Four Months!

Four months have come and gone, and my little guy is growing up faster and faster! We've had such a blast with Madden and we're wondering how much more personality this boy can get! He is the sweetest and funniest little four month old ever and we can't get enough of him!

 This past month....

1. Madden proved again that he's a hefty little sucker...weighing in on May 24th at 15 lbs 5 oz and 25 3/4 inches. And today, June 1, he weighed 16 lbs 6 oz and 26 inches long. 80th percentile in weight and 86th percentile in height. (We got 4 month shots today, boooo)

2. On May 31st, Mad rolled over for the first time! From his back to his tummy. You'd think he had just lifted a semi truck by the way he was breathing. Rolling over is hard work! That night he was a mad man in his crib. I kept hearing him shuffle around most of the night, and every time I went to check on him, he was facing a new direction! The next morning I found him laying with his bum pressed up against the side rail, with his little feet straight up and almost hanging over the side of the crib. 

3. Started grabbing his toes. It's the cutest thing of alllll time. He's even started sucking on his feet now! And to think I was worried about him sucking his thumb...

4. When he eats he has gotten into a bad habit of swinging his arm around in circles and smacking me in the face. There's nowhere for me to go to dodge the blows, and if I hold his arm still he just gets mad. So I pretty much just sit there and take a beating to the face.

5. Back to me worrying about his thumb sucking... This month he's figured out that he can fit more than just one finger in his mouth, so that little thumb has been left in the dust. 

6. Some of his recent loves are playing with his toys, boxing with dad, playing airplane, reading his books, being outside, staring at the blue sky, wind in his face, being held outward so he can see what's going on, the lights in the chapel at church, going on dates with his girlfriend Elle, and going 

on walks in his awesome new stroller! 

7. Madden is also becoming quite the drooler. He's the king of spit bubbles and he's started making a growling noise that send slobber flying. I don't know how else to explain it. It's messy but adorable.

8. He's is also becoming a biter/aggressive kisser. He likes it when I hold him cheek to cheek, probably because the second I let my guard down, he turns and starts going to town on my face! He just can't control his love for me that's all.

9. Madden also loves the mirror. Everyday we sit up on the counter and and watch Madden smile and laugh at himself. I'm sure he's so confused but he seems to love it! I have the cutest little hand and foot prints all over my mirror that I can't get myself to clean off. 

10. Last trick of the month...it's actually kind of a problem, but Madden has learned how to cover his face with any blanket, towel, or cloth that he can get his baby hands on. If I'm not looking, I hear tiny grunts and turn around to see his head completely covered and his hands and feet squirming all over. He can never just be normal with a blanket! He either kicked it completely off or covers his whole face with it. Good thing summer is here because I think he's about to be banned from blankets! 

We love Madden more than we ever could have imagined and we are so lucky that he's our baby! On to another month of laughs, smiles, and baby kisses! 

Three Months!

Our baby boy is three months old! I can't believe how fast these past months have gone, and I think it's safe to say it has been the best time of our lives! Madden is growing and changing by the day and we've discovering his sweet little personality. He's always so smiley and even starting to show off his adorable little laugh. We sure love our Madden, and can't wait to see what this next month brings!

 

 

Here are the fun things our baby boy did this past month...

 

 

1. Mad started sleeping through the night right at 2 months, so this past month has been very nice for Jeff and me!

 

2. Coos all the time, and it's so cute to watch him because he puckers out his top lip when he does it. Now that he's talking more, he doesn't make his grunting noises and dolphin sounds anymore. I kind of miss them!

 

3. Had his 2 month shots and it was the worst thing that ever happened to both of us. Nope, I don't even want to talk about it. Jeff is taking him from now on.

 

4. At 10 weeks, Madden was a hefty 14 lbs 2 oz, and 24 inches long. Growing boy!

 

5. Love to be held so much, but doesn't like to be cradled, and hates when he is put back down. He cries and cries when we lay him down on his back. I think he's realizing that the ceiling is too boring to look at nowadays.

 

6. He's starting to suck on everything!! Blankets, his clothes, my clothes, burp cloths, my arms, my clavicle, his whole hands, and....his thumb!! I'm not sure how I feel about his new thumb sucking tendencies. I keep taking it out when I see it in his mouth, but I think that's making him want it more!

