Tummy Time Again...

We got Madison a new tummy time mat today. I wanted something that had a small pillow or something similar with it. She likes using the boppy for tummy time, but it seems almost too big for her. Well, we were at Babies R Us, and we saw this mat made by boppy, and I thought it would be perfect for her. She seemed to actually enjoy tummy time, and even looked at the toys. I switched between which side I was sitting on, and she would turn her head and look at me. I was so excited.

Then her Daddy got on the floor with her, and she seemed to really like that.

She stayed on the mat for about 9 minutes, which is outstanding for her. I'm really excited about this mat. I think we are going to get good use out it.

By the end of the 9 minutes, she wasn't a very happy camper. However, she got a bottle right after that, and she was in heaven!

Hungry

Madison has started to want to eat about every 2 to 2.5 hours, but she only takes like 2 or 3 ounces. I asked the pediatrician about it last week. He said that since she was strictly formula fed that she shouldn't eat but every 3.5 to 4 hours. So, we aren't supposed to feed her any sooner than 3.5 hours, and we are supposed to just let her cry. He said that crying is good for them. It's like their aerobic workout. I wanted to ask him if he wanted to come and be around her during her aerobic workout. Anyway, last night Grammy stopped by. She had to pick up her new glasses, and she was close by. Well, Grammy fed her fairly soon after she got here, and she took 6 ounces. However 2 hours later, Miss Madison thought she was hungry.

She started sticking out her bottom lip and crying. Grammy thinks that when she sticks out that bottom lip that it is "just a hoot." Mommy and Daddy don't find it as funny. So, Grammy decided to try and give her the pacifier, but that works for about 2 sucks.


Finally, Grammy decided that Miss Madison should try and be rocked. So, she took her into the nursery to rock her. Well, that didn't work either.

In the end, I told Grammy to go give her to her Daddy. For whatever reason, he can really calm her down. I wish I would have gotten a picture of that, but I didn't. He just puts her low on his chest and strokes her. She was out like a light within about 5 minutes, and she stayed that way until it was time for her bath. She has such a wonderful Daddy!!

Bumbo & Tummy Time

Madison's head strength is getting better and better each day. I decided on Friday to try her in the bumbo. She's been in it before, but she really couldn't hold her head up that well. I basically had to have my hands positioned around her so she wouldn't slump over. However, on Friday she did so well during tummy time that I decided to try it out again. As you can see, she actually did really well with the bumbo. Her Daddy was taking her picture, so she kep grinning at him. I know I'm biased, but she's just so darn cute!!

We've been slacking on doing tummy time lately. She does really well when she's on your chest, but she really, really hates to be put on the floor. We've used the boppy to help prop her up. She does well with it, but gets really upset after like 2 minutes. This was taken right before she started crying.

So, I told Jeff that we really needed to see if there was anything else we could do to get her more interested in doing tummy time. So, he did some research and someone suggested using an exercise ball. I was a little skeptical at first. I mean it just sounded weird to me. Well, I'm happy to say that she absolutely loved it, and she lasted almost 10 minutes on it. Hopefully, this works for her!

Quick update...she's doing great at her neck exercises. She's even starting to turn and lay on her right side now. She never really did that before. YAY!!!

Daytona 500-2008 edition

I finally have a little time to post something about my experience from this years Daytona 500. I met up with one my high school buddies from Ohio Jeremy Lipps in Orlando. This was Jeremy's first time ever to a race. People that we talked to couldn't believe that he got to go to this race first, since its the Superbowl for Nascar (and the 50th anniversary at that!).

We stayed in Orlando near the University of Central Florida's campus at a Hampton Inn where Jen and I have previously stayed. It's too expensive to stay in Daytona, if you can even find a room. The drive wasn't that bad TO the track (will explain our ride back later).

Friday night we just got something to eat and went to the grocery store to get our necessities for the weekend. We did take advantage of the hot tub that night because it was nice and hot and the weather was perfect (the temp was 28 when Jeff left Tulsa, but by the time he got to Orlando it had dropped to like -4!!) It was like 80 when we arrived in Orlando.

Saturday morning we got up and were off to the track about 9:30. The traffic wasn't bad at all, but there were also half the people that were going to be at Sunday's race. The weather was just about perfect, there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Jeff got a little sunburned, but not that bad.

I wish I had a picture of Jeremy's face when the cars were up to speed after the Nationwide Series race started. It was pretty priceless. He said that it looks fast on tv, but even faster in person. He was amazed how close they get to each others bumper. The race was pretty uneventful with not a whole lot of major cautions. Jeremy enjoyed listening to the race and the drivers on the FanView device that we rented for the weekend. The FanView helps you stay connected with your favorite driver plus it has a tv built in to it.

