My little Pumpkin

Two pumpkins in a double stroller
Hey, it's Grandma!
Where did Mommy put me?! These flowers are way more interesting than that camera!
Mmmmm, this leaf tastes delicious!

Madeleine had a good first Halloween. We went to the Barnes and Nobles Halloween story hour, and the Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Halloween parade - all the Kindergartners, first and second graders dressed up and paraded around the school. We got to see Grace in her Dorothy costume. Then we went trick or treating to Grandma and Grandpa's house - and she got a little Leapfrog toy that counts to ten. I ate WAY too much candy.

Happy Halloween everyone!

Happy Halloween!

Near horrible disaster

Yesterday we went to 8am mass, as usual. Madeleine was being a little "talkative" so we sat in the back. She was really good, just a little loud. Anyway, Ken and I were supposed to hand out bags for Brown Bag Sunday after mass, so before Communion I put her in her sling. At our Church, the back row starts the communion procession and the first row is last. So, we were pretty close to the front of the line. I walked up and received the host on my tongue, then went over to receive the cup. It was VERY full. As soon as I took it in my hand, Madeleine made a grab. I held it up very quickly (but carefully) and just handed it back to the Eucharistic Minister. Wow. Visions of the Blood of Christ all over the floor. We might have had to switch parishes. I think I'll stick with the Body of Christ for a while!

Otherwise, we had a great weekend. Good naps, our usual Barnes and Nobles dates, beautiful fall weather, visit from Lori (my best friend from college), and the Colts won!

Nice compliment

Last night we went out with Chris and Sarah for sushi. (In case anyone was worried about my poor little nursing, possibly allergic baby, I did not have any shellfish or raw fish, I had delicious fillet mignon teriyaki!)

Anyway, we were sitting at the table waiting for our food to come. Madeleine was sitting in a high chair for the very first time. (She didn't do so well - kept sliding to one side or the other, but it was ok.) I was feeding her peas and brown rice, giving her toys, etc. Of course then I had to nurse her but I used the hooter hider! An older couple kept looking over and smiling at her. They left about an hour later, passed by us, and the man said, "You have a beautiful baby." I started to say "Thank you," when he said, "You're a good mama." That made my day.

One year ago today

My dad had triple bypass surgery at the age of 52. (He says it was today because it's Friday and the surgery was on Friday, but actually it was Oct 27!) I still remember it like it was yesterday. I was about 5 months pregnant. He had been having a little discomfort in his chest, and went for a stress test. They sent him for a catheterization and we found out he had 3 almost complete blockages. He was in surgery less than a week later.

That day, we all took the day off work to go wait in the waiting room. We had to be there at 6am, and I believe the surgery was at 7am. They took him back and got him all prepped. We all went in to give him a kiss before he went in. It was very emotional for everyone! We were all really nervous. They gave Mom a little cell phone and said the doctor would call from the OR several times during the procedure and let us know how it was going. So we camped out. After Dad went in, I decided to go make a Starbucks run for everyone. It was right down the street. I came back, and Mom was giggling about something. I thought she was overtired and over emotional. But then she kept giggling. I heard some commotion coming from the next little waiting area. I looked over, and saw three women doing the YMCA. At first, I thought, "What are these people doing?!" I looked closer, and saw that it was my Grandma and my two favorite Aunts (Mom's Mom and sisters.) They had driven 9 hours just to wait with us all day in the waiting room. I jumped up and gave them big hugs and they all had to rub my belly. :)

So we waited. They made it so much better. Before they came we were all pretty much just staring at the floor. When they came, we had so much to talk about. They were excited about the baby and all tried to get me to tell them the name. (I didn't!) We played cards and sudoku, and ate breakfast, lunch and dinner in the cafeteria. The day was so much more fun because of them. I just couldn't believe they would drive all that way just to sit with us in the waiting room. We also had several other visits from family and friends, and that made the time pass quickly. They called every hour to update Mom and every time they told her what they were doing and that Dad was doing well. Finally we got the call that he was out of surgery and doing well! We got to go see him. He had a ventilator and was hooked up to all kinds of tubes and wires. It was pretty scary to see him like that. He looked miserable, and I asked him if the ventilator was the worst part right then and he nodded. They came to take that out less than a half hour later. After that he looked much better.
We got to see him several more times that day, and each time he looked better. He was even talking to us and showed us his scars!

