Picture of the Day

Maddy and Momma were bored yesterday so we took about 1000 pictures. Here are our favorites.

Sooooooooooo Big! Redux (Part 7)

In the last entry in this series we talked a little about Maddy’s case of the fuss and how her doctor recommended a new, easier to digest, twice as expensive formula. That experiment lasted about two days before we realized that it was doing more harm than good. The new stuff was pre-digested so it would be easier on her tummy. Don’t ask me how they pre-digest formula ‘cause I don’t know and I don’t wanna know! As it turns out, pre-digested formula only fills a baby’s belly for about 90 minutes, since there is no further processing needed it would go from bottle to diaper in no time flat. As such she was hungry pretty much all day and all night, and when she’s hungry, she’s fussy. We put her back on the old store brand formula and she’s been as good as ever if not even better.

And now, back to our regularly scheduled programming.

So how big is a baby in week 7?

The average baby weighs about 9 ¾ pounds and is 21 ½ inches long this week. We don’t have an accurate length measurement for Maddy but given that she was born on the short side we figure she’s still a little on the short side. When you see her next to Logan she looks a LOT short. We know that she weighed 11 pounds last week so she’s at least three weeks ahead of schedule there.

By now babies should be crying a lot less and interacting a lot more. Her crying time should be around 90 to 100 minutes every day with additional, slightly less fussy periods and because she’s older now she will likely require new calming techniques. The most effective are a change of scenery (looking out a window, going outside, interacting with a different person) and motion (going for a walk in the stroller or sling, going for a drive, sitting in the swing.) In Maddy’s case the crying is pretty much nonexistent. She has her moments but nowhere near 90 minutes a day. “Hungry fuss” is about all she does. Her interacting is definitely up and it’s probably up a LOT more than we realize because we see it every day.

Hands are becoming more of a focal point now. Babies will often open and close them, bring them together, wave them around, wiggle fingers, maybe hold on to a toy for a short period, reach two handed for something in front of them, and even bat at toys hanging near them. It is about this time they become thoroughly fascinated by their hands and may stare at them for long periods. Maddy’s not doing too much opening and closing, she almost always has her hands balled into fists. She does wave them around a lot and usually winds up punching herself in the eye, nose, mouth, tummy, even the back of her head! And she’s really getting good at knocking her bottles and pacifiers out of her mouth. She’s also getting good at swatting at hanging toys when she’s in her gym or under her friend Emelia’s toy bar.

Babies now start using their mouths to learn about their environment. They’ll put many things into their mouths now including hands (their own and those of others), toys, blankets, anything that gets within range. They’re not trying to eat these things, they’re just exploring, using three senses, touch, taste, and smell to gather information about their surroundings. Maddy likes to put her hands into her mouth, typically in the form of a fist, and she’ll suck on her index finger. She’s also a big fan of tasting the shirt sleeve of whoever is holding her, especially when she starts to get hungry!

It’s never too early to start helping a baby develop language skills. This is done by talking to her as often as possible. Describe what you are doing as you are feeding her, bathing her, changing her, and putting her to bed. Show her different objects and tell her what they are. Take her for a walk and describe what you see. Be mindful of over-stimulating her though. Being too loud and/or too close can be frightening. If she turns her head to break eye contact with you or starts arching her back and flailing her limbs she may be done interacting for the time being. If you think this is the case you should stop immediately so she’ll feel that she has some control of the situation.

That’s all we have for this week.

Once again, come back tomorrow for more pictures

Picture Of The Day - April 26

Picture Of The Day - April 23

Maddy had a play date today. Here she is with Emelia and Logan. Look at how happy she is to be with her friends


And now one at a time from up close, here's Emelia


Logan


and The Madness

Just because she's SO cute!!

Maddy was in such a great mood this morning I had to post these pictures!











Can you believe that face can throw a screaming fit? Yes, I am aware that she looks just like her dad.

