicks her feet in the bath, scoots forward and backward, jumps in her jumparoo...Maddie HATES to sleep, loves her baths, couldn't care less about any of our pets, and loves, loves, loves her mama and papa. She's recently started to say "Mamamamamama" and "Dadadadadada". And she's thisclose to sitting all by herself. Yesterday, Maddie was sitting on my belly and she used my legs to push herself up to standing. Today, she was so cranky, which is very unlike her. Every day, my daughter amazes me more and more. I'm so grateful to my husband for letting me stay home with her and do the best job I could imagine - raising my daughter.