He did GREAT with recovery. All the nurses said he was their "Star Patient." (Probably because he looked like the youngest person on the floor by about 20 or 30 years!) He got moved to a regular room the next day, and was home in less than a week. He took 12 weeks off work to recover. He had to go to therapy and start eating a very healthy diet.

Now, a year later, he is doing extremely well. I think he feels better than he's felt in years. He made a total recovery. We are so blessed that we found out about the blockages when we did, because he could have easily had a heart attack.

So, if you get a chance today, say a prayer of Thanksgiving for Dad's health. I know I will. We are very thankful for him!!

Fall hike and Babywearing

She is going to be a nature fan. She LOVES hiking in the woods and love being in her wrap! The weather was perfect and the leaves were beautiful.

Does this diaper make my butt look big?

or: Adventures in night time cloth diapering.

We've been cloth diapering for almost 6 months now, but I had never tried it at night.

We used a Snug to fit supreme over a prefold folded in thirds, and two doublers. Over all that was a wool cover that I knitted from Malabrigo Yarn. It's SOOO soft. You'd think wool would be scratchy on a baby, but it's not. It's really soft. And surprisingly, wool does all kinds of good things. Who knew?

Wool is Cool.

More benefits of wool.

Well, it actually worked! All the cotton was wet in the morning but the wool (and her sheets) were perfectly dry! I couldn't believe it myself. Maybe I'll try it again sometime.

Music Meme

I've been tagged by Bren from Stranger in a Stranger Land.

What song is in your head?

"Growing we do it every day. We're growing when we're sleeping, and even when we play and as we grow a little older we can do more things because I'm growing and so are you."

Ava watches too much Barney.

What is the newest album in your collection?

Radiance, Sarah Bauer's new album. It's GREAT - you should all check it out.

What is the top album on your wish list?

Wintersong by Sarah McLachlan. I had one last year but now I can't find it. I think I'm going to buy it for this season I loved it so much last year.

What is the most recent live music event you have attended?

Sarah Bauer's CD release party a few weeks ago - it was lots of fun and they sounded fantastic.

What is the top live music event on your wish list?

I'd love to go see U2 or Elton John, but I'd also like to go to mass at St. John Cantius!

What are the top three albums currently in rotation at your house?

Baby Mozart, Baby Beethoven, Baby Bach and Baby Vivaldi. (Ok that was four, but we listen to all of them!)

I tag:

Brenda, Ma Beck, Heather, Lifehopes and Floridawife. :)

You won't believe it.

I can't even believe it.

She slept. From 7:30pm to 6am!!!!!

That has NEVER happened before!

Thanks Ma Beck and Michelle for the homeopathic suggestions. We tried some last night. I don't know if that is what did it but I'm sure it helped.

Of course, I was up at 3am and didn't go back to sleep until 4:30 because I thought for sure she'd be up any minute. But she wasn't. Thank God for a good night's sleep!!!

This is new....

For the past two days, my normally content, agreeable baby has turned into a raging lunatic whenever I dare to even THINK about strapping her in her carseat. She screams, arches her back, and slides all the way down until it's impossible to strap her in. Who knew she was that strong? Of course when I finally hold her down, get her in, and give her a toy, she is fine. What is up with that?! Today she also did it when I put her in the high chair and on the changing table! She throws herself backwards like a two year old throwing a fit. I told my Mom about it, and she didn't even believe me until she saw the whole spectacle at Bible Study this morning. Please tell me this is just a phase. Good thing she's so darn cute....

A little insight into my exciting life

Last week I ordered two things. Pants for me from J Crew (none of my pants fit anymore! All too big! YEAH!!) Kind of like these but on a better sale. And also some new diapers for Madeleine. Yesterday I saw a package on our front porch. I looked, and was a tad disappointed that it was the pants and not the diapers :)

A whole bunch of kids

That's what I always said I want. That's what I still want. I have said that I want 10 kids for as long as I can remember. (I think I told Ken that on our first date! And he wasn't even too scared!)

I was thinking about this topic because I read these great posts.

