2 - 7 Months

Initially, it was my goal to post an update on Johnie monthly, but that obviously didn't work out. With the move and everything it was just too much to think about. I haven't posted monthly pictures of Johnie since he was a month old! Better late than never, I guess. Here are his pictures from 2 months old to 7 months old.

 

I can't believe he is already 7 months old! He now has two teeth, can roll and scoot all over the place, loves to eat almost anything I feed him (except for peas!), flirts with any lady who will look his way, has the craziest hair I've ever seen on a baby, and charms everyone he comes in contact with. He is such a happy baby and so laid back. We are so blessed and lucky to have Johnie for a son!

Obviously I don't blog anymore!

It's safe to say that life has been CRAZY since about a week before Johnie was born. Due to some complications I had with preeclampsia, we spent a lot of time in the hospital and Johnie was born three weeks early. Due to some complications he had with jaundice and low birth weight, we also spent a lot of time in the hospital after his birth.

11 days old

Two weeks after Johnie was born, John graduated with his master's degree in healthcare administration. One week later, John flew to Texas for a job interview and was offered the job immediately, which meant my maternity leave was officially over and we were packing up to move. We put our house on the market, sold it in less than 24 hours, and lived with my grandparents while we packed up and moved out.

Graduation day!

Six weeks after Johnie was born, I went back to work to finish out my final two weeks there before quitting. John also quit his job during that time and began prepping for his new healthcare career as a vice president of revenue cycle.

Eight weeks after Johnie was born, we left Utah and drove to Texas so that John could start his new job. We lived in a tiny, one bedroom apartment for a few months while we house hunted. We finally found a great house for us with room to grow into and moved in in mid-September.

Standing on our new front porch

In October, I started a part-time job in marketing at the same company John works for. It's all from home, which allows me to be a full-time stay-at-home mom. I've also been doing some freelance writing, which has been a great way to earn a little extra furniture money (we still have some empty rooms in our house).

Johnie is now six months old and I think life is finally starting to settle down a bit. We still have a lot of work to do on our new house, and we're still getting settled into our new roles, but I think eventually we'll get into the groove of things. Texas is very different from Utah, and John is really happy to be "home" (he has always considered Texas his home), but I think it'll take me a bit longer to feel at home. Utah will always be home to me, but I know in time I will learn to love Texas.

Because life has been so crazy, blogging has obviously been on the back burner. I will do my best to update this when I can, but my role as a new mom keeps me very busy! Hopefully I will update again soon...next time with more pics and more details!

One Month

 

 

• Learned to scream/squeal
• Focuses on people's faces, although sometimes goes cross-eyed
• Has chubby cheeks and a double chin (his pediatrician says he's a big eater)
• Watches TV now and then
• Loves bath time more than anything
• Has a late night party most nights from 2 to 5 a.m.
• Loves looking around at his surroundings and listening to people talk
• Wrinkles his forehead when trying to wake up from a nap
• Loves riding in his car seat
• Smiles and frowns a lot in his sleep (probably depending on what he's dreaming about, haha)
• Doesn't care for tummy time, but mom makes him do it anyway
• Officially has a guard cat named Fate
• Loves to lounge in his Boppy pillow
• Likes to be patted, rocked and held
• Loves to sleep on mom or dad's chest

John's Graduation + Big News

Earlier this month, John graduated with his master's degree in healthcare administration! I'm so proud of him! He has worked hard the last few years to earn his associate's, bachelor's and now master's degree and is FINALLY done going to school (that is unless he decides to pursue a doctorate, haha). We had a great celebration with friends and family, and since our little guy decided to join us three weeks early, he got to celebrate with his daddy too!

The handsome graduate!

Love this guy!

John and I with his parents

John and I with some of our best friends, Becky and Charlie

Our first family photo!

John Sr. and John Jr.