The McCarty Family Reunion

Miss Mad got to travel to Salem today to meet some of her extended family. She was a dream in the car both ways and even had a couple of smiles for Uncle Luke before she dozed off. She pretty much slept through the entire reunion except to eat and have an explosive diaper.

Maddy and Great Auntie Pam


Maddy and Cousin Terri


Maddy and Cousin Charlene


After getting home we had a 30 minute fuss which we tried to sooth with her activity center, which she is to little for but we fixed that with a blanket behind her. She enjoys this for about ten minutes, until her little neck gets tired of holding her head up.

Sooooooooooo Big! Redux (Part 6)

Man, you guys really missed us!

Sorry for the silence, it was just one of those days, actually it was just two of those days. Maddy has been suffering from a case of the fussies. Tuesday was one long scream, Wednesday was better, but only by a little. Thursday morning it seemed as if nothing at all was wrong because we had an appointment with the pediatrician. That’s how it usually works isn’t it? He thought it could be gassiness, it could be a problem with the formula, or it could be colic. He advised us to try a different (more expensive of course) formula for a couple of days, which should cure either of the first two. Colic has no cure except for time, but we don't really think that's the problem. Last night was a breeze, this morning was A-OK, then this afternoon she had another bout. So it’s been too hectic to get any blogging done.

And now for our regularly scheduled programming.

Maddy is now 6 weeks old. Over the past week her neck muscles should have gotten much stronger because of the increased use and she should be gaining more control over them. She should be shifting her head often to get a different view of what’s around her and she should actively seek out the source of familiar voices. She may be able to hold her head up for a few seconds while on her back and during ‘tummy time’ she may be able to lift her head to a 45 degree angle. Tummy time is very important at this point because it not only helps strengthen neck muscles but also arm, shoulder, and chest muscles to help her push up off the floor and roll over from front to back. Another good exercise for her now is reaching. Placing a toy near her may cause her to reach for it or at move her head to get it into her field of vision. If she doesn’t reach for it, place it in her hands and see if she’ll hold it and then maybe reach for it the next time.

She should smile on her own now (she does, and it make Momma and Daddy swoon) and they should be for social reasons. Previously her smiles were likely not on purpose but by smiling back at her then she learned to interact. You already knew all of this because you read this blog religiously so we move on.

She may become excited in anticipation of regular activity such as bath time or playtime, exhibited as cooing and kicking. The Madness is not such a fan of bath time so the jury is still out on that one. And given her moodiness this week we really can’t say either way on playtime.

She should be beginning to associate lying down with sleeping so having her ‘sit’ upright for parts of her waking hours is good for her. She is now so much more visually alert that seeing her surroundings helps stimulate brain activity and memory. Loud noises should startle and surprise her. Maddy is an excellent sleeper, always has been. Even when ‘the fuss’ is going full throttle she still gets a full night’s sleep so there is certainly something to that association.

Babies with red or blond hair are usually born with very little of it and what they had is usually gone by now. WRONG! Maddy’s a fur ball!

At this time she likely most enjoys activities or toys that involve various sounds be it white noise, music, the grandfather clock ticking and chiming, the chirping of birds, the ringing of wind chimes etc. These sounds will often induce her to ‘talk back’ and teach her another type of interaction. Maddy certainly loves her sound machine and the music and chirping birds on her swing. The grandfather clock is another favorite, but I think it’s more the sight of it than the sound.

I know what you're thinking. Where's the pictures?

We'll have some in the next post.

I promise.

Picture Of The Day - April 17

Just a quick post today as it is already 10:00 p.m. and the Madness would like to get some quality sack time.

Actually Momma and me would like Maddy to get some quality sack time so that we may do the same. Daddy is falling behind on his beauty sleep.

So here's the picture of the day. This is Maddy with her newest in a long line of friends, Roger Rapp:

When your smilin' the whole world smiles with you!

