Photos of Madeline.

Madeline and Mommy have been neglected by our daddy this week....baseball is quite time consuming during the summer months. It's always been this way, it's no surprise, but with a 9 month old, it's certainly puts a perspective on "freedom to come and go" and of course an appreciation for the extra help in the evenings. This time last year I was at the games, all big and round, feet up. This year, I'm home with my baby playing on the floor.....I'm not sure I miss the baseball field. How could I when I get to capture these photos?

"Momma bought me my very own baseball cap! Now I don't need to wear daddy's smelly hat, although, I still love to play with daddy's hats."

"I promise you that as soon as this ridiculous cast comes off I will get my feet where I want them and pull myself up! Watch out!"
""MOM! Tell Jersey to get off my toys!"
(this being said while she's kicking the dog out of her way)

Wagon ride anyone?

We enjoyed the long Memorial Day weekend with several backyard barbeque's; Friday evening was BBQ Chicken and for dessert we had s'mores on the bonfire. Saturday evening was hamburger's. Sunday afternoon was hotdogs and hamburger's. And finally Monday, ribs. Delicious summer fare and there was no shortage of being with our friends throughout the entire weekend. We had a great weekend.
Below are photos of our BBQ at the Bean's residence. They are expecting their first baby this fall and have recently aquired many hand-me-downs from relatives, including this wagon that Madeline seemed quite fond of. And her daddy took advantage of the cup holder too.

9 months

Madeline turns 9 months old today. Where has the time gone. I'll have a 9 month happenings update for you next week when we return from the pediatrician!

For now, enjoy these photos of her taken today.

Twerd.

Madeline's mom is a "Twerd". A nerd who is a fan of Twilight.

Yes, that's right. I am a very big fan of the Twilight saga. It started with the movie. I fell in love with Edward Cullen and Bella Swan. If you're not familiar, think Midsummer Night's Dream and Romeo and Juliet....with the star-crossed passion and supernatural element there is a hypnotic quality to these books that doesn't allow me to put them down (there are 4, and I'm in the middle of the 4th book). I honestly feel like a teenager with a crush. I don't know what I'll do when I've finished the final book?*&@*#&)(*#&$

I purchased the soundtrack to the movie several weeks ago. I have it in my car. The actor who plays Edward Cullen in the movie, Robert Pattinson (my heart skipped a beat) is also a musician and recorded a few songs for the movie. No matter where we are, if I play a certain song, Madeline drifts away and often will fall asleep. Let it be known that we tried this tonight. She fussed before bed. We went to the car, pulled out the cd, put it into the cd player in her room, played the song and within minutes she floated into her own dream land....no doubt hypnotized by his voice. I know I am ;-) But for different reasons of course. Whatever it is about the song, it's soft, it's soothing. It puts our Madeline to sleep. It's her lullaby! I have provided a link to the song to the right. Please enjoy.

And enjoy this photo of Edward Cullen and Bella Swan from Twilight.

Firsts.

Madeline went to her daddy's first baseball game today. It was beautiful 70 degrees and not one cloud in the sky. Mommy forgot to reapply the sunscreen...and so she also has her first sunburn on her cheeks. A little extra lotion and she'll be fine. Doesn't seem to bother her at all. And....check out that crazy hair?!?!? Mommy did a strange comb job on that do.

"Do I look good in daddy's baseball hat?"

"Or is this a better look for me?"

"I agree, the hat looks much better."

MN Zoo

We traveled to the Minnesota Zoo for the first time of the season on Thursday morning with our neighbor friends, Holly and baby Channing. It was a chilly morning, but we enjoyed watching the fish and the dolphins. If only we could bring an aquarium this size home with us.

Stop and smell the flowers. Lilacs please.

We took a walk today (like everyday) and the Lilac bushes finally bloomed!!!! We had to stop and pick a little bit. They were not fully bloomed but boy did they smell delicious. Madeline is shown here smelling the flowers. Rosy cheeks and all.

The story of Madeline's toe.

The Problem: Polydactyly most commonly refers to the presence of 6 toes on one foot.
The Frequency: Incidence is 1.7 cases per 1000 live births
The Etiology: Polydactyly may occur as an isolated trait or there is a positive family history in 30% of cases
The Presentation: The patient may present in infancy or at a later date when cosmesis or shoe fit becomes a concern.

