Madeleine's Monthiversary

Madeleine officially turned one month old yesterday. It's amazing to think about how much our lives have changed in such a short period of time. This time last month, I had never changed a diaper or held a newborn. Today, I have changed approximately 25,000 diapers (slight exaggeration) and have become a pro at baby holding.

We're not grizzled veterans by any stretch of the imagination, but neither are we completely clueless anymore!

Although it's a significant milestone, we didn't do anything to officially "celebrate" Madeleine's turning 1 month old. I remember, long before I met Hannah (who was still in college at the time), I had been dating a girl casually for a few weeks. One night, when I was dropping her off at her place after dinner, she seemed upset. Foolishly, I asked what was wrong.

"You didn't remember our one month anniversary," she said. I then explained that the word "anniversary" came from the Latin root "anni" meaning "year" - and that people would have called it a "monthiversary" instead if they had intended to make a month a more significant milestone than a year.

Needless to say, this was one of the many reasons why I was still on the market for Hannah - but that's why Madeleine exists today!

Daddy's Little Surrender Monkey

When you're outnumbered two-to-one, sometimes the only thing you can do is surrender!

A Demanding Audience

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned - William Congreve

Hell hath no fury like a grand-

mother who hasn't seen enough new pictures and videos - Me

Twice within the last week, two of Madeleine's three grandmothers have complained about a lack of new photos and videos on this site. Given that the primary (OK, only) contributor to this page has been a little busy lately (see posts below), I'm sorry that we can't keep up with the grandmotherly demands. Special shout out to the low maintenance grandmother!

So, in the interests of Madeleine's adoring but demanding audience, we present you with some new photos.

Bunny Bear Video

Hannah and I took Madeleine to the doctor for a followup visit. The best news we got this morning - no more jaundice! They didn't measure her but she did weigh in at 9 pounds 10 ounces. He's still detecting a slight heart murmur but he isn't overly concerned with it. So, no more doctors appointments for three weeks (which is great, because the little one had a meltdown while we were waiting for the doctor)!

Hannah took Madeleine to a play group for new moms at our local library, where she ran into Jamie Cooper and their little one, Kyle.

When my girls returned, they found that our home had been invaded by a BUNNY BEAR. With sincerest apologies to the estate of the late Steve Irwin ........

Zurich and Fussytown - All in One Day

While my boss was off to give a speech, we had a few hours to kill in Zurich. The weather was lovely and unseasonably "warm" for this time of year (mid 40s) so it was a perfect day for it.

We had a stereotypically Swiss meal of fondue and wine at a restaurant in a building that dated to the 13th century, which means that it was even older than Grandpa Bob. Then, we toured the absolutely charming old town of Zurich, where we helped to stave off a global recession by contributing to the local economy.

We stopped in a charming toy store, where I picked up some non-lead paint toy items for Madeleine, including a little stuffed star that plays Brahms' Lullaby. It's amazing how different my customs declaration looked on this trip compared to my last overseas trip in November!

Then, after a grueling 10+ hour flight against a serious headwind, we landed in Washington a little before 2 this morning. I suppose I wasn't all that surprised when the lights were on at home when I got in. Apparently, Miss Madeleine decided to become, in mommy's words, a "monster" at about 6 pm last night -- lots of fussing, sleeping for only 45 minutes at a time, and generally being a pain in the derriere.

I stayed up for about an hour to help mommy out and then crashed, but mommy woke me up at 8am (I'm taking the day off!) to take the morning shift since the fussiness hasn't subsided. Finally, we got her into the snuggle nest around 10 and she slept for a good 2+ hours, but then it was fussy time again. I decided, since she was already fussy, to subject her to her favorite activity.....

Ich Bin Ein Berliner - for less than 24 hours

Greetings from Berlin! I miss my girls at home and it's tough to travel again so soon after the arrival of the little one. If there's one redeeming thing about having to travel this week, it's that I am staying at one of my favorite hotels in the world - the Hotel Adlon.

The Adlon has had a long and fascinating history - in recent memory, it may be best known for this event, which took place right down the hall from where I'm staying! (In case my hyperlinking skills aren't up to snuff, I'm referring to the infamous Michael Jackson baby dangling incident - of course, I had to include the "alternate history" versions of that event here and here).

