We love GiGi!

GiGi is in town this week so we were able to have her over for a nice dinner on Tuesday night. Always nice to get to visit and Maddy was VERY excited.

Car talks

Here lately, some of the most entertaining moments of the day occur in the car to/from school each day with the girls. This was today.

Maddy: Mom, today I went down the spiral slide on my tummy while I held my nose.

Me: Really? Why would you hold your nose?

Maddy: Because Catherine told me to.

Me: I know but why would you do that? What was the point of holding your nose?

Maddy: Mom, because Catherine told me to.

Me: Well, if Catherine told you to jump off a bridge would you do that?

Maddy: MOM! I'm not talking about a bridge, I'm talking about the spiral slide.

Probably need to work on that concept again later.

Hannah Dean - 9 month check up

Hannah’s 9 month well visit was today and she is doing just great! As the doctor predicted at the 6 month visit, she now has 8 teeth. This has made food experimenting much easier. Speaking of food, we are blessed with another child that LOVES to eat just about anything you will give her. Dairy products may be an issue. No rash but vomiting has occurred twice in the last couple of weeks when trying different types of yogurt so we will hold off on that for now. She may have inherited the pineapple allergy from Grandma. Also something we will try again later but for now the bright red splotchy face we saw was enough to make us think twice. She’s had a cold now off and on for 2 weeks but it doesn’t seem to slow her down so we are grateful for that. She is still sleeping great. Not much a day sleeper during the week but I’m not too worried and don’t feel a need to complain given that she sleeps 12 hours a night! No shots at this appointment so that was good – survived both sets of her flu shot earlier in October and November so we are done until February. If I remember correctly that appointment is a real mess with shots and finger sticks.

Stats are as follows:

Weight – 19lbs (50%)
Height – 27 ¾ inches (50%)

*Almost identical to Maddy’s 9 month measurements in case you were curious.

Christmas Tree Farm - Road Trip!

Every year Matt has entertained my need for a real Christmas tree so this year I decided to grant his wish of driving to the mountains to cut down our own. We both wanted Maddy (and eventually Hannah) to understand that the trees don't start out at the corner lot next door to the grocery store!

We had a really nice time. After about a 2 hour drive we were there. Nice weather and a great place in Boone, NC. We took about 20-30 minutes to find our tree. One lesson in this for me was how overwhelming that process is. After looking at 5 trees, they all start to look the same. We eventually found "the one" and proceeded with the process of trimming and then attaching it to the roof of the car. We packed a lunch and sat with cider and enjoyed a really great family moment. I'm still pretty sure that Maddy was more impressed with the goats than cutting her own Christmas tree. Oh well. I LOVE our tree. It's beautiful and looks like it was made for our living room.





Check out our website for more photos.
http://www.madelynmay.smugmug.com/

Thanksgiving Day Parade

I was in need of a little Mommy and Maddy time so what better place to go than the Charlotte Thanksgiving Day Parade! We had a great time!

Halloween 2011

Halloween this year was a week long event! Our first event was the Fall Festival at Chesterbrook Academy on 10/25/11. PERFECT weather made the outdoor festival a great time. Grandma and Grandpa were able to come and watch Maddy play all the games over and over and over. All of the classes had a competition to decorate pumpkins and Maddy's class won! The prize was an ice cream party. Such a cute little spider family.


Our second event was the Fall Festival at Oak Grove UMC on 10/31/11. Maddy was very excited to play the games this year. Now that she's a little older she is able to play almost all of them and enjoyed traded her tickets for a turn in line. Apparently another benefit of being a year older is no longer having to do the cake walk with Mom and Dad. She wanted NOTHING to do with us. She didn't win so maybe that had something to do with it. I'm just saying...every other year we have returned home with a homemade plates of goodies.


This is the ridiculous amount of candy Maddy managed to score over the week!

Visit to the Pumpkin Patch

A beautiful fall day so we made plans to visit the pumpkin patch! Only problem was that Hannah Dean had a fever and it was cool outside so I stayed home with her and Daddy took Maddy. Their trip involved a hay ride, petting zoo and of course the pumpkin patch. This was the real deal. Not just a field with pumpkins laying around but they actually had to "pick" the pumpkin off the vine. I think Matt said that it took Maddy about 20 minutes to find just the right one! Fun time had by all and then the next day some master carving took place in our garage.