The Background:
It was 10:30pm on August 20th. I uncovered Madeline for the first time since she was born just 2 short hours before...I counted her little fingers, and then her little toes...1, 2,3,4,5...1,2,3,4,5....6?!?!?!
Some of our readers may or may not be aware that Miss. Madeline was born with 6 toes on her right foot. This is known as a Polydactyly of the foot. As you can see from her photo below, she looks as though she has an extra "big toe". And....she does....rather, she did. On Cinco de Mayo we celebrated by having that extra digit removed by an outstanding Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgeon from Gillette Children's Hospital as well as the University of Minnesota Children's Hospital. He has also been honored in Mpls/St.Paul Magazine Top Doctors both in 2008 and 2009.

Surgery Day: We checked into the hospital at 12:00pm on Tuesday afternoon where we were visited by a Nurses Assisstant, the Pre-Op Nurse, the Nurse anesthetist, Anesthesiologist and of course, our surgeon, Dr. Kevin Walker, M.D.
"Do you have any questions?" was commonly asked by each one them. Of course we have questions: how long have you done what you do, how many babies have you worked on, how can I be sure you won't give my baby too much anestheisia? Etc., Etc., Etc. My favorite was the anesthesiologist. He asked us, "Have you or anyone in your family had a reaction to anesthesia?" I responded with, "By 'reaction' what do you mean, exactly?" He said, "Has anyone died.". Ouch. Ah, no. Thank God. That's not the answer I was looking for, but he was honest, so I won't get upset. The Nurse anesthetist was a sweetheart. She presented the option for us to go into the OR with Madeline while they began to administer her anesthesia. I was briefly interested in doing this, but quickly decided that my emotions would get the best of me and thought the best idea was for us to carry her as far as we could before she went in. And so that's what we did. I handed her off to the Nurse and John took my hand and we quickly turned to walk in the opposite direction. John's eyes instantly filled with tears and then mine. (Damn I said to him....he was supposed to be my rock and keep me from falling apart, he's not doing his husbandly duties here...sap sap sap!) Anyway, we had a brief moment, turned our heads to see our little angel walking toward her OR. Her little self just bouncing along in the arms of the Nurse. This is for the best. Kids are mean, she needs 10 toes only. She needs to have the cutest Jimmy Choo sandals someday, she doesn't need to have to endure the pain of having "special" shoes made and to be made fun of! And....of course, what if having this slight problem causes developmental issues. Nonsense. Surgery is an option for a reason. Done!
We took a walk outside and decided we needed to celebrate the day- we had a Margarita. But just 1...okay, 2. Come 'on! We had 3 hours to kill and sitting in a waiting room wasn't exactly going to pass the time quickly enough. Of course we finished our lunch in record time and quickly returned to the hospital where we read every magazine available in the waiting room. Finally....Dr. Walker comes to the waiting area to greet us. He was very pleased with his work and with the overall procedure. It went great. Of course, we won't see his work until June 5th when she has her post-op visit to have her cast removed.
Seeing Madeline coming out of anesthesia was difficult. Her cry was weak, she was so confused. She had so many tubes hooked up to her. And her cast. I have never seen such a monstrosity on such a little human! I was instructed to pick her up and make her comfortable. John was instructed to hold the oxygen tube close to her face. My baby was comforted, but she was hungry. We fed her. Her vital signs were perfect. About 1.5 hours after surgery we were on our way home where Madeline decided to wake up and she was smiling...playing.....not realizing what she just went through. That evening she only woke once....she was just hungry.

Her strength is amazing. Her courage, at such a tiny age, is envious.

My new outfit. Very much a fashion don't. But, we're making it work...funky style.

Pre-Op getup. No pink? What's with the airplanes...I'm not a boy?!?!

Six Toes!

Madeline's tiny feet.

We'll have a 5 toe update after her cast is removed on June 5th! Until then, go out and enjoy a pedicure! Madeline will love you for it.

Me and my puppies

I love my Jersey puppy.
I love my Sophie puppy.

I love my puppies. They make me laugh.

Tutu Cute.

Madeline has her first tutu and while it took her some getting used to, she wore it well as seen in these photos.

In other news, Madeline has successfully learned to clap both hands. Whether it's to the song "If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands.." or when everyone in the room is clapping...she delicately claps both hands together. It's "tutu cute".