Routine

Over the past month and a half I feel like we've finally been able to get into a (semi) predictable routine in the Stingerie household. We've been able to implement an eat, play, sleep routine based on Baby Wise and The Baby Whisperer.

Obviously there are variations to each day depending on external things we have going on (i.e. Tuesdays I do my long runs, Thursdays I have Bible study, lunches or coffees with friends, etc), but the feeding times are typically the same (unless she is having a growth spurt) and I will feed Madi where ever we are when she gets hungry (even if it doesn't match the "schedule" - i.e. I don't use the clock rather than her hunger cues).

So here's a typical schedule of Mommy and Madi's day -

• 7:00 am - Wake the Mads! Sometimes she's laying in bed already awake and other times we have to wake her. Both ways she's usually pretty happy and smiley, which is a fabulous way to start the day! Daddy will usually stay home until we wake Madi so that he can enjoy the smiles! She sometimes wakes up and fusses before 7:00, but it's unusual. 

• After feeding Madi I will either play with her or pump depending on how much she's eaten. If I have to pump she plays in her chair with toy bar with me talking to her until I'm done. We stay in our pajamas and continue playing until Madi starts getting sleepy. Usually this is around 8:00-8:30 am. 

• Then it's nap time! For the Duck that is. :-) This is Mommy's chance to eat breakfast, get dressed, work on my Bible study, and sometimes other household chores. She usually takes a good nap in the morning which I do not take for granted!

• 9:30 (+/- 30 min) - Madi wakes up and is ready to eat again! After she's done I change her into her clothes for the day. Sometimes we'll go run errands afterwards or play at home again. I have been trying to work on getting Madi to grab objects, hold her head up by doing tummy time, and sing/dance together.  (And I'm open to any suggestions of other good ideas of things to do with your baby!)

• Madi will usually take a short nap, especially if we've been out and about in her pram. Otherwise I will put her down for a nap (sans paci unless she gets really fussy). Sometimes she will just lay there calmly. I get a sandwich made and maybe a few things around the house, but nothing that takes too much concentration since it's typically a short nap. :-)

• 12:30 (+/- 30 min) - Lunchtime for Madi. Same story with this wake time as above - sometimes errands, definitely some playtime, and she pretty much stays awake until her next feed. I will sometimes carry her around the house in the sling or let her play on her play mat by herself. Everyone that's watched Madi has said she's a very calm baby who's content just hanging out. It's true and definitely not a characteristic that she got from Mommy!

• 3:00 (+/- 30 min) - Madi's afternoon snack time! After playing for a while we will try to figure out what's for dinner. I might start prepping something if possible or wait until she goes down for a nap, but since that's a toss up if she'll actually take one or not, we usually end up with her sitting in her chair in the kitchen while I talk to her about what I'm doing and show her the different objects around the kitchen.

• 5:00 (+/- 30 min) - Daddy comes home! He will play with Madi while I finished getting dinner ready. Then he will usually take over making dinner while I feed Madi (5:30-6:00 ish) and then we'll switch back and I will finish if there's any prep left so that he can get in the most Madi time possible. If she's acting tired, then we might try to put her down for a little bit while we eat dinner. Otherwise she usually does fine sitting in her swing or chair or laying on a pillow next to us on the sofa while we eat. 

• I'll try to take dinner clean up so that Daddy can play with Madi more. She will start to get tired, but not want to go down so a lot of evenings she'll take a short nap in Daddy's arms. It's precious and I love that she gets to spend sometime with him and is too irresistible for him to put down! ;-)

• 8:30 (+/- 30 min) - The Duck has her late night dinner and we start our bedtime routine. We do a bath every night, even if it's just a quick one (we only wash her a couple times a week). She loves the water and it calms her down no matter how upset she's been or if she's had a long day.  

• Afterwards we put on our pajamas, read a bedtime story, and then Mommy and Daddy sing praise and worship songs to Madi bug for 10-15 min. We lay her down to bed sleepy, but awake, and she's really good about putting herself to sleep with little to no crying/whining. 

• 11:00 pm - We go in and quietly wake you a little bit. An efficient diaper change, late night snack, and back to bed and you're usually back asleep pretty quick!  

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Baby Kino

Living in Europe has got a lot of pros when it comes to babies. Some of those being rooms in the airport for nursing complete with a changing table, comfy chair, sink, and microwave; nursing anywhere you want without feeling guilty; and best of all, my latest discovery, baby kino!

Kino = movie. Now I know what you are thinking - why would you want to go watch a baby movie. Ah ha! That is where you assume wrong my friend. The movie is not for babies. The movie is usually a current film for adults and usually in English. My friend Hugrún invited me to go last week and I excitedly joined her! Of course I hadn't heard of the movie before (White House Down), but I was still down.

