Can't stop laughing!!!

I was changing Macie's diaper today and she was imitating me...too cute!

Random entry

Macie had a pretty busy week and we got some adorable pictures! It's been an exhausting week since Macie has decided to wake up at 3:30am almost everyday. I chose not to go back to bed after feeding her since I get so much done before going to work and it leaves more relaxing and Macie time after work. Needless to say, it caught up with me yesterday....I was in bed and asleep by 8:45. Even with the 3:30 wake up time, I was able to get 7 hours of sleep in.

Thursday we went over to my friend Kristen's house and had dinner and she met Macie for the first time. Cathy was there too...we had a great time. I got only one picture the whole night! We got there around 7:00 and Macie's bedtime is 7:30 so she didn't have too much awake time while we were there. Kristen and Cathy held her for a bit and then we put her down to sleep and hung out for a while.

I don't think it will be too long until Macie is sitting up on her own. She needs very little support while sitting and when she's laying down she tries to sit up but doesn't quite have the strength to get to an upright position. I think the exersaucer is helping her a lot and she just loves it! Phil and I do a lot of sitting up/laying down exercises with her too and she thinks it soooo much fun!

She is working on pushing the buttons herself and is amazed when it plays music. We also sat her up in her highchair for the first time and that was quite a treat for her, she loves to play with her toys on the tray. Would imagine we will be feeding her cereal in that highchair pretty soon!

She still loves her tummy time!

Macie and Cousin Kate

Macie and Kristen

In her highchair for the first time! I love this picture!

Macie blowing bubbles!

Hanging out and Grandma and Papa's

GObama! Cousin Ryan. Look at those eyes!

Who are you and what did you do with my baby?

Macie has been waking up at EXACTLY 3:30am for the last two mornings!!! Please tell me this isn't going to be her new sleep schedule. It's still 8 hours of sleep for her, but she was doing 11 hours previously.

I hear her grunting over the monitor this morning and think to myself "Noooooooo, WHY? Mommy needs sleepy". The grunting turns to something that sounds very much like "Mama....hungry". It's so difficult to be upset when I go in to get her and she gives me the biggest, cutest smile EVER!!!

R.I.P. Aquarium Swing.....Welcome New and improved Aquarium Swing.

Right before Christmas it seemed Macie's swing was on the fritz. It was swinging slowly and the music sounded a little creepy, then the mobile started screeching. As you all know, Macie spent the first 3 months of her life in that swing and this was a little scary to think that we might have to retire it. Keep in mind it had a lot of miles on it. My Niece and Nephew both used the swing for quite a while, and then passed it on to Macie. My mom doesn't miss a beat and she ordered a new one for Macie for Christmas. The old swing got wind of this and found the strength to start working full force again. I gave the new one back to my mom to return since the old one was still kickin' and we all know these swings are not cheap. Well wouldn't you know, the little bugger decided to crap out on us again on Sunday. The motor for the swinging part must be fried but you better believe the creepy carnival music was still going! My parents stopped over on Sunday for a visit and I hesitantly mentioned that it stopped working ("hesitantly" since I gave the swing back for them to return and as they took it from my death grip, I said "I know this is going to bite me in the A$$ and that other swing will stop working"). WELL, wouldn't you know.....my ever so smart Mother decided to keep the swing and stash it at her house. They have the same swing at their house for all the grandchildren and theirs is a little sickly too so she kept it figuring one of us could use it. THANK GOD one of us was thinking! (Side note: Phil knew this whole time that she didn't really return it but was sworn to secrecy....man he's good at keeping a secret). So, Macie is back in business and this swing is new an improved. It actually folds up a bit better than the last one and reclines (fauncy). The mobile has some different fish going round and round and I think Macie is missing her fishy friends from the last swing, but she's getting acquainted with the new fishy friends and I think she's going to be fine! Thanks Grandma and Papa.

These are a few of my favorite things.

A binky, a washcloth, a teething ring and a swing. Ahhhh, the simple things in life!




Macie has had a death grip on a washcloth for two days now. She likes to put it in her mouth once in a while, think it feels good on her gums. I did have to wash the white one that she was so fond of, but she's taken a liking to this pink one now.

4 Month Check Up

Macie had her 4 month check up today. We weren't supposed to have it until February 3rd but she was having some issues so I was able to get in today. She's been having meltdowns every day around 6:30. She's fine, happy, eating normal, etc. all day and then 6:30 hits and she's hysterical. Yesterday there was nothing we could do to calm her, she was gagging and screaming. I had one foot out the door on the way to urgent care and decided to call the Dr. instead. She asked all the questions....fever? Nope. Vomiting? Nope. Diarrhea? Nope. She said it can't be colic, she's past that. She thought maybe it had to do with her teeth starting to come in. Babies sometimes just have a time of day they are more fussy, maybe her teeth hurt more at that time, who knows. The Dr. said she would still like her to be seen sometime in the next two days. Today she was fussy this morning and she was messing with her ear, tugging and cupping her hand over it. I thought "oh no, she's getting daddy's ears", he had ear infections and tubes put in as a child. I never had ear infections, thank god!