I was disturbed by that incident at the time. But now, being a dad, I am even more horrified. Babies squirm - a lot sometimes - and I can't imagine what kind of person would take that risk with a child.

Anyway, Berlin is nice, we're off to Switzerland tomorrow, and back tomorow night. Hannah and the little one are well although she had a nice sized spit-up on mommy this morning. If my sleep patterns weren't screwed up by fatherhood, this trip ought to do the trick.

Our Wired Little Bathing Beauty

One of the joys of living in the internet age is that we're able to keep people who live hundreds of miles away updated on our latest developments. We have the blog (obviously), a digital camera, and a camcorder to record images and videos and share stories. We also have a webcam so we can do video calls with people. Sometimes, though, people get more than they bargain for - Grandma Mary got to witness a diaper changing last night because the little one had to do business during the middle of our call. To really help Grandma feel connected, I went ahead and held the dirty diaper up to the webcam before disposing of it. I figure she'll have the see the real McCoy in person when they come visit us, so she might as well get used to the sight even if we haven't figured out how to convey the smell yet.

Now that the umbilical cord is off, we're able to give Madeleine baths. As you can see, it's a multi-person effort at this point until Mommy and Daddy get a little more experience.

Daddy Time

I have a business trip this week, which is unavoidable given the nature of my job but is tough because it will be my first time away from the little munchkin. So, I need to soak up all the quality time I can get with her before I have to head for the airport. Thankfully, I'll only be gone for two days!

Navel (dis)Engagement

Exciting news that I forgot to post from last weekend - the remains of the umbilical cord are out and the belly button is there in all its splendor for everyone to see. Looks like an "outie."

Also on the home front, we've had three nights in a row of decent sleep. Last night in particular was great - she was up for feeding/changing around our bedtime - once during the night (4 hours later) - and again when we would normally be waking up anyway. We'll take that!

She's developed a new trick though. Let's call it the after-poo. She'll do her duty (or "dootie" as they say) and we'll go to change her. Halfway through the changing, usually after the new diaper has come in, she'll squeeze out a supplementary after-poo -- ruining the new diaper and forcing the whole process to start over again. And, she gets the most satisfied little look on her face after she's done her extra business. That's our girl!

Is Madeleine a Baby Boomer?

My dad drew my attention to the following news from the Associated Press this week.

"The U.S. is experiencing a 'baby boomlet,' with 4.3 million births reported in 2006, the largest number recorded since 1961, the AP/Lexington Herald-Leader reports (Stobbe, AP/Lexington Herald-Leader, 1/16). According to a report released last month by CDC's National Center for Health Statistics, a 2% rise in births in 2006 put the nation's overall fertility rate over the replacement rate for the first time since 1971 (Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 12/6/07)."

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/94231.php

Some of our friends (you know who you are!) have definitely done their fair share to contribute to these numbers!

Truth in Advertising

I've always been interested in the origins of words and idioms. Yes, that makes me a nerd. But I've always thought it was interesting to learn where certain words and phrases originally came from or to see how expressions that have outlived their original context still survive in the English language. The phrase "sleep tight" is one example - we continue to use it even though most of us are well over a century removed from having to tighten the ropes that support our mattresses anymore (although that might not actually be the origin of the phrase - see here for more - http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/sleep%20tight.html)

I tried looking up the origin of the phrase "sleep like a baby" but to no avail. I suppose it's too obvious in some ways. After all, a newborn often sleeps 20+ hours per day and there are times when you could fire up a chainsaw next to Madeleine and she would still sleep right through it. So, I get the concept.

Still - when I see ads on television or in the newspaper that talk about a mattress that will let you "sleep like a baby" - I start thinking about what that really means in our household. Generally speaking, it means you would sleep for 2-3 hours at a time, grunting and chirping the whole time, and wake up crying, hungry and/or covered in your own fecal matter. Not exactly an ad for the "Serta Perfect Sleeper." It sounds more like how you would feel if you had to sleep on this - http://www.geocities.com/signemickey/bedofnails.jpg

Here's another one - "softer than a baby's bottom." Admittedly, she has a cute little behind - most of the time. But there are also times when her little bottom looks anything but soft. Here is an actual picture of Madeleine's rear end - as you can see, it doesn't exactly look as soft as a down pillow -

http://beth.hohertz.org/miscpix/Baboon001-AfricanLionSafari.jpg

The bottom line (couldn't resist the pun) is that real babies are a lot more real that our little linguistic idioms have them cracked up to be (sorry, couldn't resist again).

