Presenting: Madelynn Nicole

The time has finally arrived.  Actually the time arrived on June 13th, but the time to blog about the newest addition to our family has come.  Life leading up to the arrival of our baby girl, and then since she has arrived, has been incredibly busy.  I'm finally attempting to chisel out a little bit of time to announce the arrival of our little girl. 

The two weeks leading up to her arrival were stressful, to say the least.  I had been told that I would have my baby any day... but of course that didn't happen.  After lots of appointments with the midwives, ultrasounds, and a non-stress test, I was finally scheduled to be induced on Wednesday, June 13th at 7 am.  Baby girl decided to rush things and my water broke that morning at 5:15.  So we rushed to the hospital and two and a half intense hours later I was holding my precious (and big) Madelynn Nicole- all 9 pounds 5 ounces and 21.5 inches of her.  It was a crazy, fast, and smooth natural delivery, and I am so thankful to God for His protection over both my baby and myself.  

I've had an awesome recovery, and we've had very few bumps in the road in the last three and a half weeks.  The biggest hurdle we've had to deal with has been Madelynn's positive Coomb's test (we have opposing blood types that mixed at some point during pregnancy or labor), which resulted in her having jaundice and therefore phototherapy beginning at about 15 hours old.  We were so grateful to have an awesome nurse who paid close attention (even during an overnight shift) and caught this so early.  Originally we were going home on Friday morning, but because of her jaundice levels we had to wait (and weren't even certain we'd be released that day) and were finally discharged at 7:30 pm.  It had never felt so good to be home.  We were only released because the doctor made arrangements with a home healthcare company for Madelynn to continue to have phototherapy at home.  It was pretty neat, and we were so grateful that he pulled some strings to make this happen.  The icing on the cake was when the doctor called us at 8:30 to check in on us and make sure everything had worked out with the home phototherapy.  We've got a pretty awesome doctor.  

We've had lots of grandparents around to help, both before and after Madelynn arrived, and it has made our life so much easier.  Andy was also able to take some time off.  The first several days home went something like this: Saturday, doctor and blood work; Sunday, doctor, blood work, and church; Monday, doctor and blood work; Tuesday, blood work; Wednesday, lactation consultant; Thursday, stayed home and began packing; Friday, lactation consultant, more packing, and left for camp/vacation.  All of this = craziness.  

The last 2 + weeks have been... busy.  When Madelynn was 9 days old we packed up and went to New Hampshire for a week of camp, followed by a few days of vacation.  We returned when she was 22 days old.  That means that at just over 3 weeks old she had spent more time in New Hampshire than at our home!  It was nice to be away though.  The cottage we stayed at had air conditioning and lots and lots of family around, so it actually made life much easier for me.  It is nice, though, to finally be home and really start figuring things out as a family of four.  

It's been fun getting to know our little girl.  From the get-go we pinned a particular cry that, in our interpretation, means "don't mess with me".  She got so many pokes to her heel during that first week, and several nurses expressed her great displeasure with them.  She also despises diaper and wardrobe changes.  What does she love?  That's easy.  She loves snuggles, of course, and sleep.  She has been, so far, an incredible sleeper.  Since her jaundice levels have been back to normal (and we haven't had to set an alarm to get her up to eat during the night), she's been getting up once (sometimes twice) during the night to eat and for the most part goes right back to sleep.  She's slept through the night once, and one morning she slept until 9:30 am - and so did I, thanks to my hubby.  She's starting to have more awake and alert times, and she's even begun to give us some real smiles.  


Madelynn has already been such a blessing to our family.  We're spending our days getting to know her better and enjoying all the firsts of both she and our family of four.  

~ Carrie ~

My Home Pick

We've had a few hot and humid days here in the last week, so I thought it would be fitting to have this week's home pick be my son's 2 favorite warm weather freezer treats. 

Popsicles - We've had several different popsicles and by far the best for a 2 year old are the Popsicle Brand Slow Melt Mighty Minis.  There are two problems with a regular popsicles: they are too big and they melt too fast.  These popsicles solve both problems.  Less sticky messes to clean up.  Love them! 

Go-gurt - Frozen Go-gurts are great!  No mess.  Relatively healthy.  You can't go wrong.  I usually cut them in half for my son.  He's less likely to leave a partial one melting somewhere if he's only had a half.  Or if he drops it or squeezes too hard (like he did twice last week... ugh), he's only out a half, not a whole.  Here are Jadon's favorites.  

