Two weeks back to work

Well, I have now completed my first two weeks back to work. I start my new job on Monday. I am very excited. I decided to post some more pictures of Madison. She plays so hard with her toys on her tummy time mat that she just falls asleep. Then she gets a little pouty and a great picture of her smiling.

Madison is 2 months!

Madison turned 2 months old on Monday. It was a big "birthday" for her. She had her shots and went to daycare for the first time. At her doctor's appointment she weighed 10lb 9oz and was 22.2 inches long. She was 50% in height, weight and head circumference. So I guess she really is perfect. She seems to really like her daycare provider and we do too. I went back to work on Monday too and by Friday I have been promoted! It is a very exciting time for us. I am now working with the training department to incorporate video, graphics and animation into their program. So I am back into what I went to school for and I am excited for the new challenge. Andy is still at KCCI and he is liking it there. He is a huge help with Madison and she seems to love her daddy very much. It's very cute when I hold her she will just sit and stare at him and when he talks, moves, or makes any noise she smiles really big or starts laughing. She is definitely daddy's little girl. I will post more pictures of her soon.

Madison Update

Madison went to the doctor because I thought she had what looked like a rash on her face. The doctor said that it's eczema. We are putting some Aquaphor on it three or four times a day and it seems to be clearing up. She now weighs 10lb 1 oz so she is gaining weight nicely. She can also smile, laugh, and even roll from her belly onto her back. She is so adorable and we are so blessed. She has another doctors appointment on Monday for her first shots :( and that is the day I return to work so we are taking her to day care for the first time. I will miss all the fun we had together.

Parent's Visit and Birthday

My parents came to visit from Florida and they came when it's the coldest its been in a year. The highs were in teh single digits and some days below zero for the high. Brr. We got another 5 inches of snow while they were here. We did get a chance to go out to eat for my birthday though. It was such a fun visit and we are so glad they could come, even if they were freezing. Maybe they can come back again soon, when its a little warmer.

Christmas

We took the normally 8.5 hour drive to Michigan this year to visit the family for Christmas the drive ended up being about 10.5 hours with a few extra and longer stops for Madison. But we made it! She was such a good baby in the car and during the visit. We spent Christmas at Michelle's new house, which is gorgeous. We all had such a great time and it was so good to see everyone. Some of Andy's friends from high school even stopped by and it was nice to get to see them and meet some of their children. It was a very Merry Christmas.

Visit from the Texans

Grandma and Grandpa Gray came to visit Madison on the way to and from Texas. She was so happy to see them again. Then on the way to Michigan her Aunt Donna and Uncle Roger and all the Cantu cousins came for a quick visit. It was the first time the Cantu family has seen our house and the first time they got to meet Madison. She was so happy to meet them and we were so glad to have them for a visit.

5 Weeks old and we have a routine

Madison is now 5 weeks old and after much work and struggle she is finally gaining weight like she is supposed to and we have figured out the best way to get her fed. She is 8lbs 14oz today. So finally after going to the doctor at least once a weeks since I was put on rest in July we don't have another doctor's appointment until January! We are looking forward to having some of Andy's family coming to visit this weekend and looking forward to Madison's first Christmas.

4 Weeks old and still skinny

We has another appointment for Madison today to check her weight. Last week she finally made it back to her birth weight 7lbs 14oz. The doctor wanted to check her again today to make sure she continued to progress but she only gained about an 1 1/2 oz. So we are back to pumping to make sure she gets enough to eat and he is having us add a little formula to the breast milk to give her a few more calories. He also did some blood work to make sure she doesn't have a metabolic disorder and that she's not dehydrated and all that came back fine. So she's eating enough just not getting enough calories to grow. We have another appointment on Friday to check her again. We are also having a lot of snow and tomorrow they are expecting wind gusts up to 50 mph so they are forecasting blizzard like conditions. I am glad I don't have to work and I worry about Andy since he does have to go into work. I hope he is safe on the roads.Madison wants one million dollars.

Weight Check

We went to the doctor today to check on Madison's weight gain. She only gained one ounce. So we are back to supplementing her with some additional formula. The doctor gave us some samples and we are making it a little bit higher calorie so that she can get more calories each feeding. He said it's only 4 extra calories but that 4 calories can make a big difference at her size. We have another appointment on Tuesday so hopefully she is back to her birth weight by then, or at least a little closer. Also, I got to drive for the first time in about 6 months. It felt weird, but I didn't crash :)

Madison's Doctor's appointment

Madison had a second appointment with her doctor. She is doing great other than she lost weight. She is 19.8inches long and weighs 7.3 pounds. The doctor wants us to feed her as normal and then feed her more with formula or previously pumped milk just to "top of the tank" and make sure she is eating enough and starting to gain weight. Luckily I had been pumping between feedings to start a supply of milk for when I go back to work so we have some milk stored up. He said once she is past her birth weight we can go back to a normal feeding. She has another appointment on Friday so hopefully this little piggy can catch up. Andy got this picture of her right after a big eating trying to burp. It made me laugh until I cried. She will hate us later for this. I have also included some other precious pictures of her.

Home again

After 4 days in the hospital we are finally home. Madison seems to be doing well since we've been home. The doctors think it was just reflux that caused her to turn blue in the face. We are trying to keep her elevated after feeding to keep the problem at bay and so far so good. Her jaundice is also clearing up. Thanks to everyone for their prayers and thoughts. Also, we are so glad that our parents were here to help us while in the hospital. We are now trying to recover from having no sleep for 4 days. We are just glad it wasn't anything more serious.

Scare

We got Madison home and had a good night with her. When I woke up the next day I fed her and changed her clothes, when I went to get a blanket to put around her I looked at her face it was blue around her nose and lips. This was one of the things we were told to call the doctor about because it's a very bad thing. I called the doctor who told us to go to the ER. We brought her in and they did a barage of tests and admitted her. We have been in the hospital ever since waiting for the results of her spinal tap. The doctor thinks it is just reflux, but didn't feel comfortable sending us home without ruling out all posibilities. She seems to be doing fine and we are finally starting to get some rest. Hopefully we can go home today and it's just reflux. I feel bad for the poor little girl she has been poked and prodded so much since we've been here. It's worth it to know she is OK. We will keep you updated.