adding to the noise

setbacks.

my beautiful girl is 3 weeks today. this is the most recent picture i have though (from sunday) because we've had a bit of a setback this week. unfortunately, i had to leave her for some time this week because i had to have emergency gallbladder surgery. apparently, it's pretty common after pregnancy, says the doctors/surgeons. i am okay, but recovery is going a little slow. i am still very sore and very tired, but glad to be back home with my baby. it was the most difficult thing in the world to leave her for so long (less than 24 hours because i insisted on coming home right after the surgery to be with her). i am so very lucky to have amazing people in my life who have helped me with my recovery and with taking care of the baby.

not many new things with her this week...

she loves: laying on her changing table (For some reason, it makes her very happy), breastfeeding (luckily, she went RIGHT back when i was able to start again), sleeping in the boppy, being held and rocked

she's not happy about: formula (we had LOTS of spitting up after the formula we had to give her while i was still in the hospital/still had drugs in my system)

she's been: down to Trenton to see her aunt, uncle, and cousin (including to Uncle Jarret's work), to the park for a walk, to lots more yard sales, to a farm and saw pigs, roosters, and chickens, to the town's spring festival, taken care of by some of the loveliest people while her mommy was in the hospital

i can't believe she will be a month next week. and we have a dr's appt next week. i can't wait to see how big she's gotten! she seems huge already to me!

2 weeks.

my beautiful little girl is already two weeks old. i can hardly believe it.

she loves: sleeping with her mommy, eating (constantly), staring at her mommy and grandmother, car rides

she hates: diaper changes, having her feet/legs covered, sleeping alone

she's been: photographed by two professional photographers and lots of photos by her momma, on a shopping trip to Westfield with her momma and her aunt, to lots of garage sales with her mother and grandmother, visited by SO many friends and family

she is already so much bigger and has started to fill out some of the newborn stuff that was huge on her to begin with.her cord FINALLY fell off so tonight she'll get her first bath - thank gosh! hopefully she doesn't hate it too much! my little girl is growing up....

peter miller photography

i have to brag a bit on the amazing photographer who came to take shots of my little princess last week.... Peter is amazing. I found him through craigslist and lucky me, with the hundreds of emails I got, I chose him and I LOVE what he has done! He spent about 3 hours taking pictures of my babe and was incredibly patient through the pooping, the bouts of crankiness, the nursing...completely professional and a complete pleasure to work with.

i have only gotten a small sneak peek of what's to come but i am overwhelmed at how beautiful the photos are.... here's two I love.... you can check out the rest at his blog: Peter Miller Photography and if you are in the area and need some photos, I highly recommend him! thanks, Peter!

more every day.

i cannot believe that madelyn is 8 days old. it seems like forever that she has been a part of me, but at the same time, it seems like she's just been here a day. i cannot believe how lucky i am. she is beautiful and perfect and i fall more in love with her every single day, exceeding all possible expectations i had.

so a little bit about the birth.... madelyn was a scheduled induction for wednesday the 8th. i had to be at the hospital at 5am and didn't get any sleep the night before (well, actually for probably at least a week before.... one of the reasons they were inducing was because of PUPPS and the itching that was getting more and more intense). things progressed VERY slowly from 5am until 3pm. i went in at 1 1/2 cm dilated and at 3pm was still 1 1/2 cm dilated, despite a heavy dripping of pitocin. they broke my water at 3pm and at 6pm, i had finally made some progress and was 3 1/2 cm. they told me to get cozy and that madelyn would most likely not arrive until 2 or 3 the next morning. around 8pm, i started to feel some pressure and when the nurse finally came to check me, i learned i was fully dilated. talk about a quick progression. i only had to push for about an hour and madelyn arrived screaming and red at 10:38pm.

she was perfect from the beginning. perfect apgars. 8 lbs 6oz and 20 1/2 inches. she nursed perfectly and was so good. she was visited quickly by her grandparents, aunts and uncles.

madelyn and i stayed in the hospital until friday morning and she was fabulous the whole time. continued to nurse perfectly. received visitors. there were a few small issues that we experienced upon leaving the hospital, but they seem to have resolved themselves.

the first two days at home were a bit rough. madelyn stopped latching on and we had a lot of trouble with nursing but when the milk finally came in on sunday, all cleared up.

she is doing well now. has her days and nights a bit mixed up which drives her momma a little nuts. she is a bit jaundiced so has had to go for lots of bloodwork for that which she is not a fan of. we're waiting for results now on whether she will have to go under the lights. i'm hoping not.

she is just perfect. i cannot even put into words. so i will just share more photos... (she will definitely be the most photographed baby! LOL she even has her first official professional shoot tomorrow, though was lucky enough to have a friend of the family who's a photographer pop in to take some easter photos the other day!)

 

pretty easter bunny.

 

baby in a basket.

looking at her momma.

 

6 days old.

one week old. 

madelyn terese

duh... i realized after i posted that i forgot to tell you all her name.... blame it on the sleep deprivation. madelyn because i love the name and terese after her mother and grandmother (both our middle names are terese).

for your viewing pleasure.... more photos that i took yesterday...

the most beautiful girl in the world.

was born on April 8, 2009 at 10:38pm... she was 8 lbs 6oz at birth, but only 7 lbs 15oz at the doctor's appointment yesterday...  we both came home two days ago and are doing good... lots of adjusting to do! will tell more when i have the chance...