The Big Bird chair

Just thought I would share this piece of history. For Matt's 2nd birthday (1982) he received a Big Bird chair. Grandma and Grandpa were smart enough to save it and now 29 years later we have the Big Bird chair in our house. Safe to say the money was well spent and they clearly don't make things like they did back then.

Matt with the chair in 1982

Maddy with the chair in 2009

Hannah with the chair in 2011

Lockdown

It's official - Hannah Dean is a crawling machine! 1 week shy of 7 months.

She's been scooting around for a couple weeks now but last night while cooking dinner, we turned around to find her in the dog bowl (about 5-7 feet from where we left her). Within 20 minutes she also found the computer cords and the door stop behind her bedroom door. Life as we know it is changing. Time to lock everything and move into "nothing is allowed on the floor" mode. I will try to get more video - this one is from about a week ago when she was still in the inch worm status.

Moving up in the world

Well, maybe not in the world but at least at school. Maddy moved up to the next class at school this week and the transition has been a little difficult. Her teachers are great but I think the change in schedule has been a little challenging. I think this class (officially known as Room 5) is a lot more like school and a lot less like daycare. Having said that, the schedule may be new but she is learning a LOT so it's hard to complain. They have a responsibility wall so each child has something they are responsible for every day like cleaning up after lunch, turning off the lights, holding the door, etc. And in just one week she has come home each day with something new she learned so that is great news! Learning words that rhyme, new Spanish words and syllables are just a few of the things she has absorbed so I'm impressed and she seems excited to show off her new knowledge. This video is one of my favorites. Maddy is practicing her syllables and for some reason Hannah Dean is LOVING it - noted by the full body chuckle.

Maddy's 1st baseball game

We've been saying it all summer and we finally did it. Even if it was the last game of the season. Matt and I took Maddy to her first "real" baseball game. The Charlotte Knights are a minor league team here in the area and the games are affordable, safe and lots fun! Grandma and Grandpa offered to keep Hannah Dean overnight for us so we could make this a special Maddy only event.

She wasn't sure what to think at first and her main concern was at what point during the game were we going to buy her the ice cream we'd promised. We had great seats about 10 rows up from the Knights dugout so we were able to spend lots of time watching the mascot, Homer the Dragon. As with most things in costume, Maddy was excited but not excited enough to walk down there to say hello :) So we kept our distance and just waved. Matt and Maddy enjoyed a hot dog while I ate enough nachos to make a grown man sick. We then moved on to popcorn which Maddy held and rationed a piece for each of us, one by one.

After the 7th inning stretch we left our seats for the play area. Maddy was able to play a few games and even managed to get in the inflatable bouncy house by herself. After the games we went and stood in a 20 minute line for ice cream in a souvenir baseball hat. It was SO worth it! We found a nice spot on the general admission grass and she ate every last drop. I was a nervous wreck but this grassy area is the place where the parents that don't want to watch their kids sit. So the parents are laid out on a blanket somewhere while their kids proceed to roll down the hill over and over until they throw up. Definitely a new experience for Maddy and Mommy did her best to try and just go with it!

Last stop on the way home was the gift shop where the option to pick one thing had been promised. Prices are so affordable so you really don't have to worry about the kids wanting something crazy. Maddy's pick was a foam Homer the Dragon hat. Let's just say, I'm glad she's so cute because very few people could pull this thing off.

Hannah Dean - 6 month check up

Well I’m happy to report that we have a happy, healthy 6 month old baby. Today was Hannah’s 6 month well visit and we survived. She is doing great and growing just perfectly. Almost all of her more recent milestones have been reached within the last 3 weeks. Rolling both directions, sitting up without assistance, putting herself to sleep and sleeping through the night. She is also rocking on her knees and hands so it’s just a matter of time before she starts to crawl. She has two teeth and the doctor says it’s possible she could have 6 more by the time we visit next time in November. This makes my head want to explode but we will hope for the best! She had to have 3 shots today and had a fever within an hour but she’s had Tylenol and a little nap and seems to be just fine.
Her eczema is still bad and they recommended olive oil today so that should be interesting. It’s also possible that she’s allergic to sweet potatoes but we will try again in a couple of weeks to see if maybe it was just a coincidence. There are definitely worse things but a life without sweet potatoes just doesn’t seem like much fun to me J They think we should continue the special formula instead of trying to get her on the “normal” formula. We are going to take this advice because the benefit of saving a few dollars a can isn’t worth the nightmare we remember with the original formula. Everyone we meet says “she’s the happiest baby!” Knowing what a rough time Hannah (and mommy & daddy) has had – this statement is music to my ears! She seems to have really turned the corner and we are so grateful.