Multitasking - Version 2008

Here's Hannah's new version of multi-tasking -- staying in touch with the office via laptop while also serving as a human mattress.

A good day today as the little one was generally peaceful and placid. Hannah and Madeleine checked out a potential babysitter as we start to get a better handle on balancing life with baby with our local childcare options. Not sure if that situation will work out but at least we have a basis for comparison shopping. Our first tummy time of the day was much less traumatic than yesterday's efforts.

Dad is using this temporary respite in the sleep wars to experiment with new technologies. Seemingly straight out of Q's lab (for you James Bond afficianados), the Sleep Sheep arrived just in time for last night and worked like a charm. Thanks, Russ and Julie! The little one likes the rainfall mode. What's a Sleep Sheep, you ask? Check out http://www.cloudb.com/ssandf/sheep.html


We've also found that the s-l-o-w mode on the swing seems to do the trick. Besides, I was worried about what would happen if it blew a gasket after we cranked it up all the way - perhaps something like this - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67fFDiPRsrk

Tummy Time Redux

The doctor has asked us to give the little one "tummy time" 3-4 times a day in order to strengthen the muscles she will need for crawling.

As you can see, the little girl thinks that 3-4 times a day might be a little too ambitious.

Fighting the Sleep Wars - the Chicago Way

Malone: You said you wanted to get Capone. Do you really wanna get him? You see what I'm saying is, what are you prepared to do?
Ness: Anything within the law.
Malone: And then what are you prepared to do? If you open the can on these worms you must be prepared to go all the way. Because they're not gonna give up the fight, until one of you is dead.
Ness: I want to get Capone! I don't know how to do it.
Malone: You wanna know how to get Capone? They pull a knife, you pull a gun. He sends one of yours to the hospital, you send one of his to the morgue. That's the Chicago way! And that's how you get Capone. Now do you want to do that? Are you ready to do that?

-- Officer Jim Malone (played by Sean Connery) and Eliot Ness (played by Kevin Costner) in The Untouchables
===========================================================

Our little girl is cute and generally sweet but she knows how to play the sleep game the Chicago Way. The baby won't sleep in the crib. We pull out the Snuggle Nest, and she pulls out the all-nighter. We pull out the car seat, and she's fine for a week and then pulls out the "I'll only sleep for 90 minutes at a time" trick. We pull out the bouncer chair, she pulls out the post-meal spit-up. We pull out the swing, she pulls out the scream that will blast your eardrums off and then tops it off with the "I'm waking up the neighbors between 1 and 4 this morning" trick. She's our little Capone!

For the last week or so, Hannah had been looking forward to going to the first-time moms group at the hospital for the first time. It sounds like a great opportunity to meet new people who are going through the same experiences and to get out of the house. So, the big day was today. And, of course, the parking lot was full when she arrived and she trolled unsuccessfully for 30 minutes trying to find a space. Then, the little one went postal and screamed her head off. An hour and a half after she left, Hannah was home -- without being able to go to the new moms group.

The only redeeming feature in all of this is that I spoke to two other parents today who were having almost identical experiences.

Next step, medication. We're just not sure if we'll need it for her or for us!

Our Weekend - Fussing and Tummy Time

This weekend can be summed up in one word - FUSSY. Our little girl has been a handful all weekend - lots of crying for no apparent reason, lots of demanding food and then spitting it all up (usually on the closest human being), and only wanting to fall asleep in the arms or on the chest of mom or dad. Apparently, the car seat is no longer good enough for our girl (see photographic evidence in this post).

For you veteran parents out there, we've tried every trick in the books (literally - we're using Baby 411 and What to Expect: the First Year as our instruction manuals) but things are still very much in trial-and-error mode here in the B. household. We've also been using the "5 S's" from the Happiest Baby on the Block (thanks to Paul and Andrea for passing it along - it's been a lifesaver).

