Donovan here, making a rare blogging appearance! I'll let Cat take a break this time around!
Cat and I were busy getting Madelyn ready for her bath tonight going through the usual routines, when we came to a new level of understanding of our love for her, and our bonds as a family. It dawned on us the true meaning of innocence.
Madelyn can't lie.
She doesn't have the ability to hide her emotions, mask her feelings, or act one way when she feels another inside.
What you see is what you get with her, and tonight we came to the realization that every movement, every cry, every thought, is pure, 100% honest.
Cat and I are incredibly blessed to have a child who can't control her smiles when we walk in the room, her laughter when we tickle her, and her excitement when we pick her up, or sing to her. She doesn't have a care in the world, and when she smiles, it comes from a place so deep within her, it's impossible to not be inspired and uplifted.
It almost makes us feel that after all the worrying, sleep deprivation, and formula stained clothing, the two of us must be doing something right!
Correction.
The three of us....
Time to put my family to bed.... Feeling incredibly lucky tonight. Goodnight everyone!
- Donovan
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Yup, here's proof!
As stated in yesterday's post, my baby can now successfully roll on to her tummy from her back. 
WOW!!!
Today I put her on her back on the rainforest mat, went to put her bottle in the dishwasher, and came back literally 32 seconds later (yes, I timed it!), and this is how I found her:
She can only roll right, but I have a sneaking suspicion that soon she'll be rolling every which way! She's a baby on the move! Watch out!
Monday, June 2, 2008
Has it REALLY been 2 whole months....
Since our last post?
Well, that would make sense, since every day is filled to the brim with the joys of nurturing a 21-WEEK OLD BABY!
Our little Maddy Roo is absolutely the joy of our lives. I truly believe she's an old soul in the body of a healthy, 16.5 LB, 25" LONG baby!
Yes, you read that right!
Maddy Roo had her 4-month immunization shots on May 21 (again, cried a bit during the actual needles themselves, but was a completely content baby afterwards), and the numbers don't lie - Mommy's little Reesey Poo (yes, I'm a sucker for cutesy pet names that rhyme with each other!) measured a whopping 25" long - gaining 1 inch since her last appointment 2 months ago. Makes sense - at 3 months, she was wearing 6-month sized clothing. Now, at nearly 5 months, she's comfortable in 9-month-sized sleepers.
It's astounding how much her personality has developed, and how much she changes from day to day. Since she hit the 3-month mark, she (for the most part) sleeps through the night - her routine consists of bath time at 9pm, feeding, cuddles and kisses, and in bed by 9:45'ish. We awaken to her coos and the swooshing sounds of her sleeper-covered feet kicking against the material on the inside of the bassinet between 6 and 7am.
Her eyes hold a wisdom beyond her years. It's hard to explain - maybe it's because she's just incredibly alert and curious about her surroundings, but when she locks eyes with me, I just feel as though she knows so much more than we think she does. She's very smart, very funny, very cuddly and very precious. And that makes us VERY lucky! :)
Let's see....Maddy'isms...so many to catch everyone up on!:
- she laughs! LOVE her laugh! Caught her first laugh on video, and I think she caught herself off guard when she did it, but it's certainly developed into a hearty belly laugh! And she also has the cutest (I'm not biased) giggles, accompanied by the most beautifully big toothless grin you'd ever be lucky enough to see!
- she's discovered her fingers, loves watching them in front of her face! Subsequently, she's also discovered her toes, and as of recently, enjoys immensely shoving them in her mouth for a good gumming!
- she's started teething! Drool, red cheeks, a bit of a fever, EVERYTHING goes in the mouth... no teeth have cut through yet, and some days, you'd never know she was teething at all.
- as of this past weekend, she's rolled over onto her tummy (when Mommy left the room)! But luckily Mommy got to witness it first-hand today!
- she hugs us back
- she gives kisses (big open mouth kisses!)
- chirp, chirp, chirp....she's such a chatterbox! She started off by chirping, and then started hooting like an owl! (Along with all the other pet names Mommy has for her, she's also dubbed her Owl or Birdie, for this reason alone!) Now she babbles and babbles and holds conversations quite well!
- she's started to look behind her...but not in the conventional way you or I would; she looks behind her by tilting her head as far up as it can go, so she's looking at you upside-down!
- she lies in bed and sings to herself in the mornings, waiting patiently for Mom and Dad to feed her!