All in all, a great doctor visit with a star patient! Stats are as follows:

Weight – 16 pounds, 1 ounce (50-75%)

Height – 25 3/8 inches (25-50%) ***I’m sure that Matt wants everyone to know she is closer to 50% than 25%. He thinks Hannah will be the tall one J

Head – 42 cm (50-75%)

Every man's dream...

Ok, so maybe not the dream you're thinking of. I feel confident that every man and woman occasionally wishes their significant other would just be quiet for a little while. Or maybe a co-worker that just likes to hear words come out of their own mouth. You know you've thought it before or maybe you're the person everyone else wishes would be quiet. Either way, silence can be a good thing.
I'm the first to admit that I talk alot. I've been guilty of catching myself saying something that was so insignificant and it was really just because I felt the need to speak. I've had a cold this week and this happens to me 3-4 times a year. I get a simple little cold and before I have a chance to get better, I loose my voice. Probably an answer to Matt's prayers but a little frustrating for me. Especially difficult with two children that still require interaction even if Mommy can't say anything.
The point of all of this is to say that when this happens I usually start by being frustrated. But having had over a day now of not really hearing myself talk, I've determined this can be a blessing in disguise. Do you ever really just sit and listen? I mean truly listen to what's going on around you? It's amazing how the world continues to spin even without every little remark we think is so important. Meetings continue to function, children are fed and safely in bed, husbands are still watching baseball and pretending to listen even though you're not really talking.
I've decided that having 1-2 days/3 times a year of just listening can be really beneficial. You notice the important things because you aren't so busy worrying about the next thing you want to spew out of your mouth. So, while my husband's dream will soon come to end when my voice returns, I recommend you try this sometime. Hopefully you can complete the experiment without having the head cold. Take a day or two to just listen. It's amazing what you can hear when it's quiet.

Papa Clint

Missing Papa Clint today. It has been 11 years since we said goodbye but I still think of him every day. He was an amazing man and he taught me to laugh, love and learn. I often think about what he would do in certain situations. Business, politics, community, finances, family matters....every aspect of how he conducted himself in life was inspiring to me. The bond we had was unbreakable and I only hope I can live my life half as well as he did. I wish he was here to see my family. My amazing husband (Papa would've LOVED Matt) and my little girls. I know he is so proud of all of his family. Love you and miss you Papa.

Hannah Dean is 4 months old!

We can’t believe you’re already 4 months old! These last few months have been quite the adventure. Your big sister spoiled us when she was a baby and you clearly decided we needed to work for it this time. Your tummy problems seem to be getting much better. You are allergic to milk and need special formula but you no longer get so sick and you stopped your reflux medicine about a month ago. Within the last 2 weeks you have rolled from your tummy to your back and had your first bottom tooth break through. Mommy and Daddy were not ready for either! You’ve slept through the night a few times over the past month but with all these exciting things happening it’s no wonder you want to be awake all the time. You still like to snuggle and you are now a pro at finding your thumb to help soothe you when you’re upset or tired. It’s only the thumb on your left hand though – not sure why that is. You just recently started sucking your thumb while cuddling with a blanket. You are a much happier baby than you were a couple of months ago. You are alert, talkative, playful and happy! It seems as though you now have a double name. We named you with the idea that Hannah was your first name and Dean was your middle name. It appears that Hannah Dean just comes naturally to a lot of people. There are some that just call you Hannah but 90% of friends and family refer to you with both names. I guess we will see how that plays out as you get older. Maddy has been gone to Texas for the past 3 weeks and we have enjoyed having this special time to bond with you. I know your sister has missed you though so we can’t wait to have both girls together again! We are so grateful that you are a happy and healthy little girl and we can’t wait to watch you grow!

6/27/2011 – Update from 4 month check up

Weight – 13 lbs, 15 oz (50-75%)
Height – 24 ¾ inches (75%)
Head circ. – 16 inches (50%)

The pediatrician said Hannah is right on track both developmentally and physically. She actually said that Hannah is displaying some advanced verbal skills – so funny how your reaction to statements like these change with the second child. With Maddy that was so exciting! With Hannah we secretly hoped she would be the quite one. Her tummy is not quite ready for rice cereal yet so we will hold off for another month or so and then give it a try. As you can see, her weight has leveled off a little bit. Now that we have her stomach problems under control, we no longer feel the need to feed her every time she cries. The result is a weight in the 50th percentile vs. a weight in the 90th percentile like when she was 2 months old! She received shots but seemed to handle them well. A little sleepy but not fussy. Next appt will be in August for her 6 month check up.

