The Bormann's: April 2012

Friday, April 27, 2012

Just like any other day

Today has been about as normal as any of our days at home with Madelyn except she got her tubes in her ears this morning. You would never know it with how routine our day has been. Everything went great! We arrived at Children's West about 7:00. Everyone we dealt with at Children's was AWESOME!!! So caring, helpful and in tune with the needs of kids. I was beyond impressed.

I wasn't sure how Madelyn would do without eating/drinking but like most things, it didn't phase her. The only bummer part is that she woke up at 4:45 am didn't go back to sleep. Ryan & I took turns rocking her, hoping she could get some sleep. I think I might be more tired than Madelyn is today!

You could tell that Madelyn was trying to figure out where we were. She's been to quite a few doctor appointments lately so I'm sure she thought she was getting another shot/injection. But thankfully Not this time!

She played in the area for kids and it was so fun to watch. We imagine this is similar to her day at daycare other than she didn't know anyone. She went from one activity to the next. She wasn't fussy at all. She wanted to engage with the other kids. She is definitely our busy bee - always on the move, wherever we are.

Daddy & Madelyn playing with the crescent wrench

In her surgery attire

Playing with the gum ball machine

We talked to her doctor/surgeon & the anesthesiologist. We were given the option if we wanted to go back with her when they put her under. We decided we wanted to be with her. I held Madelyn and she just went to sleep. I had been prepped by others about what to expect so I think that is why I wasn't emotional. Don't get me wrong, it's the weirdest thing to watch but we knew she was in great hands.

Ryan & I gathered our stuff and then went to the family waiting room. They said it would be about 15-20 minutes so we went to the cafe to grab breakfast. While we were eating (not more than 5-10 min) they came looking for us, saying that she was out and Dr. S wanted to talk to us. He said everything went well. There was still fluid in her ears but that's isn't bad compared to where we started a week ago.

They said it could take up to 20 min for her to come out of the anesthesia so we were prepared to hang out for a little bit. As we were just about to sit down in the waiting room, they came to say that she was awake and we could come back and see her.

Madelyn looked really good. She was a little groggy but within 5 minutes she was back to normal self. Eating teddy grahams, drinking water, talking to the nurses. She is such a tough kid.

We were discharged and back at our house by 9:30. She went in for surgery at 8:20 so that's pretty amazing!

Madelyn's been doing great! She took a nap when we got home - only for 1 hour - and then was ready to play! The biggest tears from the day came when she face planted on our driveway. She scraped her nose & bonked her forehead. That seems to have hurt worse than anything else. Nothing like a few face scrapes the day before our family pictures! Good thing for photo shop.

Auntie Carla & Nora came to visit, which was so nice! Always love seeing them! They brought Madelyn a soft, cuddly lamb which is adorable. I can't get over what a "go with the flow" baby Nora is! She hardly makes a peep unless she is hungry......and then she basically just starts eating her hand but she doesn't even cry. What a sweetheart! We had a great time. Madelyn got to spend one on one time with Auntie and I got to rock and cuddle with Nora.

We are so thankful all went well today! We knew it would but it's nice to have this behind us. Hopefully Madelyn's ears are feeling better already.

Our happy girl after we got home from the hospital

Always so happy with Auntie

Nora, Auntie/Mommy, Madelyn

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Pre-Op

Yesterday we had Madelyn's pre-op appointment for her tubes, which is scheduled for this Friday (April 27th at 8:15 am). Her ears were looking better but still not clear so she had another 2 injections of Rocephin. Every day she seems like she is getting better. Our doctor was concerned that her symptoms (cough, runny nose) might prevent her from getting the tubes. She called and talked to the anesthesiologist and he gave the OK to go ahead with our scheduled date. It sounds funny to say but we are excited for her to get tubes on Friday. The poor thing has really struggled the past few weeks but she has been a trooper!

Milk & Peanut Butter

Madelyn has successfully transitioned to whole milk!! It was much easier than I thought it would be. Last week we (actually it was at daycare) mixed it with breast milk. This past weekend I gave her the sippy cup with straight, cold whole milk at her meals and she drank it, as if she has been drinking it forever. Now she guzzles it! I am so happy as I wasn't sure how it would go. I get so excited about the little things but it feels like once we get in the routine of anything (sleep, eating, drinking, napping) not too long later we need to do something else so I need to celebrate the small victories. Overall, Madelyn has done a great job of transitioning with so many things so I'm not sure why I thought this would be any different.

Earlier this week we gave Madelyn peanut butter toast for the first time and she loved it.....and even better, she didn't have any reactions. Yay!

Our next challenge is to figure out what to do when Madelyn wakes up at 5:00 am. Up until now, when she wakes up at 5 am I nurse her and then she falls back asleep. Then we usually have to wake her for daycare. I'm sure we'll all figure it out!

Saturday, April 21, 2012

12 month check up

We had Madelyn's 1 year appointment on April 19th. I knew she wouldn't be getting her 1 year shots as we were told to hold off until after her tubes surgery (on the 27th) so I thought this appointment would be a breeze.....in fact I was really excited for it! I love hearing how she is doing.

Height: 31.75 inches (97+%)
Weight: 24 lbs 8 oz (90%)
Head: 46.7 cm (90%)

The first check the doctor did was in her ears......and guess what.......ANOTHER double ear infection. The doctor said this one was "bad". She had stopped her antibiotic only 1.5 days before which means the antibiotic wasn't working. Since she is scheduled for tubes next Friday they decided to go ahead with an injection. Our doctor said if her ears aren't better and if she still has a cough, they won't be able to do the surgery. We obviously really want her to get the tubes since she continues to have ear problems and now antibiotics aren't even working.

