New Site!

Hello everyone. We hope you are enjoying visiting our family site. We will, however, be moving our family blog to a different location. You can now check us out at:

themarchiolefamily(dot)wordpress(dot)com

See you around!

Meesha and Medication

Well, as many of you know Madison had her series of tests on Friday of last week. I can honestly say it was the worst experience of my life. Hearing her scream from outside of the door and not being able to go in and make it all better was horrible. Carmen kept reminding me that she wasn't in pain, but was really angry that she had to be strapped down, which was true. She actually broke through the restraints 3 different times! I guess she is just a woman who knows what she wants when she wants it.
They did find reflux on the left side of her kidneys and bladder. She needs to be on medication until her body can "correct itself" so-to-speak. The doctors have said that on a scale of 0-5 hers is a level 2, which usually means that her body will be able to correct itself without having surgery. She will be on medication to keep the infections away, and could be on it until she is about 3 or 4, depending on how her body reacts. She will be going to see a pediatric urologist in January and he will read over the reports and will be monitoring her body's progress. So, we can all give a sigh of relief.
On the flip side, I am allergic to her medication and previously had an allergic reaction. SO, I will have to wear gloves every time I change her, or give her a bath, which sucks, but I am not going to have them change her medication just because I have an allergy, you know?
She is finally feeling like her good ol' self. She is pulling herself up on the couch and TV stand and will stand for about 20 minutes or so, holding on. She does take a few steps while holding on, but often times finds herself on her bum. Last night she stood by herself for about 3 second or so, but then realized what she was doing and held back on. She is still a baby in my eyes, though, as she still does not have a single tooth in her mouth! :)

Miss Maddie Crazy Crawler!

Yup, you've got that right, if we don't move it Miss Madison gets into it, rips it, crawls onto it and there have been some instances where she even eats it. What is "it?" That depends. It could be the Sunday morning paper, Samson, her toys, electrical outlets (which yes we do have all covered) and today it was her little Christmas tree from Grandma. She is a crazy crawler, moving everywhere. She is feeling so much better than she did on Thanksgiving, for sure! Today is the first day she seems to be back on her regular eating pattern, which makes me worry a bit less about her. Friday is D-day, so make sure you say a little prayer for us for positive test results. I am thinking positively, and I know Carmen is too that she will be fine and they will not find anything!
Anyhoo, for the past few days Maddie and Mommy have been playing dress-up. Now I know Maddie is not a doll, but it is just as much fun if not more to dress her in her pretty dresses, shoes and tights to take some pictures. Carmen plays dress up with her too, only he likes to put her in something black, spikes her hair and puts the bandanna on her (as shown above!) During our dress-up session I got the brilliant idea to take her Christmas pictures. So I wrapped fake presents, found a table cloth that was large enough for a back drop and tried to get Madison to give me her million dollar smile, only to be frustrated with her eating the presents,
her shoes, and then wanting to crawl away. I did get some good pictures, and the million dollar smile for the Christmas card, but you will have to wait until yours gets delivered. The count down is on! Only 23 more shopping days left for Carmen and I to decide what we will be getting the Meesha!

Time flies by!

Well, as I sit here and type...I realize that I haven't updated this blog in a while. Miss Madison is taking a morning snooze, which if you tack it on to last night's sleep and the night before, it still wouldn't be a full night sleep, but I don't blame her...she juist hasn't been feeling very well.

Anyway a lot has been going on since I last blogged. Maddie is a crazy crawler now. She crawls everywhere! She loves to try and crawl underneath the TV stand and ocassionaly gets her leg stuck under her crib. I am not sure why she loves to crawl under things, but hey to each their own. She calls for me in the morning when she wakes up, which is a great way to get me moving in teh morning. If I answer her back she just keeps on jibber jabbering until one of us goes in to ge her. Her Ma Ma Maaaaa's are so darn cute! She waves goodbye to Daddy in the morning when he leaves for work and becuase we give her a lot of attention when she waves, she now waves at everything! She is getting to be such a big girl!

