Maddy has started to squeal. It is so cute to see her so delighted at little things like standing up on her feet. She loves that. Her legs are very strong. I think she might be one that passes up crawling and goes straight to pulling herself up on furniture and shimmying around. She will tolerate lying on her stomach but only for short periods of time. She would much rather be standing!

This 3 day weekend was so nice. I have almost finished my report cards. Summer, here we come! We also went to Target, grocery shopping and changed our winter wardrobes into our summer ones. It's about time!

Maddy is a drooling mess. We have slobber all over us right now. She's so cute now because she has begun to hold things in her hands. She reaches for toys that we hold in front of her and then tries to get them into her mouth. Only problem is - sometimes she misses. The other night she poked herself in the eye with one of her rattles. Poor baby.

We are having such a hard time getting Maddy to take naps during the day. She sleeps great at night in her crib, but does not like going down for naps during the day. She'll sleep in her chair occasionally, but those naps are short because there are too many things that can wake her up.

Right now she's overtired and way too upset to fall asleep. Steve held her for a while and then I put her down in her crib. She cried, fell asleep for five minutes and cried again. I think we are just going to have to keep putting her in her crib so she gets the idea that that is where she is supposed to be napping. I'm glad I have the summer off to work this problem out with her. We should have her napping well by her 6 month mark at the end of July. Hopefully!

It is getting more difficult to leave Maddy every morning. I think it's because I know summer is so close and I'll be spending all my days with her. She is also so much fun now, and I don't want to miss anything. Sometimes I come home from work, feed her and she falls asleep for the rest of the evening. I want more time with her. This summer will be great. She'll be 4 months in June so it's the perfect time to have off because she is interacting now - giggling, smiling, holding things and bringing them to her mouth. I just adore my girl.

Spring Sprucing

This weekend we spent some time sprucing up the yard. Yesterday my dad and I went for our annual visit to Stein's and bought flowers to plant. I also purchased three small shrubs and planted them in the flower bed in front of the house. I didn't know what else to to with that space so small shrubs will do the trick. Steve laid a border in the small area by the hose on the side of the house. We are laying red wood chips there. He only bought one bag so this week he's going back to buy 2 or 3 more. So far, it looks nice.

We're Parents Now!

Last night Maddy fell asleep after nursing. I put her in her crib around 9:30. By 10:00 Steve and I were both falling asleep on the couch trying to watch the 2nd Harry Potter. We were in bed by 10:23. I told him I couldn't believe we were in bed before SNL even started. He said, "We're parents now!". We all slept until 8 this morning. We actually had to wake Maddy up to nurse because my boobs were as big as bowling balls! Well, the left one was anyways. :) After breakfast we went to Best Buy and grocery shopping and were home well before noon. Maddy sat outside on the porch while I planted a few more flowers. She never made a peep. She just sat there and watched everything around her and sucked on her fingers. She's been napping now for over 3 hours so I'm thinking about waking her up to feed her and play with her. We don't want her up all night now!

Another successful naptime for Maddyson. I put her in her crib about 45 minutes ago after changing her diaper. She was awake but seemed to be getting tired. She talked for about 15 minutes and then fell asleep. No crying or fussing. She does like her crib. It must be comfortable for her. Plus she has her ocean wonders music box to listen to and look at. Steve took the bassinett apart last week and put it down in the basement until someone else in Laura's family needs it. It's nice to have that space in our room back.

No headache today! I've been fighting some dull, irritating headaches lately. They come and go, but are quite frequent. Some feel like it's from strain on my eyes. Some feel like they're sinus headaches. And I think some might be from a sore back and neck (nursing). I really need a good massage. I might use the Aveda gift certificate that Steve bought me for a massage. Or another facial. Or both! We'll see.

Maddy's Dedication Day and My First Mother's Day

Yesterday was Mother's Day and Maddy's dedication at church. The day went really well. The church service was nice. Steve, Maddy and I were called up to the front of the church with our parents. The pastor said a nice blessing and formally introduced Maddy to the congregation. After church, we had everyone over for lunch. Maddy was fussy because there were so many people over and she was tired. She did not want to nap, though. I'm sure she was afraid she would miss something. Of course, after everyone left, she was so good. When it's just Steve and I around, she really seems to enjoy herself.

We received some nice gifts. Maddy got yellow tulips, a picture frame, some clothes and money that's going right into her account this week. I got some shirts from Kourtney, a book from Kollette (birthday gifts) and flowers from my parents and Louise. Steve gave me a gift certificate to the day spa (from Maddy) and the new Janet CD. It was a pretty busy day.

I'm a little stressed out. This is honestly the last place I want to be on my birthday! I have already decided that I'm taking a personal day for Maddy's birthday next year. It lands on a Monday so that will be a nice 3 day weekend with her. Steve is off all this week. That's a nice gift! There was a scheduling mix up from when he took paternity leave so he has this week off, too. PAID! He came home at 11:30 last night and came in to tell me. I was just concerned that he be quiet and not wake Maddy since I had just put her in her crib! She sleeps so well for us at night now. I am so proud of her. She is such a good baby. I shouldn't say that too many times, though. Things could change! Either way, I love her dearly!