Well, this post isn't so much about Maddy, but I needed a place to vent!!! Please pray for Jason and I. We are going through a rough patch with the business. It seems like it is all consuming lately, and more and more stress than it's worth. We just had a manager quit, although it won't be for about a month, we are sad to see her go. She was a big help. But, no matter what it seems, we have people constantly calling in sick or issues with the computer, or equipment...it's just always something. Most of the time, it's easy to let it roll off your shoulders and just deal with it, because, well, that's my job. But lately, it's just never-ending.
The only problem is the economy isn't good, and neither Jason or I have a degree in anything or even skills to get a good paying job. The restaurant makes money, it manages to keep a roof over our heads, clothes on our backs, and food in our bellies. We really don't work that many hours a week, and have fixed our schedules to where we don't have to pay for a babysitter. There is no way that we could find jobs that would pay our bills and keep our lifestyle the way we really need it to be!
So, if you could, just pray that we can get some of this stuff worked out. It will be nice to get away to Missouri to see our friends and family for awhile. We definitely need the break.
I know that we are fortunate to be in the position we are, being your own boss is great, and with the way things are, at least we are still managing to pay the bills! I am just hoping that business stays okay through the slow season, and that once ski season hits again, we will have a solid staff of people working for us. One issue is definitely staffing. It's hard to judge on how much front of house staff we need. If we only have 1 server, half the time, they end up getting slammed all at once, and customers get upset, but then if we have 2 servers during the week, it's dead, nobody makes any money, and we have to pay for an extra person that we can't really afford! agggggghhh!!!!!!!!!!! What to do???? Just pray that God gives us guidance to make these decisions.

On another note, Maddy is doing well, she's getting the crawling thing down. She does a combination of crawling and scooting. It's very cute! She's a bit fussy today, but super drooly, I know her gums hurt! Poor thing! She's sleeping right now, so I should try to get some paperwork done!!! Thanks for letting me vent!
Jet

HI all! I was doing a good job at updating this, but have kinda fell off again! Imagine that!!! Anyways, we went to the doctor on Thursday, and Maddy is doing well. She weighs 14lbs 4oz and is 25 1/2 inches long! Big girl!!!! It was so different from the last time we went, which was 2 months ago. She was so interested in everything and was trying to steal the stethoscope, the tape measure, and the paper off the table! She wanted everything!!
Our doctor, Dr S. ( I can't remember his full last name!) was just floored by how strong Maddy is. Jason and I have thought that she was pretty strong, but honestly, we haven't been around alot of babies, so we weren't sure! He didn't believe me when I told him that she gets on her hands and knees and rocks back and forth. He didn't think that I meant all the time, but she does ALL the time! She can pretty much sit up by herself now too, which is cool.
The one thing that I found to be a relief was that he didn't pressure me at all about shots. She was due again, but as I have said before, we aren't comfortable with vaccinations yet, so we don't do them. I guess he looked at her chart, and saw we had declined them before, because all he said was..Well, enjoy your trip to Missouri, and no shots today. We will see you in a few months. I was kinda shocked. I had planned on having a pretty long discussion with him about it, because I was SURE that he was gonna try to talk me into it! He was very respectful! I was glad about that, because I didn't feel up to rehashing everything again!
All in all, she's just about as perfect as you can get! We are soooo lucky, and we know that! We don't take anything for granted at all!
To all our friends and family in Missouri, we will see you a few weeks. Pray that Maddy does good on the flight out there! Hopefully the change of environment won't be too hard on her!
Jet

So, I am not sure exactly what happened, but I noticed earlier this afternoon that Maddy has a fat lip! I was mortified, of course, because I have NO IDEA when it happened. I think that she either A) bonked her face on the crib while screaming bloody murder trying to get out last night, or B) bonked her face on our hardwood floors in the living room when she scooted/crawled off the rug. She keeps chewing on it too. I gave her some teething tablets again, but they haven't stopped her from chewing on her lip or her hands! Mommy feels bad for her.
She is still throwing up a substantial amount of milk after she eats. I am not sure if she is eating too much at a time, although I do try to pace her. She can be a piggy wiggy! Like always, I try to keep her sitting upright after eating, and as long as she doesn't squirm a whole lot (yeah right!) she's fine. She is still having plenty of wet diapers throughout the day, so I am hesitant to say anything to the pediatrician about it. I don't want them to put her on any medication that isn't really necessary.
Aunt Andrea, I tried your suggestion about the oxygen, but she literally ripped the cannula off her face as soon as i got it on! And then wouldn't let me come near her face with it again. Stubborn little thing....I can't IMAGINE where she gets it from! :)
The more I think about it, the more I think that her tummy is just upset from all of the spit she's swallowing. So, unless her diapers aren't wet, or she seems to be in pain, I am not going to stress on it!
As always, please pray for Jimmie and the Gravitts! I haven't heard anything today yet, but I am hoping they are a step closer to figuring out what is wrong with him!
jet