So, here are some nicer alternatives typical ice pops and popsicles.  Hope you're enjoying your summer!

~ Carrie ~

Backyard Adventures

It finally feels like spring is coming!  The weather in my particular New England state is still as unpredictable as ever, but thankfully the snow finally seems to be gone for good.  We’ve enjoyed many sunny days with temps occasionally rising to the point of giving a little hope that summer may not be far away either.  Then there are the days of nothing by gray skies, thunder, and rain.  (FYI: Wednesday was that day for us, and it also happened to be the day I’d planned on doing my grocery shopping.  Yeah… not fun.)  Then there are the occasional days of cold to remind us that we are still in New England.  Today’s high temp is 47 degrees and right now it’s only 41! 

With all of this great weather we’ve been having (with the exception of Wednesday) I’ve found it difficult to keep my 2-year old inside on the rainy and/or cold days.  I’m not quite sure how I kept him in most of the winter!  One day this week, he spent approximately 90% of his play time outside.  It doesn’t bother me at all because he mostly entertains himself and only requires minimal supervision.  Unfortunately some of my housework has gone by the wayside, but it’s a worthy sacrifice! 

My thoughts for today mostly stem around outdoor activities for toddlers.  We try not to accumulate a lot of “stuff”, so we’ve tried to make the few outdoor toys and activites that we do have very worthwhile and purposeful so as not to spend unnecessary money (even if it is a great deal that is difficult to resist) and to encourage plenty of creative and imaginative play.  Excluding basic balls, buckets, and shovels, here are the outdoor toys that we (or a family member) have invested in with a brief description of what it is and why we chose that particular toy or activity.

Basketball Hoop – We very rarely purchase toys for Jadon without it being a special occasion (like a birthday or Christmas pretty much).  I also don’t purchase a toy simply because Jadon loved playing with it at a friend’s house.  This basketball hoop, however, is pretty much the only toy that we have that is an exception to both of these rules – and it has probably been the best toy investment that we have made.  It spent the winter in the house, often in our basement toy room.  As soon as the weather turned nice, out it went.  I can easily say that hardly a day goes by that Jadon doesn’t play with his hoop.  It’s really been great to see him as he’s grown (so the hoop needs to be raised) and become more coordinated (no longer just dunking but being able to take a shot from a distance.  It’s also great for Mom and Dad to play P-I-G!  Guess who usually wins? :-)

Bubbles – I’m sure they’re out there somewhere, but I for one have yet to find a child who does not like bubbles.  From the kind that make bubbles the size of small children to your basic bottle of bubbles with a little round wand, kids love them!  Last summer I carried a container of bubbles in Jadon’s bag wherever we went and they came in handy multiple times when he needed some instant outdoor entertainment. 

Child-Size Bag Chair – This was purchased at the end of last summer but I wish I’d had it the whole summer.  They can be found at a number of stores, but I got my son’s at the Christmas Tree Shops for somewhere around $5.  It’s perfect for a snack and drink break out on the deck when playing outside and collapses to practically nothing for easy travelling (perfect to bring on vacation, to soccer games, or to other family member’s home throughout the summer). 

Cozy Coup Car – My in-laws found this car at a yard sale for $10.  It has minimal fading and a rip on the sticker dashboard (although that may have occurred after my son got his hands on it…).  He still hasn’t really figured out how to move around too much in it (mostly just in reverse), but we love it because it does encourage imaginative play.  He will point to the van and says “Mumma’s van,” the car and says “Daddy’s car,” and his car and says “Jadon’s car!”  Then he hops in and says, “Bye!”  Then we’ll talk about where he’s going and who he’s going to see (usually it’s Grammy or Grampy). 

Having fun last fall in the cozy coup!

Tricycle – This was a gift for his 2^nd birthday.  We wanted to get him something to help develop  his coordination and something that would grow with him.  This should last him for several years.  Oh, and did I mention we found it in great condition on Craig’s List for $30?!  That’s about $22 than the cheapest place online!

Child-Size Picnic Table – We actually don’t have this yet, but I’m excited for it.  This is another Craig’s List purchase, but this time my husband’s parents found it.  We are hoping to finally purchase a patio table and chairs for our big deck in the next month, so this will be great for Jadon to sit and eat at when we decide to cook and eat out.  It will also be nice for some messy crafts during the summer. 