The latest happenings...

Yes, it's true. I've been neglecting the blog. A lot has been happening since my last entry so let me try to update you using the short version with a promise to do better :)

Maddy:
- Successfully completed her spring semester of dance and music class at school. She is registered for a great summer camp at her school and his having a really tough time deciding on her summer activity...dance, music, soccer or tae kwon do. Decisions, Decisions. I tried to explain to her that we just can't spend the money to do all of them so we will let this be her first big lesson in making a tough decision :)
- Tomorrow morning bright and early Maddy is getting on the plane with Mommy and Hannah to head to Texas for her 2nd annual summer vacation! 3 weeks in the Texas sun. She will return to Charlotte the first weekend in July. Maddy's excited, Mommy's excited and Daddy is a mess!
- Maddy continues to be a bright and witty ray of sunshine in my life. Her personality is really starting to show itself with her singing, dancing and WILD imagination. And luckily, she continues to be an amazing big sister with nothing but love and sweetness for little Hannah.

Hannah:
- Beginning to turn a corner. We had 2 really good weeks toward the end of May. She began sleeping through the night and seemed to be easing up on the fussiness. She's definitely a different baby than she was a month ago. We are back to waking up once in the middle of the night but she literally eats and goes back to sleep so I'm not going to complain.
- Personality is starting to shine! She's happy in the morning, prefers little cat naps throughout the day and like most of the Hennig's/Woodson's/Hecht's I know....she gets rather cranky if a meal is late. :)
- Definitely a thumb sucker! It seems to comfort her through the majority of the day and it appears as though we may be starting the teething process because her whole hand is being used frequently as a chew toy.
- 2 prescriptions and a pediatrician visit later we may finally have an EXTREME diaper rash that is on the mend. Her special formula for her allergy causes some unfortunate tummy side affects so we have been dealing with that now for about 10 days. Looks to be on the mend so we are grateful. 13 lbs. 8 ounces was the weight at the dr visit on Monday.

Matt and Holly:
- Both busy with work (I went back on May 9th)
- Starting to get into the groove of our new "two kid" routine. It's taken us a couple of months but we seem to hitting our stride.
- We will miss Maddy over the next few weeks but looking forward to some of conveniences of only having to drag one child all over the place :) Matt doesn't know it yet but I have lots of projects in mind for the month of June!

All in all, everything is going really well. Busy, hectic, exhausting and wouldn't change it for the world!

Bad Dreams

Friday night was a long one. Hannah made it through night #4 without waking up so that was great but somehow we still managed to be up all night...with Maddy. As I've said before, each week at school, Maddy's class has a theme. They talk about it all week, read books and do art work related to the theme. Friday was a special day and they were able to watch a movie related to the theme. Last week's theme was FARM and Friday's movie was Milo and Otis. Now I've never seen the movie but I'm making the assumption it's pretty tame if a room full of 3-year olds can watch it. However, Maddy went to bed Friday night and proceeded to have nightmares about all things animal and farm related. She would wake up screaming about her "yucky" dreams. We made it through the night but it was rough.

So, Saturday afternoon the tears started again when it was time for nap because she didn't want to have "yucky" dreams. I explained to Maddy that she needs to think of things that make her happy when she goes to sleep so she can dream about that instead. We rattled off a few things that make her happy like butterflies, baby dolls, glitter, etc. She made it through nap without incident. The same thing happened Saturday night before bed so I started the "what makes you happy" conversation again. The evening answers were much different. My favorite response being...the laundry hamper! If there were any doubt before it is official now that this child is mine! Putting laundry in the hamper, washing it and folding makes my little peanut happy! Happy enough that she wants to dream about it :) Some find this troubling and my response is whatever your opinion about my type A personality and that of my child...it worked because we slept all night!!!!

**Unfortunate side note - Maddy's nightmares Friday night were the final straw to convince her some things are worth getting out of the bed. All this time we've had the kid that refuses to get out of bed without someone coming to tell her it's ok. This has been amazing as we hear others complain about finding their kid in the playroom at 5am. Well scary farm dreams convinced Maddy to come find Mommy and Daddy so now she knows the world won't end if she gets out of bed. This morning after a laundry filled restful sleep I found Maddy sitting in the dark, on the couch, waiting patiently for someone to wake up at 6:40am!