Halloween was great. We went to Becker Farms to pick out a pumpkin...Madison slept until we were about to leave and then was ready to go in the pumpkin patch.

Maddie loved being in her costume. She was a pea in a pod and really wanted to eat a chocolate bar. Instead, she held on to it for about an hour and a half and even fell asleep with it. She went to a few neighbor's houses, in my mom's neighborhood, and then fell asleep in Daddy's arms. When she woke up and got out of her costume she was a bit sweaty....she was bundled up so tight! She was not ahappy camper when I decided to put her in the candy bowl, but I got one good picture out of the bunch! Take a look at the pictures below.

Madison Crawled on Friday

That is correct, she did! She crawled for the very first time on Friday, October 5th. I mean, she didn't crawl across the floor or anything, but she was up on her knees rocking, so I thought it would be a great time to work on it with her. I placed her toy giraffe in front her, just so she couldn't get it. She moved her left arm and right leg, and then the right arm and left leg, and then she decided it was too much work, she flopped on her belly and scooted the rest of the way to get her toy.
Of course, being the proud Mommy I am, I cried....I cheered....and then I consoled her because my cheering was a bit too loud....she didn't cry, but she sure wasn't happy by my hooting and hollering. I quickly grabbed "Bunny," she hugged him for a second and wanted to get back down to play on the floor in her room.
Great Grandma and Grandma got to see her in action as well. Saturday morning Maddie, Grandma, and Great Grandma Waters and I went to buy Great Grandma a new H.D. t.v. (Yup, Maddie's Great Grandma is very cool!). When we got it back to her house, I was programing it when Great Grandma Waters, said "Oh my, she just tried to crawl; and I think she did it one time." Grandma said, "Yup she did...good girl Madison!" There were no tears this time, but it was great the both the 'grams' got to see her in the beginning stages of crawling.
Before we know it, Maddie is going to retire the rolling and begin crawling...for real.

Working Mommy

A working mommy is a lot more than just a "working mommy." Today I didn't get home from work until about 9:00 because I had a dinner meeting to go to for work. It would have been a heck of a lot more informative had I not been so familiar with special education and co-teaching. I did meet a nice teacher who enjoys co-teaching and we chatted, no not about the seminar, about our children. She has a 3 month old and we shared stories about being first time mothers. Maybe I would have gotten more out of the session had I not been wishing I was at home feeding Madison her sweet potatoes and attempting to keep her hands out of her mouth and hair while she was eating. I couldn't help but think about how truly amazed she is by the fact that water is so much fun to splash in the bathtub. When does it get easier? When will I be able to focus all of my attention to one topic at work, instead of always reverting back to my cutie pie? Will it ever happen? Anyone have advice for me--a working mother who knows that is best for the family yet still has a strong desire to stay at home? Anyone????

Green Beans

Maddie ate green beans for the first time today and I must say, she did end up enjoying them. Her first reaction was priceless, as you can see. At one point she began eating the beans off of the high chair! Maybe she will have the same nickname as I do someday....."Beaner."

Check it out, tell us what you think!

We have a spoiled little girl!

Honestly, I never thought in a million years that my daughter would be spoiled at the ripe ol' age of almost 6 months. I don't know who does more spoiling Daddy or Grandma! (They leave me the important job like buying the diapers, wipes, formula, and of course some of Maddie's new clothes.
Yesterday Carmen bought her the cutest Jumperoo. She was in it this morning and wasn't too sure of it, but by this afternoon she had pretty much mastered the jumping aspect. She was having so much fun jumping and entertaining the adults around her that she fell asleep in it! (My sister has the picture. I will have to post it at another time.) So, that was gift number one of this weekend.
Today, my mom was out shopping with her friend Sharon at BJs and they found the cutest Halloween costume for Maddie. I have been saying repeatedly that I would love for her to be a little peapod because the costumes are so adorable, and she is my little 'shweet pea' and my mom found a great deal on one. She picked it up for us and we had Maddie model it for us. (My sister has this picture too, so you will have to see it another time). So, that was gift number two this weekend. Spoiled. Loved very much....spoiled!

