All in the Wrist

A post on my Sister-in-Law's blog reminded me how much I love the 1954 Audrey Hepburn version of "Sabrina."

Any time I have a hard day, all I have to do is watch this scene and it gets me smiling:



Oh, if I could crack eggs like that.

I watched this once with my Grandpa, the summer I lived with them before starting college. He wouldn't admit it, but Grandma told me it's one of his favorite movies. That's the first time I realized he's a big sweet softie on the inside.

I think of him every time I see it.

I've never been a big movie buff (Micah can vouch for that!), but there are some that I enjoy simply because they remind me of memories and people I love. Like watching "Mystery Science Theater 3000" and "The Shadow" with my brothers. Or blubbering over "Stepmom" with my mom. Micah actually took me to see "Jonah, a Veggie Tales Movie" on a date in high school, and now that silly movie is dear to me, too.

A new favorite: Horton Hears a Who. We watched it one of the first nights Maddi was home with us, and it will forever remind me of her. :)

Much Better!

For the last few days, Maddi hasn't been able to keep much down when she eats. I don't mean cute little dribbles of spit up, I mean spewing. Everywhere. Ounces at a time. Poor thing- she couldn't eat, couldn't sleep, and just screamed her little voice hoarse. It broke my heart. I almost cried as much as she did.

So we took her into Urgent Care last night.
Good News: Still gaining weight. 1 ounce shy of 7 pounds!
Bad News: Acid reflux
Good News: Easy fix with a prescription of Zantac

Less than a milliliter of these wonderful little drops, and we have our sweet, happy, calm baby back. She was finally able to eat well- no spewing, no gagging, no coughing, no screaming- and is now sleeping peacefully.

Hooray for modern medicine!

continued...

Five sets of clothes (both of us), four blankets, and one couch slipcover. Thank goodness we have a washer and dryer in our apartment.

Never Ending Laundry

By 10:30 this morning, Madison and I had both gone through three sets of clothes (not to mention two blankets and seven diapers). That's a new record for us.

This mom stuff is hard sometimes.
Sometimes, I love it-
But sometimes, I'm really overwhelmed.

Advice? :)

Tipping the Scales

We took Madison to her first Well-Baby appointment on Monday, and she is now a whopping 6 lbs, and 19 inches long.

Still tiny, but growing- and very very healthy!

New Years Baby

We didn't sleep on New Year's Eve. And not because we were celebrating the new year...

We were celebrating our new family.

We got to bring Madison home from the hospital last Wednesday (New Year's Eve), and we are so excited to have her here with us!

The last week has been a blur for me- kind of like one long day where I sleep (if at all) in two or three hour shifts and spend the rest of my time in a cycle of feeding, changing, and loving our sweet little girl. It's hard being in a perpetual state of utter exhaustion, but we are slowly figuring out Maddi's schedule (right now it's sleep all day and be awake all night) and adjusting. I feel less and less like a zombie every day- thanks to so many generous neighbors and friends; my awesome family; and a wonderful, helpful and supportive husband!

Getting her here was quite the adventure, but I am absolutely amazed at how healthy and strong Madison has been, from the very beginning. Despite the toxemia which slowed her growth at 35 weeks, the medication I was on during labor which could have affected her lungs and heart, and many other things which could have gone wrong because of her being premature, Maddi is pretty much perfect in every way. The nurses in the Special Care Nursery called her "a fighter," and were impressed that she never had to be on oxygen like most babies born under similar circumstances. We are so grateful and so blessed to have a beautiful daughter who is so healthy!

Thank you again for all your support, love, gifts, meals, and prayers. We have felt overwhelmed with gratitude (to the point of tears, both of us!) for all that our friends and family have done for us these past few weeks. We hope to thank each of you individually, but in case that takes a while, please know how much we love and appreciate you all!!!