Madison's 6 Month Portraits

6 Months

Madison,

How is it even possible that you are 6 months old? And how can I even begin to describe how wonderful you are?

I know that I am your Mommy, and I am probably a little biased. haha. But you really are such a great baby. You are always full of smiles...even when you don't feel well, even when you're teething, even right after getting a shot!

You've really enjoyed trying a variety of solids this month. Carrots are by far your favorite vegetable. We love seeing and hearing your reaction to them. Your favorite fruit was prunes, though we don't think we are going to be able to give them to you very often because, in excess, they really seem to make your belly hurt.

You had your 6 month checkup on the 14th. You weighed 14 pounds, 14 ounces and were 26 1/2 inches long. You are still in the 25th percentile for weight, but you jumped up to between the 90 and 95th percentile for height. At the rate you're going, you are going to be tall and skinny - just like daddy! Maybe you'll be a model...you'll have to be a commercial model though, because you smile way too much for the runway! ;-)

You still seem to really enjoy daycare. Miss Heather says you just watch the other children as if you are studying them. And that you're always smiling and making noises with the other babies.

Mommy and Daddy are wondering when you are going to get your first tooth. You're definitely teething. You slobber ALL OVER THE PLACE and chew on EVERYTHING!

Our new favorite thing you've been doing is feeling our faces. It's so sweet. I especially love it when you do it in the mornings when I'm feeding you.

You are constantly babbling. Sometimes we think you are singing to us. You talk A LOT in the car, and you love talking to your pacifier. It's absolutely hilarious! You are so silly!

We love you!

Mommy and Daddy

Perfection

Our little angel sleeping so peacefully

Love and Laughter

I feel like Madison is doing something new all the time now! We're amazed by how much she's changing.

She's rolling a lot more. She now rolls from her belly to her back, too! At daycare, they say she just rolls and rolls all the way across the mat there.

In the last week or so, she's also been playing with her feet a lot. She loves pulling off her socks. The night before last, she mastered getting her feet in her mouth. haha! She couldn't decide which one she wanted to chew on though, so she kept switching back and forth!

And last night...SHE LAUGHED!!! It was the best sound in the whole world. She laughed about 15 different times and it never sounded the same. She was laughing at Daddy, of course! He was acting like a gorilla, pounding himself in the chest and all. haha! And she just thought it was the most funny thing! The first couple of times that she laughed, she had a really surprised look on her face. We were both really surprised too! Matt just looked at me and said, "She's laughing!!" And I said, "I know!!!" Tears were just streaming down my face. At first, I was crying because it was just sooo adorable. And then I was crying because I couldn't stop laughing either.

Madison Maxine

There are so many names we've given you:

1. Munchkin
2. George
3. Sugar Baby
4. Pretty Girl
5. Slobber Face
6. Knucklehead
7. Bright Eyes
8. Frog Gut
9. Sugar Bear
10. Pumpkin

But of all the names we've given you, your real name is our very favorite!

*Update*

Madison had a RAST test Tuesday afternoon. Matt took her after he picked her up from daycare. They weren't able to collect a lot of blood because they were having a lot of trouble getting her to bleed. Her blood vessel in her left arm collapsed while they were taking her blood. Poor baby had blood all over her arm! And now she has a big bruise.



I spoke with somone at the dotor's office on Thursday. They said the lab couldn't complete the test for grass or dust mites because they didn't have enough of a blood sample. All of the other testing (including the pet dander) came back negative! So it looks like Madi isn't allergic to June and Adele! We are so relieved. Also, she's been doing a lot better. Her nose is still a little runny or stuffy at times. I really do think it's probably just due to teething.

On Wednesday (the 16th), Madison rolled over from her back to her belly for the first time! It's so cute to watch! We are just so proud of her!

Torn

I feel as if my heart is torn in a million pieces. We've pretty much come to the conclusion that Madison is probably allergic to animal dander (even though I don't think Matt is completely ready to admit it). She's had cold symptoms for over a month now. And after she spent a long weekend at the lake with no animals, we noticed she started doing a lot better...only to come home again and have the cold symptoms return.

For some people, this probably doesn't seem like a huge issue. "Get her tested, and if the results come back positive, just get rid of your pets". Those people have never had a pet who is a huge part of your family. Matt and I love our kitties. They've been a huge part of our lives. I've had Adele since my Sophomore year of college. June was a Christmas present to Matt in 2005, the year before we were married.

I had a really hard time getting Adele to eat for weeks after I brought her home...turns out she was taken from the care of her Mommy too early. I still believe this is the reason for her extreme attachment to me. When she was a baby kitty, she would cry and cry and cry if she couldn't see me. She has been with me through tough times. We have made a home together in 4 different places. She has cuddled with me at night, provided me with so much joy and laughter, given me a few scares (like the time she caught herself on fire). She has even licked tears from my cheek. Adele has been a constant companion.

June was the baby in our home before we had a baby. Adele wasn't too sure about her at first, but after awhile, even she seemed quite protective of little June (who turned out to be not so little at all). June is our friendly girl, our curious but timid girl, our Daddy's girl (just like Madi). Though June likes people much more than Adele, she shows such preference to Matt. She follows him around and cries after him until he gives her attention. June loves Matt, and Matt loves June. She was there for him when his dad passed away. I'm sure I pushed and pushed and pushed him to talk to me...even when he didn't feel like talking. The silence scared me. June, however, gave Matt space when he needed it and love when he needed it. What a bond they have!

Our cats have mirrored our personalities. Adele is prissy, silly, loyal, territorial, protective, and hates going to the doctor! June is easygoing, nosey, quiet (unless she has something important to say), patient, and a good listener! They are such an important part of our lives.

Yet, our daughter is our first priority in this world. How can we make her live in a home where she can't even breathe well? How can we continue to expose her to allergens that could cause her to develop asthma? I'm struggling...and I'm so heartbroken. I cry every time I think about giving June and Adele away...and I cry every time I think about Madison not feeling well because of something we expose her to.

I'm trying to take this one step at a time. I ordered some special shampoo for June and Adele. The reviews swear it works. I'm hoping that if we bathe them once a week, it might help. I've read that air purifiers may also help a great deal. If the shampoo doesn't help, I'm going to try to get Madison an appointment with an allergist to confirm what my mommy instincts are telling me. And where we'll go from there, I just don't know...