- she has a favourite song: Winnie the Pooh! Whenever Mommy sings it, in the heat of a really horribly fussy crying fit, Maddy Roo instantly stops crying and begins to smile!
- recognizes words and names - as in, when Mommy asks, "Reesey Poo, would you like to have snuggles with MOMMY?", she breaks into an uncontrollable giggly fit. Or when Mommy says, "Reesey Poo, guess who's coming home to see you? DADDY!" her mouth opens as wide as it can get and the cutest little high-pitched squeals come out, and her eyes just light up like fireworks!
- still loves bath time
- can sometimes put her soother (plug) back in her mouth if it falls out (and she just happens to be holding it)
- loves the sunshine and the wind in her face!
- does well on road trips (took our first out to Sifton to visit Grandma this weekend - success!)
- she's already said her first word! Well, kinda - not like she really KNOWS, but she says Mum... of course, she says "mmmmummm" when she's crying, and she's picked up on "dada", but says his name when she's laughing. Go figure!!!! lol
Here are some updated pics! On April 12, Madelyn Reese was baptized. Isn't she an angel in her gown? Auntie Leanne is her godmother, and Richard Borys is her godfather - he came in all the way from Okotoks for the event! It was so special to have him there, we're so honoured he accepted the role!
Then there's a pic of Maddy Roo in her track suit - we all went out for our first family walk together, and Mommy had to make sure she was dressed for it!
Next there's Reesey Poo in her bumbo seat - what a big little girl she is!
Then, here's her reaction to the damn peacock that shrieked so loud it scared the bejeebus outta my baby! First trip to the zoo - hope it's not our last!
And here's the most recent clip we've uploaded to YouTube: May 25 - she's having fun exploring her vocal range, and for the first time, she's not camera shy! In fact, she hams it up for the lens! LOVE IT! Enjoy!
Well, that would make sense, since every day is filled to the brim with the joys of nurturing a 21-WEEK OLD BABY!
Our little Maddy Roo is absolutely the joy of our lives. I truly believe she's an old soul in the body of a healthy, 16.5 LB, 25" LONG baby!
Yes, you read that right!
Maddy Roo had her 4-month immunization shots on May 21 (again, cried a bit during the actual needles themselves, but was a completely content baby afterwards), and the numbers don't lie - Mommy's little Reesey Poo (yes, I'm a sucker for cutesy pet names that rhyme with each other!) measured a whopping 25" long - gaining 1 inch since her last appointment 2 months ago. Makes sense - at 3 months, she was wearing 6-month sized clothing. Now, at nearly 5 months, she's comfortable in 9-month-sized sleepers.
It's astounding how much her personality has developed, and how much she changes from day to day. Since she hit the 3-month mark, she (for the most part) sleeps through the night - her routine consists of bath time at 9pm, feeding, cuddles and kisses, and in bed by 9:45'ish. We awaken to her coos and the swooshing sounds of her sleeper-covered feet kicking against the material on the inside of the bassinet between 6 and 7am.
Her eyes hold a wisdom beyond her years. It's hard to explain - maybe it's because she's just incredibly alert and curious about her surroundings, but when she locks eyes with me, I just feel as though she knows so much more than we think she does. She's very smart, very funny, very cuddly and very precious. And that makes us VERY lucky! :)
Let's see....Maddy'isms...so many to catch everyone up on!:
- she laughs! LOVE her laugh! Caught her first laugh on video, and I think she caught herself off guard when she did it, but it's certainly developed into a hearty belly laugh! And she also has the cutest (I'm not biased) giggles, accompanied by the most beautifully big toothless grin you'd ever be lucky enough to see!
- she's discovered her fingers, loves watching them in front of her face! Subsequently, she's also discovered her toes, and as of recently, enjoys immensely shoving them in her mouth for a good gumming!
- she's started teething! Drool, red cheeks, a bit of a fever, EVERYTHING goes in the mouth... no teeth have cut through yet, and some days, you'd never know she was teething at all.
- as of this past weekend, she's rolled over onto her tummy (when Mommy left the room)! But luckily Mommy got to witness it first-hand today!
- she hugs us back
- she gives kisses (big open mouth kisses!)
- chirp, chirp, chirp....she's such a chatterbox! She started off by chirping, and then started hooting like an owl! (Along with all the other pet names Mommy has for her, she's also dubbed her Owl or Birdie, for this reason alone!) Now she babbles and babbles and holds conversations quite well!
