Big Smile!

Today is Madelyn's three week birthday! Yay!



I started back to work part time on Wednesday and I'll be back full time next Wednesday. This has been a really nice way for all of us to transition. Mady continues to do very well. She has been a little cranky recently in the evenings. She'll cry and whine and act like she is hungry, then she'll refuse to eat when Carrie tries to feed her. Most of the time she eats pretty well, just a bit fussy in the evenings.

We've been taking her out to the mall so we can walk around and get some exercise. She usually sleeps right through it. That's what happens, she is very peaceful and well behaved when we take her out in public. She is only ever crabby when she is alone with us. Little show-off.

2 week birthday

Today Madelyn is officially 2 weeks old! This was a big week for her. She started it off by getting baptized on Saturday, then she lost her umbilical cord stump a few days later... They grow up so fast. :)

Mady had her second visit to the doctor today. She wasn't quite as happy about it this time as she was during her first visit. Everything still looks great. She is now 8 lbs 9 oz. This is really good. Babies are supposed to be back to their birth weight by two weeks. Mady is definitely getting enough to eat.

Grandma and Grandpa M. will be heading back to Kansas tomorrow. The three of us will then be on our own for the first time. We are very grateful for all four of Mady's Grandparents for being so supportive of us during this transition. Thanks Grandparents!!

Baptism pictures

Here is a link to view more pictures from the Baptism and reception:

http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=277009074/a=26541876/t_=26541876

Jesus said, "Let the Little Children Come to Me..."

On Saturday 1/17, Madelyn Joy was baptized at University Lutheran Chapel by Rev. Scott Giger. Despite the nasty roads, we were very blessed to be able to have so many family members share the day with us. Mady got to meet some of her relatives for the first time. Actually, she was asleep for most of the gathering, which we decided was definitely preferable to the alternative. All four grandparents were with us. From my side of the family, we also had Mady's Great-Grandma Beyer, her great uncle Charlie, her uncle Steven and soon-to-be aunt Krista. From Carrie's side, we had Mady's great aunt and uncle Charmaine and Del, and Mady's first cousin once removed, Nicole. Madelyn's God Parents are our good friends, Sarah and Matt Bethune. Sarah was a friend of ours from Drake and was part of the famous "car accident" for those who know that story. She recently completed her PhD at UM (she literally turned in the final copy of her dissertation while she was in town for the baptism). We met Matt when he started dating Sarah a few years ago. They were married last October. Matt is finishing up his Masters Degree at Ball State and has a special talent with hand puppets, which we know will become an important source of entertainment for his new Goddaughter once she starts noticing stuff...

Many of our friends from the Chapel and our Bible study groups were able to come out on a Saturday to celebrate Madelyn's baptism with us, which made the day very special.

photos

For those who have hinted that they would like to see more pictures, We uploaded everything to a snapfish album. You're welcome Mom. ;)

http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=276920337/a=26541876/t_=26541876

To see the pictures, copy and paste the link into your address bar.

One Week Old

Today is Madelyn's one week birthday. She had her first appointment with the pediatrician yesterday and is still in perfect health. I'm never going to get tired of having doctors use the "p-word" when they examine Mady. :) She normally gets a little cranky when we strip her down to her diaper, but she was perfectly happy and alert in her diaper at the Dr's office. Mom and Dad thought this was very cute and funny, but the doc was hoping to get a good look inside her mouth. She finally started crying when it was time to leave. I guess we have a kid who actually likes visiting the doctor. We'll see how long that lasts...

Last night she slept really well in her bassinet. The only problem is that she is already rolling onto her side when we lay her down on her back. Her nurse recommended that we get a sleeping wedge to keep her on her back, so we'll give that a try.

Settling In

Here are some pictures of Mady snuggling up with her Grammies. We've had her home for two days now and we're starting to adjust to our new arrival. Sleeping has not been easy to come by despite being very tired all the time. Carrie had the brilliant idea that we should try sleeping in shifts for a while. Last night I slept from 6pm-10pm, then from 4am-8am. In between I got to stay up with Mady and watch Batman movies. I felt like it was excellent father-daughter bonding time. She sleeps really well if someone is holding her, but not so well if we lay her down in the bassinet. I guess this is normal as she transitions from life outside the womb.

A visiting nurse came by today to check up on Carrie and Mady. Mady is still in perfect health and is doing great. We feel very blessed to have such a healthy child. Carrie is still sore, but she is healing and will continue to do so for the next several weeks.

Introducing Madelyn Joy!

Madelyn Joy Beyer was born at 11:03pm on Thursday1/8. 8lbs, 8oz. After nineteen hours in labor (four hours pushing). Madelyn came into the world. She is in great health and is doing everything newborns are supposed to be doing (eating, sleeping, pooping, etc). Carrie is doing well. She did a really amazing job with a difficult delivery.

Thanks for your thoughts and prayers!

The Big Day

We managed to weasel out of our first scheduled induction on Monday. Our hope was to give Madelyn as much time as possible to come on her own. We met with our OB again this morning, and she convinced us that the induction would be a good idea. We will be going in to the hospital on Wednesday evening and are now expecting Madelyn to arrive sometime on Thursday 1/8. This time, we'll be good and keep our appointment. At this point, any deviation from the plan will be Mady's fault and not ours.