After the race was over we decided to get something to eat and to allow the lines to go down for waiting on a bus back to the parking lot. While we waited we made new friends with a couple from Ohio. We stopped at a grocery store down from the hotel to buy a replacement cooler and some more Yuengling Black and Tan (beer)which Jeremy turned me onto, too bad I can't get it here!! Jeremy got his first taste of Chik-Fil-A since they aren't that popular in Ohio. Once we got back to the hotel, the first order of business was to get back into the hot tub!! We made some new friends at the hot tub with some race fans from all over the country.

Sunday morning we got up bright and early to had to the track(not as early as our new friends were going to leave for the track, 5 am!!). We were almost to where we needed to go and the Highway Patrol had the road blocked off because of a broken down bus. Thanks to Jeremy's quick thinking we were able to avoid the majority of the standstill traffic and go to the next exit and turn around. Once we got to the track we headed straight towards the infield so that we could go to the FanZone. The Fanzone was something new this year which allowed the fans to have an up close view of what goes on behind the scenes. It was definitely worth the money. You can see from some of the pictures in the slideshow that we were able to get pretty close in certain areas. It was hotter on Sunday, but there was more cloud cover.

The race was sold out so every seat was filled. I made friends with the soon to be drunk guy sitting in front of us. He was hilarious, he said that he had hoped to sit by somebody like me (not sure that I still really know what means). He even bet me that Dale Jr. would win the race. When he realized that he wasn't going to win he wadded up the dollar bill as tight as he could and stuck it in my pocket. The race got interesting in the last few laps of the race. Ryan Newman eventually pulled ahead and won the race. As soon as the race was over a fight about broke out across the aisle. An overzealous Newman fan hit the lady behind him (by accident) The next thing we know, the woman's husband, whose a big burly guy takes off his glasses and is ready to throw down. They eventually came to their senses and apologized. We wandered around the outside of the track for a little bit before we decided to go stand in line to wait for the buses (I wish I had a picture to show how many people waited for the buses). We waited 2+ hours to get on a bus. Once we finally got back to the parking lot we had a hard time remembering where we parked because all of the landmarks we thought of were gone or it was too dark to see them. There wasn't any point in hurrying up to leave, so we just sat in the car for a couple hours. Long story short, we made it back to the hotel about 1:10 am!! The traffic management out of the parking lot was horrible. It was a very long day (we really wanted to get in the hot tub, but the pool area closes at 10 pm). I can kind of see why Jen wanted to leave early so that we didn't have to wait in all of the traffic.

On Monday we decided to drive to Cocoa Beach and Kennedy Space Center. Jeremy had fun seeing all of the gators along the side of the road in the swamp area around the space center. We walked up to the ticket booths and turned around because we didn't feel like paying $38 a piece to get into the space center and fight the Presidents Day crowd. We drove on down to Cocoa Beach and went into Ron Jon's surf shop. It's next to the original one because the new one is huge. The old building is there, but you just rent surf boards there. After that we went to Coconuts on the Beach and got something to eat and drink. We then walked quite a ways on the beach (too bad Jen wasn't there I saw hardly any seaweed-she hates seaweed).

That pretty much sums up our trip. Jeremy left bright and early Tuesday morning and I left about mid morning. So, now we are now back to reality.

2 Month Checkup

Madison had her 2 month checkup today. I can't believe that my baby is 2 months old. It seems like yesterday we were bringing her home during an ice storm!!

Her stats:

• Height: 23.5 inches--85th percentile


• Head: 40.4 centimeters--70th percentile


• Weight: 10 pounds, 15 ounces--50th percentile

Everything else was great except her neck. She favors her left side. She constantly is always lying on that side or looking that way. Apparently, that is the way she was lying in the womb. Well, Dr. Sood wants us to do some stretching exercises with her, and then come back in a month. We basically have to hold her head down facing the other way for 4 to 5 minutes 3 times a day. I think that I'm just going to start doing it everytime I change her diaper, and only do it for like 1 to 2 minutes. He said she's going to cry and not like it, but to just hold it down. If we go back in a month, and she's still bad, we will have to do some physical therapy. So, we really, really don't want that. Here is a pic of her after the doctor's visit. Of course, she's lying on her favorite side!

She also got the rest of her 2 month shots. There were 4 shots (2 in each leg), and then some liquid drops for the rotovirus vaccine. She was really, really upset. Jeff had to hold her arms down, and she was just screaming and crying. She kept looking at with me with just sure terror in her eyes. Of course, she was fine a few minutes later. However, her Mommy wasn't!! Here's a picture of her 4 band aids!!

Weekend Roundup....A Little Late!

