I can't believe it!

Maddie's first birthday was Sunday and I still can't believe it! I remember not knowing how I'd make it the first six months, but somehow time has really flown.

Maddie had a bit of an unexpected entry into the world. She was small and the doctors were worried, so they tried to induce me. Maddie's heart rate would drop with every contraction, so we decided a c-section was the way to go. Maddie came out at 2:21 pm as perfect as could be. Sure, she was a peanut, but she was healthy and hungry. I stayed awake the entire first night of her life, holding her and marveling in amazement at our beautiful baby. Oh, and I was a bit uptight about her eating every two hours. The first two weeks with our little peanut were an exciting time and a HUGE learning curve for Eric and I, but it was blissful. Then, once Eric started going back to work a little bit and Maddie started waking up a bit more, she started screaming - all the time. For the first couple of months, she screamed and cried all the time that she was awake. I took her to the doctor, sure something was wrong with her. He told me that sometimes when babies are born small, their nerves aren't fully coated and they're just overstimulated by being alive. She couldn't calm herself at all. It was a hard time for all of us, but slowly her crying subsided. Now, Maddie is the most wonderful kid with a cheerful, curious disposition. The beginning was so hard I didn't think I'd make it sometimes, but our amazing little girl is worth every moment. She's amazing and joyful and super cuddly. She's changed our lives forever and we wouldn't have it any other way!