Well, lets be honest - It's a sad, sad day when my mother is writing more than I am, regardless of the context. Therefore, I am going to give this whole blog thing another shot. I'm not going to try to fill everyone in on all of the stuff that has happened since Madelyn's birth. So a quick recap would include: lots of formula, lots of bottle washing, lots of baby clothes, lots of laundry, lots of fussy-baby moments, and a TON of wonderful "she is the cutest baby in the world" moments.
Okay, so starting with today...
Today was the first day that I ventured out of the apartment alone with Madelyn. Up until this point, John had always gone with us and it had pretty much only been to doctor appointments. Call me overprotective (everyone else does) but I just didn't see the point in taking a newborn baby out in winter weather unless there was a NEED to do so. It would be one thing if there was an event that I didn't want to miss or if there was an important errand to run... but to go out just to go out didn't seem like a good idea to me. I'm not going to try to say that I am not an overly cautious first-time mommy... but to be honest, that's because I am okay with being one. However, I also know that there comes a time when I just have to realize that babies aren't born in plastic bubbles for a reason... they do deserve to get out of the same apartment with the same crazy mom and go somewhere just as much as the crazy mom deserves it.
Sooooo since Madelyn is about six weeks old and a little more sturdy (for lack of a better word) I decided to go to a Farewell get together for one of my fellow English teachers. Our school is really losing an AMAZING woman because she is hands down one of the best teachers that I have had the pleasure to see in action! Alicia had been so supportive of me through my first year at Southern, and through my entire pregnancy. The last thing I wanted was for her to leave and me never get the chance to say goodbye in person. I was EXTREMELY nervous about going out alone with Madelyn though, especially because lately she seems to be cranky non-stop. The last thing I wanted was to show up and have a screaming baby the entire time. So here's how the day went:
Last night was HORRIBLE and I slept for a grand total of 45 minutes. Madelyn's daddy seemed to think his computer game was necessary last night, so I had a screaming baby for pretty much the entire night. This morning, I was up with Madelyn at 5:30. I fed her a bottle and prepared for the screaming to resume... I was pleasantly surprised when she fell asleep around 6:30 in her swing. I didn't want to risk moving her for fear of screaming, so I slept on the couch. She did not wake up until 9:30 and I was incredibly happy! Three full hours of sleep! That is more consecutive sleep than I have gotten in four days because of her crankiness!! So I changed her, played with her, then fed her a bottle. I was pleasantly surprised yet again when Madelyn fell asleep around 10:45 and slept until 2:30! I actually had time to shower, do a load of laundry, wash bottles, and do some work for Yearbook online!! Heck, I even put together a semi-decent outfit to wear to the Farewell party! When she did wake up at 2:30, she was changed and fed. She was content and hanging out while I changed, packed up her diaper bag, and put her into her adorable party dress (I had purchased it from Babies R Us just for this occasion - don't worry, it was on sale). I wrapped her up in a fleece blankie, grabbed the diaper bag, and we were out the door.
When I got to the car and went to put Madelyn in her car seat, I discovered that the harness straps were waaaay too tight. The last time she had ridden in the car, she was still tiny and didn't have on a bulky winter dress. I messed around with the car seat for a while before I got frustrated because I couldn't figure out how to adjust the straps to make them longer - Britax is a wonderfully safe brand to use for a car seat, but a pain in the ass to adjust. Madelyn was screaming at this point because her incompetant mother couldn't get her into her seat! Finally, I broke down and called my sister for help - no answer. I called my mom, and she helped me out... FYI: the little lever you have to pull up is hidden behind the fabric and almost impossible to feel blind! Anyway, I got Madelyn into the car seat and she was still screaming. Thankfully, once the car started moving, she calmed down instantly. She doesn't fall asleep in the car, but she calms down and likes to look around.
The party was only a few minutes away from our apartment, which was a big selling point to get me to go. Sue, the host, was kind enough to clear a spot for me in her driveway incase I did come with Madelyn. In downtown, having a driveway in the first place is amazing - so for her to clear me a spot was really thoughtful. We arrived at 3:45, even though the party was scheduled to start at 4:00. I hadn't imagined getting out of the apartment with Madelyn would be as quick as it had been. When Sue answered the door, her face lit up to see that I had come with Madelyn. I apologized for being early, but she didn't mind at all. It gave her a chance to hold Madelyn before guests arrived. Sue was my mentor and just an outstanding woman, so I was very excited to see her enjoying Madelyn's company. Once guests arrived, she gave Madelyn back to me and I was holding her as all the other teachers showed up and said how cute Madelyn is. Another reason I didn't mind taking Madelyn to the party was because it was all adults - and nobody was sick. The only other teachers who held Madelyn were Alicia and Andi. I didn't say no to anyone - but I think I gave off a vibe of not really wanting everyone to be all touchy-feely with her. I stayed long enough to see everyone briefly and Madelyn was PERFECT!! I was so glad to have my little angel back for the day - as opposed to the little difficult girl I had been dealing with for days. She slept through most of the party, but when she was awake, she was content. I left early because I didn't want to push my luck and because she would more than likely want a bottle soon. I didn't feel like feeding her in front of all the people. Getting her into the car from the party was a lot easier this time, since the straps were correctly adjusted.
We drove home, she fussed as I changed her into PJs and changed her diaper and then she only ate 3oz... which means it will probably be another looooong night of her wanting to eat 2-3oz every 2-3 hours as opposed to her 4-5oz every 4-5 hours. *sigh* John worked noon to midnight today, and has to be at work at 7:45am tomorrow, which means it's going to be along ridiculous, sleepless night for me.
