5 Months

Nicknames: Monkey, Handsome Boy
Temperament: You are still the most happy when you wake up. You are starting to get frustrated when you can reach a toy or something that you want. I feel like you are in a needy stage where you always want to be held or doing something. You are no longer content to just sit.
Things I Could Do Without: You are still drooling a ton. You have also learned to blow bubbles and make sounds with your lips. You love doing this while I feed you which gets food everywhere!
Item/Toy We Love The Most: Bumbo chair. You love to be in the middle of everything we are doing. I will set you in the bumbo while I am making dinner or cleaning and you love it.
Item/Toy You Love The Most: You love Sophie the Giraffe and love toys that make sounds. You still are chewing on anything you can get in your mouth.
Things I’m Loving Most Right Now: You have just started to army crawl. It is so great to see you growing and learning new things. You have started holding your own bottle and reaching for people.
Things You’re Loving Most Right Now: Now that you are on the move you are in everything. We set toys out for you to crawl to. You love to turn in circle in your belly to see everything. You really love to kick and splash at bath time. You love to eat your baby food and get so excited when you realize it is time to eat.

Real Investment

My Aunt posted this on Facebook from a website called the The Exponent and I think it is a great reminder of what is really important!

Real Investment
Posted on November 30, 2010 by Whoa-man

For my birthday this weekend my husband and I went to a fancy French restaurant in a nearby historic town. We noshed on decadent food and pretended to live an indulgent life. It was a blast. However, nothing could be further from the truth. We are both graduate students living off University stipends. We rent a small apartment near campus, have hot pockets in our freezer, and wear thrift store finds– quintessential signs of eternal students. In fact, we live such an inexpensive life that I am often embarrassed when a birthday, anniversary, Valentine’s Day, or graduation day rolls around and we have to tell others about the elaborate things we do because most people I know do not invest very much into these holidays.

You see, my theory is to invest more in the things I can’t live without than in the things I can. For example, if my education, career, car, housing, or possessions were suddenly gone it would be difficult, but I would get by. However, if all of a sudden my health, spouse, friends, family, or sex life were gone it would be devastating. It would fundamentally change me. Awhile ago I realized that I was spending most of my time, money, energy, and empathy on the former things rather than the latter. Why was it easier to justify investing in an academic conference rather than an anniversary? Cutting back on presents for each other in order to get that new gadget? Taking the time to listen to experts in my field but being impatient with my kids? Budgeting time for church but not for sex? Focusing on others but not myself?

Real investment is my family’s approach to spending time, money energy, and empathy on the things that matter most. Some basic approaches to this plan are:

* Viewing birthdays as a time to test your connection with another person, i.e. Do you really know what they want? Have you been listening? Watching? What are you willing to invest into that relationship? Usually investing more time, energy, and empathy on a birthday makes a bigger impact than just investing more money.

* Seeing Valentine’s Day as a time to show other’s how much they mean to you. Often real investment isn’t so much about what you do, but rather how the other person feels. It feels nice to be doted on, taken care of, and shown concern. It feels special to take precedence over work, budget, kids, and church duties. It feels fantastic to take the time to focus on the people you love and figure out ways to communicate that.

* Using anniversaries as a time to evaluate and work on your sex life. How often do you have open and honest communication and make needed changes to your sex life? Is one day out of 365 too much to ask for such an important part of your lives?

* Looking at graduations or promotions as a time to celebrate all of the hard work and sacrifice this accomplishment has meant. Rewards are not just kid stuff.

* Realizing that your health and self-perspective influence every aspect of your life and relationships with others. Are you investing enough time and energy on yourself? It is important to figure out what you need to feel good and then asking for those things. Most of the time people are willing to invest the real things but they just don’t know how or they need to be asked.

I’ve found that during the lowest points in my life or the times when we argue the most I have failed to invest in the real things. Real investment has been a really great way for our family to show that we cherish each other above everything else. That French restaurant was a big portion of our budget this month. Sure it could have gone toward something more practical, but it made me feel like I was important and worth the sacrifice it would take to stay on track for the rest of the month.

What do you invest in? Where does most of your time, money, energy, and empathy go? Have you ever tried to invest in the more important things? What was your experience?

Happy Halloween

This year for Halloween we didn't go trick or treating or to any parties we just took our little Monkey around to see the Grandparents. I am sure next year will be a whole lot funny when the Monkey is running around and will actually be able to get some treats for his mom! While visiting Grandma and Grandpa Chris we were able to see Dorothy and her Lion before they headed out trick or treating. And as you will see my mom thought she should give Madden his first piece of Halloween candy!

4 Months

Nicknames: Monkey, Handsome, Sweetheart
Temperament: You have started showing your little personality. You are still always smiling but when you get frustrated you have started to make lots of noise. You still only cry when you are super tired or hungry.
Things I Could Do Without: Drool! You are always blowing bubbles and have strings of drool coming from your mouth which means your shirt is always soaking wet.
Item/Toy We Love The Most: The bouncy chair and swing. We also like mirrors that can seem to keep you entertained awhile.
Item/Toy You Love The Most: Your love your teething rings or anything that you can chew on. You also love your rattles of toys that make noise or play music. Any book with bright colors and pictures.
Things I’m Loving Most Right Now: You are starting to show that your personality and love to always be making noise. You are using your hands more to grab anything within reach. I love when you wake up and have the biggest smile on your face.
Things You’re Loving Most Right Now: You have learned to roll over and that is all you want to do now. As soon as you are set down you roll right over. You love being able to see things from your belly and love to reach out and play with toys. You love to chew on your hands and any toy you can put into your mouth.