The Daddy Difference

I really think there is a difference in how men and women view their children, and I don't mean this in a negative way. Let me share...
Today when I came home from work I took Madison for a walk (I didn't have to tutor, so there was some much needed extra Mommy and Maddie time), I fed her dinner and also gave her a bath. We sang some songs along the way and I even had her belly laughing when she was lying on our bed. (She was surrounded by blankets, because as you know she could have rolled off even though I was standing right there..alright, alright....I am a bit overprotective....which does directly correlate with my point, that I will get to....eventually).
After a few belly laughs, it was time for me to make one of my famous dinners....rice, turkey sausage and steamed veggies. Maddie and I were cooking. I was explaining to her that safety is important in the kitchen when you are using a knife. When Daddy got home everything changed...
"Oh Madison, Daddy had a horrible day at work today and I love seeing you," Carmen said to her as he picked her out of her Exersaucer and placed her on top of the refrigerator....yup, the fridge. Now as you can see that is high off the ground, yet Maddie didn't feel scared at all, she liked it. Carmen didn't need to jump around and sing to her to make her happy or smile...he just needed to what he does best. I guess I was right when I said having a child gives Carmen a license to be just that...a kid at heart. One who adores his daughter and has no problems having a great time with her!

Poor Meesha

Madison is sick and I wish I could be sick for her. The poor thing is teething and has not been able to breathe through her nose for the past few days. She currently sounds like a motor-boat while she sleeps. I sure hope these pearly whites break through her gums soon! If not, poor Daddy, may end up having a nervous breakdown....you think I'm kidding...see below:

Carmen was so concerned for her last night. When he got home from work she was all tucked into my arms in one of her comatose states and he had this horrible look on his face.
"What's wrong with my baby girl?'
"Carmen, it's her teeth. I have already called my mom twice and the doctor already called me back. Dr. Bowman said that as long as we can get a few more ounces in her she will..."
"We should take her to the emergency room," he said as he felt her forehead and tried to get a smile out of her, flailing his arms like a bird who cannot fly. "She always smiles when I get home from work, Kris she is not smiling, she needs to go to the hospital."
"Carmen her gums are bugging her, yes, she has a high fever, but we are not taking her to the hospital, Mr. Over-Protective. The doctor said that by tomorrow morning..."
"I have a say in this too, you know. She still isn't smiling, 'my poor baby-girl, Daddy will make it all better'." He scooped her off of my lap and tried to make it all better. "Do you need to go the hospital? no, you can stay here with Daddy and everything will be OK...."
As the night went on, things did get better. Carmen put Maddie to bed and she slept until 4:30 this morning. She got up, had a few ounces to eat and has since gone back to sleep. Her fever is lower than it was, and things are getting better, for both Maddie and Daddy.

The Great Outdoors

Well, we made it! We really did. We went camping for 5 days and came back all in one piece, without too many problems. We had a great time just relaxing on the beach, as you can see from Maddie's picture!

I will admit, I was wrong. I was. I thought for sure setting up would be much more of a hassle than it was, but I was wrong. We ended up only having 2 mini-altercations about where to set up the tent, and I did end up winning in the end....only because someone left their dog's droppings at the site that Carmen wanted to set up shop. Lucky me, lucky me.

Our tent was busting at the seams with the amount of gear that I packed, the size of our air mattress, and Maddie's pack and play. We had about a 2x2 area where would could stand (if we stood at a 45 degree angle), and giving Madison her binky in the middle of the night proved to be more of a task than one would think. You see, I was elevated with our air mattress being so large, and then I was nervous that I would lose my balance and fall in with her...good thing I only had to find the binky 3 times or so.

On Monday we spent most of our time at the beach. Cole was not afraid of the sand at all, and Kendall had a blast in the water. Maddie and Claire stayed in their baby cabana, while the rest of the clan soaked up some rays. Tuesday it rained all day so we spent time moving Madison across the camp site to keep her dry and also played some Euchre. Carmen and I still aren't very good, but we had fun playing anyhow.