But hey, at least I had a nice day!!
Okay, so starting with today...
Today was the first day that I ventured out of the apartment alone with Madelyn. Up until this point, John had always gone with us and it had pretty much only been to doctor appointments. Call me overprotective (everyone else does) but I just didn't see the point in taking a newborn baby out in winter weather unless there was a NEED to do so. It would be one thing if there was an event that I didn't want to miss or if there was an important errand to run... but to go out just to go out didn't seem like a good idea to me. I'm not going to try to say that I am not an overly cautious first-time mommy... but to be honest, that's because I am okay with being one. However, I also know that there comes a time when I just have to realize that babies aren't born in plastic bubbles for a reason... they do deserve to get out of the same apartment with the same crazy mom and go somewhere just as much as the crazy mom deserves it.
Sooooo since Madelyn is about six weeks old and a little more sturdy (for lack of a better word) I decided to go to a Farewell get together for one of my fellow English teachers. Our school is really losing an AMAZING woman because she is hands down one of the best teachers that I have had the pleasure to see in action! Alicia had been so supportive of me through my first year at Southern, and through my entire pregnancy. The last thing I wanted was for her to leave and me never get the chance to say goodbye in person. I was EXTREMELY nervous about going out alone with Madelyn though, especially because lately she seems to be cranky non-stop. The last thing I wanted was to show up and have a screaming baby the entire time. So here's how the day went:
Last night was HORRIBLE and I slept for a grand total of 45 minutes. Madelyn's daddy seemed to think his computer game was necessary last night, so I had a screaming baby for pretty much the entire night. This morning, I was up with Madelyn at 5:30. I fed her a bottle and prepared for the screaming to resume... I was pleasantly surprised when she fell asleep around 6:30 in her swing. I didn't want to risk moving her for fear of screaming, so I slept on the couch. She did not wake up until 9:30 and I was incredibly happy! Three full hours of sleep! That is more consecutive sleep than I have gotten in four days because of her crankiness!! So I changed her, played with her, then fed her a bottle. I was pleasantly surprised yet again when Madelyn fell asleep around 10:45 and slept until 2:30! I actually had time to shower, do a load of laundry, wash bottles, and do some work for Yearbook online!! Heck, I even put together a semi-decent outfit to wear to the Farewell party! When she did wake up at 2:30, she was changed and fed. She was content and hanging out while I changed, packed up her diaper bag, and put her into her adorable party dress (I had purchased it from Babies R Us just for this occasion - don't worry, it was on sale). I wrapped her up in a fleece blankie, grabbed the diaper bag, and we were out the door.
When I got to the car and went to put Madelyn in her car seat, I discovered that the harness straps were waaaay too tight. The last time she had ridden in the car, she was still tiny and didn't have on a bulky winter dress. I messed around with the car seat for a while before I got frustrated because I couldn't figure out how to adjust the straps to make them longer - Britax is a wonderfully safe brand to use for a car seat, but a pain in the ass to adjust. Madelyn was screaming at this point because her incompetant mother couldn't get her into her seat! Finally, I broke down and called my sister for help - no answer. I called my mom, and she helped me out... FYI: the little lever you have to pull up is hidden behind the fabric and almost impossible to feel blind! Anyway, I got Madelyn into the car seat and she was still screaming. Thankfully, once the car started moving, she calmed down instantly. She doesn't fall asleep in the car, but she calms down and likes to look around.
The party was only a few minutes away from our apartment, which was a big selling point to get me to go. Sue, the host, was kind enough to clear a spot for me in her driveway incase I did come with Madelyn. In downtown, having a driveway in the first place is amazing - so for her to clear me a spot was really thoughtful. We arrived at 3:45, even though the party was scheduled to start at 4:00. I hadn't imagined getting out of the apartment with Madelyn would be as quick as it had been. When Sue answered the door, her face lit up to see that I had come with Madelyn. I apologized for being early, but she didn't mind at all. It gave her a chance to hold Madelyn before guests arrived. Sue was my mentor and just an outstanding woman, so I was very excited to see her enjoying Madelyn's company. Once guests arrived, she gave Madelyn back to me and I was holding her as all the other teachers showed up and said how cute Madelyn is. Another reason I didn't mind taking Madelyn to the party was because it was all adults - and nobody was sick. The only other teachers who held Madelyn were Alicia and Andi. I didn't say no to anyone - but I think I gave off a vibe of not really wanting everyone to be all touchy-feely with her. I stayed long enough to see everyone briefly and Madelyn was PERFECT!! I was so glad to have my little angel back for the day - as opposed to the little difficult girl I had been dealing with for days. She slept through most of the party, but when she was awake, she was content. I left early because I didn't want to push my luck and because she would more than likely want a bottle soon. I didn't feel like feeding her in front of all the people. Getting her into the car from the party was a lot easier this time, since the straps were correctly adjusted.
We drove home, she fussed as I changed her into PJs and changed her diaper and then she only ate 3oz... which means it will probably be another looooong night of her wanting to eat 2-3oz every 2-3 hours as opposed to her 4-5oz every 4-5 hours. *sigh* John worked noon to midnight today, and has to be at work at 7:45am tomorrow, which means it's going to be along ridiculous, sleepless night for me.
But hey, at least I had a nice day!!
Okay, if you made it this far in my rambling, you at least deserve some pictures... that I am clearly adding to the top of this post since I can't seem to get them at the bottom (April - don't laugh at me)
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