Now that John has his master's degree, he has been given an amazing job opportunity in Texas to work for his brother's hospital group. We are so excited to move to Texas and for John to have such a great job opportunity, but at the same time it is going to be really hard. We're going to miss our family, friends, jobs and Utah as a whole (what am I going to do without the mountains?!). We'll be back to visit frequently, but Texas is going to be our new home. The good news is, our son will have a Texas accent, which is just going to be cute! And I guess I better get myself some cowgirl boots too. Anyway, we're moving at the end of June. John will start his job right away and I'm going to be a stay at home mom, at least for a few months, before I start looking into new writing opportunities. Wish us luck!

Brand New (4 days old)

• Loves to cross his legs at the ankles
• Makes goat noises, which has earned him the nickname "baby goat"
• Grunts/groans more than he cries
• Purses his lips into a "kissy face" often
• Loves to lay on his side, even though we try to keep him on his back
• Started to get a red tint to his sandy brown hair
• Doesn't like his arms to be swaddled
• Loves to be held
• Already found his thumb to suck on
• Loves to look at lights and out windows

Introducing Johnie

John Edward Madison, Jr.

4/19/2015, 5:58 a.m.

5 lbs, 4.5 oz and 18 inches

Just an hour or two old

 

11 days old



 

Birth story to come...

36 Weeks + My Birthday!

How far along: 36 Weeks!
Total weight gain: 25 pounds. Johnie weighs around 6 pounds!
Maternity clothes: Still nothing new! John did get me a couple of shirts that will be great for nursing for my birthday though. :)
Stretch marks: Yep, all over my belly. I am not one of the lucky women that doesn't get any.
Sleep: I do OK most nights, besides having to get up and pee. I am so tired all the time that it doesn't take me long to fall asleep!
Best moment of this week: Celebrating my birthday with John and family. We had a great weekend! John spoiled me with a new watch and took me shopping.
Miss anything: Not having swollen feet. They get HUGE every day....they look like hobbit feet without the hair.
Movement: Johnie moves around a lot! I feel him constantly it seems like.
Food cravings: Nothing new. Chocolate cake has been really appealing to me lately, but then when isn't chocolate cake appealing?!
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope!
Have you started to show yet: I'm still huge, and getting bigger by the minute!
Gender: BOY!!!
Labor signs: Nothing yet. I'm not even sure if I've had any of those Braxton Hicks contractions. At least I haven't felt anything.
Belly button in or out: In, but it's really shallow!
Wedding rings on or off: Still off. I'm just too swollen!
Happy or moody most of the time: Happy and stressed. I still have lots I need to get done before Johnie gets here.
Looking forward to: Finishing the nursery and meeting our little guy! It really could be any day now...though hopefully he waits a little longer!

Here's a few pics from my birthday, just for fun:

Me and my BEARDLESS husband at Station Park.
I still can't believe he shaved it off!

Yum...chocolate strawberry cobbler! And if you look close, you can
spot the beautiful watch John got me for my birthday!

John with his peach cobbler!

And of course, I can't leave Fate out. We found her a bed and she loves it!
We wanted her to have her own place for when the baby gets here.

34 Weeks

How far along: 34 Weeks!
Total weight gain: 22 Pounds....Whew! Baby Johnie weighs over 5 pounds by now.
Maternity clothes: Nothing new. Most of my maternity clothes are winter items, but I'm in the final few weeks and don't want to buy anything else. Now I'm on the hunt for good nursing tops.
Stretch marks: I have a lot on my belly. Lotions, cocoa butter, coconut oil and all the other remedies I tried didn't work for me.
Sleep: I've been doing OK. I usually have to get up once a night, but if I can get comfortable, then I sleep pretty good.
Best moment of this week: Getting our maternity pictures taken! It was the first time we've had photos done since our wedding, so it was fun to have some updated ones, even if I feel like I look like a whale in them. I'm working on embracing it! I mean, I am growing a baby after all!
Miss anything: My waistline.

Movement: All the time! He's one active little guy.