3 Months

Nicknames: Monkey, Handsome Boy, Happy Boy
Temperament: You are always so happy and always smiling. You rarely cry unless you are hungry. We love when you first wake up and are so talkative and happy.
Things I Could Do Without: You still do not like being burped! You have started spitting up more and have gotten it pretty much everywhere. You don't like to have your nails trimmed and wiggle all over the place. All of your slobber!
Item/Toy We Love The Most: We love the swing. It can keep you happy and entertained for a long time.
Item/Toy You Love The Most: You love to look at any bright colors or things that make lots of noise. You are still content to sit in your bouncy chair or swing and are starting to love your Bumbo chair.
Things I’m Loving Most Right Now: I love that you are being coming more vocal. After waking up you always have a lot to say. You are a wiggle worm and move all over your crib. I have found you a few times wiggled out of your pajamas. You have started to giggle and have a ticklish spot on your neck.
Things You’re Loving Most Right Now: You love to lay on the ground and are trying hard to roll over. You love to listen to music and kick your feet and giggle. You love to go on car rides.

2 Months

Nicknames: Turtle, Happiest Boy, Handsome

Temperament: You are the happiest when you first wake up and love to smile and talk. When you start to get tired you sure let us know with all your talking and cooing.

Things I Could Do Without: When you have to be burped you complain and make lots of noise.

Item/Toy We Love The Most: Your bouncy chair and swing.

Item/Toy You Love The Most: You are loving you bouncy chair and are starting love to look at bright toys and love the noise rattles make.
Things I’m Loving Most Right Now: You are sleeping 8-9 hours a night. You will lay in your crib and talk and smile until I come and get you. When you lay on the ground and coo.

Things You’re Loving Most Right Now: You love having your diaper changed and get the biggest smile on your face. You love bath time and having lotion put on before bed. You are content to sit in your bouncy chair or just lay on the ground. You love when we talk and sing to you.

1 Month

Nicknames: Turtle, Mad Dawg, Tank.
Temperament: You have 4 modes. Cry, sleep, grunt, and squirm.
Things I Could Do Without: Having to put your binki back in every 2 seconds, endless bouncy to sleep.
Item/Toy We Love The Most: Bouncy Chair.
Item/Toy You Love The Most: Binki and Sound Machine.
Things I’m Loving Most Right Now: You will sleep 4-5 hours before waking up at night. How sweet and calm you are in the middle of the night, the way you stretch so grandly when we unwrap you from your swaddle in the morning.
Things You’re Loving Most Right Now: your mommy, tummy time, being swaddled and held close, the sound of white noise, your bouncy chair, going for a drive in the car, sucking on your hands, lifting your head up and looking around.

More Pictures

Here are some more pictures that our friend Andrea took while she was here visiting the first week on July. They turned out awesome! Thanks Ang!

Pictures

My moms cousin Emily offered to take Maddens pictures. She is awesome and it was crazy as he did not want to sleep at all! Here are some of the pictures we got!

Madden Louis- longest post ever!

Here is the story of how Madden joined our family. I had been dilated for a few weeks and every time I went to the doctor he told me I would go anytime and there was no way I would make it to make next appointment. After three weeks of making it to my next appointment, the week I was due we scheduled and induction for June 27.

The nurse told me to be to the hospital at 6AM but to call just in case they were too busy. So on Sunday morning I got up at 4:30 got all ready and called the hospital at 5:30. They told me not to come in and that they would call when they were ready. So I let Jonny sleep and I sat and waited. Around 8 o'clock and text my mom and told her I was getting frustrated and she told me just to call again. I called and they were still to busy for me to come in. I decided to lay down to see if I could get some sleep. Finally around 10 they called and told me to come in. I got Jonny up told him to hurry and get ready while I waited. We got to the hospital at 11 and as soon as I got there my doctor came in and was frustrated the nurse didn't have things ready for him to break my water.

The nurse started my IV and at 11:30 my doctor broke my water. He told me that he was going out of town the next day and I needed to deliver ASAP or his partner would have to do it. I was started on Pitocin and was offered my Epidural but decided to wait and see what contractions felt like. I decided to get my epidural around 1:30 so that I could get some sleep. After that we pretty much just hung out. Each time the nurse came in and turned up my pitocin, Madden's heart rate would drop so they would have to turn it down. They figured it was either from the medicine or he had the cord wrapped around his neck. At 5:30 my nurse came in and checked me before the shift changed and I was 5-6 cm and 100% effaced. I figured we still had awhile so I told Jonny if he wanted to go eat he should go now, he told me he would wait a little bit longer.

At 6:30 my new nurse came in to see how far I had progressed. She was shocked when I was completely dilated and could start pushing. She had told me first time moms usually have to push for a few hours so we could start pushing before the doctor had arrived. An hour later, Madden Louis was born weighing 7 pound 9 ounces and 19.5 inches long! When they placed him on my chest it was the most amazing moment. I was so surprised how this massive thing could really grow inside of my body. Pregnancy is the most amazing thing ever!

PS 22

I promise that there is an update coming.. here is an awesome video to tide you over until I finish the update!

If you haven't heard of the PS 22 Chorus, you need to get on Youtube and watch their videos. They are absolutely amazing!