St. Jude Trike-A-Thon was a SUCCESS!

Well, the Trike-A-Thon is over and it was a success with only a few traffic accidents which I consider a success with 15 three year olds riding bikes around cones.

Maddy’s stats:

Ride Time – 20 minutes
Total Laps – 11 (I’m not counting the laps where she was going the wrong direction)
Number of times she stopped to talk to friends – 6
Number of times she actually used the pedals to push – 0

A special thanks to Chesterbrook Academy - Mallard Creek for providing an organized, safe and fun time for the kids!

A good week...

Both Maddy and Hannah are having a great week so far. Monday night Hannah started acting like she was getting a cold so it was a long night of her coughing from drainage and us getting up to make sure she was ok. She didn’t have any issues yesterday though so if it’s a cold, it appears to be minor. With all the stuff blowing around in the air here it may just be allergies. Regardless, we decided to raise her crib mattress at one end to elevate her a little. That actually appears to have accomplished two goals. Hannah is a mover so we put her down in the middle of her crib and by the time she wakes up the next time she is all the way at the end of the crib with her nose pushed up against the railing. We’ve already had to remove her bumper because we were afraid she would suffocate herself with her nose up against all the time. So, raising the crib mattress actually kept her from being able to “scoot” to the corner which may have in turn allowed her to sleep all night last night without waking up! In addition, she didn’t cough all night. She went to bed at 8:30pm and I had to wake her up at 7:20am to leave for school.

Maddy is still on cloud nine from her dance recital last week. She keeps showing us her dance moves whenever she gets the chance. It’s a pretty quiet week for her at school except for Friday. Maddy is participating in the St.Jude Trike-A-Thon in the school parking lot. Should be entertaining to see with all those little kids “riding” around in circles. We haven’t even told her about it yet because we knew it would be non-stop questions until Friday. We will save that news for Thursday night in an effort to give her a reason to go to bed.

We had a pretty bad storm here last night around 12:15am that woke everyone in the house except the girls. Lots of the rain, thunder, lightning and about 15 minutes of hail between a quarter and golf ball size. I thought the windows would break any minute but Maddy and Hannah both snored their way through the storm. I will never understand how a baby wakes up when the car stops moving but can sleep through thunder that shakes the house!

Hope everyone is having a great week!

My little dreamer...

Every Thursday is "Show and Share" in Maddy's classroom. They are supposed to bring something in that starts with the letter and/or theme they are discussing that week. Matt and I have tried to make this a week long thing. We talk about it each night, quiz Maddy on her letter and words that start with the letter, etc. This week the letter is "K" and the theme is what they want to be when they grow up. Maddy wanted to take an item for each. She took her tea kettle from her tea set to represent the letter "K". And for the theme of what she would like to be when she grows up.....Butterfly wings. Maddy May would like to be a butterfly when she grows up.

The type A in me really wanted to send her to school with a law book or a stethoscope but that is not currently her dream :) For now, we will work toward the goal of butterfly!

Hannah Dean - 2 month check up

Today my little Hannah is 9 weeks old and according to the pediatrician...not so little anymore :)

Yesterday was Hannah Dean’s 2 month check up with the pediatrician. I’m happy to say that she is doing just great and Mommy and Daddy are not in trouble for over feeding her J

She is definitely a little chunk weighing in at 12 lbs 6 ounces (90%) and 22 inches long (50%). That’s a 3 pound gain from a month ago if you’re keeping up. However, the doctor did not have any concerns related to her weight. It does appear that Hannah has a milk allergy and colic. The two of them combined are making for some interesting days. They told us that we have her on the right formula and to keep doing what we’re doing in terms of trying to soothe her. We are going to try some new things with where and how she sleeps at night to see if that makes a difference and if not we will just wait it out. The good news is that the milk allergy is probably something she will grow out of as she becomes a toddler so it’s not likely to be something we have to deal with much past 12-18 months old. It does look like Hannah is going to be a thumb sucker so over the next month or so she may get a little better at helping to soothe herself – one can dream!

Anyway, she is going great – growing and changing as she should. Each day gets a little easier and those little smiles we are now receiving make it all worth it!

