{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} 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!

{BEARS} The harness that saved a relationship

Reggie and Brad were in a bad spot due to nightly walks.  It was pretty much the worst 30 minutes every time we tried to walk Reggie.  Then we discovered this... 

The Gentle Leader East Walk Harness... it was like a magic fairy came down and saved both Brad and Reggie.  Walks are now peaceful and fun, no more yelling, strangling, threats of death!

{FAMILY} Adventures with Jon

Each week we try to take Jon out for lunch and a little fun.  We took him to lunch at AZ 88, a very swanky place known for their martinis... perfect place for Jonny Boy, right?

Jon & Brad at AZ 88

Well, Jon had a GREAT time with a grilled cheese and Brad had a great time with a Martini!  He (Jon, not Brad) always surprises us with how he can acclimate to so many different, new places and have a great time.  After lunch we walked around the Scottsdale Civic Center Plaza... 

Then we decided to take Jon to look at Open Houses in the area... which to Jon probably seemed like The Torturous Tour of Strange Bathrooms in Scottsdale! 

Luckily, Jon was a good sport and decided he had enough at house number 6, I know a lot of people who would have cashed out after house/bathroom number 3! 

{BEARS} Life at the dog park

{Jackson & Reggie}

Recently we had to redo our backyard grass and that meant two weeks of the bears having only the patio to work out their differences (read - fight like they were in Michael Vick's dog ring).  So luckily we found a good, LARGE, open dog park nearby so they could have some play time! 

Now, you would think that since they are both Labradors, equal size, raised in the same house that their interests at the dog park would be similar.... WRONG!!! 

Upon arrival Reggie jets off to find friends (or a posse) and we hardly see him for the duration of our visit.  He greets each new dog by "jumping" them into his posse which entails a long, fast chase followed by a thorough sniffing.  He is considered the Mayor of Dog Park and really lives up to his role! 

Jackson, on the other hand, becomes engrossed by one (ONLY ONE) certain tennis ball and refuses to use any other tennis ball there.  He will also never leave our side and does not acknowledge any other dogs unless they take his ball then he will stare at them and wait until they drop it.  

Needless to say, that no matter how you raise two dogs their personalities will be a different as night at day... I am guessing kids will be the same way too!  We will find out!