Food cravings: Nothing new and nothing that's been really odd. Though I did have a weird hankering for McDonald's the other day.
Anything making you queasy or sick: No, thank goodness!
Have you started to show yet: I'm huge!
Gender: BOY!!!
Labor signs: Nothing yet. Six weeks to go, give or take a couple of weeks.
Belly button in or out: In, but it's really shallow!
Wedding rings on or off: I've officially quit wearing my wedding ring. :( My hands and feet swell up almost every day now. It's no fun.
Happy or moody most of the time: Happy with a bit of stress mixed in. I still have a list of things I want to do before the baby gets here, and I'm determined to make it happen!
Looking forward to: The next couple of weekends. We get to celebrate Easter this weekend and the next weekend is my birthday. It should be fun! Plus, we're almost done with the nursery. That has been a lot of fun to put together.

Just for fun, here's a few shots from our maternity photo session:

32 Weeks

How far along: 32 Weeks!
Total weight gain: Nineteen pounds. Baby now weighs between 4-5 pounds.
Maternity clothes: Well, I broke down and bought a dress for my maternity photos. I'm very excited about it, and most likely will be able to wear it after I give birth too!
Stretch marks: The same few on my sides and underneath my belly button.
Sleep: It's off and on. Some nights I sleep great, other nights not so great. I've been really hot at night lately, which has made it hard to sleep. Luckily the weather's good enough now that we can leave the windows open.
Best moment of this week: Getting to see our little guy on an ultrasound again! He is so cute.

Miss anything: Having the energy to do things...like walk up the stairs...or bending over to pick something up. :) 

Movement: Yep, constantly! Some nights he kicks so much I can actually see my belly moving from the outside. So weird!

Food cravings: Nothing really new....milk, pancakes, root beer...the usual.
Anything making you queasy or sick: No, thank goodness!
Have you started to show yet: Yeah, I notice people noticing me in public now, haha.
Gender: BOY!!!
Labor signs: Nothing yet. Let's hope baby boy isn't in a rush to get here. I still have things to do to get ready for him!
Belly button in or out: In, but it's really shallow!
Wedding rings on or off: On for now, but some days it's too tight to wear.
Happy or moody most of the time: Happy most of the time!
Looking forward to: My baby shower this weekend! It should be a great time with friends and family. I can't wait!

Baby has hair!! It's so crazy to me that you can see it on an ultrasound.

Another cute profile shot of Johnie!

We finally got our crib all put together. I love how it turned out!

30 Weeks

How far along: 30 Weeks!
Total weight gain: Sixteen pounds. Baby weighs between 3-4 pounds now. That's about half his birth weight!
Maternity clothes: Nope, I'm done purchasing them since I've only got a short time left. However, I am on the hunt for a cute maternity photo outfit. I'm sure I have it in my closet, I just haven't figured it out yet.
Stretch marks: The same few on my sides and underneath my belly button.
Sleep: Sleeping has become hard. My hips ache so I have to move around a lot in my sleep to get comfortable. I feel bad for John and the cat. Since I'm not sleeping well, no one is sleeping well!
Best moment of this week: We started taking a hypnobirthing class and I LOVE it! I have tried to keep an open mind with different birthing techniques, and I'm really enjoying the class so far. I have learned so much already.
Miss anything: Not having heartburn. I never had it until a few weeks ago, and now I get it if I eat later at night. I've learned to just stop eating after 7 p.m.

Movement: Yep, constantly! It's still such a crazy feeling.

Food cravings: Milk, chocolate chip cookies (at least milk is healthy!)
Anything making you queasy or sick: Still doing great, though last week I did throw up after eating a breakfast sandwich...was that TMI?
Have you started to show yet: I'm a bowling ball on toothpicks.
Gender: BOY!!!
Labor signs: Nope. Way too early.
Belly button in or out: In, but it's gotten super shallow. It's weird.
Wedding rings on or off: On! My swelling has actually decreased this last week.
Happy or moody most of the time: I've been much happier. I am a lot more tired because it's hard to sleep, but I haven't been as moody.
Looking forward to: Putting together the nursery! We ordered our crib and rocking chair over the weekend and I'm just waiting for them to come in so we can start putting things together. It's so much fun to decorate a baby room.