Maddy - 3 year check up

Yesterday was Maddy's 3 year check up at the pediatrician and I'm happy to report that she's doing great! Maddy is 36 inches tall (50%) and weighs 29 pounds (25%). I continue to wonder where all the food goes. I'm not sure how's it's possible to eat all that food and be in the 25th percentile for weight :) She's right on track with all her developmental goals and of course showed off for the doctor.

We decided to keep Maddy home from school yesterday and went to Mommy and Daddy's offices to visit with all of our co-workers. It was a long day for Mommy but Maddy had fun and Hannah hung in there pretty well. A nap was required for all when once we made it home :)

Happy Birthday Maddy May!

Dear Maddy,

Three years ago at this exact moment you entered the world as a blue eyed, brown haired firecracker! Not much has changed. Your eyes are almost green now but you are still a firecracker. For someone who plans every aspect of my every day...you were the greatest surprise I could ever ask for. At three years old, you are the most independent, intelligent little girl I know! When you were born, you were 2 weeks early - proving you would do things your way and you are still that way. You observe everything around you and make your own decisions. I hope that never changes and you continue to travel your own path.

You are caring and loving and a GREAT big sister! You love Hannah with all your heart and she is going to be so lucky to have you to look up to over the years. I wake up everyday and thank God for you - you are a gift! Your mommy and daddy have had times in our lives when we didn't make the best decisions but you and your sister will always be our greatest accomplishment! Nothing will ever compare to the love we have for you.

My birthday wish for you is that you continue to be just the way you are. Be sweet, be kind and be loving. Don't ever stop wanting everything in your life to be covered in glitter! Life is better with sparkles.

We love you Maddy May,
Mommy and Daddy

Maddy/Hannah - Photo Shoot

Here is the link to our photo slideshow from Hannah's Newborn/Maddy's Big Sister Photo Shoot on March 15th. The link will only be active for a few more days so I wanted to share. I still cry everytime I watch it - I can't believe this is my life! So blessed and grateful.

I need to buy stock in baby carriers!

Well, they say you get what you ask for so I guess that's the issue. My little snuggle bunny Hannah wants nothing on Earth but for someone to hold her. Maddy was never like this. I remember specific conversations where Matt and I would sit and talk about how we wish Maddy wanted to love on us as a newborn. We just wanted to hold her but she was SO happy sitting in her bouncer just observing the world around her. An independent little girl and not much has changed over the past three years. Hannah - NOT SO MUCH! I wanted a baby to love on and that's just what I got. Unfortunately, it makes things like brushing your teeth and taking a shower a little challenging. Of course we have to let her cry a little but she's still young so you can't just lay her there and say you'll be ok Hannah. She is definitely going to be our little lover. She actually puts her little head in either your armpit or the place between your neck and chest. It's very sweet for about an hour and then it gets a little old :) So, it's a good thing I have a baby carrier because occasionally I need to do something that requires both arms. Definitely feeling good about our decision to use child care at this point. A few weeks from now she will have to adjust to NOT being held all day. I'm thinking the sweet teachers in her room will have other things to do! In the meantime, we will keep working on giving our snuggle bunny a little independence :)

Hannah - 1 month

Today is Hannah Dean's 1 month birthday! I can't believe it's already been a month. My how time flies! We went to the doctor this morning for her check up and she's doing great! Her acid reflux issue seems to be under control as of now. I do find it interesting that an itty bitty baby has to take acid reflux medicine but hopefully not for long. Hannah is very strong! She is holding her head up and the doctor believes she will roll over before too long. Needless to say she doesn't just lay still like most newborn babies. It is fascinating to me that her activity in the womb is identical to her activity level now. She will probably not be a basketball player and appears to be a petite little thing, like her sister. :)


Below are her 1 month stats:


Weight: 9lbs 4 ounces (50%)
Height: 20 1/4 inches (25%)
Head: 14 1/4 inches (25%)


We are blessed beyond words!

Picture taken before they gave her the shot!

Staples and Stickers

So I knew this toddler and newborn thing would be interesting but good Lord! Thursday night was not what I had in mind. For some reason I was having a stressful evening and really needed Maddy to have a distraction so I could breathe and accomplish something. So, Matt offered to trick her into folding laundry (she still thinks that's a fun game). They went into our bedroom to fold laundry, listen to music and dance a little. I proceeded to clean the kitchen. 15 minutes into to this blissful distraction and I heard the THUD! An awful noise that immediately made me sick to my stomach because I new it meant bad news. Apparently laundry and dancing turned into playing on the bed which resulted in a fall into the corner of the nightstand. Matt ran into the kitchen with Maddy and began applying pressure to her head. I'm definitely not a medical expert but it appeared she would probably need stitches, if not, at least a proper cleaning and bandage to keep it from getting infected. So, I called Grandma while Matt got things together. It ended up that Urgent Care was able to take care of her which saved Matt from spending hours in the ER waiting room while singing his ABCs. Here I am though, at home while my "baby" goes to the doctor with her head bleeding. This will be the first of many times that Daddy steps up and Mommy has to stay behind but it was rough.