 

7. He's not a huge fan of tummy time, so I've been really bad at doing it. A few weeks ago, Jeff asked me if I was doing it and said he was concerned his neck isn't getting strong enough. So the next day I decided to try it again, and as soon as he hit the floor his little head popped up and he's been holding it up like a champ ever since!

 

8. Laughs in his sleep a lot, it's adorable.

 

9. Follows us with his eyes, and stares at the door until we come back in the room.

 

10. So far he's done really well at church and at my presidency meetings. When I'm not holding him, he recognizes my voice and looks around until he finds me. It's the best being his mom!

 

11. Mad got his first little cold! So sad but it wasn't too bad, he just had a stuffy nose. He hates his nose sucker though.

 

12. Likes it when we read to him. He got a bunch of new books, and he just stares at the pictures and sits still until we're finished reading. I also made little color and shape flashcards to give him something else to looks at. And it's kind of interesting because he focuses so hard on the blue flashcards and doesn't pay much attention to the red or yellow colors.

 

13. I never swaddled Madden as a newborn, he's never like being bundled tight. Every morning when I get him out of his crib, he is completely sprawled out with his blankets kicked off at the bottom of his crib!

 

14. I'm not sure how much use we're going to get out of his bumbo. He's still a little too wobbly to sit in it, and it's a two person job trying to stuff his chubby thighs in the leg holes!

 

15. Like to be held upright looking over my shoulder, and he doesn't lay his head down on my shoulder that much anymore. He holds his head up and looks around at anything and everything.

 

16. When he's eating, he is so wiggly and flails his arm around in a circle the whole time.

 

17. Likes to sit out on the patio in the morning sun while I eat breakfast.

 

18. He's pretty ticklish. He pulls his legs up to his chest and smiles when we tickle his sides.

 

19. Laughed for the first time ever on May 8. I'd been waiting for a laugh to come out of this baby boy for a long time. He smiles constantly and I knew it was only a matter of time before he let out a laugh. We were sitting on the front porch singing the ABC's and he let out the cutest little laugh I'd ever heard! After that, I couldn't get much out of him until we went to Colorado last week. My mom is the queen of making him laugh. While we were home, I was in my mom's bedroom and all of a sudden I heard Madden make the sweetest belly laugh sound, and then my mom screamed for me to come see him. I ran with my phone ready to video him and caught the tail end of the cutest laughing episode ever! Way to go mom!

 

20. Still acts shocked when we put him in the bath, and it takes a few seconds for him to remember how much he loves the bath. He's starting to kick and splash a lot more too.

 

21. Likes to sit on top of the kitchen table with mom and dad during dinner.

 

22. Fascinated with any lights and fans. And while we're on walks he is mesmerized by the bright blue sky.

 

23. Loves when we sing the Jungle Book song, "Bear Necessities."

 

24. Starting to move much more, and wiggles his hips like crazy when we sing!

 

25. Took his first ever airplane ride to Denver and met his Grandma and Grandpas, great-grandparents, aunties, and uncle, and lots and lots of cousins! He loved all the smothering and attention. I was a little worried that he's freak out in a new environment, especially since  the only voices and faces familiar to him are mine and Jeff's. But he did great, we have a trooper baby.

 

26. Madden did great on the plane ride to and from Denver. Both ways, we were on one of those stupid two-seater planes that rattle and roar, and feel like a wing is going to break off at the slightest turbulence. Jeff was with me on the way to Denver, and Madden did great...slept like a baby the whole time. On the way home, I was flying solo (Jeff had gone home a few days before). Our plane was supposed to leave at 5:30 pm but because of an incoming storm we idled on the runway for TWO hours. YIKES. And once we got clearance to take off, they realized we had run low on gas because we had been sitting on the runway too long. So of course we had to turn around and fill up. All in all, it took 5 1/2 hours to fly home to Kansas City. Madden is the best baby. He was a perfect angel the whole time and even made some new friends on the plane, smiling and laughing at everybody. I feel like an invincible mom now...if I can handle sitting on a plane for 5 1/2 hours with a baby, I think I can do ANYTHING!!