So, off to the Dr. we go. They checked her out and said her ears look "GREAT, her lungs sound great, no issues". Wow...good thing I'm not a Dr., I would have had her admitted to the hospital with all the symptoms I thought she had! What a relief. I was stressing out thinking she had an ear infection. Turns out she is probably grabbing her ear due to the pain from her teeth radiating up the side of her face, she's coughing because of the insane amount of drool and she sounds hoarse from her screaming fits and from a runny nose. Good news!

And on to the stats:

Weight: 15lbs 12oz (88th percentile) I thought for sure she weighed more than that.

Length: 24 1/4 inches (49th percentile)

Head circumference: 17 1/4 inches (97th percentile) Knew her noggin was large and of course she's brilliant and needs all that room for her large brain.

Her weight tapered off which is good, she was at the 88th percentile 2 months ago. She grew two inches in two months too.

The Dr. said she is doing PERFECT. Said she holds her head up so well and her legs are strong, she is doing all the fine motor skills expected for her age.

She did get two shots and did much better this time. She cried for a minute and then conked out. We go back in a month to get the rest of the shots and then another month later for her 6 month check up!

Little Miss Independence trying starting to hold her own bottle already

This is little Miss Happy Face. She wakes up so happy everyday- I LOVE IT!!!

4 Months

Happy 4 Months Macie.
I will write a letter at a later time. Macie Face is having a really rough day today. Maybe she isn't liking growing up so fast.

4 Months

My Dearest Macie Face,

I feel like I woke up this morning and a whole month had passed overnight. Your milestones are sneaking up on me and you are changing so fast. I have to admit this past month was a bit challenging as a new Mommy. You are starting to get some teeth and are very uncomfortable. You make some new noises that baffle me sometimes and I am afraid I am not doing the right things to make you comfortable, but I think we are figuring it out together. You have discovered your hands can actually grasp things and navigate them to your mouth. I love that you look at your feet, but haven't quite figured out that they are in fact attached to your chubby little legs! You really giggled for the first time this past month and I have to admit, it brought tears to my eyes and your daddy's. We try to find every opportunity to make you laugh, but you don't think every single thing we say is funny and I can't blame you on that one. I think you are pretty close to sitting up on your own. You have great head and neck control, it's only when you have been upright for a while that you start looking like a bobble head. I put you in the walker the other day and you had a blast. It's a little early and your feet just kind of dangle underneath, but it's something new and you are very receptive to new things. Daddy just put together your saucer last night. I tried you out in it today and you liked that too. There are so many activities on it and you may have been a bit overwhelmed, but once you master the spinning around we won't be able to get you out of it.

I have to admit that sometimes I wish there was something on the market I could give you that keeps you at 4 months old, but I can't wait to see what the coming months will bring. I just wish it didn't go so fast!

I love you with everything I have Macie Face!

Mommy

She looked a little freaked at first, but she got over it!

Kinda hard to see her face, but she was happy and trying to reach out to the singing doggy in front of her.

I also forgot to mention that you turned 4 months old on the day History was made. Today, Barack Obama was inaugurated as the 44th President of the United States.

Already?

We were thinking a few weeks ago that Macie might be getting a tooth but said "nah, she's too young to be getting teeth already". She's been drooling like a rabid dog and constantly sucking on her fingers and sleeves. I took a peek in her mouth and much to my surprise I can see two little white spots under her gums on the bottom.
At this rate she should be walking by next week!!! Thank god that's not going to happen....we're not quite ready for that milestone!

What's so funny?

Oh yeah....mommy's voice!!!

Snow Day for Macie and Mommy

I made an effort to get Macie over to Grandma and Papa's house this morning so I could go to work. It took me 15 minutes to go less than a mile and Macie was not happy....she gets upset when the car is not moving at a steady pace. So, I decided it wasn't worth the risk and I turned around and went home. We had a blast today, I LOVE being home with her!

Obviously we can't go out and play in the snow, go sledding, or make snow angels so we made our own fun indoors where it was toasty warm.

This is the winter wonderland outside our back door

A silly picture taken by Mommy

Hangin' with Otis

We read lots of books today

Watched some Backyardigans

Played with one of my favorite toys

Mommy decided to try me out in a walker and I LOVED it. I sat up for a long time like a big girl since my neck is so strong. My little feet obviously don't touch the ground so I was just kind of dangling but OH BOY, what fun!