Still, she does just enough cute things to make us want to keep her around for another day or two. One of the things that the doctor has asked us to start doing is to have "tummy time" so Madeleine can develop the muscles she'll be needing to crawl. We have a great play yard that Hannah's friend Stacy G. gave to us that is perfect for tummy time.

Here's Madeleine enjoying her first visit to the play yard (yes, I know she's on her back in this video - but I can assure you we put the tummy to the test right after I turned the camera off).

The Dangers of Overeating (and Overfeeding)

Childhood obesity is a major epidemic in America. Too often, parents force their children to eat more - even when they are full. Thankfully, Madeleine is taking a stand against childhood obesity -- by giving back a portion of her meal to daddy when she's had too much.

Madeleine's French Ancestry

Although she spells her name differently than the Parisian "Madeline" from the children's book, Madeleine is very proud of her French ancestry. And she firmly rejects the scurrilous suggestion made by someone who shall remain nameless that this photo reflects her French roots.

Additional Bunny Bear Sightings!

Further to my earlier post, we now have stunning new photographic evidence of a Bunny Bear attack!

Warning: These images may be too graphic for small children.









First, the Bunny Bear's hibernation cycle came to an end -- and it began to search for prey.





Then, the Bunny Bear identified its target -- the photographer!
















Finally, the Bunny Bear's attack began! (Unfortunately, the photographer's remains have not been recovered -- only his burped-up camera. We'll check the next diaper for evidence)

Bunny Bear Sighting!

In the world of crypto-

zoology, there are three crown jewels: Bigfoot (or the Sasquatch for your Pacific Northwesters), the Loch Ness Monster, and the Bunny Bear.





A single photograph of one of these creatures or -- even better -- a live specimen, would be worth millions of dollars to the discoverer.



Ladies and gentlemen, I have figured out a way to pay for Madeleine's college tuition. Today, I am pleased to present you with the first-ever verified pictures of an actual, live Bunny Bear!




As you can see, the creature is somewhat nocturnal and requires a considerable amount of sleep before hunting its prey. It seems to prefer preying on female humanoids although there have been confirmed attacks on male humans carrying bottles of milk as well. The 4 ears -- two humanoid, two bear-like -- reflect an acute sense of hearing. The fur indicates that the creature is used to a colder, northern climate although it does appear that the critter has the ability to shed its skin from time to time.


The paws may look like tiny little mittens but BEWARE - they cover a set of ferocious claws. We're continuing to conduct a variety of tests on the specimen to ascertain more information about its dietary and defecatory habits. In the meantime, if you should happen to sight one of these creatures in your neighborhood, let us know.


Next stop - the Smithsonian!


In the meantime on the baby front, we had another appointment with the doctor this morning. Madeleine's weight is up (now 8 pounds 8 ounces) and she's grown again (now 21.5 inches). Everything seems to be checking out fine except for some lingering concerns about jaundice -- so we need to bring her back in two weeks from today so the doctor can take another look.


Mom and dad don't understand how there could be any yellow coloration left in her after the gigantic #1 she took this morning as we were getting ready to leave for the doctor's office. So hopefully this will all sort itself out and we'll get the all-clear sign in two weeks.

We also went back to Alexandria Hospital this morning to visit with the lactation consultant. While we have a portable breast pump at home, we're going to rent a hospital-grade unit for a few weeks to see how that works. This is a state-of-the-art scientific instrument -- the latest in American ingenuity. Here's the new unit below:

http://www.americanartifacts.com/smma/milker/milk23.gif

Everyone's home now - mommy's taking a nap and then she's going to have some mommy time this afternoon. Madeleine is sleeping peacefully and is happy that our trip to the hospital didn't involve anyone poking her. And daddy's making mischief on the computer and searching for Bunny Bears.

Active Time

I'm going to try to spend the rest of the week at home while my boss is in the Middle East (how many people get to use that line?). One of the things we've noticed over the last few days is that Madeleine's need for stimulation is starting to go up -- and the amount of time that she is "active" (i.e. doing something other than eating, burping, or evacuating) has gone up too.

Admittedly, it's not like she's running around in the backyard for an hour, but here's an example of what active time is like.

The Big Game - 2008

Daddy's alma mater - The Ohio State University - is playing for the national championship in football tonight for the second year in a row (we won't discuss last year's results on this forum).