She ended up getting 2 injections (one in each leg) of Rocephin. These shots must hurt because they put lidocaine in the injection to help with the pain. She recovered quickly and was smiling by the time we left. She's a tough little kid!

The saddest part was the next morning she had a hard time walking. Her legs were sore from the shots. Every time we put her down to walk, she fell over. She just wanted to be held and snuggled. I knew daycare would be good for her though because it would take her mind off it. I figured once she started walking around she would be fine......and that is exactly what happened so she had a great day!

This morning (Saturday) we went back for round 2 of injections. She did better (and so did mommy & daddy). I truly believe it's all about expectations. Today we went in knowing what was going to happen and we all did better because of that. You can tell she still doesn't feel great as she is quiet, not talking as much, just wants to be held and is not herself but hopefully the injections will work quickly so we will be ready for Friday.

Our next follow up is on Tuesday, April 24th. If her ears are not better, she will need round 3 of the injections. We are praying her ears will be better!

Madelyn's 1st Birthday Party

We celebrated Madelyn's 1st birthday on Sat April 14th at our house. Ryan grilled burgers which were awesome, as always. Madelyn liked her birthday cake but not as much as her Cousin Bishop did a year ago. I think Bishop would have eaten the whole cake if we had let him! Madelyn poked at it and had a couple bites but that was it. I think she had more in her hair than she actually ate.

It was a gorgeous day so we were able to be outside and the kids could run around. Madelyn is still not so sure about the grass but she loves being outside. We are so excited for the summer!!

Madelyn got some great gifts.....even though she didn't care about them at the time. I think she was more interested in the new can of tennis balls that we found in the garage! Grandpa Kenny made her a beautiful white bookshelf and Grandma Emily made her a gorgeous quilt. She also got a play kitchen, golf clubs, ball pit, wooden blocks, clothes, lawn mower, light up duckies for the bath (they are the coolest thing!!), a cd with songs with her name included and books/puzzles. She is such a lucky girl to be loved by so many people!!!

She was exhausted from her party and slept great that night. The only bummer part is both Madelyn and I woke up on Sunday with colds. We are still trying to get back to 100%.

I need to get some pictures from my sister as I don't have any with their family & Madelyn. I know we took some with their camera so I'll update when I get them.

It was such a fun day! We are so thankful for our sweet daughter and can't wait to see what's in store for this next year!

Our family

Playing with my new cell phone and having so much fun!

My new lawnmower that I got from Uncle Eric & Uncle Chris

So happy with Nana & Papa

Reading with Nana

Nana & Nora (9 weeks old)

Smiling Nora - she is an absolute doll!
I don't think Nora made a peep the whole party!
She goes with the flow and is so precious!
She'll be running around with Bishop & Madelyn before we know it.

Great Grandpa Ray & Great Grandma Darlene

Uncle Mark & Aunt Jody with Madelyn

Love my grandmas

Big smiles with Grandma Emily

Grandpa Kenny & Grandma Emily with Madelyn.....but we waited too long to get this picture - Madelyn was so tired by this point. All worn out from the fun weekend!

Friday, April 13, 2012

April 13th, 2012

Madelyn had a great 1st birthday! Her daycare teachers gave her the cutest stuffed animal, Violet. We can program it with her name and favorite food/color/activity. She walks around the house, hugging Violet.

Here are a few pictures from daycare. We brought cupcakes and it looks like Madelyn, and her friend Jack, enjoyed them.

We had pizza for dinner on Madelyn's birthday. She loved it!

The happy birthday girl

We spent the rest of the night getting ready for Madelyn's party. We picked up some balloons......thinking every kid loves balloons, right? Madelyn was so scared of them at first. I guess I shouldn't blame her as one of the balloons was bigger than her. Initially we thought she was crying because she was tired/hungry but we later realized she was frightened by the balloons. By her birthday party she had warmed up to the balloons and now she loves them! She walks around hitting the balloons. It just reminds me that everything is new to her.

Happy 1st Birthday Madelyn!!!!

I honestly can not believe it's been a year since Miss Madelyn joined our family! She is an absolute joy and we are so incredibly blessed to be her parents. She lights up our lives and Ryan & I often say to each other.......what did we do before our sweetheart was here?! It's amazing to see how much she has grown in only her first year of life. She is a walking, talking, curious, giggling, smiling and oh so happy little girl!

I often get tears in my eyes as I reflect on my life. Only a few years ago I wondered if I would ever get married and have children......and in only 4 short years I am married to the most amazing husband and we have the most incredible daughter!!!!

In the past couple days she has started saying "daddy". It's so cute how she says it. Absolutely melts our hearts! She understands more & more of what we are saying. She is able to follow simple commands - at first I thought it was just coincidental but I think she really understands what we are saying/what she is doing.

She loves daycare and has so many friends there. I know I've said it before but we love our daycare and are so thankful for the amazing, caring, loving teachers who take such great care of Madelyn.

She has her 1 year appointment next Thursday. She is still drinking breast milk/nursing in the morning and at night. We are going to start on whole milk and wean from nursing. We'll probably start next week. I just couldn't take that away from her on her birthday weekend.

Here are a few of our favorite pictures from the last year: