Adjusting to life with Maddie

Madelyn is two weeks old today. I forgot how much babies sleep at this stage. She's awake for only a few hours each day.  She's much more mellow than Oliver was. I'm praying she'll stay that way! So far Oliver has adjusted to her well. One thing he does which he shouldn't, however, is snatch her hat or headband off her head.  He kisses her a lot and he lends her his little pillow that he sleeps with. He also likes bringing her a blanket to hold onto, since he knows how important it is to drag around his own blanket all day. As for Brian and me, it's back to sleepless nights. But I can't complain because we wake up fewer times than we did with Oliver.  Brian is an awesome husband and dad and helps with the 1:00 am feedings.  :)))  Okay, when I look at these photos, I have to say it's worth it!

Not sleeping!

My mom has been so helpful!  There's no way I would have been able to recover this well without her.  She cooks, cleans, does laundry, bathes both kids, changes diapers, entertains Oli, holds Madelyn every chance she gets, and won't let me carry anything that might be too heavy.  Reality is going to hit me pretty hard in a few weeks!

Oliver NEVER liked his pacifier when he was a baby.  He didn't like his bouncy chair either.  Well... I guess you could say, he has been regressing a little.

But really, he is such a big boy now. His latest hobby is drawing with sidewalk chalk.  He is so proud of all the things he draws.

His favorite chalk color is white, or as he says it, "fwight".

We're home!

We're finally home! I gave birth on Thursday night and didn't come home until Monday evening. I had a C-section because Madelyn was in a breech position. Sunday morning I got discharged but Madelyn's jaundice was at a level that needed photo-therapy, so we had to stay an extra night.  It's been a tough few days of recovery but I couldn't be more in love with her.  Here are a few pics of the last couple of days.

Proud Daddy

About 30 hours of Photo-Therapy to reduce jaundice.

Almost like sunbathing.

Daddy taking advantage of Oli's nap

Big Bro, Little Sis

Happy Daddy

Proud Grandma

Madelyn Elsie Hayden

Madelyn Elsie Hayden was born on Thursday, May 13th, 2010 at 5:47pm.  She weighed in at 5 pounds, 9 ounces (Oliver was only 5 pounds 3 ounces), and measured 18 and 3/4 inches long.  She is healthy and has quite an appetite.  Glenda was very strong and brave, and is doing very well.  Oliver is very excited about his little sister!  Here are a few pictures:

Saying Good Bye

It was very emotional for me to leave Oli for days to go to the hospital.  I was dreading that moment.  The only thing that comforted me was knowing he was in good hands with my mom.  But that didn't stop my tears :(

This was right before I got in the car.

The evening before I gave birth we went for one last walk around the neighborhood and ate popsicles. 

Last photo of the belly, 39 weeks.

Move in Progress...

We're moving in 2 days and I'm due in 3 weeks!  I've been having a lot of Braxton Hicks contractions, which is the main reason why I've been good about staying off my feet; I need baby girl to wait a few more days! Brian has packed almost the entire place. Oliver has been having fun with the boxes.  He climbs on everything.  We'll post an update when we're all settled or when baby decides to arrive, whichever comes first. :)

One more month to go...

Just one more month to go!  We've got lots of stuff going on!  

Oli is getting ready to be a big brother. Everyday we talk about his little sister.  He touches my belly, then runs to the fridge, points to her sonogram, and says "sis."  I'm so excited for them to meet!

Friends of mine threw a shower for our little girl this past Saturday. They chose such adorable little clothes!  It makes the idea of having a little girl more real!   

That, and we're excited about moving into this house! Yes, more space.  :))))

Baby Girl Update - 34 Weeks

We can't wait to meet our baby girl! Only 6 more weeks - or so we think. She's the boss when it comes to timing. :) Below are three recent sonograms. By the way, we've decided to keep her name a surprise.  Some of you might remember, early on we had chosen "Sydney," but we changed our minds. :)

                  

 4D shot of her face; the umbilical cord is blocking her eyes.

 Oh my, she's got a big foot!

 If you look carefully, 

you'll see she's laying on her left side, facing you. 

Sunday afternoon - male bonding

Brian has been learning to play the guitar for a few months and Oliver loves to watch him and get involved :) While Brian was practicing this afternoon, I got a few shots of the boys bonding.

Have I mentioned Oli has a silly side?  Lately, he thinks it's funny to wear Mr. Potato Head's glasses and cracks himself up.

Silly guys

Springtime in Tallahassee

Spring is in the air!  On Saturday we did as much as we could to enjoy the beautiful weather. First we went to the Springtime Tallahassee parade, then we had a picnic in the park. After we got home and rested for a bit, we went for a walk around our neighborhood.  We couldn't get enough of the sun :)

(Just 8 more weeks to go...)

Even though Oli doesn't like giving kisses, he never refuses to kiss his little sister. (I hope this continues after she's born.)

21 Months Old

Oliver's getting early training for gymnastics. Ninja training starts soon. :)))

Mini Update

I'm almost 30 weeks pregnant and feeling exhausted and it's been so cold that we haven't been doing too many exciting things lately. But this week is finally feeling warmer and we're so excited to be able to get out more.

We visited my parents a few weekends ago and got to see my brother & family from NY. Oliver had fun playing with his cousin Kyla.

Appreciating the present

I can't believe we're going to have another baby in a few months! It's so exciting, but at the same time I really want to appreciate the present before my time alone with Oli comes to an end. Lately I've been cuddling with him more, staring at him, and appreciating what a special little person he is.

Maybe it's the pregnancy hormones but I've been feeling emotional about how blessed we are to be at this stage in life.

Waiting for our 2nd special little person.

Spending a lot of quality family time

(thanks to Brian's awesome job).

Having a healthy and happy little boy.

Who likes to wear his dad's shoes.

and who makes us laugh and melts our hearts everyday.

Little climber

As a parent you're so impressed with every new little thing your child does. We think it's pretty impressive that Oli climbs this ladder on his own! By the way I love how he makes sure his milk comes with him.

The blue chair

My friend Celeste gave Oliver this blue chair and he loves it. He decided this was the spot for his chair. When I put it away in his room he brought it back out and placed it on the same spot. He doesn't want it anywhere else but in this specific spot. I've noticed he is a little bit OCD at times. Hmm, I wonder who he gets that from?

He's back to his happy, silly self and still recovering from the infection.

Ear Infection

I'm hoping to print this blog into a book one day so some of the things I post are for my own journaling purposes; this is one of them. Oliver was getting over a cold recently but it ended in him getting his first ear infection. It was so bad that his eyes swelled up and he had green stuff coming out of them from all the drainage from his little head. I kept Oli away from friends, so no play dates. I didn't take him to his usual music class, story time, etc. because of the weather and I didn't want him to get other kids sick. Needless to say it's been a tough week.

Poor Oli

A very cold day

Believe it or not this is Florida. No leaves on the trees, 30 degrees this morning and it's supposed to be 17 degrees tonight. We're wearing 4 layers to keep warm, but I know our family and friends from up North don't really sympathize.

Our walk for this afternoon was to the mailbox and back home.

Oli & Elmo

There was this whole new world out there that I never knew about: Elmo's World. Up until a month ago Oliver enjoyed Baby Einstein and Baby Boost (nursery rhymes) and wasn't interested in any characters or cartoons. Now the only thing he wants to watch is Elmo. He laughs at everything Elmo has to say and loves to imitate whatever is going on in the video. I've tried playing his other videos but he won't stop saying Elmo's name until I play it for him. When he wakes up every morning the first thing he does is ask for milk and the second thing is get his two Elmo dolls from the toy basket. This afternoon he got upset at me because I threw his Elmos in the toy basket and didn't sit them on the couch next to him. The boy is Elmo's biggest fan.

He never wants to wear his shoes unless they're his Elmo slippers.