I am even trying to sit on my own. My noggin is so large it makes me tip forward.

I was so exhausted from all the fun we had and had to take a little nap.

Our good little sleeper

Macie has been sleeping like a champ the last week. She is sleeping 10-12 hours a night! We do the bedtime "ritual", kiss her goodnight and lay her down and she falls fast asleep usually in less than 10 minutes. When she wakes up in the morning she's so cute, we can hear her babbling away in there. She self entertains for about 1/2 hour and then she gets bored and starts to shout....almost sounds like she's saying "Hey".
We got her really giggling the other night too, it was so adorable. She was just kind of squealing up to that point. I was suctioning her nose and said "where did the boogies go" and she busted out laughing. I know it's the silly tone of my voice that makes her laugh as you will hear in the video. I couldn't get her to giggle like she did, but she did laugh a bit for the camera. At one point she just looks like "knock it off, I'm done performing". She's just growing by leaps and bounds lately.

Another Motherhood lesson learned

I'll spare everyone the details of my taking Macie with me to the Dr. today, but I definitely won't do it again unless I absolutely have to. It's not that she's a super fussy/"bad" baby, she just doesn't like sitting around waiting for the Dr. either (are they ever on time???).

The Dr. sent me down to the lab to get some blood work done and Macie was crying. Instead of bringing her in the lab while she was screaming there was a nice comfy bench right outside the door. I sat there and held her for a bit until she calmed down. While I am rocking her some old fart comes up to me and says "tell her to stick a sock in it". NO, I AM NOT KIDDING!!! I turned to him and said "you stuff a sock in it, babies cry you know". Ever have one of those situations where you think of so many much better comebacks? Having that experience now. What a cranky, miserable old man. Most people walked by and said "awwww, poor thing", or "she's a cutie".....NOT HIM. Even Captain Obvious said "she's not very happy (with a smile)".

UGH, just had to share that.

How could anyone say something so rude to that face?

Maybe?

I might be jinxing myself here but Macie has slept a solid 10 hours for 2 nights in a row now- yippee!! We have been so lucky with her and we really have never been sleep deprived. Sure, she's had a few nights when she has been fussy and not slept well. For the most part she's a pretty good sleeper. We just worked on a schedule/routine for the past week and it worked out very well! I do believe it is my friend Susie that calls this a "trick baby". They are so good that you are tricked into having more.
Way to go Macie.

Just a cute picture

Susie, Nelson and Jaden got this sleeper for Macie and it looks so adorable on her!!

Macie's a Big Girl and now we have proof!

I have been talking for a while about how Macie rolled over for me and for Daddy but we just couldn't get her to do it again, let alone get it on video. We FINALLY got a video of her rolling over. Unfortunately it's very dark....sorry!

What a big girl!!!!

The neverending Dr. Appointments

I got the call from the Dermatologist the other day that they removed all of the "affected tissue" from both areas. The one on my sternum was a little more invasive as it had grown under the skin, but all is well. They just reminded me to stay out of the sun and wear sunscreen at all times. Done! I have an appointment with another Dr. on Tuesday to follow up on my blood pressure and liver enzymes. I have been monitoring my BP at home and it's been good without medication so am hoping I am free of the preeclampsia.
I am so sick of going to Doctors and am hoping for a more healthy 2009. Trying to get this all out of the way instead of dragging it out like I did before!
I started a new diet called the "Abs diet" and I think that has a large part in lowering my blood pressure. I am back down to my pre-pregnancy weight so now just need to work on shedding another 20-30lbs. Wish me luck!!!

A Little Video Shy

I had Macie giggling today. I was talking silly to her while changing her diaper and she laughed (probably thinks I sounded ridiculous). I tried several times to get a little video of her laughing- No such luck. This isn't the first time she has done this, but she just freezes when I pull out the video on her. Being a model or actress is definitely out for our little one!!! Again, try and block out my annoying voice in the background.

Goodbye 2008!

