{BABY} 2 Months of Madelyn

Madelyn Leigh Shotton 

Month #2 

{BABY} Madelyn's 2nd Month

Hello!  Wow, I cannot believe how fast the last month has flown by!  Madelyn (and all of us) have been very, very busy!  

{PETS}

She has been getting to know her furry brothers... 

Hanging out with Jackson

Sleeping with Reggie

Getting to know Mini Kitty

{FAMILY & FRIENDS}

She got to meet Grandma and Grandpa Shotton visiting from Kentucky!

 

Meeting BJ visiting from Salt Lake City and thanking him and his family for all of the baby stuff she uses ALL the time!!! {THANK YOU Johnson family so much - we MISS you guys!!!}

Meeting Sam and thanking her for fixing Daddy's hair!

Madelyn attended her first Miracle League game to see Uncle Jon get his trophy.  One day she will get to be his buddy!

We also had a very special visit from Aunt Carolyn from Indiana and her first Skype with her Portland cousins!

Madelyn also had her first "professional" photo shoot when Aunt Deena and Uncle Mark came to visit from Orange County, CA.

She also spent time with the Newf's and hosted her first Boxing Party!

Mike, Raquel and Madelyn

{ABOUT MADELYN} 

EATING

She eats a lot but still is little but very long - she fits into 3 month clothes in length but not in the belly!

SLEEPING

She is a very good sleeper - normally she will eat around 7:30 PM, then 11:30 PM and then sleeping until about 4-5 AM then eat and play until about 7:30 AM then sleep.  We both consider this great since Brad will take the 11:30 PM feeding so I can sleep from about 9:30 PM to 4:00 AM!  She is still in our room and does not like her crib but it is so much easier to have her sleep next to us at night.

LIKES

Overall, it was a great month! She is such a fun loving little person and brings a lot of happiness to everyone around her.  Everywhere we go with her people comment on her hair - every. single. person.   

Next up is a visit from Cindy and Mike!  

{BABY} Madelyn Leigh - 1 month

One month is in the books with Madelyn Leigh and she is truly a very special little girl!

Likes
Being Swaddled
Her bouncy chair
Sticking her butt up in the air
Eating (this is her most favorite thing in the world)
Sleeping
Snuggling on our chests
Her bath
The changing table - she gets soooo happy to be on the changing table!

The Texas Swaddle

Dislikes
Being buckled in her carseat
Being hungry
Getting dressed

Hungry Face

SLEEP
She sleeps for about 3 hours a time then wants to eat ASAP - in the hospital her nickname was Queen or Ms. Piggy and she had a reputation for needing to eat first then have a diaper change.  She still sleeps in our room mostly because I am not ready to move her just yet!

Lucky for us she sleeps through everything - the dogs barking, phones ringing, television, people talking!

FOOD
She eats every two to three hours about 2 ounces at a time and it is a mix of breastmilk and formula.

PERSONALITY
She loves to be held and talked to and will make a ton of funny faces and noises.  We love her "coo" face the most.  She is definitely her own person and will let us know when she is not happy with what she is doing.

HEALTH 

Today at the doctor she weighed 8 pounds, 12 ounces and measured 21 inches (at birth she was 7 pounds, 10 ounces and 20 inches).  Her breathing doctor said everything looked good and she is progressing right on schedule.  The next appointment with him is in July or August - which is great!

PETS
A lot of people were concerned about the dogs and the cat but so far everyone is co-existing great.  The dogs are mostly afraid of her and will come up and give a good sniff and walk away.  Reggie does like to give her kisses on her feet and occasionally on her face.  The cat likes to sit under her when she is on our laps but we always make sure he is outside at night when we sleep.

ACTIVITY 
We have ventured out to the grocery store, Target, Costco and a couple of our favorite restaurants that we went to when she was inside me.  So far, so good at AZ88 (on the patio), Four Peaks (in a booth) and Oregano's (on the patio).   Also, we have had guests over and she is in their arms the entire time! Until the end of May we will keep her away from any kid filled places to try and avoid her getting a respiratory infection.

AZ88

As for us, it is crazy to imagine our lives before she arrived.  We work as a team to make sure she is happy and that each of us is getting rest, a shower, food and work done.  Next up is a visit from Grandpa and Grandma Shotton then Great Aunt Carolyn!

{BABY} Madelyn Leigh Shotton

She made it!  On day 284 of the pregnancy at 11:53 PM on St. Patricks's Day - Madelyn Leigh Shotton made her debut!

On Monday we went to the doctor for an appointment at 3:30 pm and they told us that we would be checking in at midnight to the hospital to begin the process....what?  We were a little surprised but we were ready to get the show on the road!

