Men are from Mars

It wasn't until I became a parent that I began to notice the vast innate differences between men and women. They're so apparent it's really become a bit laughable. For example, when Madelyn isn't feeling well I essentially don't sleep. I'm running into her room every few minutes to make sure she's ok, sitting in her room just to watch her sleep, generally sitting on the edge of my seat until she gets up and I know she's ok. Matt sleeps. He sleeps all night, like a sweet little exhausted baby. And in the morning when I talk about how much I was up, he has no recollection of such activity. I worry every single second. Matt worries, but not in the way that inhibits his everyday activity like, ahem, her mother (let's not forget our little ER visit of late).

I stress, and for a naturally low-stress person this is a new feeling for me. I stress about having a clean house, having food for us to eat, doing my job well enough that I exceed my boss' expectations, looking like a cute mom and not a frumpy mom mess, teaching Madelyn every little thing she needs to know, and no matter how much Matt does I always feel like I'm doing everything. I think this is the burden of being a women. We always put more pressure on ourselves than anyone else ever will. And men just go on living like normal. They don't feel the need to constantly be doing something, accomplishing something, teaching, balancing, and the list goes on and on. It's not their fault, it's genetic! I truly believe that. Matt is an awesome husband, he helps me with everything around the house, he is an amazing father to Madelyn, anyone who knows him could easily give you a testament to how lucky I am to have him, yet the "burden" of parenting and all that it entails will always fall on the mother and in one respect, he may be in a lose-lose situation (yikes!)

Another example, I make a to-do list every single day. Sometimes more than one. Right now I have a "normal" list, a "Christmas" list, and a "house" list. Oh, and a list for Matt, since men don't tend to make such organized demands upon themselves ;) He thinks I'm crazy. And that I could singlehandly revive the paper industry with such lists.

Truth be told, it can be hard to be the best wife and best mom you can be and also take time to be the best You possible. Logically being the best version of yourself will allow you to give your best to your husband and children, but sometimes there just aren't enough hours in the day! Some days I feel like I have it all under control. I do yoga, dinner is ready, Madelyn is bathed, read to and smiling up at me. And other days I run in from work, eat a piece of toast for dinner, and just try to do everything I can before Matt and I crash into bed, sleeping (sometimes snoring) within minutes). Maybe the secret is to give in and stop trying to have it all under control, and just accept that I have no control. And be extra sweet to Matt because it's not his fault he's not a raging organized overly-controlling maniac like I am. And pray...for both of us :)

I'm in trouble now...

Madelyn is crawling a few "steps" at a time now, pulling up on everything, and has figured out how to untie her crib bumper. She does NOT want to lie down to have her diaper changed so I'm trying to figure out how to do it while she's sitting....yeah, it's just as tricky as it sounds. And, we've experienced our first few temper tantrums when she can't get to the toy she wants. I am not ready for this!!!

It never fails...

Today began at 5:30 when Madelyn woke up, screaming incessantly, which is to be expected when you have bronchitis, an ear infection, and several teeth trying to make their way through. I fed her, put her down for a nap, and two hours later she got up (good nap!). She was having a really hard time breathing and wheezing pretty badly. Bad enough that I packed her up and immediately drove to the emergency room. It was windy, pouring down rain (thank you, Ida) and hard to see because I was crying so hard my tears were blurring my vision! (I'm a first time parent, panic is my middle name...)

As soon as we got there she was fine. Completely fine. But, to get in was no small challenge. I had to park way out from the doors to the ER, get the stroller out, run through what felt like hurricane Andrew to get inside, all while her diaper bag flung all over the place and my cell phone flew out and immediately shattered in a puddle. We got in, soaking and cold (just what a sick kid needs), but they checked her out and sure enough, her lungs are clear. She is obviously having trouble breathing because she is full of mucus, but not so much that we should be alarmed. Score of 1 for the overly paranoid mother :)

We are now back home, cell phone dried out and operating normally, resting and recuperating. I'm working while Madelyn plays in her pack and play as the doctor instructed me to keep her away from other kids as much as possible these next few days so the new stronger antibiotics can kick in. It is always something!!!

We Love Fall!

