Meet Madeleine

This is my new best friend, next to Matt.  She and I are very similar and yet very different too; we do pretty much everything together and are inseparable.

Matt says her eyebrows and chin look like mine.  I think her nose looks similar to Matt's, and she has dark blue eyes, like Matt.  We'll wait and see if they stay blue or not.  She loves sucking her fingers, or her whole hand if she can't manage to get her fingers into her mouth.  And she gets the hiccups at least 3-4 times a day.

Madeleine loves sounds and sleeps better when there are sounds to listen to.  She loves it when I use the hair dryer, vacuum, or laundry machine.  She also loves it when I leave the window open so she can hear the sounds from outside—cars driving by, birds chirping, and the wind.  The social side of her is starting to shine through already too; she likes listening to voices also and is pretty vocal herself.  Although she doesn’t know any words yet she actually can convey a lot in the little (or loud) sounds she makes. 

To say she has a good lung capacity is an understatement.  For being less than two weeks old she is already very good at occasionally letting Matt and I know that her lungs are strong and that she wants something immediately.  Hopefully those lungs are put to good use later on singing, or playing a wind instrument, or swimming, once she gets older. 

One of Madeleine’s favorite activities is having her hair washed, especially the rinsing part.  Any fidgetiness magically melts away when the warm water trickles through her rather long dark newborn hair.  It’s cute.  She likes having a warm onesie put on her after bath time and then being wrapped in a warmed blanket fresh from the dryer. 

She also loves to be held while she sleeps, or held almost any time for that matter.  She loves going for walks outside, or even just cuddling out on the back patio.  She gets cold easily though and so she’s usually wrapped up in 2-3 blankets.  She also likes to be lightly bounced and she likes to eat/drink the “mukaka” as Matt calls it.  So far that’s the only thing she does eat.  She’s a great eater but has a small stomach.

Madeleine does not like having “bubbles” in her stomach, as Grandma Melory calls them.  If I lay her down without getting them all out she doesn’t sleep well and sometimes regurgitates it.  She has a very sad cry when that happens. 

She takes joy in the small things—having a full stomach, getting a good long nap, long walks outside, and being held.  She’s helping me to listen to the birds more and enjoy a warm shower and clean clothes free of spit up.  She’s the best.  And I love her more than I knew I could love anyone.