2008 was an amazing year for us and we can't wait to see what 2009 brings. Obviously having Macie was the highlight of our year. She continues to amaze us everyday. We look forward to all the milestones she will hit this year, but we also don't want her to grow up so fast!! The beginning of the year was a little rough since we had gone through a miscarriage in October of 07 and were dealing with those emotions and the emotions of "trying again". On January 26th we found out we were pregnant again. We were so excited, yet hesitant and I can tell you that we were paranoid throughout the entire pregnancy. The end of the pregnancy was difficult on my body and we were induced 3 weeks early, but everything turned out great and we had a very healthy little Macie Face! I do have a few moments of sadness once in a while and often wonder if Macie would have had an older brother or sister. She's so amazing that I feel a different sense of loss when I look at her. Would they look alike? It gets a little easier everyday and I am so thankful we were able to get pregnant again and have such a healthy, happy, beautiful baby girl. I truly believe everything "happens for a reason" and that gives me peace.
Our family has suffered some loss and some illness, but the illness has been overcome and the pain from the loss has eased a bit, but is not forgotten.
We are so grateful that Macie has all four of her grandparents around to watch her grow. We are also grateful that her Great Grandparents are around to see her. I wish my Grandparents were here to meet Macie, I miss them everyday. I am VERY grateful that my parents are able to watch Macie a couple days a week while I go to work. Because of them, I am able to be home with her a few days a week and not have to put her in daycare.
Our Nephews Ryan, David and Dean and our Niece Kate are all growing up so fast! It's so fun to see them grow and develop and they love playing with "Baby Macie". Kate is so great with Macie. She just hugs and kisses her all day long and watches her like a hawk to make sure she is happy and protected at all times!! David is just doing great and Kim is doing an amazing job with him. We have seen so much improvement in him over the past year.
We are looking forward to what 2009 has to bring. We will be meeting our new nephew Joey Salvatore sometime in late February and we can't wait! Our friends Katie and Colin are expecting their first baby in early to mid June and we can't wait to meet him/her also!!!
So, here's to 2009!!! We are wishing everyone a very Happy and Healthy 2009. We love all of you!!!

Happy New Year

We had a small, very nice New Years celebration. Susie, Nelson, Jaden, Joe, Sam, Matt and Jessica came over to celebrate with us. Susie, Nelson and Jaden got Macie the cutest toy, it has a little piggy that squeaks and they got her an adorable sleeper. Matt and Jessica brought Macie a HUGE stuffed dog, it's bigger than her but she just smiles at him. I asked Jaden to name her new doggy, so his name is Marley (after Bob Marley). Macie and Jaden were both sleeping by 10:00 so they didn't get to ring in the new year with us, but they had fun and were very tired!!! We ate and played games and chatted all night. Sam was a trooper....think she stayed up until 4am playing games. I think I finally gave up around 2am and that was about 2 hours past when I should have gone to bed.

Nelson, this picture is ESPECIALLY for you!!!

Phil's birthday is also on New Years Eve so he does the "double celebration" and his brother Joe did a fine job of keeping up with the celebration. It's no secret when a Scimeca has had a little too much to drink (as you can see from these lovely pictures they took together)!! Susie, Jaden and Nelson baked a yummy cake for Phil's birthday. It said "Mama Mia Uncle Phil" on it. Phil taught Jaden to say that a while ago and Jaden calls Phil "Mama Mia Uncle Phil" now....so cute! Thanks for the cake (kinda). Thanks (kinda) to Jessica and Matt for their cake too. Thank god I get a "free day" on my diet.......ugh! I of course had to do a quality check on both of the cakes to make sure they were suitable for serving.......they are!!

Think it's time to throw in the bottle???

Jaden helped Mama Mia Uncle Phil blow out his candles.

We had a really good time!

Macie's First Christmas

Macie had a very nice first Christmas. We made a few stops on Christmas Eve to drop off some gifts and give Macie the opportunity to see everyone. Our first stop was Michael and Jackie's house where we saw Auntie Lynne, Andrew and Jacob. We missed my cousin Marissa by minutes. Everyone got Macie some really great gifts. She got a lot of really great toys and some adorable clothes. Our next stop was Phil's Uncle Tony and Aunt Karen's house and they had a packed house over there. Grandma and Grandpa were there, all Phil's Aunts, Uncles, cousins and their kids were there. Macie was spoiled over there too. She got some more really cute clothes, toys and a picture frame. It was great to see everyone. Then we headed over to Joe and Sam's house for some more festivities. Phil's Mom and Dad, Kim, Mike, David and Dean were all there. Grandma and Grandpa Scimeca got Macie her first piece of jewelry which is a beautiful necklace. Kim, Mike, David and Dean got Macie her first cabbage patch doll, it's really cute. Kim ordered it special because her name is Estell ("Stella" was a name we considered for Macie). Auntie Sam and Uncle Joe got Macie her first purse and Macie loves it. There are play keys and a lipstick rattle that go in the purse. Thanks to everyone for having us!

On Christmas Day we went over to my parents house for dinner and more gift opening. Grandma and Grandpa went crazy with the gifts and she got some really great toys and a bunch of really cute clothes. Uncle Mark, Auntie Gayle, Ryan and Kate were there too and gave Macie some cute outfits and toys! We can't wait to dig into all the toys and put all the clothes on her! We had a very nice time, thanks for having us!

As you will see, I am not a good picture taker. I usually forget to take pictures and then when I do....they aren't very good quality. I should have asked Santa for a new camera.