And with our angels...: 8 Months...

Given the fact that Madelyn will turn 9 months in only two days, I figured I had better move this blog post up on my to do list. It's been on my list for well over a month and I feel guilty that I am just how getting to this.

This past month has been crazy to say the least. Jarrett and I feel like there is never enough hours in the day and often times on our way home from work we take turns feeling overwhelmed and stressed, but I guess that's just what life looks like with four kiddos, two jobs and so much happening. Not that I'm complaining, I'm just saying, it's been really busy.

So excuses aside, let's talk about our wonderful Madelyn. SO much has happened and changed in the last few weeks. Madelyn went from barely rolling over at 6 and 7 months, to now she's unstoppable. She's always on the move. At 8 months she was constantly practicing getting up on all fours and rocking back and forth, not quite sure she was confident enough to move that arm ahead and begin to crawl.

Madelyn's 8th month also brought about some big changes as far as sleep. Madelyn has always been such a good sleeping and as much as I bragged about that in her earlier months, it came back to bite me. After being in the hospital and getting used to falling asleep in my arms and me hold her frequently to make sure she was still breathing, she became quite used to it and decided it was her now preferred method of sleeping. Great for her, bad for mom.

Coupled that with her desire to only drink milk from me and not from a cup or bottle, she has decided on days when I work that she's going to make up for the 10 hours of me being gone and instead wants to eat at night. Several times during the night. Great for her and I understand it, but not the greatest for mom.

So this past month has been spent trying to correct sleeping mistakes we made and finding ways to help her like her bed again. Not gonna lie, there were some few weeks we really struggled, putting her in bed with us and me just giving in and "sleeping" in a chair to just get some sleep. We're doing better after mom stuck to her guns one night and refused to pick her up. I would just get up once she'd wake, tell her night night, lay her back down and tell her I'd love her. It wasn't pretty or fun but after 37 times getting up time after time, she finally fell back asleep. I felt horrible, but it finally worked. Not that each night is glorious now, we are far from it, but it's better and I'm telling myself, this period doesn't last forever.

Other than the sleep issue, Madelyn is such a happy baby. She smiles, laughs and giggles more than any other baby I've ever seen. She loves her brothers and sister and her eyes light up when they get home from school or wake her in the morning.

She is now wearing 12 to 18 month size clothes and is talking a lot. She says "Momma", "Dadda", "Nana" "Papa", "Baba" and other talk. She loves to bop up and down when music is played and her favorite toys are anything she can put in her mouth, a guitar that plays music, an airplane which plays music, and a large Coca-Cola bear she thinks is real.

I've tried really hard to make sure Madelyn eats meals when we do. She sits in her high chair and has lunch and dinner with us as a family. She's loving her sweet potatoes, squash, pears and blueberries and other options of veggies and fruits mixed together. She seems to prefer her yogurt melts and sweet potato puffs. She still only has the two bottom teeth although that top one has been trying to come through for a few weeks.

She takes 2 naps a day, most days, although there really isn't a schedule. With three other kids, activities to run them around to, and just life, Madelyn follows what ever schedule we are on. Thank God for her easy going personality.

So many people tell me that she looks like Daddy, but I'm starting to get some comments that she has my eyes. What do you think? It has been fun guessing whose traits of each of us she has...

Mom and Madelyn

Dad and Madelyn

Here is a video we captured this month that I love.

Madelyn is such a gift to us and not just for us as her parents. As I mentioned before the other kids LOVE her. Isabelle asks me frequently, "Aren't you glad I brought you sweetie pie to be your baby?" almost as if she was the one we have to thank for her. I always answer "Yes I am, thank you Isabelle for bringing her to us."

And the boys adore her too. They ask each night to kiss her goodnight and even though I'm holding her at their beds to say good night too, its Madelyn who gets the love. "Good night Madelyn. I love you!" they each say. And the boys have, each on their own time, said, "I love having Madelyn so much. She's so wonderful."

Yes God really did answer our prayers with her. I like to say she is a heart healer. She's brought us so much love and joy for her and for each other.

And so, on that note, I'll conclude with some of the highlights of Maddie's 8th month. Stay tuned, coming soon (hopefully) will be her 9 month post... 9 months. How can it be? I feel some days like I just found out I was pregnant with her.