 

27. We blessed Madden on Mother's day, May 12 at my parents house in Denver. It was so great having all of our family with us! The blessing was so thoughtful and sweet, I have a pretty great husband. Madden was a little upset and sleepy right before the blessing, but the second Jeff took him from me, he calmed right down and didn't make a peep during the whole prayer. My Grandpa Dick told me that during the blessing, he peeked down at Madden and saw that he was staring at Jeff the whole time. I think this baby of ours loves his dad. The whole week we spent in Colorado with family was so much fun, and we can't wait to see everyone again!

Madden lights up our life everyday and we're having so much fun watching him grow. I find myself wanting to wake him up from his naps because I miss him when he's sleeping! He is so fun to get out of his crib in the morning because the second he sees me, he gets the biggest smile on his face. It's the best way to start the day.

Jeff just finished his second year of medical school, and he's studying hard for boards in June. And I'm starting to think about packing up and getting ready for our big move to Florida this July. We're excited for the fun things ahead!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Two Months

Our little Mad Man is two months old!

I'm doing my best to make time slow down, but nothing is working! Madden is growing way too fast, but everyday he does something new that melts my heart and that makes it ok. I just packed away all of his newborn outfits and can't believe he was ever that small! When I hold his tiny one-pieces up to him they are now capris.

 

 

These past two months have been the best! I'm still working on getting fully dressed everyday. It's not so much an issue of lazy housewifeness, but baby boy is still working on his spit up problem and I'm tired of washing some of my "never wash" shirts. Jeff has been staying home as much as he can and it's been so fun having my little family together all day long. Jeff will take little breaks throughout the day and come in to play with Madden and it's so cute watching them become little buddies. No one can make Mad smile like Jeff, he really loves his dad.

In just one month, Madden has changed so much! Here's some of his newest tricks...

1. On March 21, Madden weighed in at a healthy 11lbs. 1 oz. and measured 22 1/4 inches! 61st percentile in both. Proof of his growth? We moved to size 1 diapers on March 17th and I'm very grateful for the extra coverage. He's also officially grown out of his newborn clothes...0-3 month cuteness here we come!

2. Favorite thing of all time: Madden lays his head down on my shoulder every time I hold him. He is such a little snuggler, and he'll lay on me for forever even when he's awake.

3. Madden is starting to discover his legs! He kicks those chubby little legs all the time and it's the cutest, especially in the bath.

4. He's has also discovered that Mom has long hair, and he holds onto it with all his might!

5. Jeff and I have some black and tan artwork above our bed that Mad loves to stare at. We spend lots of time snuggling in my bed, and he's constantly staring up at it. He must love the contrast.

6. We still have a little noisemaker! Dolphin noises mainly. And he's still the worlds best grunter. He's even started making a little chuckling noise when he smiles, and the mom in me is convinced it is a little laugh.

7. Madden wakes up consistently about twice per night. 2 am and 5 am. Not so bad! Although every once in a while he give me a treat and sleep five hours straight! And....last night he even slept six hours! Happy two months to me!

8. Bath time is our favorite! He is too long to bathe in the kitchen sink now so we've moved him upstairs to the bath tub. Without fail, as soon as he touches the water his eyes get huge and he flails his arms and legs. But after a couple seconds, he calms down and starts kicking his little legs and LOVES the bath. We get a lots of smiles out of him in the bath tub, and we're convinced he's going to be a water lover. I'm also convinced that I'm going to use the lavendar baby lotion on him til he's 18.

9. Madden went to church for the first time on Easter and he was a champ during sacrament meeting!

10. Everyone says he's starting to look more like me, which I kind of love. But don't say that in front of Jeff or he might slap you.

11. April 4 has gone down in the books as the day I MADE Madden smile for the first time. It took some tickling and kissy faces, but I'm pretty sure I nailed it.

12. Also going down in the books is April 10 which was the first day Madden laughed. I know for sure it was a laugh because he was on a smiling rampage and he just couldn't hold it in.

13. Probably the most consistent thing about Madden's schedule lately is that he gets fussy every night around 7:30. Not sure why, but whatever it is it makes him sleep pretty well when he finally calms down.

14. We are slowly introducing Madden to the world. We've had a few nice spring days and we've tried taking advantage of them by going on walks. He's a little unsure about the sun, and its kind of funny because he scrunches up his face and refuses to open his eyes even when the sun isn't out. I'm still trying to figure out how to take him with me on errands. I've been doing my weekly grocery shopping at 5:30 on Saturday mornings after I feed him, that way I know I'll be back before he wakes up. Not sure how long I'll want to keep that up. I just don't like putting him in his carseat, I feel bad locking him up in there and he just looks so uncomfy! Ya I know, I need to get over it.

15. And yes I've created a little monster. Mad still doesn't like to sleep in his crip during the day. He does fine in his crib at night, but during the day if he's not on my bed or on me, forget about that nap it's so not happening. I love my little snuggle bunny, I think the time I spend with him sleeping on me will be some of my best memories of this stage. Lets just say if he's still doing it when he's 10, then we'll have a problem. Maybe.

We love you baby boy, you've made us so happy and we love every day we get to be your mom and dad! xoxo

Here's some of my favorite pictures of this sweet guy from the last month....

 

 

Madden

Our baby boy is finally here! 

Madden came on February 11th, which means he's already 1 month old! This past month has pretty much consisted of a lot of cuddling, kisses, and staring at his cute face. No wonder time goes by so fast! We sure are loving our baby, and we're so grateful to be his parents.

Here are some things we love so much about our Madden...

1. He smiles in his sleep all the time! Usually its a little half grin, but lately it's been a full faced, scrunched nose, dimples dimpling, gums baring smile. And it melts my heart. (On March 8, Madden smiled for the first time while he was awake! Can I say CAUUUUTE!?)

2. He LOVES wearing his blue, fluffy bear suit given to him by Grandma and Grandpa Harbold. He also loves his soft, white blanket from his Grandma GG. As soon as we put him in either one, he goes completely limp and falls asleep.

3. He loves to snuggle! He sleeps the best when he's being held, or laying on my chest. I love it so much even though I know I'm creating a monster...he already is not a huge fan of his crib. I'm perfectly happy being his bed for now, even though I know I'll pay for it later.

4. There is one little outfit that he goes potty on every single time without fail. The thing is jinxed. It has never lasted longer than three hours, no joke.

5. We have quite the little grunter on our hands. He grunts so much and so loud that sometimes I'm shocked the noise is coming from something so tiny! He also makes a sound like a dolphin/sheep when he stretches- it's pretty hilarious.

6. He is always so relaxed and floppy, and he sleeps completely sprawled out.

7. He does really great with tummy time and he's already so strong! Jeff has even gotten him to roll from his tummy to his back already (maybe he helped him a little bit.)

8. He is the king of spitting up! Little annoying yes, and we're not really sure how he's gaining weight with the amount he spits up every day.

9. He does not like his daily vitamin D drops. He makes the funniest faces when he's swallowing them.

10. Madden's head is still a little coney, so he can't lay flat on the back of his head without it pushing his chin all the way down to his chest. He likes laying on his right side of his head the best.

11. Sometimes he tries to eat so fast he starts choking, and his little cough is the cutest thing ever. I know, mean mom huh.

12. Sometimes in his sleep he'll make the saddest little whimper noises for no reason, and then he'll smile right afterward. We wonder what he's dreaming about!

13. He is growing really quickly! As of Feb 28, he weighed 8lb 12oz (this is how big I was when I was born) and 21 inches long. He was 7lbs 5oz and 19 3/4in long when he was born.

14. He's a pretty decent sleeper, but we still haven't managed to get a steady routine going yet. Usually I only wake up to feed him twice during the night, except for this week when he's been in the mood to party at 3 in the morning.

15. Our baby boy was born with a pretty awesome layer of fur on his back and shoulders (I may or may not have had the same thing when I was a baby) It really is the cutest thing though, and it's earned him the nickname "Mad Pup" in our family.

16. We are loving every day as a family of three! We already don't really remember what life was like before he was here, and we can't imagine our life being any better! We love you baby Madden!

Year-to-date

I wish I was a good enough blogger to start out a post by saying, "this week..." but instead I have to start by saying, "this year...." Sorry guys, I'm not the best, but so far we've had a pretty eventful year. Well, eventful for a med school family that is. 

This year......

I went to visit my cute, mama of a sister and got to hold my sweet little nephew Bridger for the first time. I was the only one who hadn't seen him yet so I got a whole day's worth of first dibs on holding him. He was only 1 1/2 months and was soooo tiny. Now he's a little rolly poly of solid chunk and even more to die for!

Fun family get together for Bridger's blessing

Back home in Missouri, Jeff was very busy studying away and finishing up the school year. I could show you a picture of him in action, but it would just be a picture of the back of his head while he's sitting at his desk and I don't think anyone would appreciate that, especially Jeff.

But we were still able to sneak away and do some fun things this summer...

One night we went to Kansas City's new opera house and saw the Romeo and Juliet ballet. Jeff was soooooo excited to go, but this is the conversation we had as soon as it started.

"Hey Paige, aren't they going to talk in this?"

"Jeff, no, this is a ballet."

"Right. (Pause) How long is this going to last?"

What a trooper, and how lucky am I to have a husband not only willing to TAKE me to the ballet, but a husband that STAYS at the ballet once he realizes what he's gotten himself into.

We also went through a slight Jenga phase. We're all about quick games these days, and we had lots of fun with this one. I think our current record is 37 stories. 

In May the Kansas City Temple was dedicated. This was really the best experience. It is such an incredible temple, and it's really amazing the amount of pride you feel when you get to watch a temple being built just for you. I was asked to be a host for the open house, and it was so cool to be able to spend so much time there with people who know very little about the church. This temple was very well represented in the media, and we had a lot of great missionary opportunities as the open house was going on. President Monson came to dedicate it, and I especially loved seeing the youth's excitement to see the prophet in person for the first time. It was interesting how much the church focused on making this a great experience for the youth. One night, they closed off the temple to the general public and invited only the young women to come tour the temple. Being a YW leader, I got to walk with my group of girls through the bridal room and spend some extra time in the celestial room. The next time they will be back in those rooms, they will be going through the temple themselves and getting married. I was so lucky to be as involved as I was during the temple dedication, and it was one of those experiences I'll never forget.

My mom came this spring for a weekend visit. Jeff was busy with school, so it was just a mom/Paige weekend. She helped me make these curtains, aren't they so cute? My mom is so talented.

We also got lots of pictures of this cute baby. Don't you just want to coochie his cheeks?

 Before the heat hit, we had a couple bonfires and of course some s'mores! The lighter fluid in the corner kinda blows Jeff's boy scout pride. And once the heat DID hit, I just moved my s'more making inside.

We also discovered the best museum ever. It's pretty close to the school, so we've gone a few times after I've gotten done with work. This place is huge! It's a good place to spend the afternoon, and probably an even better place to be if there's a tornado.

We've also kept up our little walking tradition. We love to wander around the neighborhood by our house, and surprisingly we haven't gotten sick of it yet. Last year was so nice because we hardly had a winter, so we were able to walk pretty much year round. We love how green it is here, and it's also our way to squeeze in a little bit of time together.

Flowers and tomatoes! Ever since we moved in, I've been so anxious to use all the garden space our little house has. I tried starting some tomatoes and other things from seed and that was not very successful, so I ended up just buying little starter plants. I bought four tomato plants thinking that if I bought four, maybe two would live. And I bought two basil plants hoping one would live. And same with the bell peppers. I'm not sure if I've gotten past my "kill every living thing in sight" phase, or Missouri is just an easy place to grow stuff, but everything I planted just grew like crazy! And fast too! We had more tomatoes than we knew what to do with and so much basil that I smelled it instantly the moment I went outside. It was so fun! My flowers out in my front yard did great too! I'd like to say I am the lucky charm, but if I'm being honest with myself, it's because Missouri is awesome.

In July, we got to go to the lake with my family! It was the first time our whole family has been together in a long time, so it was fun to see everyone. And of course, Montana isn't a bad setting for a vacation!

And finally, the biggest news of the year......da da dahhhhh!!! We have a little munchkin of our very own on the way!!

We are counting down with excitement to February 17th! We can't wait to meet our new addition and start this new phase of our life together. We're a little anxious around here planning for upcoming baby chaos as well as preparing for Jeff's national boards coming shortly after the baby comes. But we know we will have a little help and everything will work out fine.

Jeff is going to be the best dad. Medical school is hard. Really hard. It takes its toll on Jeff and our family every day, but I've been so impressed this past year watching Jeff focus so intently on school, not for his own gain, but for the purpose of providing for our family and letting me be a stay-at-home mom. I feel so lucky to have him, and our sweet little baby will be lucky to have him too.

Blue or Pink? We'll find out September 17th. Take your guess!

Love and miss you all, hope everyone is happy and well!