My Gym

Madison and I went to check out My Gym yesterday. What fun we had!

We sang and danced and stretched and massaged and worked on balance and did story time with puppets and played in swings...she LOVES the swings.

For showing up we get the next month free!! VERY COOL! We had a blast and can't wait til next week.

There were babies that had been coming since they were itty bitty and are now only 2.5 - 3 months old and WOW they were right there with Madison rolling over and pushing up...I was impressed. Madison has been rolling over and getting "atta" girls on her overacheiving since her first 4 week checkup with the PED so I'm happy happy...at the beginning the PED said WOW she is strong, she's gonna be moving fast on her baby checklist and she hasn't disappointed yet! It was nice to see the progress at such a young age for these other little babies, that they do learn and grow with these classes. :)

So we went to the park by our house when the sun wasn't so bright and went on the real swings which are WAY too big for her but she was safe and loved it anyway!

Jumping Tree Trunks

New Years Resolution Update

The last two days were days where keeping my resolution of smiling contagiously was hard to do. Determination got me through the first day cause Jeff had a rough day too so I kept my smile on for him, the second day was really tough but we did smile and laugh a few times at night with Madison. The resolution was not broken but I could've done better at staying a bit more positive and not letting the day care, news I am not even getting an interview for the job that was PERFECT and granny situations pull me down.

Here's to a much brighter day!! I've already ran, worked out and am enjoying a wonderful cup of coffee at home with my sweetie pie and hubby. Here's to a fantabulous day of positive news, smiles and laughter..CHEERS!

Day Care Drama Part 2

Did I mention the ratio in California is 4 to 1. ROUGH!! I closed my eyes and imagined having 4 Madison's to care for and I realized that it would be nearly impossible to care for each of them properly all at the same time. You must have some sort of special power in you to manage 4 infants at one time, that is NUTS!

Madison did all the work at the day care facilities cause momma needed help. :)

Since hunting day care is such serious business she was so worn out..she slept for 3 plus hours on her tummy time mat...yes on the floor, no music, no patting, just WORN OUT!

Daycare Drama...

WARNING! This will not be clever, funny or sweet. Just pouring out some thoughts.

Today we interviewed daycare facilities or "child care learning facilities". They weren't awful, they weren't great, they were ok. I liked one better than the other and luckily daddy got to see that one with us. Madison was great, she really had her game face on today. Smiles galore, stories were abundant and then she calmingly went to sleep on daddy while we were doing final discussions and just chatting about being pregnant, etc.

During the first facility I cried. During the second facility I wanted to just turn and walk away. This is all just a bit overwhelming. No one tells you about this drama you must endure at some point if you are going to be a working mom. No one tells you that you will feel like your soul is being pulled from your heart when thinking about someone else watching your child take their first step or sit up on their own unassisted and you missed it. UGH..I can't even type without tears. I think deplorable might be a good descriptive, cause it is unfortunate.

Talking with girlfriends just makes it that much more evident that tears will be abundant and I will "LOSE IT FOR WEEKS." Awesome!

One girlfriend walked in, lost it and her husband said...we will just eat bologna its ok. haha!

The other decided to go back to grad school onlineat night just to keep from having to put her child in day care. Too funny! Well atleast she is knocking out two birds with one stone.

I guess I feel now what Jeff might feel later (when boys are coming around). That no one is good enough for my daughter. That no one can possibly care for her as much as I do and that my world will collapse if anything should happen to her in someone elses care.

I've cried, stressed, felt nauseated and gross all day. If Jeff hadn't of shown up at Tutor Time today I think I might have never made through the front doors. I have never been more uncomfortable in my life. It was a VERY tough day for this momma.

Cheers to more of those kind of days coming our way. :(

Madison is

1. 4.5 months old
2. a drool machine
3. a 24/7 smiling queen
4. my little bugger boo
5. my little sugar pie
6. her daddies snuggle bug
7. a rolling pin (over and over she goes)
8. a bum shuffler..forward motion..head on ground, butt in the air and PUSH
9. a people person
10. finally falling asleep on her back ON HER OWN!
11. growing by leaps and bounds
12. gassy a lot
13. a precious little angel
14. a master at hand to mouth coordination, no matter wants in her hand
15. loving her high chair
16. dominate with her left hand
17. a chubby monkey
18. a blue eyed beauty
19. an all night sleeper, sometimes
20. the light of my life

The Heebie Jeebies

I'm finding that my trust in the daycare establishments or the at home care facilities is very very low. Just researching them online makes my insides churn. I'll be visiting them soon, meeting with the facilities owners and some folks I've met through church, this is inevitable.

I know deep down everything will be ok and that other kids go to daycare from 6 weeks old on through Pre-k and they are there full time M-F 7am to close. UGH NO WAY could I do this. I would have to find a nanny here at the house or a really good friend that I trust more than a packed day care facility. I don't know. All this is just so damn scary!

We are very lucky that I will need only part time care as of now and we have Nana and Papa who are so wonderful to let us bring her over on those random work days I get right now. Thank the lord Jeff has wonderful parents that are involved in Madison's world. I don't know what I have done some of those days when she was much younger and I REALLY wasn't going to put my child in someone's hands (except close family and Jeff's of course).

Tears fill my eyes as I type and think about how uncomfortable it all makes me but this is only one major step I must overcome as a new mom to create fulfillment in her life as well as that of the entire family.

Baby steps, trust my gut (its always right), and put it in gods hands that she will be loved and safe....knowing it will all be ok if I follow these guidelines, I still get the Heebie Jeebies thinking about it.