28 Weeks + Valentine's Day!

 

How far along: 28 weeks (officially in the 3rd trimester!)
Total weight gain: Thirteen pounds. I read somewhere that in the third trimester, it's normal to gain a pound a week. That's so crazy!
Maternity clothes: Nope -- I'm done purchasing maternity clothes. I've only got 3 months left!
Stretch marks: The same few on my sides and underneath my belly button.
Sleep: I've still been sleeping OK, but I find it hard to make it through the night without getting up to go the bathroom. It's SO much fun...
Best moment of this week: Valentine's Day. See pics below!
Miss anything: I had an appointment this week and my midwife told me I need to be more careful about what I'm eating because of my weight gain, so that I don't gain too much. Which means I now miss root beer, because sugary drinks, fruit and smoothies were all things she says I need to avoid.

Movement: Yep, constantly! He kicks me multiple times a day!

Food cravings: Root beer and milk this week. At least milk is healthy.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope, I've been feeling really good. I do have my days where nothing really tastes good, but 99% of the time it's all good.
Have you started to show yet: Yep!
Gender: BOY!!!
Labor signs: Nope. Way too early.
Belly button in or out: In. Let's hope it stays that way for a while, haha.
Wedding rings on or off: On, but I have noticed my fingers are starting to swell a bit.
Happy or moody most of the time: Still kind of moody. Poor John. He is getting put through the ringer. I'm working on it though--promise!
Looking forward to: Hanging out with my grandparents this weekend, starting all of our informative baby classes next week, and spending more time with John because as of a few days ago, he is OFFICIALLY done with his master's degree!!! Woohoo!!

 

 

My valentine got me roses, chocolate covered strawberries and a beautiful
emerald ring (baby Johnie's birthstone--so let's hope he isn't born in April).
 

A close up of my new ring!

26 Weeks

 

 

How far along: 26 weeks
Total weight gain: Ten pounds! But I can now say baby makes up at least two of that! ;)
Maternity clothes: I had a gift card to Old Navy left over from Christmas, so I got a few things this last weekend -- just a couple of t-shirts and this dress I'm wearing in the pic. I have found that dresses are becoming super comfortable!
Stretch marks: The same few on my sides, and a few just underneath my belly button. I guess it's inevitable.
Sleep: I have been sleeping pretty good still, but I think my days are numbered. I feel like I'm an old woman when I get out of bed. It's quite the production.
Best moment of this week: Going to St. George for work but having fun with John and my family while I was in town! We got to stay at an amazing B&B and that made the trip a little more special!
Miss anything: Sushi. I want it so bad!

Movement: Yep, constantly! We had an ultrasound yesterday and Johnie was moving around so much the tech had a hard time catching a profile shot.
Food cravings: Root beer...still. I wish I could kick that craving!
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope, although today I have felt kind of crummy. I think it's just a fluke. At least I hope it is. I'd rather not throw up!
Have you started to show yet: Oh yeah. Big time!
Gender: BOY!!!
Labor signs: Nope. Way too early.
Belly button in or out: In. Let's hope it stays that way for a while, haha.
Wedding rings on or off: On.
Happy or moody most of the time: I've been moody this last week. I'm trying to be positive because I know it's just hormones, but I have been getting annoyed with really dumb things. I've been exercising for 2 weeks now, so maybe I'll start releasing those endorphins I hear so much about and that will balance me out!
Looking forward to: Going to do our baby registry this weekend. It should be fun! I already started one online, but I'm excited to go into the store and see what else we can find.

 

 

A cute profile shot of our little guy.
I think he looks like me...can't you see it?!

I just about died from cuteness overload with this shot.
Kind of hard to see, but his legs are crossed at the ankles.
Our baby isn't even born yet and he's doing cute things!