We had a lot of fun from playing in the rain, jumping waves, making pie-iron pizzas, taking Maddie for walks, and even drying the 4 slides on the playground with our fanny's. Yup that's right, I didn't have a big towel, so I used the next biggest thing....my rear. What was I supposed to do? I did what any good aunt would do...I went down all of the slides in my shorts to dry them off. Cole and Kendall coined the phrase "Shake your fanny," as I was attempting to get the extra water off of my shorts. They are too darn cute.

We had such a good time camping, I think we may make this a family tradition and try to get out camping again next year....we shall see. Take a look at some of Maddie's pictures. She really did have a goo time!

Getting Ready for Camping

Well, it is almost done...packing for tent camping with a 5 month old. I never realized how much stuff a baby needs. We do have an SUV, but it is packed to the max, and Carmen has yet to put his gear in. Maddie has a bag for her toys, a bag for her clothes, one for her bathing necessities, and of course one for her food. She also has a bag for the beach, a cabana, so she doesn't catch any rays, (not to mention the 3 tubes of Baby Aveeno sun block), her exersaucer, and of course some of her favorite stuffed animals....do you think I forgot anything? Oh yes, all of her blankets, and her pack-n-play (which is actually in Grandma's camper). I think that is all we need for a few days. We are not bringing the bathtub, as a good ol' bath in a dish pan never hurt anyone.

We are going with my parents, my siblings, and a few family friends will be popping in and out along the way. I sure hope we have good weather. What do you do with an infant when it rains and you are in the wilderness???? Let's not let our minds wander there.

I cannot wait to get down to the site, be all set up, and crack open a cold one with the family. Although, I am sure that is not how it is going to work out....this will be the real scenario.
• Carmen arrives and we begin setting up the tent.
• The poles to the tent are not fitting right and there is a bit of negative energy flying around the site. (*Use your imagination here)
• Maddie needs to be fed.
• The tent is up, but it is on a hill.
• Maddie needs to be changed.
• Here comes the "R" word that everyone hates when camping....
• Maddie wants some Mommy time.
• Carmen has to finish setting up.
• Maddie needs to catch some ZZZZZZZZs.
• We forgot how to put up the Pack-N-Play....

Yadda, Yadda, Yadda.... Don't get me wrong, I am more than excited to go, I am just keeping an open mind and know that I can be in for just about anything with our luck. Well, wish me luck (lots of it), and pray for some good weather along the way. I of course will post pictures when we return.

Beginning Today

Well, today is the first day that I am actually beginning to blog. I decided to start this page so I can communicate with friends and family throughout the US and also my long lost friends in East Jahunga...they are millionaires and are going to be sharing the wealth in no time soon so I can be a stay at home mom...

Which brings me to my thought of the day. You know, I do like my job and the team of people that I work with, but there is just something about being a stay-at-home mom that I really think I am missing. Maddie goes to my mom's home, which is the next best place from ours, but I feel as if I am going to miss so much...for instance, the first time she rolled over. She was at my sister's house, lying on the floor watching her cousins while both Carmen and I were at work.

Go ahead and ask me, just go ahead...did I do anything worthwhile at work? Possibly....but I don't even know right now, all I know is I was heart-broken, crying on the way down the stairs at work out to my car where I picked up the phone and cried in Sue's ear....she is pregnant and I knew she would give me the sympathy I was looking for.

Ask me again 5 years from now how I feel about missing the first BIG roll and it may not matter...but for now it does and it just plain sucks. So for those of you reading this and thinking it isn't a big deal, let me think that it is for a few more months and then I will get over it I swear to you I will...

In any event, Madison is getting to be such a big girl at the age of four-and-a-half months. She is now rolling over like it is her job. So much in fact, that her head got stuck underneath her sound machine and we had to take it off her crib. She didn't cry when this happened, rather she sounded like a gremlin...she was actually almost growling. When I got into her room her little legs were kicking and she was not a happy camper. When I unlocked her head from the monitor she rolled over and gave me the biggest smile in the world, as if to say, "Thanks Mom, but don't let that happen again.."

Her smile is contagious, it really is. Take a look...you're smiling aren't you?