It hit me tonight as I was putting Madelyn to bed, we've had a lot of "firsts" recently. Two specifically, have been challenging, and the other has been a joy. The first, the stomach bug. I've honestly hesitated to talk about it for fear of jinxing it. It is true, until this week, Madelyn never had the stomach bug. We were bound to get it eventually, it was a matter of when. It's gone around us, at least a half dozen times, and I guess we just always avoided bringing it home.
Wednesday night was going to be a quiet night at home, and I was so looking forward to cuddling with my loves and catching up on my DVR shows! Madelyn was running circles around us before bed, and acting totally normal so we stretched her bedtime until 8pm to hang out. About 20 mins after I put her down, she called out sounding a little frightened, "mommy?! Where are you?" I ran in and she was laying on her belly, and she just kind of stared at me. I rubbed her back, calmed her, and left. I immediately said to Brian, she's acting funny, I'm afraid she's going to throw up. Sure enough 10 mins later, it started. Monkey, the sheets, her pj's and her blanket went into the wash, and she went right to the bath. She did fall asleep for a few hours, but I was woken up around 1:30am, to "mommmmmmy? Where are you?" The poor thing was terrified like "what's happening to me?" Thankfully for her, it lasted less than 24 hours. It's been a few days, and she's still not eating great, but we're getting there. Unfortunately, Brian caught the bug next, and about 10x worse. He's been in bed for 2 days, and can't sleep, eat or drink. After Madelyn's night of getting sick I scrubbed our house from top to bottom, but I guess the germs caught him before then. Next would be my turn, and I'm literally praying it skips me. I can't imagine having a bag bug, and being pregnant! Not to mention, I can't take anytime off from work this time of year.... So, fingers crossed!!
The second first, emerged from Madelyn being sick. She has turned this experience into an opportunity to test her mommy, and play a little game. She's never really fought us when going to bed. She's always liked her own bed, and falls asleep easily on her own. We recognize we are lucky for this ;) Each night since getting sick, she's done the "mommy, where are you?" while crying after I put her down. At first, I was terrified she was going to get sick all over again! However, each time I go running in, her cries quickly turn to smiles and she successfully prolongs bedtime by an hour. The first night after, we played the game probably 4x before Brian went in, and she went right down for him :) I've heard of the cry-it-out method, and I understand the concept, but it seemed so mean to let her cry since I do think she's a little traumatized from throwing up. Last night, she only did it once, which was good because Brian was in bed, so I was on my own to figure it out. I have to say though, it's the first time I've felt so challenged and not sure what to do. It's the first time, I've felt like she's totally controlling the situation and I was worried to start a bad habit! There is no denying Madelyn is a smart little girl, this is just a first of many times, where she'll play us into getting what she wants :) maybe I should start reading up on how to deal with these tests, so I'm prepared!
The last first, is a really neat one, and it's been a joy to watch. It has to do with Madelyn's ability to make connections. She's been so expressive lately, and making it clear that she knows exactly what's going on. Since we told Madelyn she was going to have a baby sister, it seemed to click. When we got her big girl bed, she explained to us that she had a new bed, so that she could give her crib to her baby sister. We were so impressed that she was able to make the connection, and that she seemed comfortable with that change.
Another time, my mom was taking Madelyn to the post office for the first time. She goes "shopping" with us often, and she knows the different grocery stores, home goods, hone depot, etc but she didn't recognize the post office. As they were walking in, Madelyn clung to my mom, put her head on her shoulder and said "I'm going to be shy" and she closed her eyes. My mom had a good chuckle out of that one! But again, we were surprised that she grasped the word shy, used it in the right context, and that emotion to her, meant closing her eyes and clinging to my mom. It amazes me that she gets it. where did she learn it? I don't know... I think every little thing she hears, she remembers and grasps.
After getting sick the other night, Madelyn bounced right back to her normal self. She was chatty and happy that she was still up late. She didn't mind that we quickly stripped her, and her bed, and literally threw her in a bath. During her bath, Madelyn looked at me with puppy dog eyes and said "I scared myself" So, although she was acting like she felt better, it was obvious she was scared. We don't talk about being scared a lot, or what it means, so it was precious that she knew to express that what had happened, scared her!
The last sweet moment happened yesterday when Mimi and Auntie had Madelyn in a gift shop. They have an area of kids/baby gifts that Madelyn was standing near while my mom and Sara were browsing. M found a small baby hair brush, raised it into the air and announced loudly to the store - "this is for my baby sister!" The woman behind the counter thought it was adorable, and as cute as it was, my mom explained that the baby isn't even here yet! Such a sweet gesture for a little girl who doesn't even know her baby sister yet. I think it's a safe to say, she gets it. She's thinking ahead and I'm thrilled she's ready to share/give things to her baby sister. Hopefully the same applies when the baby arrives :)
Hope you are enjoying a wonderful and healthy weekend with your families! Off to check on my patient!
XO