- she's started to look behind her...but not in the conventional way you or I would; she looks behind her by tilting her head as far up as it can go, so she's looking at you upside-down!
- she lies in bed and sings to herself in the mornings, waiting patiently for Mom and Dad to feed her!
- she has a favourite song: Winnie the Pooh! Whenever Mommy sings it, in the heat of a really horribly fussy crying fit, Maddy Roo instantly stops crying and begins to smile!
- recognizes words and names - as in, when Mommy asks, "Reesey Poo, would you like to have snuggles with MOMMY?", she breaks into an uncontrollable giggly fit. Or when Mommy says, "Reesey Poo, guess who's coming home to see you? DADDY!" her mouth opens as wide as it can get and the cutest little high-pitched squeals come out, and her eyes just light up like fireworks!
- still loves bath time
- can sometimes put her soother (plug) back in her mouth if it falls out (and she just happens to be holding it)
- loves the sunshine and the wind in her face!
- does well on road trips (took our first out to Sifton to visit Grandma this weekend - success!)
- she's already said her first word! Well, kinda - not like she really KNOWS, but she says Mum... of course, she says "mmmmummm" when she's crying, and she's picked up on "dada", but says his name when she's laughing. Go figure!!!! lol
Here are some updated pics! On April 12, Madelyn Reese was baptized. Isn't she an angel in her gown? Auntie Leanne is her godmother, and Richard Borys is her godfather - he came in all the way from Okotoks for the event! It was so special to have him there, we're so honoured he accepted the role!
Then there's a pic of Maddy Roo in her track suit - we all went out for our first family walk together, and Mommy had to make sure she was dressed for it!
Next there's Reesey Poo in her bumbo seat - what a big little girl she is!
Then, here's her reaction to the damn peacock that shrieked so loud it scared the bejeebus outta my baby! First trip to the zoo - hope it's not our last!
And here's the most recent clip we've uploaded to YouTube: May 25 - she's having fun exploring her vocal range, and for the first time, she's not camera shy! In fact, she hams it up for the lens! LOVE IT! Enjoy!
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Half a lifetime's worth of catching up to do! Madelyn Reese is 12 weeks old!
I'm so sorry I haven't posted since she was 6 weeks old - SO much has happened, and she's kept us so busy, it's been hard to keep up with this blog!
First and foremost, THANK YOU to everyone who made it out to our humble abode on March 2nd for Maddy's party! It was wonderful to see everyone, so sorry we weren't able to spend much time with each and every one of you, but it meant the world to us that you took time out of your Sunday afternoon to come and meet our little girl!
Much has happened since my last post!
Her thrush didn't go away with the gentian violet, so the next plan of attack: diflucan. One mL a day for 2 weeks straight, GUARANTEED to kick the thrush out.
Well, not out of MY baby, apparently!
Dr. Martinez (her pediatrician) was baffled - told us we should start back at square one with the Nystatin (the yellow stuff), and just do it all over again. I decided NOT to - my baby had been on meds since January 23rd, and nothing was working, so I decided to go back to nursing her without any medical treatments, and BAM, like magic, her thrush disappeared!
Too bad we had to spend all that money on her meds before trying the "no-med" approach, but it was worth it to help us believe our little girl would get better!
She had her immunization shots on March 17th, where she weighed in at a whopping 12LBS, and 24" long!!! You'd never know she was a baby that just had needles in her thighs - she didn't fuss or cry or show any symptoms we were fully expecting, and prepared, for her to have! I was almost going to phone Dr. Martinez to ask him if he actually GAVE her the needles!
On to other news: the March 22nd, Saturday edition of the Winnipeg Free Press ran her birth announcement (click on the image to read the posting):
And what better way to follow up a birth announcement than to celebrate her FIRST Easter?!
We got her all dolled up in the outfit that Cyn and Abby bought for her (thanks girls!), we took her to church, and afterwards went to Baba and Didi's house to enjoy a fabulous Easter feast! Here are some pics of our little Maddy in her Easter dress, snuggling with (and trying to eat!) the little bunny that Baba and Didi bought for her:
I've also found some time to upload some video of our little girl! Here, on March 24th, as Daddy was getting her bath ready, I was sitting on the stool in front of Maddy, sticking my tongue out at her and making silly noises, just to make her smile - well, it blew me away that SHE STARTED TO MIMIC ME! Dono grabbed the camera and we managed to capture just a touch of this exciting little development...enjoy!:
The recent Maddy'isms are as follows (so many, I hope I don't forget any!):
- she's able to pull herself up to a sitting position now! (with the help of Mommy or Daddy, of course!)
