Madi catches a wink on her daddy's chest before we leave for dinner.Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Madi's First Enjoyable Bath
Kelli and I gave Madi a bath in the sink and she didn't seem to mind this one. She did poop inside of Kelli's hand as Kelli carried her to the tub. Otherwise, she was a little angel thanks in part to her pacifier.
Kelli feeds Madi
Kelli helped me out by feeding Madison a bottle and burping her afterward. This was Madi's first experience being fed by someone other than Mom.Tuesday, March 18, 2008
My Pimp Hand is Strong...
Kelli, Ryan and I were looking back through the photos of Addie and Madi and discovered why it was that Addie started to cry. Madison was basically beating her. Poor Addie...Addie and Madi... (and Artie Kevin)
Mel and Addison (Madi's first and best friend) came to visit and we snapped these pictures of the two little ladies. They are 3 and a half weeks apart in age and the differences between them are amazing. Addison is a few pounds bigger than Madison and has much greater muscle control. She also seems to be much more awake and alert and seems to have fewer temper tantrums. I was able to get one photo where it looks like both girls are crying but, in reality, Madison was crying and accidentally hitting Addison while Addison was a perfectly content little angel. The third "baby" in the first photo is Jason's childhood doll, Artie Kevin. Kelli and I thought it was hilarious that he had a cabbage patch kid so his mom loaned it to Kelli to bring on their trip down. We thought, in all fairness, that Jason's baby should be included in the photo with the other babies.Kevin and Madi Meet At Last...
On Ryan's first day back to the office, he and Kev meet Kelli, Jason, Madi and me for lunch at Lolitas taco shop - our favorite little dive with the best carne asada burritos. Kevin and Madi finally met and we all got to enjoy a nice San Diego day on the restuarant's outdoor patio. Madison slept the entire time, of course...
Ryan Goes Back to Work
Yesterday was Ryan's first day back at work and happened to also be a Tuesday which is the night he has class until 10. Needless to say, it was a long time to be away from the baby. He talked about how much he missed her when we went to lunch and, of course, he even threw in the "oh, and you too, Sarah." I'm getting used to that these days ;) We ate at Lolitas which is this little dive Mexican place with the best carne asada burritos ever. We had to make sure that Kelli and Jason experienced some good Mexican food while they were here! Thank goodness for Kelli and Jason who were able to help me out with Madison during Ryan's first day back!
Monday, March 17, 2008
Ryan Playing House
Madison was being a cranky pants while we ate dinner the other night so, once again, we were on a quest to figure out what would calm her down. Thankfully we have hardwood floors downstairs so Ryan was able to put her in her stroller and "walk" her around the house. Kelli told Ryan it looked like he was playing house by walking a doll around the house so we took this video. Hey, it worked! She went to sleep and we were able to eat dinner together.
Jason and Madison
Kelli's boyfriend Jason has a way with Madison. We think maybe she has a crush on him. She spent over an hour staring at him today and he seemed to be all it took to get her to stop crying.
She is fascinated by him...
Madison Sucks?
Like it is for most babies, sucking is soothing to Madison. Whether it's feeding, sucking on her own hands, or sucking on someone else's fingers, Madison LOVES to suck. Kelli lent Madi a finger the other day and was shocked at how powerful her suction is and how loud she can be. Jason shot this video as proof.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
It was this big...
Every year the Crossons go salmon fishing on the Oregon Coast. We snapped this picture of Madison showing her Crosson roots this morning - she's preparing for future stories about the size of the fish she catches.
What's wrong with this picture?
Madison has her days and nights mixed up. As soon as the sun comes up, she is passed out. The nights are a different story...
Friday, March 14, 2008
Party in the Laundry Room
Last night Matt sent Ryan and me a text message from New York City where he is partying and having fun. He asked how things were going and I had to admit to him that, at the time, I was standing in the laundry room running the dryer and rocking the baby because it was the only thing that would get her to stop crying (the white noise is soothing to her). I have to admit, it sounded ridiculous and I was a bit jealous of Matt at the time ;) Not to mention the fact that every time we find a "solution" that comforts her, we know that it's probably a one time thing. Ryan was successful by launching into Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline" at 3 am the other morning (Andrew would be proud), I had my moment of success with the dryer last night, and this morning I got her to stop crying by holding her in the contorted position you see in this photo. Whatever works right? Thank goodness she still cries and then immediately falls asleep when we put her in her car seat/stroller. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to go to the coffee shop each morning for my two hours of sanity and my drink that probably has 1200 calories and isn't making the baby weight come off any faster (10 pounds to go!).
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Coffee Shop Bliss
Behind Every Successful Parent is a LOT of Coffee...