The theater they use is the "luxury" theater. This means is has large leather seats with side tables on either side. They dim the lights less than in the regular movies so you can see better and you bring in the baby and the top portion of your pram if you want them to be able to lay down.

It was fabulous! I fed Madi at the beginning of the movie, she sat in my lap enthralled with the sounds and scenes on the screen, and then fell soundly asleep to the sound of gunfire and explosions. Yep, it was an action movie which didn't seem to bother any babies one bit. :-)

They have the baby kino weekly and Madi and I will definitely be making another visit soon!

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Madi: Three Months

Friday was Madi's three month birthday! Daddy arrived home late Friday night after being gone most of the week. We did your photo shoot yesterday and you did fabulous as usual! The rest of the day however... let's just say you were grunting and fussy and not eating very well. :-/ It made for a long day and we still aren't sure what's going on with you! Maybe a growth spurt or residual shot discomfort?!

Her measurements are from the helsestasjon... obviously we didn't measure her length correctly for her two month post because she was the same (slightly shorter, but we rounded...) They were also a little concerned with her weight since she didn't gain very much. We are going back in two weeks to check. It might have been because of her cold or her reflux that she didn't gain a lot, but we need to make sure she's getting what she needs. We'd appreciate prayers that she will start gaining more weight and that I will have enough milk for her without supplementing. :-)

- You are now sleeping 8 hours!! You go down for bed at 11:00 and sleep until 7:00. It's amazing. Sometimes you wake a little earlier/later, but for the most part you are pretty consistent. Mommy loves going into your room to get your in the morning. Sometimes you are already awake and smiling at her and other times we wake you. You aren't a big fan of being woken up, but we usually still get Madi smiles once you've stretched. :-)
- You had your first airplane and train ride when we went to Oslo to apply for your citizenship, social security, and passport. You were a gem on the flight and didn't fuss at all during takeoff and landing. And guess what?! You were approved for citizenship!

- During our trip you went swimming for the first time. You didn't enjoy it quite as much as we thought, but then again it wasn't a heated pool and you weren't feeling great.
- Speaking of not feeling great you had your first cold this month. I think it was harder on Mommy and Daddy than it was you. That snot sucker is awful and you'd cry so hard when we used it. But besides that you were your usual, happy self!

- You also had your first babysitter at home that gave you a bottle! Miss Kemi has offered to watch you on Tuesdays so that Mommy can get her long run in. This week was the first run and you took a bottle from Miss Kemi no problem!
- However, you still aren't big at taking a bottle in the evening. Daddy was able to give you one in the morning, and a couple of times in the evening after fussing a little bit.

- You've also started going to daycare at the Elixia gym and at church so that Mommy can workout and attend her Bible study. You always do great at them and the workers all LOVE you! They've said you are a very calm baby. You definitely don't get that from Mommy!
- You had your first shots at the helsestasjon. You took them like a pro - you cried for maybe 20-30 seconds right after the shot and then you were perfectly fine! You didn't have any reaction and you were fine the following day as well. That may or may not have had something to do with the fact that Mommy gave you pediacare before your shots... call it preventative medicine. ;-)

- You love it when Daddy wipes the drool off your mouth. He makes a funny sound when he does it and you always smile at him! Mommy tried it and you cried. Fail.
- You are getting better and better at sitting up. We've started using the baby seat and practicing sitting up on Mommy's lap or on the floor. You have really good head control, but still aren't able to sit up on your own.
- You love playing with your hands and are starting to play with other toys/objects in front of you. You especially love your rocking chair with toy bar. You smile and laugh as you play with the toys.

We can't believe you are three months old already! You are so much fun and we love how much more you're interacting with us. You are such a sweet and beautiful little girl and we feel so blessed that God has given us the responsibility of looking after you! We love you so much Madison!!!

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Airplane Madi

We've recently discovered a fun way to play with Madi. We hold her up in the air like an airplane! She holds her head up, laughs and smiles at us, and, if we aren't careful, covers us in drool and the occasional spit up. :-)

Look out below!

Wish this wasn't blurry :-(

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Guilt

Motherhood has been a big adjustment to me and full of surprises - both good and bad. I feel like Madi and I have finally gotten into a good routine and I am more confident in my mothering and knowing what's bothering her. It's been wonderful to feel that way and to enjoy spending time with her.  However, I still find myself constantly feeling guilty...

Guilty every time she spits up and I wonder if it was something I ate. Is she crying because I had spicy wings for dinner? Is that spit up more than usual because I had a latte yesterday? Is she still awake because I had a cup of coffee?

