"Talking"

Here are a couple short video clips from my cell... not the greatest quality but you get the idea.
This is my first time uploading a video to the blog so we'll see how it works.

Um, try to ignore Mommy's "baby voice" in the background, hehee

Someone is ready to start talking any day now....... I am convinced!!
:)

2 months old!

Been meaning to post this picture of Madison at 8 weeks...... This was taken in our backyard and the line across her face is just from the sunlight through the fence..... :)

So, yes! Our baby is actually over 2 months old now... it's pretty crazy! The time is flying by.

Some of Madison's latest milestones include:

"Talking" to us or her giraffe on her mobile. We can usually tell when this is about to happen. She'll stop what she's doing and concentrate very hard, then start to form an "o" shape with her mouth & stick out her tongue. A little smile forms and a tiny "coo" comes out. She'll wait a minute and more cooing, like she's having a conversation. A conversation about coo and goo. It's the cutest thing! One of these days I'll get my act together & actually upload a video.

Grabbing at things. OK, it's more like batting, but it's definitely intentional arm movement! She loves her stuffed giraffe (or just about anything you dangle in front of her) and will again get the little look of concentration before batting at it. With some luck, she'll actually get a hold of it & immediately try to put it in her mouth! Our pediatrician says this is very advanced, of course! ;) This intentional arm movement will be huge if we can get past the Crazy Arms swinging up into her face!

Sleeping through the night. I'm probably going to regret posting this, but lately we've had a string of long-term sleep at night. Like 5, 6, even 7 hours at a time! Last night she slept from 1am to 8:30am! Knock on wood right now!!

Getting bigger. Our neighbor described it as the "Winston Churchill look" -- the big chubby jowls and giant head that babies get... Next all we need is a little bowtie & suit!

The Un-blog phenomenon....

I used to be one of those people who wondered why people with blogs simply posted pictures of their kids all the time.... I'd be like, OK, cute pics, but where's the blog? Where's the context? I need some substance, please!

But the truth is, they (we) are only posting pictures because there's no time to actually sit down & write anything! Or think of something to write, more like.

So that's where I'm at these days.

Plus your own kids are so irresistably cute you can't resist posting every smile, frown, and any other expressions they happen to make along the way!

(insert latest cute picture here)

















Anyway here is an overview of some of the main things that occupy my time these days:

Poop:
I never thought I'd pay so much attention to the daily excrements of one's body. And I REALLY never thought I'd be having conversations about it with other moms! But it's one of those things you just quickly get over -- like in the first week -- and you just go with it! (along with many other bodily functions... Even "Daddy" got over it pretty quick!


Breastfeeding:
Again, like the poop conversations, I thought these would never happen. To be honest, I wondered what the obsession was with breastfeeding by new moms, and figured I would just do it. Women have been doing it for hundreds of years, right? How hard could it be? But it was hard. Really hard, in the beginning. Then it got slightly easier. But it still occupies about 75% of your day. So you can't help but talk about it with other moms.


Naps:
I'm not getting them, but Madison is! I realized the beauty of keeping a schedule when there are naps involved. I am SO not a schedule person but apparently you have to be if you want to continue having a life around the abovelisted items. It's hard to squeeze it in, but I *think* it can be done. (Don't crush my dreams!!)


Baby love:
The other thing I never realized would happen once I had a kid is that my emotions would go haywire.... I have experienced emotions I never thought I had before. You worry about everything under the sun (it's true!) and have highs and lows you never thought imaginable. But somehow those baby smiles first thing in the morning end up making it all worthwhile.

And the amazing thing is I think I'm just at the tip of the iceberg with these new-parent feelings, and it'll all only get more intense from here!


No matter what anyone tells you or what you read or how you prepare beforehand, there's really nothing like the actual experience itself to teach you. At least that's how it's been for me, anyway.



And for those of you who have been asking about the kitties, they are good but still reeling from the shock to their little world and they are a little (ok a LOT) jealous. Especially a certain little grey bundle who was our "baby" in our previous lives.

Meeting new friends

Madison has been meeting lots of potential BFFs these days. Just wanted to post a few of the intros:

Meeting the Goldsys crew! 6 weeks old

Meeting Maya, 6 weeks old

Hangin at the coffee shop w/ Mel

Meeting Alayna, 4 weeks old

Meeting Mireya, 2 weeks old