In order to get things moving, the doctor started a process that led to me having contractions at home around 7:30 pm and by the time we left for the hospital at 11:30 pm I really thought I was going to have the baby ASAP.

Once at the hospital I was admitted and given an epidural.  That was my saving grace - I have never been in so much pain in my life - I was contracting every two minutes and could not see straight.  After the epidural I was just fine!  However, nothing was happening, a lot of contractions but the baby was not making any progress.   So, after over 20 hours of waiting on the baby to move down (which she never did) our doctor decided it was time for a C-Section (we had also broken my water, tried stretching, etc).  This was at 10:30 PM... my doctor arrived at 11:00 PM and realizing it was an hour until the end of St. Patrick's Day wanted us and the OR to deliver a St Patty's Day baby.  Believe  me when I say this, if our doctor wants something done - it happens!

After a LARGE dose of more epidural medicine for me the process began at 11:30 PM and by 11:53 PM we had a baby!  Our doctor's first words were "We have a chunk!" which was funny because that's what we had begun to call her too!

Truly, even though the process was long and drawn out, I was not in a lot of pain (with the exception of the hours between 7:30 PM to 1:00 AM on Monday/Tuesday).   Thanks to modern medicine, the baby and I were fine and everything went very smoothly.   Now we have been staying at the "hotel" otherwise known as Scottsdale Healthcare Shea since Monday night and we will be leaving on Saturday, if all goes to plan!  The staff here is amazing and we have been well taken care of!

Now begins the next chapter and we are already loving every minute of it!

{BABY} Week 40 plus 1 day

I really never thought we would go this far!  We are one day past 40 weeks and that is 281 days for anyone counting (BTW - I am)....

The baby website site say she is the size of a Jack Fruit - personally I have never seen a Jack Fruit so I have no idea what that means.

{week 40 plus 1 day} 

Since we are playing the waiting game and I CANNOT sit around the house or clean it again, we have been visiting Oregano's, Humble Pie, Costco (136 diapers for $15 - Yep!), etc.  We hit up a great sale thanks to Jess Fitz and found a bag of clothes for me for $15 for after baby - that is if she ever decides to vacate the premises! 

She has been kicking and rolling around like crazy and on the scans is a very happy little girl - like a houseguest who doesn't leave!  Our next appointment is Monday afternoon and hopefully we will be in a better place to get this party started.  We will keep everyone posted! 

Thanks to everyone for the calls and texts, we are so excited to meet her and excited for everyone else to meet her too! 

Until Monday....

{FOOD} BBQ Sauce Favors

Still no baby... however the appointments at the hospital went really well and I am contracting but nothing serious yet.  We have another appointment on Thursday with Dr O and hopefully start the process on Friday.

Since we are waiting I wanted to show the BBQ Sauce we made as favors for the baby shower!

This is our special BBQ Sauce we make all of the time and love it!

We have adapted it from this recipe:

It's so good we are actually having it tonight on our ribs!

{BABY} Week 39...

Well, it's week 39 plus 1 day... and no baby in sight.  Nothing, nada, zip at the doctor (Friday) so she is having me go in to the hospital on Monday (3.9) to get a NST (non-stress test) and some gels to help move this process along.  We are shooting for my due date which is Friday, March 13th.  Yep, Friday the 13th!

How big is baby: At our last ultrasound at 37 weeks she was 7 pounds and is growing an ounce a day…. Supposedly from here on out my belly shouldn't get much bigger. We will see about that. It gets bigger by the hour if you ask me. Oh, and at my last appointment everything was measuring on time again.

Other sites say she is the size of a watermelon... 

Maternity clothes: I swear I will miss my maternity jeans.  They have become like a second skin and I am not sure what I will do without them.

Sleep: Ehh. Not so great, I am so congested and my own snoring wakes me up and I've been waking up one or two times a night to use the bathroom.

Best moment of the week: Everything is done and ready for the baby.  Everything. 

Food cravings: None, I am so excited though to eat like a normal person again without thinking about what’s on my “do not eat” list. 

However, I am not sure if this is a craving but I LOVE the crushed ice at Circle K and make Brad go twice a day for a free refill.  The workers must think he is a freak!!!

Food aversions: None, as evidenced by my weight gain.

Symptoms: Sore SWOLLEN feet.  Stiff, tingling and swollen fingers. 

Labor Signs: None.  Last week I thought it was time, but no it was dehydration.  I now carry around a huge plastic jug of water and ice at all times.

What I'm looking forward to: Having this baby!!! 

What I miss: Sleeping on my back and stomach.  And being able to use my hands properly – the stiffness is insane.

Next appt: Monday, Tuesday and Friday.  I see the doctor’s office staff so often I know all about their lives.  Brad can now read NST results and translate the majority of the info before some of the staff.  Can we put this on our resumes?