Last year on game night, I was wearing my lucky shirt (undefeated against Meeeeechigan), sitting in my "man chair" sucking down a beer bottle, and watching the big game with our neighbors (btw, Phil, Deb and Jill are wonderful people - but they're bad luck for my Buckeyes - so we're watching it solo this year!)


This year, the ambiance here is slightly different.....





Either way, daddy and our little girl say - GO BUCKS!!! (p.s. our Columbus friends and relatives have taken care of providing her with PLENTY of Ohio State paraphernalia - and no matter what happens, she doesn't like State Penn where Grandpa Bob went to school).

Madeleine's First Stroll

It was nice and warm today with temps over 50 degrees, so we decided to get baby out for her first stroll! We were very ambitious - we went a whole block and a half over to Melissa and Barry's to pick up a Moses basket that they used when their little girl, Ella, was first born. We're trying anything we can to help with the sleep situation tonight! Aunt Maria and Uncle Alex were in the neighborhood and came along for the stroll, and we bumped into Aunt Jill along the way. We also got to see our first doggie. It was a scene right out of Mr. Rogers Neighborhood - and just like Mr. Rogers, it was captured on video (first clip below).

In the second clip, Daddy also offered his perspective on the no touching/no breathing rule that the pediatrician told us to put in place for strangers.

The Training Wheels Come Off - the Cavalry Departs

Grandpa Bob received Shelby Foote's three-volume history of the Civil War for Christmas this year. During the Civil War, cavalry were used to search for the enemy and, significantly, to shield the main body of the army from enemy reconnaissance efforts. In this way, the opposing army would not know exactly where the main body of the army was located or how it was deployed. Robert E. Lee, for example, lost the battle of Gettysburg in part because he did not properly use his cavalry to ascertain the Union Army's location and strength - while Union cavalry were able to stall his forces long enough to prevent them from capturing Seminary Ridge on the first day of the battle.

This morning, we lost our cavalry.

Grandma Kay and Grandpa Bob headed back to Massachusetts this morning. They will be greatly missed by both of us. We can't say enough about how helpful it was to have them here to offer the voice of experience, have nice hot meals ready for us, and generally reassure us that we haven't lost our minds (yet).

Before the cavalry rode off into the sunset, we had the second night in a row of colicky behavior by our little girl. She slept pretty well the first few nights that she was home but Friday and Saturday she was crying inconsolably for what seemed like forever. We tried just about every trick in the book to get her settled down to no avail. We welcome any advice and input from more experienced parents!!!

About the only thing that worked was to have her fall asleep on daddy's tummy on the leather recliner in the living room (Grandpa Bob's tummy once again proved its worth - daddy needs to step up to the plate if he's going to be able to compete). Unfortunately, this approach worked too well so daddy has spent the last two nights "sleeping" in the recliner with Madeleine. Mommy and daddy are feverishly reading up on alternative approaches today!

During the daytime, she sleeps like a champ - but only in her carseat. When she's fully bundled up in the carseat, she reminds me of pictures I've seen of the last empress of China (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:The_Chinese_Empress_Dowager.JPG) in this photo? If only she had her footmen in imperial regalia to parade her around.

Family Resemblance

A number of family members on the B family side have commented on family resemblance issues. What do you think? Here's the daughter....

And here's the father (insert joke here about the black and white photo). Thanks to Molly B for the photo.

What's in a Name?

We've been very touched by all the compliments we've received on our choice of name for the Baby B - but we've also received a lot of questions about it. So, below are some of the FAQs we've received on Baby B's name.

Q: How and when did you come up with Madeleine?

A: Hannah and I started talking about baby names once we got past the 12 week mark in the pregnancy. Being the planner, I went out and bought three baby name books and started poring through them. I also asked my dad for a copy of the B. family tree to see if there were any good names from the past that we could use (Hannah ruled out Jean-Baptiste B. right away - that didn't stop me from teasing her about it throughout the pregnancy but it wound up being a moot point!).

I had always thought it would be fun for us to each put 10 boys names and 10 girls names that we liked into an envelope and then exchange the envelopes - I also wanted our names to be a complete surprise to each other. If we had any commonality, we would focus on those names.