The weekend went really well with Jeff being gone. We didn't get much wintry weather, but it was cold and rainy most of the time. My mom (Grammy) got here on Friday afternoon just in time to feed Madison. When she got here, she discovered that her tire was going flat!! We ended up having AAA come and change it. Mom decided that she wanted to do the middle of the night feeding, which typically is between about 2 and 4am. I had told her not to turn on any lights, but just use the night lights because we were trying to teach Madison the difference between night and day. Well, apparently, Madison decided to pee everywhere when Grammy went to remove the diaper! So, mom had to change everything, and of course turn on the lights. Over the next several days, Grammy had some tough times with that middle of the night feeding. It seemed that Madison decided to have her poopy diaper then!! Better her than me!! Anyway, we ended up not going shopping until Monday and Tuesday. We went to the mall on Monday, and she got a lot of clothes. I hope they last her until this summer. It was really different to go to the mall with a baby and stroller. I had become one of those people that I hated. Oh well!! Then on Tuesday we met my friend Carisa for lunch. She had called last week and said that she had something for Madison, but I didn't know what it was. Well, she knitted her little booties!! They are so cute!



I tried to get a picture of her in them, but she wasn't having any of it. She kept kicking her legs and feet, and the booties would go flying. This is the best that I could do. I'm determined though to try and get better pictures. I'm still in shock that Carisa actually made these. They are probably one of the best gifts that Madison has received. Thanks Carisa!!

As for Jeff's weekend, I think he had a blast going to Daytona with another male instead of his boring wife. Everytime he called me, they were either burping or farting!! AND, he got to stay until the very end of the race. The past 2 years that I have gone it's been so cold that we left really, really early. I think Jeff is still mad about last year. We left early, and we missed THE best finish in the history of the race. Oh well!!

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Happy Valentine's Day from Madison!! She had to wear her "Daddy's Lil' Cupcake" onesie today. She's really starting to laugh and coo, and in general be more active. She doesn't sleep all the time like she did for the first 4 to 6 weeks of her life. She actually likes to "play" a little. By play, I mean laugh and stare at me, or just even the wall. However, she does like to look at the various animals on her tummy time mat.

We went to the doctor's today so she could get her Hep B shot. We just saw the nurse who informed us that the 2 and 1 that they had been giving had been recalled, and they really didn't want to give her 5 shots next week. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, but I sure hate to hear my baby scream/cry. I know next week is going to be rough!!

Jeff leaves for the Daytona 500 bright and early in the morning. My mom is coming up and spending the next 4 days with me. I'm glad. I don't know if I would be able to handle little Miss Madison all by myself!! Hopefully, the weather is okay, and Jeff is able to get out of Tulsa tomorrow. We are expecting to get a wintry mix. I guess it is supposed to be tomorrow and Saturday. I was really hoping that my mom, Madison, and I could do some shopping. Madison is starting to actually grow, and we are running out of clothes!!! She was so tiny for so long that she was wearing all the newborn stuff, but she's slowly moved into 3 month clothes, and it won't be long that she'll be into 3 to 6 month stuff. They sure do grow fast!

Our Little Flower

My old boss and second Mother during college sent Madison a gift this week. Part of the gift was this gorgeous bib that I can't imagine ever using because I won't want for it to get dirty, and the second part of the gift was this hooded towel that looked like a flower. It was so cute!! We started a bedtime routine several weeks ago of taking a bath, having a bottle, and reading a story. So, we put the towel to use immediately. I couldn't wait for her to be all wrapped up in it. I think it was cuter than I thought it would be. She usually cries after her bath when I'm wrapping her in the towel, but she didn't even make a peep!! She must have known she looked cute too!!

Tomorrow we have to go to the doctor for part of her immunizations. Apparently, they are having problems getting some that they usually give as a 2 in 1, so they want to break it up. So, I think tomorrow she's only getting her Hep B shot, and then next week when we go for her actual 2 month appointment she will get the rest. I'm sure I'll have a post about tomorrow's adventure to see Dr. Sood.

Update on Madison, better late than never!!

For a while now, we have been telling some of you that we were going to be doing a blog to track Madison's growth and activities. We actually started ths blog way back when Jen was mid way through her pregnancy, but many things happened and we never got around to doing the blog justice by keeping up with it. So, in an effort to keep from sending multiple emails (it's hard to remember who we have sent pictures to and who we haven't) we have chosen to use the blog for posting updates of our our lives, especially of Madison's.

So, for a quick recap Madison Nicole Chandler was born December 20, 2007. She weighed 7 lbs 2 ounces and 19 3/4 inches. As of February 7th (7 weeks old) she weighed 9 lbs and 14 ounces (unknown length, except we know she has grown!!) She will is going in for 2 month check-up on February 21st so we will know more after that visit.

Things have been going well with Madison. She has been sleeping 5-6 hours a night. She has started to hold her head up more and more (the tummy time is paying off!!). She has started to smile and even giggle. She is also starting to coo even more. Madison has been on a few adventures outside of the house besides the doctor. Jeff had all of his co-workers in from all over the country in Tulsa for a meeting and Madison was able to show off. Madison has also been to where Jen works.

Here are a few pictures of her growth/progress: (for some of you, you may have seen some of the pictures before. )

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Get your own

That's it for now. We will try and be more vigilant with posting pictures on a more regular basis(no guarantees :) )