- she smiles A LOT. Especially first thing in the morning! Gone are the days of us waking up to her crying because she's hungry - now, we wake up to the sounds of her cooing and talking in her bassinet, and when we peek in at her, we just get the biggest smiles! (Donovan puts it best when he says it's like her whole body smiles at us, she's just so excited to see us!!!)
- drool, drool, drool! I've started calling her Droolia Roberts!
- she's starting to suck her thumb! Not all the time, just every now and then we can hear the fervent sounds of her sucking away on her digits!
I'm sure I'm missing some - I have to go nurse Maddy now, so I'll let Dono fill in any blanks! I promise to try to keep this more updated!
First and foremost, THANK YOU to everyone who made it out to our humble abode on March 2nd for Maddy's party! It was wonderful to see everyone, so sorry we weren't able to spend much time with each and every one of you, but it meant the world to us that you took time out of your Sunday afternoon to come and meet our little girl!
Much has happened since my last post!
Her thrush didn't go away with the gentian violet, so the next plan of attack: diflucan. One mL a day for 2 weeks straight, GUARANTEED to kick the thrush out.
Well, not out of MY baby, apparently!
Dr. Martinez (her pediatrician) was baffled - told us we should start back at square one with the Nystatin (the yellow stuff), and just do it all over again. I decided NOT to - my baby had been on meds since January 23rd, and nothing was working, so I decided to go back to nursing her without any medical treatments, and BAM, like magic, her thrush disappeared!
Too bad we had to spend all that money on her meds before trying the "no-med" approach, but it was worth it to help us believe our little girl would get better!
She had her immunization shots on March 17th, where she weighed in at a whopping 12LBS, and 24" long!!! You'd never know she was a baby that just had needles in her thighs - she didn't fuss or cry or show any symptoms we were fully expecting, and prepared, for her to have! I was almost going to phone Dr. Martinez to ask him if he actually GAVE her the needles!
On to other news: the March 22nd, Saturday edition of the Winnipeg Free Press ran her birth announcement (click on the image to read the posting):
And what better way to follow up a birth announcement than to celebrate her FIRST Easter?!
We got her all dolled up in the outfit that Cyn and Abby bought for her (thanks girls!), we took her to church, and afterwards went to Baba and Didi's house to enjoy a fabulous Easter feast! Here are some pics of our little Maddy in her Easter dress, snuggling with (and trying to eat!) the little bunny that Baba and Didi bought for her:
I've also found some time to upload some video of our little girl! Here, on March 24th, as Daddy was getting her bath ready, I was sitting on the stool in front of Maddy, sticking my tongue out at her and making silly noises, just to make her smile - well, it blew me away that SHE STARTED TO MIMIC ME! Dono grabbed the camera and we managed to capture just a touch of this exciting little development...enjoy!:
The recent Maddy'isms are as follows (so many, I hope I don't forget any!):
- she's able to pull herself up to a sitting position now! (with the help of Mommy or Daddy, of course!)
- she smiles A LOT. Especially first thing in the morning! Gone are the days of us waking up to her crying because she's hungry - now, we wake up to the sounds of her cooing and talking in her bassinet, and when we peek in at her, we just get the biggest smiles! (Donovan puts it best when he says it's like her whole body smiles at us, she's just so excited to see us!!!)
- drool, drool, drool! I've started calling her Droolia Roberts!
- she's starting to suck her thumb! Not all the time, just every now and then we can hear the fervent sounds of her sucking away on her digits!
I'm sure I'm missing some - I have to go nurse Maddy now, so I'll let Dono fill in any blanks! I promise to try to keep this more updated!
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
6 weeks old
Losing her cheeks? Filling out? ROBUST?
These are some of the things we've heard from friends, family, and the public health nurse, respectively!
She is certainly changing, growing up too quickly if you ask me.
Poor girl has had the unfortunate luck of having 2 sick parents, and inevitably catching a cold herself. We had to take her to the ER this past Sunday at 3 in the morning because she had a pretty bad head cold that caused her to gasp for air and choke on her own boogies. We've since been dropping saline solution into her nostrils and using a suction bulb to clear her nasal passageways. That's sort of helping, but she's still not yet 100%.
What a little trooper, though.