Hannah, being a little more free spirited, preferred the approach of throwing out questions like "What do you think of xxxx?" or "Isn't yyyy a cute name?"

At the end of the day, compromise is essential to a strong marriage, so we used a hybrid approach. Hannah would continue to throw out questions but I would offer feedback -- and eventually, toward the end of July/beginning of August, we sat down and did the envelope exchange. About a third of the names overlapped between the two lists. Madeleine was tops on both of our lists for girls.

Q: You guys knew all along that you were having a girl, didn't you?

A: We both suspected all along that we were having a girl, but we didn't know until we saw her in the delivery room. We had asked the ultrasound technicians and the doctors to keep the information about the gender from us until the big day.

In terms of the name, we were prepared for both results and narrowed down the process to 4 names that we liked - a primary and a backup on both sides (we figured that we needed to be prepared in case the baby didn't look like a "Madeleine" for whatever reason).

Q: What was the boy's name? What were the runners-up?

A: We're not telling in case we decide to break our vows of celibacy and have a second child.

Q: What is the significance of the name Madeleine? Frankly, we both liked the way it sounded.

We also preferred the French spelling of it to go with her French last name. Yes, for those who didn't know, our last name French and it comes from here - http://www.interfrance.com/en/fc/do_besancon.html

As her mother and father can attest, she's going to spend years of her life spelling both her first name and her last name for other people. But she's going to learn to spell at an early age!

It also had the added benefit of having a family connection - Brian's great-grandmother (who we called Nana) was named Madeline Jaycox.

Q: What does Madeleine mean? We actually had no idea when we picked it. And, there's conflicting information depending on which baby book or website you read.

Here's a short summary online that seems reasonable enough to us:

http://www.thinkbabynames.com/meaning/0/Madeleine
(there's more info on the name when you go to the "Madeline" page)

Bottom line: We've seen "tower of strength" and "woman from Magdela" as possibilities - we've also seen it described as variously being of Hebrew, Greek, or French origin. We have no idea of which one is right but the name's "meaning" had no role in our decision. WARNING - SPOILER ALERT: No, the Da Vinci Code had no influence over the selection of the name.

Q: How are you pronouncing Madeleine's name? It's MAD-a-linn with the last syllable rhyming with "in" instead of "line." And, if you're one of those people who hasn't heard it pronounced, the last name is pronounced beh-SAWN-sen-ee. (Ah, yes, I'm having flashbacks to the first day of school from the time I was 6 years old until I was 21.......)

Q: Have you given her a nickname like "Maddie" yet? Nope. We're sticking with Madeleine unless/until something strikes our fancy.

Q: Did you name her after the children's story Madeline or a Madeline doll? Or a celebrity named Madeleine? No, no, and no. After the big day, Grandma Kay did go out and get us a copy of the classic Ludwig Bemelmann children's story Madeline, and she is on a quest for a Madeline doll as of the time of this posting.

Q: Did anyone guess the name? No. At both of Hannah's baby showers, the hosts came up with a fun game. Each guest was asked to submit a boys name on a blue sheet of paper and a girls name on a pink sheet of paper -- and anyone who guessed the name would win a prize. But, of the 50-60 people who played, no one guessed any of our "Final Four" names. So, no one wins a prize.

We were really kind of surprised that no one guessed it. Grandma Kay actually guessed one of the Final Four names when we were up in Maine last August -- and Hannah, not having much of a poker face, had a reaction that made her think she was onto something. But thankfully, it was late and she had already forgotten by the next morning. One other relative (who shall remain nameless since they might remember) guessed a Final Four name a few weeks before the big day -- but we're not telling them in case we decide to use it in the future!

Q: What is the significance of "Ann" as a middle name? Hannah and I have both been blessed to have aunts named Ann with whom we have had very special relationships. So, we decided to honor both of them with our choice of middle name.

Hannah's Aunt Ann is one of Kay's sisters and has been a big part of her life - even before Hannah was born! She served with the Red Cross in Vietnam and was best friends with a woman named Hannah who was later killed. That Hannah was an inspiration for our Hannah's name.