The rumors of Miss Mad smilin' are true and we now have the pictures to prove it! I am pretty sure we would give her anything for that smile! Researchers say that when we responded to the early "fake" smiles by smiling back at Maddy we were teaching her one way to interact. They also say that even blind babies smile, even though they do not see someone smiling at them. So they think that smiling is a way to ensure a baby can connect socially and emotionally with those around them(who couldn't connect with that?). I find that all very interesting but I must say what ever the reason, we are in love with our baby girl's smile and we think you will be too!

This one is too cute!


The little giggle that comes with the smile is to die for.


When she smiles it shows off her tiny dimples on either side of her mouth.


We even got our tongue into this smile.


Yes, if you are wondering, we do whatever ridiculous face, noise or action that will draw out a smile and it is so worth it!

You make our world smile Maddy!
Love,
Momma and Daddy

Sooooooooooo Big! Redux (Part 5)

Sorry I missed my self imposed deadline, this has been one of those weeks. I spent a month on the phone with 5 adjusters from three insurance companies yesterday so Momma pitched in to help you, Constant Reader, get your TNH fix.

And now back to our regularly scheduled programming.

Maddy (or as her Daddy calls her, The Madness) is now 5 weeks old.

By this time she should have packed on nearly three more pounds. That may not sound like much but on average that's an increase in body weight of almost 43%. And considering she should have only gained an inch in "height" these first 5 weeks, that additional weight is just her filling out. We can verify that she has gained about three pounds and she is definitely filling out, but we think she's gotten much taller than she 'should' have. She really fills out a lot more of her swing now and some of her sleepers have gone into storage already.

When she's in a sitting position she should be able to hold her head up, if only briefly, and she should be able to lift her head up during 'tummy time.' Putting her in many different positions throughout the course of the day will help her develop and strengthen her muscles. She should be thrusting her arms and legs A LOT and be able to grasp, but likely not hold, anything that is put into her hand. Should her hand find its way to her mouth she may suck her fingers or even her fist to soothe herself. She will be starting to 'uncurl' from the fetal position now as she gains more control of her body, stretching her legs out, arching her back, and twisting from side to side. The Madness is an old pro at holding her head up. During 'tummy time' she can lift her head up but holding it up is another matter altogether. As for the thrusting of arms and legs, we call it marching and she is darn good at it. She'll grasp your finger if you put one in her hand and she is strong enough to give it a real good squeeze. She does a lot of stretching and back arching and twisting (mostly when she's on the changing pad) and when she 'uncurls' she looks like she's riding a luge.

She should see clearly up to 18 inches and see stark contrasts from a much greater distance. She has very little muscle control but she may wave a hand or arm at an object in her line of sight. About this time, baby will begin to recognize the faces and voices of Momma and Daddy. She may become quiet to study a person's face. Her memory for people and objects isn't very good at all yet but it should start picking up in the coming weeks. When spoken to, she may respond by opening and closing her mouth and bobbing her head and she should now be beginning to connect what she sees with what she hears. She is very sensitive to the sound of the human voice, particularly higher pitched voices. She should now be inquisitive enough to quiet herself to hear a new sound but will pay it little attention unless it is a human voice. Speaking to her causes a great many impulses to go through her nerve cells. Repeated interactions will help build existing brain connections and create new ones. She probably enjoys many of the other sounds she hears regularly around the house, particularly music. Maddy's vision is really getting good. She frequently stares at the toys in her pack-n-play and the ones hanging over her in her car seat. She will turn toward the sound of our voices and she will often 'wave' at you when she hears you. It's nearly impossible to tell if Maddy recognizes faces but it looks like she recognizes our voices, Momma's for sure. She is usually very responsive to talking, she coos and twitches her arms and legs and makes faces. She has a smile that makes her parents melt. Maddy and Daddy listen to music every morning, she favors big-beat techno, trip-hop, and ambient drum and bass, but she'll also listen to low-fi and the standards, of course. As to the rest, her memory is tough for us to gauge right now.

That's all we have for today.

That's right, there's no pictures today.

'til next time.

What's in a name?