I think that Maddy has gotten some kind of a bug. She's not feverish or anything, but she is puking constantly today. I try to get her to lay still after eating, but that has gotten to be impossible. She doesn't want to nap at all, the only time she has slept today has been in the car seat. Right now I have been listening to her scream for the last 10 minutes fighting sleep. She is still having wet diapers, so that is good.
I don't know if it has to do with the teething or not. I tried to give her some teething tablets, but immediately after I gave them to her, she puked. So, I don't know if they did any good or not. She acted like she wanted to eat more as well, but every time I feed her, she pukes up half (at least) of what she eats. She doesn't seem uncomfortable when eating, but something is bothering her, that's for sure!
Part of me thinks that the large amount of puke today might be due to her swallowing so much of her saliva today. She has had something in her mouth all day and has gone through several bibs and tops from all the slobber.
Well, I think that she finally might have gone to sleep. Let's hope so, I have barely had time to do anything today!
Also, I am sure that most of you who actually read this know, but please pray for Jimmie and Rach and Justin. Jimmie had to be admitted to the hospital today. He hasn't been eating well, and things have gotten to the point where hospitalization has been necessary. Let's pray that it is a short stay and the doctors can give them some answers!
I know that I said I would be posting pics, but I am a liar! :) They are on my facebook page anyway, so you could look at them there!
Jet

Well, lil miss, just today, has decided to start pulling up on her hands and knees! She rocks back and forth, not crawling yet, but she's getting so close! It is so cute! She actually does the "plank" position and "downward facing dog"! She likes yoga already! hehe!!! I was so excited about this, I had to post it! I have some pics on my phone, but I haven't uploaded them to my computer yet, so I will post some pics tomorrow! She is so incredibly strong, it amazes me every day! What a gift from God she is! We are so thankful for our squirmy worm.
Oh, yeah, speaking of squirmy worms, she has figured out how to squirm her way out of her nap nanny. She gets her legs out of it and them tries to crawl out of it completely. So, we are now just using it for naps. A shame really, the thing seems super comfy. I wish they made an adult size nap nanny!
I need to get Maddy to bed, so buenos noches everyone and I will post some pics in the next couple of days!

Quick update, Maddy is doing much better with laying down in her crib. The last 2 nights have been totally fine. I think that she might have just been uncomfortable that night. She was drooling an awful lot!
Nothing too new to report. We went to Denver tonight to run some errands and she did great. She likes (little) road trips!
One funny thing...well, it's funny now, slightly scary at the time!
I got home and Jason was gone, and I needed to unload groceries. So, I strapped Madeline into her nap nanny and went out to the car. Well, apparently, I must not have tightened the straps all the way, because when I came back in the house, she had somehow managed to push herself out of the harness and off the side of the nap nanny. She still had one foot hooked in the harness, but most of her was hanging off the side of it! I am glad that thing sits on the floor and is only a few inches high! I was MORTIFIED! She was fine, apparently, she dropped Dewie Ducky and was trying to get him back! Gotta love it! Needless to say, Mommy will be making absolutely sure that she is strapped in tight from now on!!! I remember why we call her squirmy wormy!
That's it for tonight! Have a wonderful night, and wish me luck, I am attempting to make cannolis for the first time tomorrow!!!
Jet

Hi all! So, Miss Madeline has decided to SCREAM, SCREAM, SCREAM whenever she gets tired! It is oh so much fun. I am not sure what to do. I try rocking her, singing to her, feeding her, everything. I make sure she has a clean diaper and is as comfortable as possible! She ends up crying herself to sleep every time I lay her down for a nap.
We use the nap nanny about half the time, and she usually has no problem falling asleep in it, but when I lay her down in her crib, she's been very unhappy about it! I thought that maybe she was having some reflux again, so I got a crib wedge, and have now decided that the reflux wasn't an issue. It hasn't really helped.
Could it just be the teething? I hope it is just a phase. Pray for us, because I feel AWFUL letting her cry, but nothing that I seem to do helps. Poor girl!
Other than that, she's doing well. She went to Denver with me today and was so good the whole time! Mommy wasn't though! Mommy forgot the diaper bag! Luckily, there was a Target nearby, and I got some disposables to manage until we got home. I needed to get some anyway, since we cloth diaper, the disposables I had are now too small since we don't use them much. I suppose that I will just donate them to the WIC office. I know they can always use them!
So, that is about it for now. If anyone has any suggestions on how to get her to sleep without just letting her "cry it out" I would love it!
Thanks!!!
I leave you with a few pictures!!

Today has been fun! Not really, but hey, that's how these things go I suppose! Madeline was not very cooperative with Daddy today. I went to work for a bit to help out, and then (finally!) headed up to the DMV to get my driver's license changed to my married name. Jason called me, and all I hear is Maddy SCREAMING in the background...poor baby. The long and short of it is that all baby girl has wanted to do today is eat, gnaw on things, poop, scream, and sleep. Unfortunately, not much of the sleep though!

Well, I got home, and sure enough, she's screaming, so I loaded her up in the stroller and her, Shena, and I went for a walk. It was a beautiful day, and Madeline loves being outside, so she calmed down and was pretty chilled out for a few hours!

The teething tablets seem to help quite a bit, but I have discovered that 2 is the limit I can give her at at time, if any more, she pukes them up! Oh how fun! So, we alternate between the tablets and the mesh feeder with an ice cube in it!

She has wanted to eat alot today, so I have pretty much been feeding her on demand, something I normally don't do. I don't know if I want to do it much, it seems like she spits up alot more when I feed her like that. She also poops a ton! We cloth diaper, and she has gone through so many of her diapers today. Looks like we will have to put a disposable or two on her!

Well, that's it for today, not much to report! I am gonna try to start updating this a bit more, as this is cheaper than using a ton of minutes on my cell phone calling lots of people! lol!!

More pictures to come soon I promise! Maddy has been making this hilarious face where she wrinkles up her nose and starts puffing her breath out. It's hilarious!!!!!!! I will try to capture that face on camera, although I have a few more cute faces that I have mananged to capture too.

Jennette