Visit to Mommom & Poppop's

Cameron went to Poland for a conference so Madeleine and I flew to MD to stay with Mommom & Poppop for 2 weeks. I was pretty nervous about flying alone with the baby but she was great. A lot of people offered to help me with the stroller and our bags so that was really helpful.

While we were visiting, we went shopping, did some baking, and prepared for the baby shower we were hosting for my friend Laura on Sunday. We (mostly mom) baked sugar cookies, cakes and cupcakes. They were all delicious. Mommom really should open a bakery! 

We also got together with several friends and family members. It was so much fun introducing M to everyone. I think she was a big hit. :) We can't wait to go back in September!

The 2 weeks just flew by and we had a wonderful time. Thanks Mom and Scott for everything. You are the best. Madeleine is so lucky to have you as her grandparents! We miss you already. 

Madeleine turned 5 months while we were there so we took some great photos in my parent's beautiful front yard (nice job Scotty-Boo!). 

She is starting to sit up by herself now but just isn't strong enough to catch herself from falling backwards. Mommom was next to her just in case. :)

Look at those blue eyes!

Good Morning

How cute is my little tummy sleeper??? Waking up to this smiling face is amazing. She cracks me up.

A Week of iPhone Photos

Here are some iPhone photos from this week. Enjoy!

M is loving sweet potatoes. Today we are trying apples!

Some more "firsts"

This week we have had a few more "firsts."

We brought out the jumperoo that Mommom and Poppop bought Madeleine for Easter. She is still too light and small for it but if we put a towel underneath her, she is able to reach all the toys. 

Look how much she still needs to grow to touch to floor! 

Such a cutie pie!

We also took out the infant net inside the tub so she sits more upright and is more submerged in water. She wasn't sure of it at first but now she seems to like it. 

And lastly, we fed M her first real food... sweet potatoes! I was hoping for some crazy, funny faces but she really seemed to like them. Hopefully, she has no problem digesting them and they make her sleep longer! :)

My Week in iPhone Photos

Here are some iPhone pics from this week...

(yes, I've been having fun with Instagram)

This was M after yoga on Wed. She actually fell asleep in the instructor's arms during cool down. It was adorable. Every class I've been to she offers to take M during cool down. I'm not sure if it's because I look more exhausted than everyone else or if it's because she thinks M is the cutest baby. Probably both. Anyway, Mommy & Me Yoga has become the best part of my week. I also really love Friday's when Cam comes home from work. Love our weekends together as a family. :)

Friday, M, Riley and I went for a walk downtown and saw Bill Murray on his front porch. I was too chicken to talk to him but next time I'll be ready! :) After the Bill Murray sighting, we met Cam for lunch. It's so nice that there are so many dog-friendly restaurants here and Taco Boy is one of our favorites. Tempura Avocado taco, yes please!

Sleep Training

About 3 weeks ago, Cameron and I decided it was time to sleep train Madeleine since her reflux was finally gone. Because of her reflux and fussiness early on, we had gotten into a bad sleep habit of rocking her to sleep. It didn't bother us much the first 2 months or so but at around 3 months it was getting harder to do. We would rock her until she was asleep and then try to gently put her down but if she woke up, we would have to do this process again. It was taking over 30 min just to get her to go down. It was exhausting for us and for M. She was also still only taking 30-45 min naps and waking up around 4 times a night. 

I researched sleep training methods and decided that the Ferber Method was the way to go. Don't judge. I hated the sound of it too. Who wants to listen to their baby cry? But M had so many sleep issues (those mentioned above plus we needed to stop swaddling because she is rolling over) that the middle of the road methods didn't seem like they could fix/help everything at once. So, 2 weeks ago we did our bedtime routine of nurse, cereal, bath, book and put her in her crib without rocking. Then I poured myself a big glass of wine and prepared for the worse. 

The first night of the Ferber Method, you go in and "shhhhh" the baby after 5, 7, 10, and then every 10 minutes but no picking up. I thought it was going to take several hours but after 1 hour of on-and-off crying, M was finally asleep on her own. Success! She woke up several times the first night but put herself to sleep after about 30 min or so. I only had to get up a couple times to "shhh" her. She was getting the idea! We only had to do the method for about 3 days and she now goes to sleep on her own in her crib! Hallelujah! 

So, as bad as the Ferber Method sounds, it was the greatest thing we have done for M (and ourselves) so far.

4 Months Old Today

Yay! Madeleine is 4 months old today! Time is flying by! We ran some errands today and just happened to walk by Janie & Jack while they were having a 60% off sale. I could spend a fortune in that store. Anyway, I bought this cute outfit for M and decided we needed to take some 4 month pictures! Here are some of my favorites!

This is the only pic where you can see the front of the cute romper!

M is so strong! She can stand up and hold onto something to steady herself. She's still really wobbly though but she loves to stand up.

It's so hard to get a good pic of her laughing because the camera distracts her and she wants to play with my iPhone. 

I love it when she gets tickled!

Look at those pretty lips!