Kiddie Pool – This is a must for us.  I would have possibly opted for just a sprinkler (what we had in my family when I was growing up) but, considering the lack of grass that grows in our back yard, a kiddie pool is much… cleaner.  There are tons of them around, but Jadon’s is a $10 inflatable one from Target (no bells and whistles with it, just your basic pool).  Hey, I even enjoyed pulling my deck chair up to it and sticking my feet in!  Pull the basketball hoop to the side of the pool and you’ve got additional splashing fun!

Memorial Day Weekend 2010 (I'm thinking the water was a little on the cold side!)

Sand & Water Table – This is probably my favorite outdoor toy we have for our son.  It was a purchase for his 1^st birthday and he used it all summer long.  We decided not to put any sand in it last year due to the fact that he was still putting everything in his mouth.  Water seemed to be the safest solution.  He kept himself so cool all summer long!  This spring we decided that he was ready for the sand and he’s done great with it – meaning, he hasn’t tried to eat it and most of it has stayed in the table.  Success!  Once the weather gets warm we’ll drain the sand out of it and put water back in.  Using sand now means we can get more time out of this toy.  He wouldn’t be using it right now with water in it – too cold!  Once the weather turns cold again after the summer we’ll put the sand back in.  We opted for a sand table that doesn’t really do anything (some squirt water and make noise) to promote more creative play.  He has a great time digging, filling up buckets, and burying “treasure”. 

Staying cool at his water table... FYI: I don't know why he's not wearing his swim trunks because he ALWAYS got himself soaked when playing in at his water table!

That’s my list.  I guess you could say it’s a warm weather survival guide!  We’re happy with our selection of activities and don’t plan on adding anything throughout the summer.  I’m sure many of you would suggest other play items that work well for your family.  Lots of families have the large play sets with climbing walls and slides for toddlers or even swing sets for older children, but we have a park about 3 blocks away and therefore don’t really have a need for any of that.  Please share your investments for summer entertainment for children.  I’d love to hear what you and your children love!

~ Carrie ~

Time to “Spring” Into Action!

I know it’s not technically spring yet, but the warmer weather we’ve been having in our area has been enough for me to start thinking about outdoor activities and warm weather plans.  Yesterday (the hubby’s day off) was a really fun day in which our family thoroughly enjoyed the beautiful day: a few short car rides, a walk along a local lake, lunch at a little downtown diner, and playing at our neighborhood park.  By the end of this long, fun day my mind couldn’t help but think about all the things I want to do this summer. 

I am one of those people who is great at planning, but struggles (sometimes) with following through.  Thinking about it is fun.  Actually preparing to do it is not fun.  I just want to be able to snap my fingers and be there.  Or, another struggle I’ll admit to is just forgetting or failing to be proactive.  What I mean is, I get doing my normal everyday stuff (laundry, dishes, cleaning stuff, organizing, shopping, cooking) and forget to make time for fun.  Is that normal? 

Last spring, while at a local MOPS group, the leader had a great idea.  She made sure everyone had a paper and pencil and asked us to make a list of things that we wanted to do with our families between now and when (I dare say) the cold weather returns.  I worked and worked and worked on my list only to come up with 3-4 things – for the entire summer!  And it was pretty much the same stuff that we normally do.  I was a little discouraged until the MOPS leader said that she now wanted us to share with everyone what was on our list.  By the time everyone had finished sharing, I had a list of at least a dozen LOCAL activities – not long trips, not even anything all that expensive, just local and fun!  I was so impressed. 

So, this brings me to this year.  I’m starting to think about what to do this spring and summer.  It’s so easy to think that there isn’t much to do in your area, but get creative and talk to other people.  You will surely discover some fun, cheap things to do with your family that will result in tons of quality time, laughter, and memories.  Over the next week or two, I will be working on my list and then I will share it (probably on another Friday).  So, stay tuned.  Maybe something on my list will inspire you!  You don't have to be a mom to take this challenge.  You don't even have to married or have children to take this challenge!  Take advantage of the nice weather (which can change with the blink of an eye in New England) and decide who you want to invest more of your time into.  Dishes and laundry can wait.  You’ll never regret spending quality time with your family and friends!

~ Carrie ~