Well-meaning people (even some family members) have always told me that once I have a kid and see how hard it is, I would only want one or two. Well, I feel just the opposite. Every day Ken and I talk about how she is the most beautiful, sweet baby in the whole world! (We're not biased or anything!) I have been blessed with a great kid, but a kid who does not like to sleep. I have been totally sleep deprived for 8 months now, and I still feel like I am open to life. I trust that God will take care of us and won't give us more than we can handle. Even though we're always worried about money. Even though I have to work. We are open to life. I can't imagine having children and then saying to someone, "Oh you won't want anymore." I think it must have been all the pressure from society that made them think that way.

Yesterday we went to a Mothers for Children group at church, and the topic was the Church's teaching on NFP and contraception. It wasn't too much new information for me. The priest said that sterilization and contraception were intrinsically evil, and that there was never a reason to use them. Some women must not have known that. They were asking the poor priest questions like "What happens if the doctor says I shouldn't have any more kids?" Some women were even crying when the priest did not give them the answers they wanted. It was a little weird. They wanted the priest to say that it was ok for their husband to have a vasectomy in this situation. He did not say that, and they were upset. They wanted their families to be complete, some after only 2 or 3 kids.

There are many great families at our church who have been open to life, and God has blessed them abundantly! (I like to hang out with these moms and get some good advice!)

I remember how hard it was to be pregnant. I remember throwing up in the shower every single day, and still having to be at work by 8 am. I remember how bad my back and hips ached for months. But I also remember how amazing it was to feel her kicking inside of me, how great it was to go to sleep and feel her moving around, always being with her. I remember how much fun it was to get her room ready. I remember the pain of childbirth, but the absolute joy I felt when I saw her face for the first time, and holding her on my chest and kissing her head all night. I remember how much pain I was in after she was born, and how hard it was to nurse sometimes. I also know what it's like to want to have a child and not be able to conceive. I am not going to take my fertility for granted. None of the hardships cause me to think that I don't want more. Having her makes me want more kids. I am so excited to see her grow, give her brothers and sisters and see their relationships develop. She is the greatest blessing that God has ever given me, and I am open to as many blessings as He wants to give us. We will be generous with Him. I hope He is generous with us :)

A little light

At the end of the tunnel.

Ok so 3 of the last 4 nights she has only woken up once and slept in her crib all night. YEAH! Also she's been taking better naps. Yesterday and today I put her down for her naps awake, and she put herself to sleep. Yesterday she slept for 2 hours! Today she's been asleep for about an hour so far.

Last night she was fussing a little at 5:30 and I went in to peek at her. She had her eyes closed, and she was sucking her thumb and holding her little lovey up to her face. She put herself back to sleep!

So I'm going to try to only feed her once/night. We're also going to increase the solid foods to three meals per day. I'm also going to try to keep her in her own crib all night. Then maybe I can get some sleep!

Thank you everyone for your suggestions. Maybe I spoiled her a little early on. I figure if she ever wants a baby brother or sister she is going to have to learn how to sleep! :) I can't imagine having older kids and having to rock/nurse babies to sleep all the time. You just wouldn't get that much quiet time.

Sleep

It is a precious commodity these days - very hard to come by.

Saturday night she slept until 3:30 am in her crib, woke up to nurse, then back to sleep until 7:30 (and we made it to 8am mass, where she was an absolute angel.) I thought maybe she was turning a corner.

Last night however.... She was up at least every two hours. After the first few times I got up, I put her in bed with me. That did not help. She tossed and turned, cried, nursed for a few seconds, fussed, turned sideways and kicked me all night. AAAHHHH!

I'm going to try to increase her solid food as she seems to be pretty hungry. (The kid is a good eater. Surprisingly, she LOVES peas and zucchini. Go figure.) A friend suggested trying some formula during the day. I don't mind nursing during the DAY... 10 times at night is wearing me a little thin. Especially because we both have to be up, ready, and at work at 8am.