Passed out Princess

So today I put Madison in the crib cause holding and patting her wasn't helping. I layed her down and turned on her new 2 in 1 projection mobile with the music and the projection. She likes it so it usually stimulates her enough to make her tired so I thought just give it a few minutes and then pick her up and try again.

SURPRISE!!! I look over and she's sound asleep. YIPPEE! YAY! she's flat on her back and PASSED OUT! Such a great feeling!!

Wii

Jeff was surprised with a Wii from me for Christmas. Then he got the wii fit from his brother Joe and Rosalie. VERY COOL!!

Jeff and I are very competitive so we have a lot of fun with this. So in addition to the gym we are doing wii fit regularly. Its great cause not always with his schedule can he make it to the gym or let me go. And some of the exercises really get you working up a sweat and you have a blast doing it!

After almost a week out of the gym I went back yesterday for a brief run and some weights. Ran an 11 min mile even after walking the first part to get my knee ready (which has been causing me MUCH pain lately) and a good leg workout.

The statement "Babe, your legs are skinny and your butt is getting smaller." is the perfect statement to get me motivated. Thanks babe you know me well. I am proud of my musculare legs and my bubble butt...they took years to get and tons of work to maintain. So here we go again! :)

We've both dropped a couple pounds without even really trying..very cool!

Here's to a verwii fit year.

Proud

So proud of my big girl. She is doing great with the crib sleeps. She is taking almost all of her naps in her crib, unfortunately these naps are much shorter than if she was on mommy but it just means she takes a few more right now and is a lot crankier mid-day. Twice in the 3 days she's been sleeping in her crib she has had a breakdown and all of them are in parking lot locations. Poor girl. But then she crashes and I mean CRASHES... in and out of the car seat, into the house and down into the crib without a peep!

Yesterday she took 3 naps in her crib each 30 minutes (the norm) and one 45 minute nap!! So hopefully she's getting comfortable in there. I did let her crash on mommy once yesterday and it too was only about 30 minutes.

She no longer freaks out when you put her in the crib, the timing doesn't have to be perfect anymore but close. For the most part she needs to be asleep, if you put her in awake then you get to wait about an hour before she needs a few pats on the bottom to put her out. Some times she does it all herself..its all in the timing or the mood I guess.

She now has a projection mobile with sounds and music that she can look up at. She loves it...the first night it was all to exciting so we went back to the seahorse. We keep a floor fan on in the room at all sleep times, the white noise is great for blocking out our noises, the tv (which is right under her bed), and the dogs. She has started to talk to us at the brink of sleepy time and you would think she was wide awake but its her way of winding down I guess.

Night time bed time has been extended to a bit later when she's really ready. She sleeps about 3 hours straight the first stretch and then goes to bed with me. Next week she will get put back down in the crib. I stay in the room with her per the method we have chosen. It is good for us and for her. She still has mommy right there to soothe her and help her feel more comfortable in her new environment so before she reaches the cry mode she is soothed and back to sleep. I have decided to try all new things during nap time and then ease them to night time sleep. She can handle changes during the day although she might not like them, but nighttime is too sensitive for ultra crankiness to try and introduce new things.

Her startle reflex is easing but I think it still keeps her from sleeping longer stretches. We got a woombie (thanks Melissa for sharing this product with us). Madison hates it, but I'm going to try a tip from Melissa and put it on her when she's already asleep. Not sure if this will work cause she wakes up so easily but I'll give it a try later today or this weekend and see. If not oh well she'll figure it out.

No matter the little obstacles we still have in this department I am so proud of our little girl. She has exceeded my expectations with taking to her crib naps and actually sleeping in it at night. I expected major drama and big tears but I have been pleasantly surprised. She is such a great baby and such a joy. We couldn't be luckier or more proud.

Crib Sleep first attempt

She lasted longer than expected...about an hour. :) She didn't wake up fussy but she broke the swaddle. About 15 minutes later she and I were trying to get her back to sleep but she just wanted to play again, at the risk of it taking another 1.5 hours. I picked her up and went to bed..she concked out for the rest of the night.

My goal was to see what happened, to see if she could actually just fall asleep on her own in her crib (on her own meaning not in our arms).

I was very happy and surprised even that the goal was met. YAY!

Here is proof.

Cribside Blog

I'm currently sitting cribside in the glider...minus a baby in my arms...cause she (drumroll please) is asleep in her crib!!!

I didn't actually think it would happen, but here I am watching my baby girl sleeping so peacefully in her crib.

It wasn't magic, but patience and patting.

She was doing her usual sleep signs and so upstairs we went. I fed her and when she was ALMOST asleep I put her in her crib. An like always..BAM! eyes open, huge smile! This is a norm for me when attempting to put her in her crib. So I decided to ride it out. She played and talked and sucked on her hands for 1.5 hours. I was about to give up and I noticed her "heavy eyes". So I inserted pacifier, held her punching arm and patted her bottom and away she went. This lasted 10 minutes, she self-soothed and went back to sleep only to wake up within minutes due to her startle reflex...so I swaddled, inserted pacifier and patted. She's OUT!

I'll be staying right here in the glider watching her sleep or gliding myself to sleep...whichever. I'm so thrilled right now I had to blog immediately from my phone so please disregard typos and run on sentences! This is a insta-blog from one HAPPY MOMMY!!

2011

My new years resolutions have always been a bit odd..like this year I will learn to ride a skateboard (2008), etc, etc. I try to do things I've never done OR come up with something that will actually last all year and is an improvement to my soul.

This year its one that seems simple, but challenges take place, stresses come about so my resolution this year is to Laugh abundantly, smile constantly and make so many new wrinkles that my anti-aging creams will become my best friend.

I want 2011 to be happy, joyous and full of CONTAGIOUS SMILES!!

Heres to a magical 2011!!!