Self-portrait Tuesday: Badge

Here I am sporting my Mommy Badge of Honor.


Which I seem to wear daily now.


Which is why I only wear cotton.

Bread of the Month: Perfectly Legit

This month's bread is:

Rhodes Frozen Dough!

Also known as: what you make when your baby refuses to sleep at all during the day unless you're holding him and even if he's not tired you have to hold him or he hollers and screams and you only got four hours of sleep last night so you don't have the energy for anything else because all you want to do is lay down and sleep but the pesky baby won't let you and it's the end of the month and you're pretty sure tomorrows gonna be the same.

Phew.

So, in my mind, using frozen dough was definitely not cheating. Because it was either this or nothin'.

Instead of rolls I used the dough to make scones. Because I needed a bribe for this:


Yes, it was haircut night. And boy howdy, did my kiddos need it. And as you can see, they weren't too happy about the prospect. But it was worth it for this:


That's right - chocolate chip marshmallow scones. Because nothing's a better bedtime snack than something so sugar- and fat-laden as this. Mmmm...

Slingling

Cole is my first sling baby.


I decided this was the best way to 'protect' him during Primary on Sundays. Because a sleeping baby in a car carrier in a room full of children aged 3-11? That's just asking for trouble. Keeping him on me at all times seemed the safer option. (And I was right - many of the kiddos wanted to touch Cole yesterday. Looking = okay. Touching = not so much. Primary is just one big germ fest, even in the summer.)

The sling is also great for around the house, because it allows me to get stuff done while still holding the baby. And Cole is turning into an "I must be held all the time, Mother Dear" kind of baby. So this is a happy solution for the both of us. (Especially because I'm getting good at getting him out of the sling and into his crib without waking him up. Oh the mad mothering skills you develop with the third baby!)

Anywho, I really like his sling, and so does Cole! He falls asleep within five minutes once he's settled in there. Of course, first he has to spit up a bit, but I figure that's just because we have to squish him a little. No worries; we're not afraid of a little (or a lot) of spit up around here.


(Side note: Spencer was a little freaked out the first time he saw Cole spit up. "Mommy! Cole just threw up! Ewww! He must be sick! Poor Cole!" It took me a while to convince him Cole was okay. Now he's a champ at wiping Cole's face when it's needed. And by wiping his face I mean attacking him with the burp cloth as if he were waxing a car. Good helper, Spence.)

It's taken me a little while to get proficient at putting him in, but we're getting there. My back is also getting used to carrying him around this way. (Boy, my pregnancies have wreaked havoc on my back!)


Several people asked me if I made my sling. No way. I thought about it, but was too nervous about carrying my baby around in something that I made. (I'm not confident in my sewing skills.) But the more I look at it the more I think I probably could have done it. Oh well. (Christy or Gigi - you should totally start making these. You have the skills and great taste in fabric!) I bought mine here, in case you're interested.

Kidlet Stats

For posterity, here are the stats from Cole's doctor appointment today:

Weight: 9 lbs 14 oz - 50th percentile
Height: 21.5 inches - 50th percentile
Head size: umm... okay, I can't remember - but it was in the 50th percentile, too.

In other words, we have a perfectly proportional baby! Yes, we Madsens know how to make 'em.

Oh, and here was my first thought when they weighed him: at nearly one month old Cole is one ounce shy of how big Joshie was at birth.

But wait - it gets better.

While we were waiting in the exam room I weighed Spencer and Josh, mainly to stop them from climbing the walls, but also because I was interested to see the results.

Spencer: a whopping 41 pounds
Josh: a hulking 37 pounds

For reals. My two and a half year old is only four pounds lighter than his five and a half year old brother.

Mr. Unusually-Large-and-Strong, indeed.

Baby Heartburn

Poor Cole. He has reflux, which is basically bad baby heartburn. I started noticing symptoms a week ago, and they got progressively worse: lots of spitting up, wet burps, arching his back and fussing while eating, randomly gagging, etc. Yesterday he spit up so hard it came out of his nose - three times. Boy, he sure didn't like that. Poor little guy.

Josh had the same thing when he was a newborn, but it took us forever to diagnose it. Which made Josh hurt. Which made our lives a living... well, we won't go there. Let's just say Cole is lucky we decided to take chance and have a third baby.