There is a coffee mug at our local coffee shop with this saying and it's true, although I've learned to stick with half caf coffee or I get an alert, fussy, caffeinated baby as a result. Anyway, Ryan and I discovered about a week ago that if we feed Madison right before we leave the house, we have time to walk to the local coffee shop in the mornings and sit for a couple hours before we have to go home and feed her again. She generally falls asleep on the walk over and sleeps the entire time we are there so for two hours we are free to read the paper, work on the blog, or just sit and talk over coffee. It's amazing how much I cherish these hours every day. Of course, it's a coordinated dance to make sure we are up in time to shower and then feed her right before we walk out the door but we are getting good at the whole system.
There is a coffee mug at our local coffee shop with this saying and it's true, although I've learned to stick with half caf coffee or I get an alert, fussy, caffeinated baby as a result. Anyway, Ryan and I discovered about a week ago that if we feed Madison right before we leave the house, we have time to walk to the local coffee shop in the mornings and sit for a couple hours before we have to go home and feed her again. She generally falls asleep on the walk over and sleeps the entire time we are there so for two hours we are free to read the paper, work on the blog, or just sit and talk over coffee. It's amazing how much I cherish these hours every day. Of course, it's a coordinated dance to make sure we are up in time to shower and then feed her right before we walk out the door but we are getting good at the whole system.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Baby Boot Camp
I read somewhere today that the first two weeks of a newborn's life is considered baby bootcamp for the parents. Ryan and I couldn't agree more. These two weeks have been really challenging. Between our feeding problems and getting Madison to sleep at night, we've been going nuts - functioning on hardly any sleep at night. Thankfully the doctor told us yesterday that we no longer have to wake Madi up at night to feed since she has gained back her birth weight (she was discharged from the hospital weighing 6 pounds, 10 oz rather than the 7 pounds 4 oz she was at birth). Ryan and I felt like it was Christmas day when the doctor told us that. Of course, she still wakes up every 3-4 hours wanting to eat but not having to set an alarm is great! On the other hand, Madison has started to become really cranky at night. For at least a couple hours she screams her head off for no apparent reason. Tina and Brandon came to visit tonight and she cried the entire time they were at our place. I told Madison she needs to put on a better game face ;)
Scott Meets Madison
My boss came over to give me my yearly review the other day and held Madison for the first time. She was crying when he got there but calmed down as soon as he held her. He claimed it was because he has three kids and knows what he's doing. I believe it's because she recognizes his voice from the womb ;) I spent so much time at work talking with he and Kimberly while I was pregnant that I swear Madison knows both of them already!
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Friday, March 7, 2008
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Baby Birdie
Ryan and I hardly got any sleep in the hospital. We were up all night each night trying to comfort Madison who had her days and nights mixed up. To make matters worse, she was incredibly hungry. We were having a lot of trouble getting her to eat which was emotionally draining. The lactation consultants finally made us supplement with formula because she wasn't latching at all and was losing weight. We tried feeding her formula with an eyedropper first. Next we finger fed her by running a tube into her mouth and rewarding her with formula when she sucked properly on our fingers. By the time we went home from the hospital, we were training her to latch by feeding her every few hours using a syringe and feeding tube which ran under a plastic breast shield. It was a crazy process and reminded me of trying to feed a baby bird so I started calling her Birdie. After a week, we finally got the process down and she's been doing great ever since.
Monday, March 3, 2008
Friday, February 29, 2008
Madison uses her pack and play
Kimberly and Victoria, two friends from work organized a very nice baby shower for us on my last day of work, the Friday before Madison was born. The shower included lots of other friends from Encore and Ryan and I were amazed at how generous everyone was! It really was unbelievable and we were so appreciative of everything everyone did for us! This is a photo of Madison in her pack and play, one of the gifts we received from that shower. Needless to say, she has room to grow!
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Meeting Our Beautiful Daughter
Ryan and I meet Madison for the first time. This picture still makes me cry...
Madison's Birthday
After two days of wondering if my water really broke, I finally gave in and went to the hospital to be checked out. I drove myself to the hospital and told Ryan not to worry about meeting me because I was sure they would just send me home. Turned out I did have a leak in the amniotic sack so the nurse told me around 11 am on the 25th that I wouldn't be going home. It was baby time! I tried to call Ryan but he was on a conference call so I called my mom and she helped me track him down. Within moments, Ryan was by my side and my mom and Jamie were on their way. Once checked into the labor and delivery unit, the doctor and nurses induced labor. For hours, my mom, Jamie, Ryan and I sat and played games and waited for labor to kick in. About the time that Jack and Nancy, Tim and Sarah showed up, labor was getting heavy. I got an epidural at 5 cm. It only took on half my body at first and the contractions were pretty painful. Ryan was amazing through the whole thing. Eventually the epidural worked and at 3:25 am on Tuesday, February 26th, our beautiful Madison was born.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Smelling Chips
They wouldn't let me eat while I was in labor. Jamie, Ryan and my mom had a huge spread of food and I had only my cranberry juice which tasted amazing at that point. Jamie let me smell her chips since I couldn't have one.
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