Anyway, the doctor recommended STAPLES as opposed to stitches due to her young age and the fact that the cut was back in her hair and we would never see the scar. Maddy was a ROCK STAR! Matt and I were much more traumatized by the event than she was. He said she sat in the office so quiet while they waited 2 hours! When it came time for the staples, he said she barely made a peep. Not sure if that was fear or the fact that is was 2 hours past bedtime. Regardless, she did great. They returned home around 10:15pm with three Dora stickers and a sugar free lollipop! It amazes me what a 3 year old will tolerate when stickers and lollipops are promised. It's a good thing she didn't know that Mommy and Daddy felt so guilty we probably would've purchased a car if she'd asked for one :)

Maddy's eyes while in the waiting room

Picture of the boo-boo before the staples

Welcome Hannah Dean!

We are officially a family of FOUR! I have to keep saying that to myself so it will sink in. What a blessing we are experiencing. So, here is the abbreviated version of Hannah's arrival.

Last Wednesday (2/23) we went for our 40 week appointment only to find out that I had not progressed and we were scheduled to be induced at 7am on Friday (2/25) morning. Induction was certainly not my first choice but given the smooth labor experience I had with Maddy, I was hoping for the best. Many friends and family gave encouragement and were praying Hannah would decide to come on her own time. Well, it worked!

I woke up Thursday morning and actually told Matt that I didn't really feel that well and "IT" might happen that day. We were still speaking in code so as not to make a big fuss in front of Maddy but I definitely felt that some different was going on that day. I cleaned all morning like a mad woman and then went to lunch with Heather. We decided to up the game so I ate a little Mexican food :) All through lunch I was having contractions. They were uncomfortable but not consistent. I had plans to run errands after lunch but by the time I left I was uncomfortable enough that I decided I should head home. From there more cleaning happened - stupid things like the sliding glass door. It was crazy, I would vacuum and then stop to have a contraction.

Matt came home at 5:30pm and got Maddy's bag because she was planning to stay the night with Grandpa due to the induction scheduled for the following morning. By the time he returned home at 6:10pm, I could no longer carry on a conversation. Within 30 minutes the contractions were 3 minutes apart. We left for the hospital at 7pm, had an epidural by 8pm and Hannah Dean Hecht was born at 9:30pm. It was fast, dramatic and unbelievable! She is doing great and I will try to do better with my posting! Big sister Maddy is handling it very well, at least for now. She loves her baby sister and needs a little extra attention from Daddy every now and then.

Hannah Dean Hecht

February 24, 2011

9:30 pm

7lbs. 9 oz

20 inches

Doctor Update - 37 Weeks and 1 day

Doctor's appointment today - everything went well. Hannah's heart beat was 130 and my blood pressure was good. My cervix is 80% effaced but not dilating yet. I'm very uncomfortable at the moment and feeling almost exactly like I did the day before Maddy was born. Could be 2 days away; could be 2 weeks away - no way to tell so I will continue to spend my time terrorizing my husband and obsessing over crazy things like changing all the sheets in every bed! It would be in my best interest to focus on the important things like PACKING MY BAG for the hospital but the pointless things seem to be more therapy for me :)

Will keep everyone posted!

Making Progress...

Just a few weeks ago I was in panic mode as I realized we hadn't done ANYTHING to prepare for Hannah. We have definitely made some progress. She has continued to cook inside Mommy's belly and we had a few very productive weekends. Matt is out of town today for work so Maddy and I completed a little project involving peel and stick flowers. Perfect project for her.

Maddy and I also made cookies - needless to say I had to do a little re-arranging before placing in the oven.

What I learned from Ganny...

