Maddie's First trip to Hula Hut

We took Eric's parents to Hula Hut last week for a yummy dinner. I think Maddie enjoyed it - even though she slept the whole time.

Big Girl Diapers

A few days ago, Maddie graduated from newborn to size 1 diapers. The size 1 diapers look more like shorts because they're a bit too big for her right now. But, at the rate she's growing, I'm sure they'll fit just fine very soon.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Today, Eric and I ventured out with Maddie for the second time since her birth. We went to Red Robin in the early afternoon to have a late lunch/early dinner and celebrate Valentine's Day. Today is also the 5-yr anniversary of Eric's and my first date. (Yes, we had our first date on Valentine's Day in 2004.)

Maddie slept through the entire dinner, which made the meal nice and enjoyable for Mom and Dad.

Happy Valentien's Day!

Smiling at 5 Weeks!

Although Maddie smiles and laughs often in her sleep, we didn't expect her to smile at us so early. She first smiled at Eric during her 1 month wellness checkup when he kissed both of her cheeks over and over.

I tried Eric's tactic myself and was finally able to capture her smiling a few days later.

She's already melting our hearts!

Play Time!

Even though Maddie is just 5 weeks old, I put her on her playmat at least once every day. She really seems to enjoy all the sights and sounds, waving her arms and legs with glee.

Baby Buddha Belly

This is one of my favorite pictures of Maddie.

Fun Facts about Maddie

1. She laughs and smiles in her sleep.


2. When she's waking up, she makes a duck quacking sound.


3. She does a fake cough-cry when she's frustrated.


4. She's got big hands.


5. She's had amazing neck control since birth.


6. To date, all her poops are audible

First Walk

Today, Eric and I took Maddie on her very first walk through the neighborhood. I'd like to walk/run a 5k with her some day.

Maddie's Birth

On Saturday, January 3rd, I went for a walk with my sister Dee and Eric. I hadn't walked in almost a month because I was too big and uncomfortable. But, I felt like walking on this day because I wanted to go into labor as close to my due date (January 6th) as possible. I'm a scheduler after all.

Little did I know that this walk would initiate labor just a few hrs later.

At 4am on Sunday, January 4th, I started having contractions. Eric and I wanted to stay at home as long as possible before going to the hospital, so we finally left the house at 4pm on Sunday when my contractions were about 5 mins apart and pretty darn strong.

I was dilated to 5 cm when we arrived at the hospital and was told that our little girl would probably arrive before midnight.

By the time I finally got an epidural a few hrs later, I was already dilated to 8 cm. Within 30 minutes, I was 10 cm dilated and Maddie was ready to make her debut. Unfortunately, I could not feel anything at all so I had a hard time working with the contractions.

After 2 hrs of hard work, some barfing, minor asthma attacks and a lot anxiety, Madelyn arrived. According to the doctor and nurses, she handled my pushing like a rock star and looked like a movie star minutes after birth.

Our lives haven't been the same since. In spite of sleepless nights, Maddie is the best gift we've ever received.