The Delivery
I went on bedrest unexpectedly when I was 34 weeks pregnant. Thankfully, Madeline waited until only nine days before her due date to say, "I'm outta here." Thirty six hours into what I called labor, Rob and I checked into the hospital ready to have a baby. Nancy drove hundreds of miles to get home in time from a business trip for the coming excitement. The nurses were very sweet and told me to come back when it hurt, which was troubling because it did hurt! Another day of huffing and puffing and all sorts of weird positions later, I finally knew what they meant and we raced to the hospital (this time without stopping for Starbucks!). Five hours later we were holding a healthy baby girl who Rob and Aunt Andrea helped deliver! We had a picture of my mom in the room with us -- I felt so calm that I knew she was there with me. Madeline's middle name is May to honor her.
The Following Weeks
In the days and weeks that followed, Rob and I both just stared at Madeline. If she fell asleep in my arms, I would sit on the couch without moving, sometimes for hours at a time. Pops, Meg's dad, got home from Brazil and met his first grandchild, and Mollie drove through the night from Denver to help us for a week. Aunt Nicki came home from France, "Little" Madeline met "Big" Madeline, and Great Grammy came home from Florida to meet the little girl.
A few observations from a new mom (sort of like Jeff Foxworthy's You Know You're a Redneck If..."):
- You allow spit-up to remain between your toes because cleaning it would wake the sleeping baby in your arms.
- When a full container of salsa falls and splatters in a six-foot radius, it is acceptable to let the dog take first crack at cleaning it (this only qualifies if the baby's in the front carrier, which Madeline was, in my defense).
- Your trips to Target are like "Supermarket Sweep," running through the aisles. It never even occurs to you to look at the new clothes and accessories (shoes!) because you're racing to find diapers and Vaseline.
At Madeline's two month check-up, her body finally caught up to her head size. Rob breathed a sigh of relief since he felt quite responsible (as one of two guys in 3,000 of Bradley University's graduates who needed the extended cap size).
Madeline's First Vacation
Over the Fourth of July, we tossed our three-month-old into the car for a 12-hour car ride down to Arkansas to visit my grandparents. We had a great time boating, fishing and golfing. Madeline got to show off her triangle top bikini.
The Baptism
On July 8, Madeline was baptized at First Federated Church where Rob and I were married. The sermon was great, but let's be honest...we were all holding our breath to see if Madeline would cry when the water dripped down her forehead. She didn't make a peep and cooed while Frosty, the pastor, walked her up and down the aisle.
Afterward, Nancy hosted a lovely brunch in Madeline's honor at the Grandview house, complete with cross cookies frosted with Madeline's name.
Madeline is Four Months Old Today
The big news to report is that Madeline has discovered how to pull her big toe into her mouth. What a fabulous way to pass the time - it's something we should all try from time to time. We learned at her check up that she's in the 90th percentile for height...I wonder if she'll tower over her mom?
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