So I was determined to nip this in the bud before Cole started getting really bad. (Because right now he's still a pretty good baby - but who wants to take the chance? Plus, I can tell he's uncomfortable.) We've elevated the head of his mattress, we keep his head up for a while after eating, and we try to burp him really well. Plus, he is now on baby Zantac. Hopefully soon he'll go from this:


to this.


Now I just have to work on getting the Zantac into him (it tastes kinda yucky), and, more importantly, stay in him.

Bendy

I had an epiphany this morning: I can bend again!

Huzzah!

Okay, that may not seem like a big deal. But I haven't been able to really bend for quite a while. The last few months of my pregnancy I had a ginormous belly in the way. If there was something on the floor then it stayed there - for days - unless I really needed it. Seriously, by the end it wasn't just that it was uncomfortable or I didn't like the fact that I couldn't breathe when I bent over - bending was just no longer an option.

I got really good at picking things up with my feet, by the way. It was really quite impressive. (Moms, you know what I'm talkin' about.)

After Cole came I couldn't bend because it just hurt too much. Luckily, I was in the habit of not bending, so accidental bends didn't happen too often.

I am no longer pregnant and no longer sore. I find myself still ignoring things on the floor or doing the foot-pick-up. Like I said, not bending had become a habit.

But this morning I dropped Cole's pacifier on the floor. At first I was frustrated. But then the thought came: Maren, just pick it up.

And I did.

And I could breathe. And it didn't hurt.

Oh happy day!

Post Script: so now my floors are all picked up and I never ask the boys to reach down for things for me, right? Wrong. Heck, my entire house is a Duplo block minefield right now. See, the point is that I can bend over, not that I want to.

Far Out, Man

Someone at Lance's work gave us this adorable onesie. Isn't it great? I'm starting to get grand ideas of matching tie dye shirts for all three of my boys. (I feel a fun summer craft coming on...) Groovy.

Chillin'

Look! He's finally getting some fat rolls and an extra chin. Now he's a proper Madsen baby. :)

Pants Still Optional

Madsen Household Summer Dress Code

Shoes required.

Pants optional.

Happy Father's Day!

I'm so lucky I married one if the world's greatest dads! (My dad being the other, of course...)

We love you, Daddy!
(Ah, there's the money shot.)

Reading List

Last month, after receiving a ton of wonderful book ideas, I got to work and ordered quite a few in anticipation of all the reading time I would have once I started nursing again. (And boy, have I had time!)

Side note: I generally don't buy a lot of books because I'm cheap and would rather get them for free from the library, I don't want to have to store them, and what if I don't like them? Then I'd feel like I wasted my money. But this time I bought them because I didn't want to have to deal with returning them on time and such. Plus, I got some really great deals on used books from Half.com.

Anywho.

As promised, here's a brief rundown of the books I've read so far.

Austenland by Shannon Hale
I had no idea what to expect from this book, only that I had never heard of it but had several people recommend it. It was a little more 'chic-lit' than I'm accustomed to (I don't do chic-lit), and was a bit predictable. But you know what? It was the perfect book to start off with. It was an easy read, didn't require a lot of thought, and the story was entertaining enough to keep me awake.

The Christmas Sweater by Glenn Beck
I know - where in the world did this one come from?! But my brother (a Glenn Beck groupie) had given it to me for Christmas and I figured it was probably time to get around to reading it. I wasn't expecting much and was thus pleasantly surprised. Again, light, easy reading, and fairly entertaining. A little preachy at times, but it had a good message. Much easier to stomach than the author. (Sorry, Kyle.)

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
I absolutely LOVED this book. It was excellent. I love historical fiction, especially about WWII, and this book was about the Nazi occupation of the Channel Islands. It was written as letters to and from all of the main characters, which you would think might be difficult to read but actually made it easier to understand and love the characters. This book is definitely a keeper.

The Diary of Mattie Spenser by Sandra Dallas
Another excellent book. If you've read These Is My Words by Nancy Turner (one of my favorite books ever) then you'll love this book. Written in the form of a diary kept by a woman who moved to Colorado territory in the 1860's, you get a real sense of the hardships the settlers (and women in particular) endured. I was surprised but happy with the unexpected ending.