A year ago today the world lost two wonderful women. I thought I would sit and write about the things I learned from Ganny. Then I realized, there's not enough blog space on the Internet for that type of post. Ganny taught all of us many, many things. It didn't matter if you knew Ganny your whole life or 1 day, she treated you like you were her own. Everyone felt that way about her. A few of the things I learned from Ganny:

- God is #1
- Family is next
- There's always time to give to someone else in need
- The kitchen is the heart of the home and food is the way to the heart

Ganny, I think about you often and miss you each day. You left behind a void for everyone that knew you. I'm honored and excited to welcome our little girl Hannah Dean into this world with your name.

Snow days have turned into sick days...

Here we are, Friday morning and we are home AGAIN! Maddy got a fever Tuesday night and didn't really get better so Matt stayed home with her yesterday and was able to get her in to see the pediatrician. Ear infection :( It's been a while since we had one of those and Maddy doesn't ever say that her ear hurts. She kept complaining about the "tears in her eyes" and boogers in her nose but it wasn't until late Wednesday night she said her left ear was itching...we knew that probably wasn't a good thing. So, since we've already paid for an entire week of school that didn't happen, what's one more day? I just figure I should keep her home and let her get back to 100% so we don't have a repeat of this next week.


And now for the mean mom award - a picture of Maddy after the nurse checked her temperature. From the looks of things you would think this was a very traumatic experience but from what dad told me, this was an under the arm thermometer so it's possible Maddy was being a little dramatic.

34 Weeks...It's the Final Countdown

This morning started with my first pregnancy induced panic attack! I'm 34 weeks pregnant today and it hit me on the way to work - we will have another baby sometime in the next 6 weeks! With Maddy, we were so planned, organized, etc. This time around we don't even have paint on the wall in Hannah's room! We have selected the paint (after sampling 6 different shades of yellow) but it's not painted. The good news, we are using a lot of the things we used with Maddy so it's just a matter of moving them into the room and getting organized. An article I read tonight made me feel better when it listed the "necessities" for babies. Really, that's a crib, clothes, diapers and feeding supplies. So, it's really not that big of a deal. This little girl will have all she needs even if her room is decorated with random yellow strips. :) Having said that, don't ask Matt to do anything fun this weekend....he will be painting!

My doctor's appointment was rescheduled for today and everything is going great. My blood pressure is back to my normal level after a few visits with elevated numbers. Not really elevated for your average person but elevated for me, the girl who is constantly asked if I'm still breathing when they check my blood pressure. Hannah's heart beat was great and she is measuring right on schedule. Estimated at almost 5 pounds.

Stuck Inside

Well, snow day #1 has turned into snow day #3. We are stuck at home again today. Maddy's school was opening today but now she is sick and running a fever so here we here. Mommy, Maddy, 2 dogs and a cat. Just your everyday circus. I've said this before but days like these are great for staying in and being all warm and cozy but it sure does make me appreciate those moms that choose to stay at home full time. Maddy has been great but even a well behaved 2 year old can wear on you after a few days stuck inside. Hopefully tomorrow will be a sunny, school day!

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to one of my favorite people! Makensey Woodson turns 11 years old today on 1/11/11! I hope you have a great birthday! We love you, miss you and can't wait to see you soon!

Snow Day #1

It's been a while since the last time I blogged so I forget how to start. First, let me start by saying I'm sorry to the 4 people that read our blog. I have received your emails requesting an update and I made the decision to pretend I didn't. :) December was an exciting month with lots of activities and travel so I will try to write about that later.

For today, just wanted to post a few pictures of our first big 2011 snow fall! The weather forecasts were actually correct and almost as if set to an alarm, the beautiful snow started to fall around 3am Monday morning. In total, we probably received 5-6 inches at our house with surrounding areas receiving 3-7 inches. I love looking at the snow, as long as I can stay home. Maddy's school closed Monday so we were able to stay home and Matt's office closed early so he was able to come home in time for a snow ball fight. I use that phrase loosely as it was really Maddy throwing snow balls and then screaming if you tried to throw one back at her.

We are home again today now that a layer of ice covers the beautiful snow.

Our backyard after the first few inches of snow Monday morning

Maddy and Mommy

Maddy and Daddy

P.S. For those needing a baby update. I will be 34 weeks on Thursday and I'm really starting to feel it now. This second baby thing is hard. With Maddy, I just sat on the sofa when I was tired. That doesn't work so well now that I have an almost 3 year old running around the house. I'm surviving though. Back pain and some contractions but they clearly aren't the kind that cause labor. Seriously doubt I will make it to my due date but we'll see. Next doctor's appointment scheduled for Monday, January 17th.