Guilty when I go to Bible study and I am the only one who fed their baby and dropped her off in daycare instead of holding her during the lesson. Those babies are the same age as Madi... should I have kept her? Do they think I'm a bad mom for dropping her off? This isn't even their first baby and they seem like good parents who know what they are doing. Madi is my first baby so does that mean I definitely should have kept her?

Guilty after receiving one of the nicest compliments from my friend Emily. She told me that I make motherhood look easy and I'm so relaxed and laid back and don't let the little things get to me. That's a big change in demeanor from pre-motherhood...does that mean I don't love Madison as much as I'm supposed to? Should I be more worried about going places with her or letting people hold her? Does my uncharacteristically relaxed attitude translate to not caring about her as much as I should?

Guilty dropping Madi off at the gym for me to go run on the treadmill. The logical side of my brain tells me that I don't have anything to worry about. One hour away from her isn't going to screw her up so why do I always feel a little bad every time I walk out the door there? It doesn't help on days like today when I came back into the room and Madison was in the exact same spot I left her on the play mat with the right half of her face soaked in spit up/drool while the two attendants sat watching TV...

Guilty asking Jason to try and give Madison a bottle so that I will be able to go to my evening Bible study and have friends babysit so we could go out to dinner. Madi screams and cries and refuses to take the bottle until I sit down with her and try. It breaks my heart to listen to her scream. Do we really have to give her a bottle? Is it selfish of me to want a little freedom and opportunity to go out with my husband?

Guilty for signing up for a half marathon rather than taking care of my household and spending more time with my family. Jason's working so hard and staying up late every evening... am I a terrible wife for making him wake up Saturday morning to play with Madi so I can rush out the door for my six mile run?

Guilty when I started got a cold and sore throat that I passed on to my family. Did I not keep Madi covered and dressed properly when we went outside? Was it because I left a window open that she caught a breeze? What should I have done to prevent her getting sick when I started feeling sick? It broke my heart to listen to her cough and to have to hold her down and use the nasal aspirator on her, causing her to scream and cry because she hates it so much.

I'm not sure where the guilt is stemming from and I have no idea when or if it will cease at some point. I need to do some praying and reflecting about it. Or perhaps it's the Lord's way of teaching me a lesson yet to be learned.

Fortunately, I have an amazing husband who is constantly encouraging me and reassuring me that I have no reason to feel guilty. I have a beautiful daughter who loves me and needs me and makes me heart melt when she smiles at me. And most of all, I have a Heavenly Father who loves me unconditionally and has blessed me beyond anything I could have ever imagined.

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Madi's Travel Tips

Madi did fabulous traveling to Oslo for her passport. She thought it would be a good idea to put together a list of things that helped her be such an amazing traveller.

Madi's 10 Travel Tips -

10. Make sure everything has it's place in your bags. That way Mommy and Daddy don't spend unnecessary time looking through everything for what I need.

9. Make sure to let me watch everything. I love observing everyone so traveling in a baby carrier that faces outwards or a stroller where I can look at things are definitely my favs!

8. Bring extras. Extra outfits (sorry about that explosion at TGIFridays...), extra blankets in case one is left in the hotel room, and extra pacis.

7. Make sure you have my medicine and the nasal aspirator in case I get stuffy. Wait, I didn't want you to remember those! Especially the nasal aspirator... I hate that thing!

6. Don't forget my toys. I particularly love my Sofie the giraffe and my Vera Bradley bunny blanket.

5. Forget the big camera. You aren't going to have time to get it out and get ready for the picture before I've moved on. iPhone it is if you want anything. And make sure I don't see the phone because once I do, I stop whatever it is I'm doing so I can stare at it.

4. Always leave extra time. You never know when I might need to talk to you a bit, have an outfit change, maybe smile at you, and even sometimes whine a bit.

3. Keep my routine. You can take me places and go out and about, but I like my eat, wake, sleep routine and bath time every night and snuggling in my pajamas.

2. Feed me whenever, where ever. You get hungry and you eat. Same with me. I am a great eater whether it's in the restroom of the museum, the booth at our restaurant, or the table outside in the park while Mommy and Daddy are eating ice cream.

I'm happy because I just had my afternoon snack in the park!

But the biggest thing that makes traveling with me such a breeze -

1. Stop caring what other people think. I might need to cry a bit at an inconvenient place.  Or I might need your attention while you are trying to check-in or load the luggage or pay for your food. And I can't always time my diaper changes to your schedule. Stop worrying what other people think and do what you need to do in order to take care of me!

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First Swimming Experience

On our trip to Oslo, we got a chance to take Madi into the swimming pool. She loves the bath and we figured she would love the pool as well. Not quite. The pool wasn't heated and I think that was the first problem. Plus it was big and she didn't fit into the floaty yet so it was a little awkward. We will definitely have to try again sometime in a warmer pool!

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