So, at the request of Madison's "Mimi" (Danny's mom), I'm trying my hand at a blog to keep friends and family updated on the little one. I'll try to keep posts short and sweet but this first one will be longer since little Maddie is 17 days old at this point and every day with her seems to bring a new adventure! Guess I'll start from the beginning...
At 39.5 weeks, my doctor decided to induce my labor since the level of amniotic fluid was low. At that point I was mostly effaced but had not dilated at all yet, so I was fearful that this would mean a long labor (I've heard a lot of horror stories when it comes to being induced). Madison had been riding very low for many weeks, making the last bit of the pregnancy pretty uncomfortable, but it turned out to be a blessing! Sweet baby girl was kind enough to pop right on out after a short labor and only 20 minutes of pushing!! So, thanks to her being low (and fairly small) and a good epidural, labor was not as bad as I expected. I know this may make some people jealous but all you ever hear about are the horror stories of labor. I have many friends and family members that are nearing their own due dates and I want it to be known that it may not be that bad after all!!
Madison Avery was born 6/16/10 @ 2:36pm, weighing 6lb 7oz and 18.5 in long
And left the hospital weighing 5lb 15oz
The first night actually went better than expected! Our plan has been to get her used to her crib from day 1 (as opposed to having a bassinet in the bedroom), mainly because I worry about the animals bothering her while we sleep and also because I'm such a light sleeper. She slept okay in her crib that first night, waking up every 1.5hrs or so to eat and/or have her diaper changed. Since then, it's been hit or miss with the crib at night. We have some good nights but when all else fails and it's 3am and we are exhausted we sometimes end up sleeping on the couch with her in her bouncy chair that she LOVES or, worst case scenario, she's slept in our arms a few times. She just loves to cuddle :) We call this "cuddle-bug mode" - her favorite so far!!
That first weekend was a big one for our sweet pea. She had a lot of visitors! We feel really lucky to have such amazing family and friends!!! Madison was still at the point where slept ALL day when everyone saw her that weekend, so hopefully she can see everyone again soon now that she's awake more. She went on her first little "walk" in her stroller (with the car seat attachment). It was pretty hot and I was still in some pain from delivery, so it ended up just being a quick stroll down our street. She slept right through it all, of course!
She also got her first sponge bath that weekend. She was NOT a fan! But she sure did look cute!!
We were worried, but the animals have all adjusted pretty well to their new little sister. I think Bismarck is especially fond of her. He looks at her like a dog would look (lovingly) at his litter of puppies and initially he whimpered when she cried - so cute! Dashall seems to have calmed down a bit. He isn't as focused on her as Bismarck but when he does try to lick her, he does it VERY delicately! This is a dog that is an aggressive licker with people so I was pleasantly surprised by his restraint with her. I think they will both end up being very protective of her. They say animals have instincts when it comes to this and so far it seems to be true! The cats aren't really interested in her - Tiger has only expressed interest in her Pack N Play (which was subsequently put up).
Week 2: Madison has been much more alert - making eye contact and staying awake a bit more during the day (and sometimes at night, unfortunately). She seems to like her play mat now and we're doing more "tummy time."
We've also moved on to real baths (in the whale tub). She doesn't love it yet but she does seem to like it more than the sponge baths. I think she likes the water but not the soaping up part...
Also during week 2, we've taken her to several of our favorite restaurants. Now is a great time to take her out since she just sleeps through it all. We've done a few public bottle feedings and diaper changes and she's done really well so far! We had an especially eventful day earlier this week...we have been thinking about trading in my Nissan Rogue for something larger for a while now and when we had to take Bismarck to the vet a few days after bringing Maddie home we realized just how small the Rogue really is when we couldn't fit our smallest dog and smallest stroller in the back! The Rogue has been great but we quickly realized it wasn't big enough for any sort of out of town excursion when the time comes. I had been considering the GMC Acadia for a while now and was able to get a really good deal (basically same payment as my Rogue) since one of my Dad's good friends owns a dealership. So, Maddie has already had her first car buying experience. On the way home from the dealership she had a massive poopy diaper and decided it was time to eat so we had to pull in to a parking lot, change her diaper on my lap, and feed her before getting back on the road. And, on top of that, my poor hubby got dehydrated which led to a migraine and he ended up throwing up - thankfully I had a plastic bag in the car. So, we Werlinger's sure know how to break in the family vehicle!! This all happened literally within an hour of leaving the dealership, lol!
We also had her 2 week well-baby visit. She now weighs 6lb 11oz! She had to get another heel prick, which she handled very well. Everything is looking good so far. She'll go back for another check-up at 2 mos.
So, all-in-all, it's been a great 2.5 weeks with our little girl. Exhausting at times? Yes! But, totally worth it :) It's been a lot of fun! It's amazing what things you find entertaining as a parent...the most hilarious moments seem to involve bowel movements! She makes hilarious faces when she's trying to poop and the books don't lie when they say babies make some loud noises from below!! We had our first massive blow-out poopy diaper this morning (where it went all over her and us) and you can't help but laugh about it, even though it's totally gross! We were just happy that she seemed so relieved :)
Well, sorry for the long post but I will update this blog more often now so posts will be shorter. Until next time, here's the closest pic I have to her smiling...
Love,
The Werlinger's
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