This weekend Madelyn and I got to spend lots of good girl time together and we had so much fun. She is so interactive now and you can actually play with her which is such a change from the little baby that used to just lay there and stare at you :)


Since she's really quite good at sitting these days, we spent some time in the front yard playing in (read: eating) leaves. She loved the crunchy sound they made and really loved the taste;) Since I was behind the camera she definitely snuck a few in before I could get to her. See exhibit A:

Saturday night we had a girl's night up at Jenny's house which was much needed and so overdue. It was so great to sit around with the girls and chit chat, I never underestimate the power of a good girl's night for your mental well being. The wine and pizza helped too :)

This morning we made our fourth (yes, fourth) visit to the doctor's in the past month to find out that her little right ear is infected again. She better have a seriously strong immune system when she gets older with all the germs she's been exposed to lately. Today we'll start 10 days of a stronger antibiotic to hopefully knock out the ear infection and the rest of the bronchitis. The good news is, she's such a good sport when she's sick and she still tries to be her usual happy self. She must get that from her mommy ;)

Hope you are all having a great week and beautiful fall weather like we've been blessed with here!!

Back in Action

I am back from the dead. This week has seriously taken it out of me. On top of everything else, Madelyn's schedule has gone completely haywire, mostly due to teething, but I don't know what to do! Mom's out there, please send me any advice! She was sleeping 11 hours a night, now she's only sleeping 9 and waking up during the night. I'm seriously hoping it's just a quick phase, but try to be sympathetic because I know she's super uncomfortable

On a completely unrelated note, I made this tamale casserole for dinner last week and it was killer good. Matt and his brother Luke couldn't stop eating it and it's perfect for a chilly night. I added black beans to the mixture just for some added protein and it turned out pretty well.

Gotta run- little miss does not want to nap and she's now fussing in this fun high-pitched squeal she's recently realized she can make. Never a dull moment around here :)

Down For The Count

In the course of the last 30 days I have had a cold, Matt had a cold, I suffered a 4 day string of horrible insomnia upon which I ended up so weak and delirious I literally wouldn't let myself drive Madelyn anywhere, Friday Madelyn was diagnosed with bronchitis, and last night around 8 I can down with a violent stomach flu. Seriously, I couldn't make this up if I tried. Thank God I have a wonderful husband who does every little thing he can to help. So, I am in bed after being up all night with said stomach flu, hoping it's a 24 hour bug and I at least feel good enough to go get my little pumpkin from daycare in a few hours, otherwise we're calling the reinforcements- Matt's mom. She's been advised to please be "on call". Upon recovery I plan to hold a small prayer vigil to ask that Matt and Madelyn DO NOT get this highly contagious virus, and Lysol the entire house as a preventative measure.

Madelyn: 6 Months

Madelyn turned 6 months old last Thursday and she is just getting cuter and sweeter by the day. Here are a few little insights into our life these days :)

• Madelyn is eating all sorts of baby foods. So far we've tried sweet potatoes, squash, apples, pears, peas, and bananas. She eats fruit and oatmeal mid-morning after her first bottle and then a veggie at night before her last bottle. She is definitely developing a love of food just like her mama ;)
• She is teething like crazy, bless her heart (I love saying that. It's so Paula :) Her gums are all swolen and she is instantly knawing on anything she can get her little hands on, but no teeth have come through yet. We're hoping a few pop through at one time so she can get some relief!
• She is still sleeping 11 hours a night, and usually takes 3 45-minute naps a day. Technically she should be napping longer than this (or so my BabyWise books says, and let's be honest, I treat that thing like my second Bible), but as long as she's happy I'm not worrying about it.
• She talks all the time, usually at night when she gets sleepy is when she really pipes up. Yesterday she said "cake". I know she hasn't the slightest clue what that means, but she made the sound.
• She loves toys that make sound or talk to her.
• She rolls around constantly, and can sit for a little bit on her own before she goes for her feet (to knaw on of course) and falls forward. Everytime she face plants I make sure to laugh and say "yaaay!!" so she's not scared of falling. She's not crawling, but she does get up on her hands and then push up onto her head like a head stand. Not sure what she thinks she's doing, but it's cute to watch.
• Last night she sat in my lap while Matt and I watched our DVR'd "Brothers and Sisters" (which was freakin hysterical) and just cuddled. It was precious. I try not to have the TV on too much because I don't want her to be one of those kids that is constantly watching it, but most of the time it's on she's just playing with her hands and feet and not really paying attention.

While she's "only" aged 6 months I sometimes feel like I've aged 6 years in the process, but I have loved every single second. Matt and I have made a conscious effort not to say "I can't wait until she does this or that" because we want to enjoy each individual phase and we know how quickly they will pass, and I think that's really helped us to appreciate every little moment :)