The World Without Us by Alan Weisman
Okay - this is probably not a book I would recommend for a new mother. It took me a while to get through mainly because I really had to think about what I was reading. That said, I would definitely recommend it to anyone else. Weisman researches and theorizes about what would happen to the earth if humans suddenly disappeared. It was really interesting, thought provoking, and a little scary. As humans, we're not treating the earth very nicely, that's for sure. (Dad, you'd really like this book - want to borrow my copy?)

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith
Okay, I actually haven't read this yet. In fact, I'm starting it today. But c'mon - Jane Austen and zombies? How can that combination be anything but excellent?! I'm sure it will be fun. (I'll let you know if I think differently.) Kevin, I totally had you in mind when I bought it.

Pity Party

• I'm at the point where my maternity clothes are too big but my regular clothes are too small. I look like a doofus.
• A doofus who still looks four months pregnant. My tummy is taking forever to go back down this time. I know, I know - this is my third baby and I'm five years older than when I had my first, but still. It's buggin' me.
• I would like to start exercising to help get rid of said tummy. But I'm not allowed. Plus, I still get worn out faster than I expect and I'm still sore. I went grocery shopping yesterday and it wiped me out. Stupid c-section.
• It's raining. Again. (We've had twice as much rain as normal this spring.)
• Spencer has turned into the whiniest. Five year old. Ever. And then he had an accident today. What up with that?!
• I forgot the sunscreen today so Josh got burned while playing in the sprinklers. Poor little guy. World's. Worst. Mother.
• Speaking of Josh: he is now a giant. Seriously. I came home from the hospital and all of a sudden he was this great hulk of a little boy. Why do my babies have to grow up?
• Cole is taking forever to grow up. The whole brand new newborn phase is killer. Can I just fast-forward to when he's around six months old, smiling, interactive, and not eating every three hours?
• It appears that we won't be able to have any family out for Cole's baby blessing this summer. (Date TBD. Do you wanna come and be my faux family?) I know it's not that big of deal in the grand scheme of things, but it still makes me sad. Sometimes I really miss living closer to family, even though I know this is where we're supposed to be.
  

Okay. Thus concludes my pity party. (Can't you just hear the sad violin music?)

And now I feel a lot better.

Life is good. (Even if my attitude is not.)

Opera Singer

Cute Baby Quilt

Remember way back when I wrote about the baby quilt Gigi owed me? Well, last week she brought me the quilt and today I finally got around to having Cole show it off.


As you can see, it is soooo cute! I just love the little fish and turtles and especially the octopus... octopuses... octopi? Jellyfish.


Josh had to join in on the action.


This is Cole telling Spencer to get off his blankie. Bam!


Don't you just love it? Thank you, Gigi!

The Beast

"The Beast" is a nickname we seem to attach to our babies.

It started with Spencer, who was an angel baby and therefore anything but a beast. Thus the hilarity. (Haha! Our baby is perfect, so let's call him something he's so obviously not!)

Then there was Josh, who was a devil baby and therefore "The Beast" was a little too close to the truth. (Haha! This baby won't sleep and wants to eat non-stop. I'm gonna die...) ((Humor was the only way any of us survived him for the first six months.))

And now there's Cole, who so far is indifferent to everything except sleep. (Which, by the way, he excels at.) So we call him The Beast, but he just doesn't care. (Hey Beast - wake up! It's time to eat. Wake up, Beast!)

Anywho, The Current Beast is finally starting to eat as a proper beast should. He gained 12 ounces between today and last Wednesday.

Good job, Beast. Good job.

The Definition of Unfair

Last night I woke up with the flu. I just wanted to die.

But I still had to feed the baby. Every three hours.

If that's not the very definition of unfair I don't know what is.

Blech.

Cole's Birth Announcement

Our Little Calvin

Cole had crazy hair after his bath today. (The photo doesn't really do it justice since it's such a light blond.) Then he got this crazy look in his eyes. The combination of the two made me laugh out loud and reminded me of a certain little boy I grew up with.


Heaven help us all if little Cole turns out to be a little Calvin!

Issues with Food

Cole has food issues. He's not interested in eating.

This is unheard of in our family. Our babies have always had healthy appetites. (In the case of Josh, VERY healthy appetites!)

I've mentioned before that he is the sleepingest baby ever. This is okay in some ways, but not for eating. For the first week of his life it was a constant battle just to get him to nurse. His birth weight was 8 lbs 14 oz, but when he left the hospital he was down to 8 lbs 2 oz, which made his pediatrician nervous. (I noticed the other day that he is way chubbier in his birth pictures than in any photos we've taken since then. Bizarro.)

