The Five S's: Sleeping, Snuggling, Smiling, Skin Rashes and Similac

What do these things have in common, you ask? Well the past week has been a stressful one. We've been battling the reflux monster, but during the cease fires we've had some exciting new stuff happening. Here's the scoop (hey, another "s" word):

Sleeping: Since Friday night, Maddie has been sleeping in her crib (Yay!). This was completely unplanned as she has been sleeping in the bassinet in our bedroom. However, Friday night Matt was exhausted (he stayed up most of the previous night) and was trying to get some well-deserved sleep in our bedroom. Maddie was fussing so I swaddled her and took her to her room to see if the crib mobile could work a little magic. As it turns out she really likes the cricket/nature sounds as opposed to the Mozart, Bach or Beethoven. Maddie is a bit like Don Quixote battling windmills when it comes to sleep. She fights and fights a ridiculous fight knowing full well that sleep is the only thing that will make her feel better. After an hour and a half of rocking and cricket sounds, she finally passed out and I was able to transfer her to the crib. Amazingly she sleep pretty well there. She's also going for longer stretches at night without waking which is doing wonders for the entire family in the sleep department (even Gooseyard and Callie are appreciative as a crying Maddie is offensive to their delicate senses). I'm sure now that I've bragged about her new found sleep abilities, Maddie won't sleep a wink tonight and will insist on being held in the recliner. *Sigh*

Snuggling: Grandma was kind enough to babysit (Thanks, Mom!) while Matt and I tried to finish up some of the Christmas shopping. This was the first time we've left Maddie with anyone, but she was in good hands with Grandma, Pa and Aunt Chelsea. I was mostly nervous that Maddie would have a major "zesty" episode like the one she had earlier that morning and my parents would have a hard time consoling her. To our surprise, Grandma said she was a total angel. I would imagine being held and doted on for a solid four hours would bring out the angel in anyone (hehe!). When I asked my mom if she'd like me to leave the bouncy seat, she replied, "Oh no, we've got plenty of arms." :) It was good to see my parents, good that Maddie could spend some quality time with Grandma, Pa and Aunt Chelsea and good that Matt and I had a little time to regroup and get the Christmas shopping taken care of. It's funny how becoming a new parent changes what you do with the little free time you have. There was a time not so long ago where we would have gone to Outback and shopped at all sorts of different shops. This Sunday we were just happy to eat a hamburger at a fast food restaurant and go to Target and Wal-Mart. :)

Smiling: Maddie smiled her first real social smile today. I was changing her diaper this morning, asking her if she had pee-pee in it (you know, all the crazy mom banter), and making all sorts of crazy faces as we went along. She was watching me and began to grin -- not the little shallow smile I've seen before, but a big huge "You're funny, Mommy" grin. It was great! When Matt got home, he took her to change her diaper and she showed him her new skill too.

Skin Rashes and Similac (not really related): Maddie has a pretty bad case of baby acne. When we woke up yesterday morning, her face had a red patchy rash all over it. I was convinced it was eczema because it was sort of scaly and I figured she was having an allergic reaction to the new formula we're trying. I slathered on a bunch of baby oil (lotion was working) and by the time Matt got home from work at 2 p.m. her face looked worse. We called the pediatrician and she asked us to come into the office for an exam where we were reassured that it wasn't eczema but just a bad case of baby acne. We were handed a prescription for a peroxide gel and the doctor also suggested we try a new formula (Enfamil Gentlease). The peroxide gel was a success but the new formula --- well... not so much. The first feeding Maddie only took an ounce and a half of it. The second feeding she fussed during most of it and then vomited a huge amount all over Matt. The tribe has spoken. We went back to good old Similac Advance. Maddie's happy. Mommy and Daddy are happy.

So if you ask me today if life is good, I would say a definite "Yes!" Things always change, but I'll take days like today whenever I can get them!