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!

I just put Maddy down for a nap after feeding her. I could tell she was tired because she got real fussy. After holding her for a few minutes and walking around the kitchen table at least 8 times, I walked her into her room and layed her in her crib. I stroked her hair for a few minutes and then left. She cried for about five minutes, got quiet, cried for about five more minutes and she's been sleeping ever since (about 30 minutes so far). I am so happy that she is sleeping well in her crib. I told Steve to try this with her during the day when she seems like she's ready to sleep. He tried it today and she took an hour long nap for him in her crib. I will definitely try to put her in there for naps when I'm home on the weekends. We might actually have this down before summer break even gets here! The biggest challenge is keeping Jackson out of her room! He's so nosy. Speaking of Jack, I have him trapped in the office with me, but he's whining so I should probably go take him out. :)

O.k so I'm not transferring to Lakeview. I am actually staying and will be teaching a 2nd/3rd "multi-age" class. It should be interesting. Everyone thinks I'm nuts for passing up the chance to transfer because I would have been teaching a 15 student 1st grade! I look at it as it's going to be a lot of work either way so I might as well stay where I'm comfortable. Plus Lakeview's start time is earlier than ours, and I'm already getting up at 5:30 every morning!

Maddyson hit some milestones this weekend. She was 12 weeks on Saturday, and this was the first weekend that she slept in her crib, in her own room. On Friday night I fed her and put her into her crib around 11 p.m. Then I went to bed and cried. She slept there until 7 0'clock the next morning. We both got a good nights sleep. Saturday night was the same thing. We put her down at 11, and she slept until 8 o'clock Sunday morning. She woke me up because I could hear her talking in her crib, not even crying.

Our weekend was a bit stressful because we were just too busy. Maddy didn't get any good naps in. I promised her that next weekend would be much more low key. She definitely did not enjoy the Wave game on Saturday night!

The other milestone is we are now possibly giving her 6 ounces at bottle feedings instead of 4. We'll see how she does today with Steve. I have been able to pump 6 ounces during my lunch hour so I thought we would offer it to her and see if she'll take more than 4.

I found out today that I will be transferring schools next year. I will no longer be teaching kindergarten at Luther. I will be teaching at Lakeview, but I don't know what grade yet. I assume either first or second. I have mixed feelings about it because I do like the Luther staff a lot, but a fresh start isn't the worst thing either.

Last night I went out to a club for the first time since long before Maddy was born. Rebecca and I went to Eve for a couple of hours. We danced and chatted. I had two cranberry juices and ice water (still breastfeeding, of course)! I had a good time, although I'm realizing that going out to clubs may not happen so often for me anymore. It's good to get out every once in a while, but I would rather be home with my family. ;)

I am so excited to have this week off. The three weeks that I was back at school went by pretty quickly. After break only eight weeks to go until summer vacation! I just registered for another course at UWM. I'm only taking one this summer - three nights a week for four weeks. That gives me lots of time to spend with Maddyson. I'll be done by the end of July, and that's when she'll be 6 months old. Time to slather on the sun block and hit the pool!

Yesterday was Easter. Steve and I did a reading in church. Steve held Maddy while we did it. It was nice. After church we rushed home to feed Maddy before meeting my family out for Easter brunch. We spent the evening bouncing back and forth between my parent's house and Steve's brother's house. It was quite a long day for us - we're always the ones who drive from place to place to fit everyone in. But Maddy was great. She was exhausted by 10:00 p.m. and fell asleep as soon as we got into bed for her last feeding.

I was finally able to get Maddyson and Nathan together for some pictures. They looked so cute dressed up in their Easter outfits. We propped them up on the couch together and just clicked away.

This week is just a time to be with my family and relax. I have a facial at the Aveda school tomorrow. Thursday Steve wants to play BINGO because it's free on his birthday month, and Friday we're going to a Wave game while Laura watches Maddy. We wanted to go to the museum on Wednesday and check out the new Egyptian artifacts exhibit, but I've heard that it costs extra so we're not so sure if we're going now. I have an educator pass so I can get in free, but it's still pretty expensive with parking and regular admission prices! We'll see.

Maddy's 2 Month Check Up

Maddyson had her 2 month checkup this afternoon. She weighed 10 pounds, 7 ounces. We were surprised because we thought she was at least 11 pounds. She was 24 inches long (in the 95th percentile)! We have a tall, thin girl on our hands. She is looking more mature. Can't believe how quickly they grow and change.