In fact, because he was such a sleepy eater my milk was never really well established and started to dry up. So now I not only feed him every three hours but also pump an hour after each feeding as well. So I nurse him for at least 10 minutes on each side (he refuses to do longer!) and then force at least another 2 oz down him with a bottle. Top this off with the fact that I am still trying to get him to latch on correctly (he's lazy and stubborn - the teen years are gonna be great!) and that makes for a grouchy, sore momma. Very sore. Man, how I hate nursing for the first few weeks...

So far in his 13 days of life Cole has had to go to the doctor three times just to have his weight monitored. As of today he was only 8 lbs 3 oz. It's baffling to his doctor and myself, because I literally spend 1/3 of my day feeding this baby. So now we're having to add high calorie preemie formula to the milk I'm pumping. She also prescribed me Fenugreek, which is an herb that is supposed to help stimulate milk production.

I'm not too worried about Cole at this point. I don't think he'll waste away or anything. In fact, my little brother, Kevin, was the same way as a baby and after a month or so he discovered the joys of eating and porked right up! (Although now he's like 6'5" and 100 pounds or something... but that's neither here nor there.)

I just wish my poor, scrawny baby would get over his food issues. Because this sore momma needs a break!

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

Today is Lance's birthday. I usually try to make a big deal out of birthdays, but I just didn't have it in me today. (I'm pretty sure Lance understands.) But I didn't completely forget or ignore Lance's 31st.

First, I made a birthday sign for him:


I know - you're so impressed. I think the boys were more excited about it than Lance was, but that's okay.

Second, since I knew I'd be in no mood to make a cake I ordered a surprise ice cream birthday cake from Dairy Queen. (The wonderful Gigi picked it up for me and delivered it to our house, since I still can't drive. Thank you, Gigi!)


It's a raspberry chocolate truffle cake - yum. (Although who chose Smurf blue for the writing? Weird.)

Third, we did have one small gift. Why only one? Lance decided to spend all of his birthday and Father's Day money on a new computer a couple of months ago. But what's a birthday without at least one gift?


The boys and I bought him a gift book for Mike's Express Car Wash. (No more excuses for a dirty car, hon!) In fact, that was the real reason I was at Mike's Express on that fateful day not too long ago... (See? It was all really Lance's fault!)

And unlike years past, I actually remembered to take a picture of Lance on his birthday.


Happy 31st birthday, Lance! We love you!

A Great Big Thank You!

Grandpa ElRay and Grandma Susie flew out from Utah to help us with the new baby. Actually, I did most of the baby work - they had the harder job of entertaining Spencer and Josh. And entertain them they did!

They put sand in the sand and water table. (Something I had been promising to do for a while.)

They fulfilled Josh's dream of going 'real' bowling. (As opposed to playing on the Wii.) I love this picture - Grandpa caught Josh mid-jump. Too cute.

They loaded them up with sugar. (Our fruit bowl turned into the cookie/candy bowl overnight. The boys and Lance were never so thrilled.)

They checked out the new Monkey Joe's in town. It met the hearty approval of both boys.

They appeased them with even more sugar. (I think the kids are in withdrawal...)

They even planted a few things for me, since I was too pregnant to do it myself this season. Grandpa (a true suburban farmer) planted some tomato, pepper, and basil plants, and even some sunflower seeds I had bought for the boys.

Grandpa and Grandma had to go home on Saturday. (I'm sure they needed a rest!) We were able to get a few pictures before they left for the airport.

Grandpa ElRay with his grandsons. (Will he ever have Roper grandchildren? For some odd reason mine all keep coming out Madsens... Just wonderin', Kyle and Kevin.)

Our wonderful grandpa and grandma!

My three sons. (Insert theme song here to get trapped in your head for the rest of the day. Do do do doooooo, do do do doooo, do do do do, do dooo doo doooo!)

Our first family picture. I think we all look kinda goofy, but I guess that's more true to life!

We already miss you lots. Spencer has mentioned you several times in his bedtime prayers. Josh asks where you are and when you're coming back. And our cookie and candy supply is running low. (That's because Josh is quite cunning when it comes to cookie thievery.)

A great big thank you to Grandpa and Grandma - you'll never know how much we appreciated your help!