My Auntie Ann was my godmother, but she passed away last summer from cancer before we had a chance to tell anyone our big news. Auntie Ann was one of the kindest people I have ever known and she is still greatly missed by the B. family. Ironically, as my grandmother reminded me the other day, Auntie Ann didn't even have a middle name!

Q: Is Madeleine a "popular" name? Our friend Dave, who runs the very entertaining site Suburban Daddy (http://www.suburbandaddy.com/), shared this tidbit:

"According to the social security website, Madeleine was the 337th most popular baby name of 2006."

Dare to be different!

Settling in at Home

After a very long and exhausting day, it's nice to settle down a little bit. Especially when someone is there to hold you and burp you.

The Yellow Sea

So, of course, after our adventure this morning, it's been a festival of #1. Here's a picture before the Great Flood Part Deux - you can see a bit of the yellowish coloration......

.... and here's one from after with a lot less of the yellow. (Yes, dad finally submitted to a photo)

Watch out, Dad - Godzilla attack!!!

Baby's First Checkup/Mom & Dad's First Panic Attack

Madeleine went in for her first visit to the pediatrician this morning.

First, the good news - she's in good shape. She's definitely gotten the best of both worlds - daddy's girl in terms of height and mommy's girl in terms of weight. She checked in at 21 inches and 7 lbs 14 ounces. That puts her in the 90th percentile for height and the 51st percentile for weight.

Then, mom and dad got their first baby health scare. The doctor had been concerned about jaundice and the fact that she hasn't been making as much of the #1 as the doctors would like. (As an aside, Brian made up "In" and "Out" charts to keep track of feedings and evacuations during the first few days since he knew the doctors would ask - the doctor was impressed with the effort and asked him to continue but offered a few refinements to the style)

Mom and dad knew that most babies are a bit jaundiced in the first few days as their livers play catch-up, so we hadn't been overly alarmed at her coloration knowing that she would see the doctor today. (for more information on this, there's an excellent resource at http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/infant-jaundice/DS00107 - thanks for sharing, Felisha!)

At the end of her exam, the doctor mentioned - almost nonchalantly - that he wanted us to go the emergency room to get her bilirubin levels tested. We kind of did a double take on the words "emergency room." The doctor explained that a third of babies experience jaundice at this point in the process, and about 1/30th of them have something medically significant that's causing it. So, off to the emergency room we went.

We hadn't expected to be back at the hospital so soon, so mom and dad explained to Madeleine that we weren't taking her to the returns department! The hospital staff let her in right away and they were terrific the whole time. The technician who came to draw her blood, who was reasonably close to Brian's size, got choked up at the thought of making her cry and tried to find another tech to take the blood. When he couldn't find one, he came in and did it and got a little teary eyed during the test. Thankfully, mom and baby were right there with him.

We had to wait awhile for the test results to come back in - probably the longest hour of any of our lives. At the end, the emergency room doctor came back and told us that her test was fine. On the bilirubin test, 4.0-12.0 is considered normal - and Madeleine was a perfect 10, just like she is in the looks department. We have to take her back to the pediatrician in two days but we don't have to put her under a lamp or anything like that, thank God.

Then, as her way of telling the medical community what she thought of today's excitement, and to prove that her liver is working, Madeleine promptly made #1 all over the emergency room bedsheets while her parents were trying to change her - and threw in a fresh #2 for good measure.

After a very stressful morning, mom and baby went home and zonked out, although Madeleine woke up long enough to prove the strength of her liver again with a fresh #1. Dad still has enough adrenaline in him now to power a small city (hence this post!).

Happy New Year!

Well, she wasn't quite Baby New Year, but Madeleine spent her first night at home last night. She has very quickly established herself as the dominant force in our household, as everyone has been at her beck and call. Mom and Dad now know why more experienced parents have been warning them about sleep deprivation, as they may have gotten 4 hours of sleep between them.

And, when a half-awake Dad did a half-awake job of putting on the 2am diaper, we were treated to a special historical moment at 4am -- the Great Rosemont Flood of '08.

In the meantime, baby's first bouquet arrived from Grandma Kay's family yesterday. Dad already anticipates the day (many, many) years from now when she starts getting other bouquets too -- and looks forward to towering over some pimple-faced sixteen year old boy and telling him, "So, you WILL have my daughter home by 9:00 pm, RIGHT?"