Everything went well. She's healthy, but she also had to have three shots. I helped hold her legs down while the nurse gave two shots in her left thigh and one in her right. Poor thing. She screamed each time. It didn't help that she was tired and fussy anyway. But she did fall right to sleep afterward. We gave her Tylenol before the appointment to help with the pain. I missed going to the Wave game with Steve tonight because I just wanted to be with Maddy. She shouldn't be going anywhere, and I really didn't feel comfortable letting anyone else watch her tonight - just in case. She's been sleeping most of the day since her appointment, only waking for feedings. I think that's best for her right now. No pain when you're sleeping. Right now Jack is laying right next to her on the couch. He's either trying to be close to her or trying to tell me that he's boss by laying in my spot.

Every classroom in our building will become multi-age next year. Nine classrooms and nine teachers. I'm not sure if I'm going to be teaching there next year. One of us has to be moved to one of the other elementary schools. I would rather stay where I am. I like the staff even though it is getting smaller every year. We should know very soon who will have to move. I have no idea where or what I will be teaching next year. All I know is that it will be very different from this year.

The weekend went by so fast, but I did enjoy every moment with Maddyson. Already 8 weeks old! She has started to smile more often. I had her on my lap facing me on Friday night like we always do. I was singing to her and playing with her. I let out a big yawn, and when I looked back down at her, a big smile had spread across her face - funny mommy. Too cute! I can't wait to hear her laugh.

I ran to Target on Saturday to get some more boob pads. I ended up buying Maddy her first pair of tights. They are for her Easter outfit and are so funny because of how tiny they are. Steve laughed when I got home with them. He was so proud of himself because he had just finished clipping her nails. He's a good dad.

Well we made it through our first week of me being back at work. Everyone is fine. Maddy actually slept through the night for three of the five nights. Steve knew I was a little stressed so he brought Kopp's cookie dough ice cream home after coaching tonight.

Yesterday was my first day back at school and my first time being away from Maddy for the whole day. Not too fun, but we both got through it. Maddy was at my parent's house for the morning. They said she cried through most of it. Probably a little upset that Steve nor I was around. Once again I'm living for my weekends.

Tomorrow is Maddy's first day being babysat. She's spending the morning with my parents. We're going to send her over there every Wednesday and Friday morning just so Steve can get a little more sleep.

Two day technology meeting - ready to go home.

Very first entry. Second day back at work. I miss Maddyson!

Well, we have some new news. On Tuesday night I went to my doctor appointment and was exactly 39 weeks. My doctor was concerned about my blood pressure because it was elevated. All throughout my pregnancy my blood pressure has been good so she took precautions and told me that I was to be on modified bed rest and could no longer work. So today was my second day at home. Tomorrow (Friday) we go back to the doctor to have my blood pressure checked again and if it is still elevated she said they would probably admit me and induce labor. Our bags are pretty much packed. We’re taking everything with us and dropping Jack off at my parent’s house before our appointment.
Last night, after my first day of resting, I started spotting and the contractions were just a little bit stronger than they have been. They are not painful yet, but they were a little more uncomfortable. Of course, I have barely felt any all day long today!
I have been keeping track of the baby’s movements. There is a lot of movement every night around 11:30. During the day I feel movement usually after I have eaten something. I just had a pudding cup and I’m feeling the baby a little right now too.
I’m not very nervous quite yet. I am really ready to get started with true labor. I want to have as much time at home with the baby as my maternity leave allows. I don’t mind being at home and taking it easy because I know it’s best for the baby and I. I just worry that it takes away from the days that I want to be with baby. I think I’ll be back at school by the end of March, right before report cards again. Yay!

Baby's almost here!