Any suggestions? Is it ok to let her cry for just a few minutes? I put her in the pack and play for her nap after lunch, she cried for less than 5 minutes, and she's been sleeping for 1 hour and 45 minutes so far (that is UNHEARD OF.) Should I let her cry herself back to sleep at night when I know she is not hungry? I would like for her to stay in her crib all night so I wouldn't wake up in the morning exhausted and aching from head to toe from all the squirming, kicking, fussing, and moving her back to her side of the bed 100 times. I know she is capable of only waking up once in the night, which would be fine with me, as she's done it lots of times. (Just not lately and not consistently.)

She is such an angel except for this ONE THING. I guess nobody is perfect....

Happy Fall!

Finally we have fall weather here!

This morning Mom and I drove to Anderson to visit Grandma and Grandpa and our new cousin Isaac, who was just born on the 10th! He is beautiful and has WAY more hair than Madeleine! We were just slightly jealous :)

Grandpa is not doing well at all. He is very weak, and can't see anymore. He never leaves his room at the assisted living place - Grandma goes down to the cafeteria and brings his meals to him. We went to see Grandpa and he got to touch Madeleine. He said he couldn't see her but he was sure she was a good baby. Mom told him that she has beautiful big blue eyes and that everyone comments on them when they see her. I told Grandpa she had blue eyes like him, and he smiled. Then I said, "Come to think of it, her hair looks pretty much exactly like yours too!" He got a huge smile on his face and said, "Well, if she turns out like me, that'd be all right." I was happy she made him smile - we don't see that much. We visited with Grandma a little and gave her some of M's new 6 month pictures, which she immediately hung up on her bulletin board. Madeleine even let Grandma hold her for a minute!

Then we went to Heather's housewarming party - her house looks SO great! It was perfect fall sweater weather too! I made her sweater, but I can't tell you how many people asked what "his" name was today - do you see all the pink in that sweater?! She also had pink shoes on! Does she look THAT much like a boy?!

Why do I buy her toys?

Hm, should I go for the fun, colorful toys or the boring beige remote control?

This looks the most interesting..
Success!!
It's just what I always wanted, Mom!

Things I learned last week

Taking care of a sick baby.

1. NEVER wear any nice clothes (you or the baby.)

2. You will do more laundry than you've ever thought possible.

3. If you ask REALLY nicely, the best mom ever will come over and help you clean your house :)

4. Even though you are sad the baby is sick, you'll be just a tad grateful for 3 unexpected days off.

5. Taking your baby to the ER is NOT fun, and you wish it all was happening to you, not her.

6. Forget about changing sheets in the middle of the night, just sleep on towels and change them.

7. Disposable diapers are worthless in certain situations - it's better to use the cloth, which keeps things contained, even though you have to do a lot more laundry.

8. Taking a baby's temperature is much easier if you give her something that she's normally not allowed to play with - such as the phone.

9. You might as well just give up any shred of hope you're ever going to get a good night's sleep.

10. 3 days of holding, rocking, nursing and kissing is just what you both needed to feel better.

Happy Respect Life Sunday!

That's Madeleine's Godsister Mia... she was conked out :)

7 month video

You get a video too!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

7 month pictures

I forgot to take pictures when she was in her cute outfit - so this is her onesie that she wore to bed! I'm SO glad that our computer is fixed now. Thanks Ken! I can't wait to catch up with everyone. Feels like I've been gone forever :) As you can see, she has recovered nicely from her illness.



7 months old already? Where does the time go?

Quick update

Sorry everyone! I did something to our computer and now I can't get online. Madeleine is doing great and in fact she's 7 months old today! I'll post a 7 month picture when Ken fixes the computer :)

What we're doing

Her: Eating, sleeping, and pooping. The last thing much more frequently than usual.

Me: Laundry Laundry and more Laundry, and using Lysol on everything in the house.

We went to the doctor this morning and he said he couldn't believe that the ER doctor had given her Zofran, and that there hasn't been any studies showing if it's safe for children to take. That made me feel really good. He said never give it to her again. And he also said that ER docs just want to get you out of there fast. That is just GREAT.

She seems to be doing better today. More energy and back to herself (except for the excessive amounts of poop.) She's nursing better, drinking pedialyte, smiling a lot more, and no fever. The doc said to go ahead and take tomorrow off though, just so the other kids don't get it.

Home from the ER
Not feeling quite herself
But still the cutest baby EVER :)