NST Test

Baby items purchased: Have purchased almost everything off our registry, aside from the breast pump (the hospital provides it). My baby to-do list is complete.  We picked a pediatrician but now since we have time we might interview another one since he is from Indiana.  Brad also finalized putting together the swing from Cindy and Mike... a couple days, redos and assortment of batteries later, we are good to go! It's like a spaceship for babies! 

Other: We got Reggie groomed to remove a lot of his extra fur.  He looks very pretty! 

Since, the baby is not coming this weekend we decided to have Jon over for Friday and Saturday night... 

So, what date do you think she will make her debut?  I am hoping for Friday night.  Brad wants March 11th.  

{BABY} Week 37 and Baby Shower

I cannot believe we are less than three weeks away from meeting our little girl!  We are so excited!  This past weekend we had a wonderful baby shower with so many friends and family.  It was a fantastic day and we feel very blessed.

We had a doctor's appointment and right now she is 7 pounds!  They say babies grow an ounce a day from here on out so she is looking to be a decent size!  I was 7 lbs 6 oz and Brad was over 8 lbs so I am thinking she will come in around there.

The baby website says she is the size of a winter melon...whatever that is?

We have finished off the baby needs list and have installed the car seat, washed the clothes, hung the pictures, cleaned out closets, etc.

Next up is our 38 week appointment on Friday!  Two weeks left....

{BABY} 35/35

Wow - 35 weeks = 35 days to go until we get to meet this little princess!

Notes: She is our child for sure, she does not like being told (measured) when the doctor wants.  She kicked Brad yesterday like a good P90X fighter and this is the best picture we could get because I think she is prepping for all of her photo shoots from me in the future!

She is a feisty little one and has a mind of her own mind already and we are so in love with personality!

{BABY} Nursery Progress

The nursery is almost done!!! Thanks to Brad and Geoff we have been able to cross off a lot of things!

Reggie in the nursery before

Paint 
Assemble Crib
Paint Dresser
Assemble Ottoman
Hang Curtains
Remove Closet Doors 
Hang Pictures
Organize Closet

I am in love with the colors we picked and now we just need her to come home!

{FUN} Superbowl in Phoenix!

Phoenix was the site of this years Superbowl and while we really don't care about who was playing in the game, it is a great to see the city (well, cities) we are so proud to call home really show off!

In addition to the Superbowl, the Waste Management Open, the "Greatest Show on Grass" was also happening at the same time and is by far our favorite event of the season.  It is a golf tournament that is attended by over a half million people each year!  We call it "college reunion" because we run into so many old faces and make new memories each time!

So, despite the fact the baby is due to arrive in 6 weeks (41 days) I really wanted to go and experience all of the fun!  Also, the last time the Superbowl was in Arizona I was an event manager of two of the biggest events in town and did not see anything outside of those events for the entire week - that was 95 straight hours of the hardest work I have ever done in my life.  So, I figured if I can walk in heels for 30 hours over two days then, I can walk around Phoenix and Scottsdale, 8 months pregnant!

It is crazy to think that next year we will have a little friend to take with us to all of the fun things we do!

{BABY} Week 33

Week 33... crazy that she will be here in March... luckily Geoff has been here to help prepare for her arrival - THANK YOU GEOFF!!!!  He has been painting, moving stuff and helping us make decisions which is awesome, since when Brad and I projects together it can get ugly... 

Home Projects + B&C + baby hormones = nothing good :( 

We actually went to Home Depot and chose three different colors of paint in less than 5 minutes - that could be a record! 

Also, Mary went to visit and help out her sister in Indiana so we have Jonny Boy to help us along... he is great at picking paint, lightening the mood and keeping us on our toes!  It has been a fun week with all of us working together!  

Here is Jonny Boy at Miracle League of Arizona - I cannot say enough about Miracle League.  It is the highlight of Jon's week and the people who work and volunteer there are amazing.  I will write more about this at some point but needless to say he had a blast! 

Jon with his buddy "Jackee" 

So here is the 33 week shot - please forgive the wet hair we were heading to Jon's baseball game! 

Deena - I added Reggie and Jack today!

Brad and Geoff agree my "belly" has grown 2 inches since this picture! 

Here is the work the men have been doing... 

While I have been working at my job, which I love doing.  It is a great mix of customer service, marketing and social media and I get to do it from home which is icing on the cake! 

Then, there has been the food!  We went to Scottsdale Beer Company, Z'Tejas, Four Peaks and Ray's Pizza!  But the best meal has been Brad's Smoked Ribs and Chicken at home!  Jonny Boy loves it! 

We have been super busy but loving every minute of family time!  I will add the BBQ Sauce recipe soon - it's too good not to share! 

Next up - Baby Shower! 

Love - Brad and Christi