One week until our due date! It’s been too long since I’ve last written. Since my last entry I have had three showers thrown for me as well as attending three others (two of which I helped put together)!  So it has been a pretty busy couple of months. The showers were nice. Steve and I received pretty much everything that we need to start off with. His mom let us order a changing table from Target.com so that is the last thing that we’re waiting on. The soccer teams that Steve coaches for gave him $200 as a gift so we went out last weekend and purchased two strollers – a regular one that the car seat can attach on to and a jogger that we can start using this summer when we go for longer walks.
My sisters threw me my first shower at Kollette’s apartment. Kourtney gave me some things for the baby’s room – a framed print, bookends, and a picture carousel. She also gave me a vibrating bouncy chair for the baby. They’re so nice. We actually received two and decided to keep both – one will be for traveling from place to place. Kollette gave me diapers and wipes and my mom gave me some sleepers (the sack kind that I really wanted), diapers and baby ducks for bath time. Everything was really nice. The best part is bringing everything home and organizing it and washing all the clothes so they smell like baby.
Louise threw my second shower for me at the beginning of January which was also very nice. She gave Steve and I the baby carrier that you can wear and the baby monitor. My third shower was with the faculty at Luther. Nancy Steffes helped put it together. We received a lot of nice things including a car seat that we’re using in my car. We bought the stroller to match this car seat.
Tomorrow is our ultrasound due date, but I have been told to just stick with the due date that the doctor originally gave us so we officially have 8 days to go!  I can’t believe that it is almost time to bring our baby into the world!
We had a bit of a scare in December that I have been meaning to write about – One Sunday before Christmas I woke up around 6:30 a.m. with a terrible stomach ache. I thought I could probably sleep it off, but when I woke up at 8:30 I was still in a lot of pain. Steve called my doctor to let her know, and she said that I should go down to labor and delivery at the hospital to get checked and make sure everything was o.k. Of course by the time we got down to the hospital an hour later I was feeling much better, but once they put me on the fetal heart monitor and the contraction monitor, they realized that I was having contractions! So they kept me for quite some time injecting a drug to stop the contractions. I wasn’t feeling them, but they were showing up on the monitor about two minutes apart, and the doctors didn’t feel comfortable sending me home while that was going on. I gave my parents a little scare, but I was home by the middle of the day feeling fine. I think being in the hospital, spending time in one of the delivery rooms helped to ease my nerves a little bit. I was able to meet some of the nurses and to see what my situation might look like once I am there for the real thing!
Now we are just counting the days. I am ready to go whenever the baby is. My classroom is about as organized as I think I can get it. Report cards are done, and I am perfectly fine with possibly missing parent/teacher conferences! 
Steve is getting pretty excited. He has shared with me a number of times that he is nervous that he will not be a good father. I told him that he will do just fine, that we will both do our best and will do just fine. He has been pretty helpful. He spends the weekend going up and down the stairs with laundry so I don’t have to. He has also been rubbing my back for me every night which feels so good. That is probably the thing that has bothered me the most during this last trimester – back aches.
We are still hanging on with the names Owen Michael and Madyson (not quite sure how we’re spelling that yet) Olivia. Soon we’ll know which one we will be putting on a birth certificate! 

31st Week of Pregnancy

Oh my! It’s been a while since I’ve written!  We are now in our 31st week. Everything seems to be going very well. I have another doctor appointment tomorrow. I’m hoping I didn’t gain too much weight over the Thanksgiving holiday!  My belly seems to have grown quite so.
Yesterday Steve and I went to Mayfair Mall to a store called Build a Bear and we had the baby’s first teddy bear made. Steve got to help stuff it, and we both put a little heart in it before it was sewn up. We were told to make a wish and then kiss the heart. I wished for a happy, healthy baby. I’m sure Steve wished the same.  We named the bear Winter because the baby will be born in winter.
We have narrowed down our names quite a lot. We’re now really pulling toward Owen Michael if it’s a boy. For a girl, we have decided we really like Madysen (or maybe Maddison) even though it’s quite a popular name right now. We thought if we like it enough, we should name our baby it no matter who else is using it. Steve wants to change the spelling from the traditional Madison. We are still struggling with middle names. I suggested Olivia. I really like it. It’s quite old fashioned to go with the trendy name of Madysen.
The baby has really been moving a lot lately. It covers a great deal of my stomach now even making the sides of my belly jump. Last week he started kicking up under my right ribs. Nothing is hurting or uncomfortable yet, but some movements are very strong! Steve told me today that I am beautiful. He encourages me that I am supposed to be growing like this.
This weekend is my shower. I’m excited to see everyone and to have a better idea of some of the things we have for the baby now. We will eventually have to fill in the gaps and probably spend a substantial amount of money! Kollette and Kourtney are throwing my shower for me with the help of my mom. Kourtney and I are throwing Kollette’s. My Aunt Sharon was nice enough to let us use her house for Kollette’s shower because of a need for space! I mailed out Kollette’s invitations today.

25th Week of Pregnancy

We are now 25 weeks along. 15 more weeks to go! Time is going by so quickly. We are almost done with the first quarter at school already. I am right in the middle of assessing my kids for everything under the sun!
The baby seems to be doing fine. Still moving quite a lot. I go for my next checkup on Halloween. I hope that I was able to keep my weight a little more under control. I had gained 7 pounds at my last appointment. I want to stay in the 4 pound range between every visit.
Steve thinks that he was able to hear the heartbeat last weekend. He thinks it was the baby’s and not mine because it was beating quite fast. My stomach is getting bigger!  Sometimes my skin itches. I’ve been using stretch mark lotion every day. I am really hoping to keep the stretch marks to a minimum!!
We have the crib and the crib bedding as well as a new bookshelf in the nursery now. We’re probably going to register at Baby Depot and Target next weekend. We thought it would be a good idea to get that out of the way before Steve’s knee surgery. My family and Courtney are planning my shower for early December (I think) so we do need to get registered soon anyway.