Anyhoo, here are some of my favourite Maddy'isms this week:
- the evolving of the Maddy inchworm! When I prop her up to burp her, she moves like a little inchworm from my shoulder across my collarbone, head-butting me in the neck and jaw with her bird-peck head bobs! This cracks me up, and I can't help but laugh every time she gets going!
- I had an A-HA moment where I finally was able to recognize what a certain cry means! I now know her "siren" cry means she's hungry!
- she's started to "talk" - not just cries anymore from her, oh no! Now she does a bit of light chatter and coo'ing!
- she has nightmares where, when she's deep in sleep, will whimper and bark curtly like a little puppy, and flail her arms about in front of her face as though she's being attacked by a swarm of bees! After a minute of snuggles, she's ok again!
Poor girl's thrush came back a bit - we received conflicting information from doctors, the pharmacist, the public health nurse - so we probably didn't end up being as aggressive with her meds as we probably should have been (we were told to ease up on them, not 4 times a day, not every day, etc, EVERYTHING we were initially told to do, we were now being told NOT to do).
So this time, I'm not taking chances, and I'm giving her all the recommended doses, whether she likes it or not! We're gonna kick this thrush in the arse! Anyhoo, here she is with her purple mouth from the genviolet (the thrush meds). What a mess, but it's supposed to work!
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Party time!!!
In honour of our li'l girl, and in lieu of the conventional baby shower!, Donovan and I are hosting a MEET MADELYN REESE come-and-go-style party!
WHERE: the Yaciuk estate!
WHEN: March 2, 2008 (Sunday)
On March 2nd, from 1-4pm, all are welcome to swing on by (ladies AND gents!) to mingle with friends, have a bevy or 2, enjoy some light snacks and meet the newest addition to the Yaciuk clan!
If you're able to make it and would like directions to our place, pls email us and we'll help you out!
We would love to see you, and Maddy would love to meet you!
*A snuggle with Madelyn is all she needs, but if you would like to bring a gift, she is registered at babiesrus.ca!
Hope to see you there!
WHERE: the Yaciuk estate!
WHEN: March 2, 2008 (Sunday)
On March 2nd, from 1-4pm, all are welcome to swing on by (ladies AND gents!) to mingle with friends, have a bevy or 2, enjoy some light snacks and meet the newest addition to the Yaciuk clan!
If you're able to make it and would like directions to our place, pls email us and we'll help you out!
We would love to see you, and Maddy would love to meet you!
*A snuggle with Madelyn is all she needs, but if you would like to bring a gift, she is registered at babiesrus.ca!
Hope to see you there!
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
4 weeks old!
Ok seriously, WHERE has the time gone?!
I can't believe it was 4 WEEKS AGO that we first met our li'l angel! My, how she's grown!
The public health nurse stopped by today, and Maddy got weighed (just like her mom, HATES being on the scale!). Our girl is a whopping 8lbs 15oz! Look how much she's changed in 4 weeks!:
Here are some of her little Maddy'isms for this week:
- she's so much more alert now - won't necessarily cry and fuss when she's awake, she'll just look around, kick her legs, and she's content to discover her hands and toes!
- her favourite songs include Elton John's "I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues" (sorry Mike!) and Joaquin Phoenix's version of "Get Rhythm"
- the way she reaches up for my face when I'm feeding her, and the way she grasps Donovan's arms when he holds her upright to burp her
- how much she loves her baths
- her 4 chins and 7 elbow creases! She's a little butterball! I love it!
- the way she "smiles" at me when I snuggle in close to her and tell her I love her!
I can't believe she's 4 weeks old already.
I can't believe it was 4 WEEKS AGO that we first met our li'l angel! My, how she's grown!
The public health nurse stopped by today, and Maddy got weighed (just like her mom, HATES being on the scale!). Our girl is a whopping 8lbs 15oz! Look how much she's changed in 4 weeks!:
Here are some of her little Maddy'isms for this week:
- she's so much more alert now - won't necessarily cry and fuss when she's awake, she'll just look around, kick her legs, and she's content to discover her hands and toes!
- her favourite songs include Elton John's "I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues" (sorry Mike!) and Joaquin Phoenix's version of "Get Rhythm"
- the way she reaches up for my face when I'm feeding her, and the way she grasps Donovan's arms when he holds her upright to burp her
- how much she loves her baths
- her 4 chins and 7 elbow creases! She's a little butterball! I love it!
- the way she "smiles" at me when I snuggle in close to her and tell her I love her!
I can't believe she's 4 weeks old already.
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