New Car!

John and I got a new car! Yay! We have been talking about trading my car in and getting something different for over a year now, but we didn't really commit to the idea until I got pregnant. We wanted to get something that would be a good starter family car that wasn't a 2-door coupe, like my Pontiac was. We decided on the 2015 Buick Encore! It's a beautiful blue color, and has tons of cool features, like a rear view camera, blind spot detector, Wi-Fi, OnStar, XM Radio, navigation, Bluetooth calling, etc. I honestly still haven't figured out how to use it...but I can at least drive it! I am definitely going to miss my little G5--we had some good times together--but it's nice to have an upgrade and a car that is big enough for a car seat (or two!), a stroller and all that other baby stuff.

Isn't she a beaut?!

 

And here's a pic of me and the hubs just for fun!

24 Weeks

 

How far along: 24 weeks
Total weight gain: Eight pounds! I am so lucky that I haven't swollen up a ton (yet). I do officially feel like a bowling ball though.
Maternity clothes: Again, I have everything I need, but I do have a couple of gift cards leftover from Christmas, so maybe I need to go shopping again? ;)
Stretch marks: Just the same few on my sides. But I can definitely feel my belly stretching.
Sleep: It's getting a little less comfortable every night and I have a lot of aches and pains. When I'm able to sleep though, I sleep hard!
Best moment of this week: Buying a new car! More on that in another post...but we are so excited to have our first "family" vehicle.
Miss anything: Being able to bend over with ease. It's getting tough, and I still have a long ways to go!
Movement: Every day! John has yet to feel anything. That's going to be the next exciting milestone!
Food cravings: Root beer. I don't really care for soda that much (fun fact about me....I can't burp...which explains one reason why I don't like soda), but I have been drinking it a lot lately. I know its not the healthiest thing, but man does it taste good!
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope, thank goodness!
Have you started to show yet: Yes. My belly has doubled in size the last 2 weeks I think.
Gender: BOY!!!
Labor signs: Nope. Way too early.
Belly button in or out: In. Let's hope it stays that way for a while, haha.
Wedding rings on or off: On.
Happy or moody most of the time: Pretty happy, though I've had a lot of anxiety lately due to a super busy work/life schedule and trying to fit in time to do baby stuff.
Looking forward to: Having a break...hopefully sometime in the next week...where I can just come home from work and sit on the couch in my PJs. We'll see if that happens!!

Babymoon

I don't really like the term "babymoon," but for a lack of a better term, John and I went on our babymoon last weekend to the Park City/Heber area. We had a great time, although I did come down with a cold which kind of put a damper on things. Anyway, we still had fun.

On Friday, we went to dinner at one of our favorite restaurants in Park City, Buona Vita, and then window shopped on Main Street where we purchased some homemade, all natural face masks and hair masks so we could have a spa night at our hotel. Even John got in on the mask action and put the hair mask in his beard! ;)

On Saturday, we got pedicures together (John's first and I know he loved it!) and then went for a short drive. After that we  just lounged around in our hotel room and enjoyed the cable and fireplace. That night we went to dinner in Heber and then watched movies.

On Sunday, we had breakfast from a bakery in our room and lounged around, watched TV and read until it was time to check out. Then we went back to Park City for more window shopping and a trip to the outlets, where John spoiled me by getting me a new purse and some ankle boots.

We were terrible at taking pictures during the weekend...we just enjoyed having a low key time together and not worrying about even pulling out our phones most of the time. However, here are a few we snapped:

We thought this was so funny. After we packed to leave for the weekend,
Fate sat on top of our luggage as if she were going to come with us. Cutest thing!

Next to the moose on Park City's Main Street

We stopped in a Main Street café to warm up.

This outdoor bar was totally made out of ice! Cool, huh?

Here's John's feet in the paraffin wax bags.
He had no idea this was part of a pedicure.

I had to end with another pic of Fate. Here she is hugging John
after we got home from the weekend away. She really missed him!