Sweet Victory

Remember this?

Seriously, this is still one of my favorite Maddie pictures ever. This was taken on May 3, the day she came home from the NICU and her crib basically swallowed her whole! Fast forward a little over two months, and this is our sweet girl today ...

She's in a different spot but hopefully you can see how big the little one is getting! Anyone who sees her now for the first time comments on how little she is but those of who saw her when she was first born - all 4 lbs 1 oz of her - can't believe how big she is! She's still not exactly the chubby baby most people are used to but she's almost nine pounds now and we finally feel like we can hold her without breaking her!

Getting older has also had one more awesome benefit for me! Nap time. I can't even begin to describe how wonderful this little invention has been! I heard somewhere that you really can't put babies on a sleep schedule until they're about 6 weeks and since Maddie came home from the hospital at -2 weeks, I've basically just let her do what she wants during the day as far as sleeping for the last two months. Most of the time she would just randomly fall asleep in my arms and I'd sit on the couch with her for hours because she'd wake up as soon as I tried to lay her down. Then of course, I'd pass her off to Jordan the minute he walked in the door so that I could actually accomplish something (who would've thought showering and doing the dishes would count as accomplishing something).

Finally last week, my Mom convinced me that she needed to be on a nap schedule that both she and I would stick to, and I decided to commit. The results are unbelievable! Maddie now takes about an hour nap in the morning that allows me to shower and even eat breakfast and another two-hour nap in the afternoon. I've been able to work, clean, and just have some me time everyday! Sometimes she fights me but I've actually come to enjoy the time we spend in the rocking chair in her room with me reading while she slowly drops off. She's even learned to put herself back to sleep if she wakes up. All this coupled with her newfound penchant for sleeping 6-7 hours straight at night has made for one incredibly happy Mom. And I think it's made for a much happier baby too. The time we spend while she's awake is play time because I know I'll have time for all the other stuff during her naps and I don't have to try to do it at the same time. She also rarely cries now and is much happier in general with some good daytime sleep. I even think her reflux has improved! Good times!

Maybe I am cut out for this parenting thing after all :)