Many people have been asking about our choice of the middle name Brooke for our little one, so I (Momma) thought it was time for an explanation. My Grandma Sheila Elizabeth Brooke was so excited in July when she found out that she was going to be a Great Grandma again. In October she was thrilled to find out that our little one was a girl (even though my Grandpa swore she would be a boy until the day she was born). She was always calling and checking on us to make sure that I wasn't working to hard or feeling sick. Well sadly, as many of you know, my Grandma left this world for a better place on March 3rd, 2007. She was such a special person to me that I wanted to honor my daughter with part of her name. We chose Brooke because it not only represented my Grandma but also my Grandpa Chuck(who we can't wait to have Maddy meet). I hope that as Madylin Brooke grows up my mom and myself can teach her how to make the world's best chocolate chip cookies, which was one of my favorite things to do with my Grandma, and teach her the love of family like my Grandma had. Her family meant the world to her and she was happiest when we were all together.Grandma I know you would have been proud of the newest member of your family and I will do my best to pass on to her what you passed on to me. We can only hope that she got to meet our little angel in heaven before God sent her to earth on March 6th.




And so there is the story of why our Maddy is named Madylin Brooke Horvath. We love you Maddy!

Picture Of The Day - April 12

It's that time again, time for a new series. Actually, it's time for a reincarnation of an old series. That's right. Sooooooooooo Big! is back so get ready for some fancy book learnin'!

During this redux we will expound on the weekly developmental milestones that Maddy could be or is reaching. Because every baby is an individual and will develop at their own pace we do not expect Maddy to achieve all of them on schedule, but we thought we it might be fun if we all kept score together. In addition to her growth and development stages, we will also discuss some of the things that we adults can do to stimulate and accelerate a baby's development, so pay attention in case you should be called upon to Maddy-sit.

We will start with Part 5 because Maddy is 5 weeks old already. Hopefully we'll be able to get the first four installments that would have already been posted in short order, but we'll see how that works out.

So, if everybody's ready.

We'll start tomorrow!

For now you'll just have to do with some pictures of The Madness.

Here's Maddy 'wearing' Great Grandma Sheila's necklace


I was hesitant to put this picture up fearing that other babies would get jealous in the face of that much cuteness.

Moving on, we have what has become our living room. You'll see Maddy's swing, bouncer, play yard, and gym (with Maddy in it)


And here's a close up of Maddy in the gym


And while I've got you I'd like to remind you all that we have started a second web album 'cause we hit the max in our first one. When you click the 'Our Web Album' link you'll see a new album called Madylin Brooke 2

I'll miss you buddy.

This week my old pal Felony made it to the clearing at the end of his path. Even though, technically, he wasn't my dog anymore (Bob had a lock on the position of Felony's best friend, and if you'd asked me I'd have told you neither one of 'em could've picked better) it is with heavy heart and wet eyes that I post these pictures.






I love you and I miss you buddy. Hope you've found the biggest, funnest game of Touch The Butt that ever was or will be.

Picture Of The Day - April 11

I know, I know we missed one yesterday. It was just one of those days. We can't do everything!

So what has Maddy been up to? Today we went to the hospital to see her newest friend:


Say hello to Emelia Marie Stein, born April 10, weighing in at 8 pounds 3 ounces and measuring 21 inches long.

Had another (much smaller this time) case of the fuss when we got home so we went straight in to 'hold me' time to try to soothe her. Here's Maddy trying to climb up Momma so she can throw a few headbutts around.


All that fussin' sure makes a Maddy tired, but don't tell her that because she'll never admit to it!


After that short rest she got a little tummy time on top of Momma. I'm certain that she is at her absolute cutest during tummy time.

Picture Of The Day - April 9

Time for your daily picture fix.

Miss Maddy didn't get enough stuff Sunday (HA HA HA) so she went to Grandma Carolyn's this morning to get another Easter basket


That much excitement sure makes a Maddy tired!


Here's some looks at what she took in Sunday


And more stuff


And even more stuff


Maddy's Daddy is VERY pleased with the LOW percentage of pinkness!

And because Roger and Shirley haven't gotten to see her in a while, here's a picture of Nola.