9 month update

I know she's almost 10 months but here are the stats from her 9 month check up (better late than never!) She is 70% in her head size, 80% in her height at 28.5 inches and 90% in weight at 22 lbs! Doc says she looks great! She has 3 teeth (2 bottom and one on top) and she loves to smile and show them off! Her hair is getting long now, so long that auntie Lyndsie put her hair in a cute front ponytail! She didn't seem to mind too much and I thought it was adorable!

She is crawling with conviction...she knows what she wants and how to get there! And when she isn't crawling she's cruising! Miss Madison is pulling herself up on anything and walking all around anything she can hold onto! She even lets go and hardly ever falls! Scary...we are going to have a walker on our hands before we even expect it.

She is on a great schedule, taking two 2-hour naps and sleeping 11.5 hours at night! A mother's dream!!! And it has helped her too...she has really been a happier baby with this much needed sleep. We still love our gymboree! Now we are in level 3 and we can go every day of the week! We have even had a few play dates that were tons of fun!

Everyday with this little girl has been simply amazing! I never imagined I could love something so much and be so happy to see a tiny little face everyday! Madison will make you smile with her smile, even on your worst day! She melts my heart!

Merry Christmas!

I know it has been a long time since my last post...sorry! We can’t believe that at this time last year we were announcing that we were pregnant and having a little girl. Now our beautiful Madison is 7 1/2 months old. Wow, how time flies! Our sweet little girl has given us a run for our money but I think we are headed for great things.

At her last check-up (about a month ago) she was 90th % in height at 27 inches and 90th % in weight at 19 pounds. Her acid reflux is virtually gone and we are all thankful for that. She has her two bottom front teeth in and her two top front teeth will be popping out any day…we can see them! She can sit and play and loves to bang things together. Her favorite thing to do is rub things across her mouth to make the “Indian call”…”Ah ba ba ba ba”. Madison is starting to attempt crawling…she gets up on her hands and knees and rocks back and forth. She is just starting to move forward!

Mommy and Madison go to Gymboree 4 times a week to play! Madison loves the big parachute and all the bubbles. Mommy has been making homemade baby food and really enjoys mealtime with Madie! It is very messy but lots of fun. Her favorites are papayas and avocado (we call it papayacado), sweet potatoes, and squash (aka squish-squash). Cheri is still “trying” to work as a substitute teacher but the work has been very slow. She misses being in the classroom and is hoping the work will pick up soon. Nolan is still working at Newport and is working harder than ever to support his family.

Please keep in touch! And we promise to do the same! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

4 Months...already???

Well...our little girl isn't so little anymore! She is in the 90th% for her height at 25 1/2 inches and 95th% of her weight at 16.4 lbs!!!!! I guess the meds and the formula are REALLY working now!!! She is on previcid 2x a day and she is now on Soy formula. The spitting up is still there, but ohhh, sooo much better! After she eats we put her in her chair for about an hour and it helps keep the food down. It's a little boring but at least she isn't barfing everywhere.

She "talks" a ton and now loves to blow raspberries...getting her face wet and yours if you are too close! She LOVES her feet and holds on to them whenever possible. She lets you know when she is excited...licking and waving her arms like she is trying to fly...I love it! We are still in gymboree, (three times a week because mommy loves to get out of the house!) Her new nickname is "Mad-Dog" because she punched a little girl in the eye during tummy time! The girl cried but was ok...we don't encourage this type of behaviour but at least we know she can defend herself...LOL!

3 month pictures!!!

Madie is 3 months old...wow time is FLYING!!! We have started Gymboree classes and we LOVE it! She looks at all the other babies and mommies and never me...I guess she gets to see me all day! She loves sitting up and looking around. She is reaching out and grabbing everything...especially my hair...OUCH! She is hilarious in the bath, kicking and splashing the water everywhere, making a huge mess. She is now talking up a storm! Sometimes it's soft and cute and sometimes it seems like she is yelling for attention. Her smile will melt your heart...she loves to smile! We are in a pretty good routine with her now!!! She sleeps about 10 hours at night and takes about 4 one-hour naps during the day. She loves her stroller and enjoys our morning walks. She is such a cutie pie...we just adore her!!!

Check out her 3 month pictures we had taken at Sears in the Cerritos Mall!!!

Acid Reflux Stinks!

Poor Madison has been having some trouble for quite some time now and we have finally figured it out! For the past 2 months she has been very fussy after she eats, screaming and crying. Sometimes she cries so hard that there are tears and farts!!! She was also throwing up a TON! sometimes she would cough or choke after she ate and she was throwing up in her sleep! We changed her formula and feeding schedule with no change so we finally took her to the doctor. They started her on Previcid for acid reflux, (to help ease the burning in her throat). After a week with no improvement the doctor suggested some tests. We had to take her in for an ultrasound on her stomach. They wanted to make sure her insides looked good and were working correctly...they were. So the doctor sent us to get an Upper GI test. It was awful! First they had her in this cold room with nothing on but a diaper. Then they strapped her tiny body to a piece of plexiglass, hands straight above her head! Since they were taking x-rays I couldn't stand by her, I had to go to the other side of the room and could only see her through a tiny window! They fed her some barium and moved her around and took pictures while she digested it. She was SCREAMING!!! We just cried together through the whole test! Come to find out it was a good thing we got the test done. Her food was staying up in her throat and chest, and having a hard time making it to her stomach (which is why she was barfing all day). They also discovered that she was aspirating her food...it was going from her throat into her airway (which is why she was coughing and choking all the time). They have now put her on a second med that she takes 3 times a day to help her get the food to her stomach and stay there. We have now been on both meds for about 2 weeks and we have seen a pretty good improvement! She barfs way less although she still screams after a bottle (still tears and farts too)! Doctor is having us stay on this for 3 more weeks before we try anything else...hopefully it will just keep getting better! It's so nice to only use 2 burp cloths a day instead of 10!!!

Ear piercing!!!

I debated and debated and finally decided to get Madison's ears pierced! She did great...only cried for about 2 minutes. My mom, Lyndsie, Cameron, Kerrington and my friend Maria were all there to help out! She looks so adorable with her bling! I think she looks so much older now.

Madison's 2 Month appointment

We just got back from Madison's 2 month doctor's appointment and the doctor said she is doing FANTASTIC! She is 9.5 LBS now (25%) and 23 1/2 IN (90%). I can't believe she has only gained one pound...she looks so much bigger, we thought for sure she would weigh more. The doctor also said that her head a and neck control is that of a 4 month old! Madison is on the "Baby Wise" schedule so she is eating every 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 hours and she is sleeping 9-10 hours at night!!! I still get up at every moan and groan but at least I don't have to get out of bed to feed in the middle of the night. The extra sleep has done wonders for me!

Her smile is infectious, just like her daddy's! She gets so excited in the morning when she hears my voice, you can see her looking around for me. When she finally finds me she has the biggest gin and chuckle, and now a few bubbles! She knows the sound of Velcro means the swaddle is coming off and she stretches like she forgot she had limbs! It is hilarious! She is loving her bath and has been kicking her feet in the water. She makes me smile all day long! I LOVE hanging out with her. She is really developing a fun little personality...although, she isn't afraid to SCREAM at you if you do something wrong or take too long to feed her! New pictures will be up soon!