Fall Fun

The Porretta family has been busy the past few weeks. Maddie is keeping Mommy and Daddy on their toes. She tried drinking out of a bottle for the first time and after a rough start seems to like it pretty well. She drinks much better there now as opposed to breast feeding where she sometimes just likes to 'hang out'. I will think that she is done after 3-4 min. of no sucking, only to take her away and have her cry and cry and cry until I let her nurse again.

Speaking of nursing we are trying to figure out what is making her so fussy and spitting up all the time. We think that it is something that I am eating in addition to the bad acid reflux she is experiencing. So for the last week I have eliminated all dairy, chocolate, spices, acidic fruits and gassy vegetables from my diet. (Oatmeal and chicken breast are my new staple foods.....sounds yummy huh?) Slowly I am trying to reintroduce various items back to see how they affect her. We have found that she gets fussier, sometimes with increased spit up...more like vomit....and sometimes diarrhea when I eat milk products. We have an appointment with the pediatrician on Fri. for her 2 month check up and we plan on talking to her about it then. We are thinking though that the problem right now might be a dairy allergy. (Maybe it was the over abundance of soft serve yogurt that I craved during pregnancy that is finally catching up to me!)

But in between all the the dirty burp clothes, loads of laundry and tears....sometimes from Maddie and sometimes from Mommy....we have had some fun times too. Here are some of the things that we have been up to this month.

We watched Daddy marching the the Otterbein Homecoming Parade and play 'Old Man River' with the Alumni Band.

Later that night we went to the 100 Years of Band concert at Otterbein to hear him play again. Mommy was worried because I usually get fussy at night and the concert was 8:00. I cried the entire way to the concert, but as soon as the music started I was happy and even danced to a few songs. However, when the music stopped at the end of the evening I was really sad......and cried the whole way home.

I looked super cute in my October outfit.


Mommy and Daddy took me to Boo at the Zoo. I dressed up as a pumpkin and lots of people told me how cute I looked. I didn't hear them though because I slept most of the time we were there.

When we were at the zoo a really scary tiger came up and roared at us. At first it really scared me until I realized it was just my cousin Carson. We had fun later riding the train together. I can't wait until I am a little bigger and we can have more fun playing together.

Bumbo Fun!

Now that Miss Maddie can hold her head up we broke out the Bumbo chair this week. We were a little unsure if she would like it, but it was a success. We love it too! It has been great to sit her in while we are eating dinner at the table or take it upstairs to sit while we are do laundry. I enjoy having her so close when she is up and alert. This way we can still talk and play while I get some things done around the house!

At first she wasn't too sure of what to think about the chair.

Then she cried.......

and now it's not so bad!

Our first official meal at the table as a family.

(Technically Maddie is ON the table, but that's OK)

One happy baby who is smiling more and more each day.

Its all worth it.

Well it has been an intesting few weeks. Just when we think we have Miss Maddie figured out, she throws us for a loop. About 2 weeks ago went to the doctor because Maddie just wasn't her self...spitting up a lot, not nursing as well, crying all the time and hardly sleeping during the day....we found out Maddie has severe acid reflux. There really isn't much we can do.....other then hope that she out grows it. The doctor did give us some medication that would help with the pain in her esophagus. It seemed to help and Maddie was acting a little more like herself....even doing well on a long weekend trip to New York to visit family.



That however was short lived. Last week the crying started back up again. During the day it wasn't as bad. She would still cry after she spit up, but it wasn't the wailing cry that it was before thanks in part to the Zantax the Dr. prescribed. However evenings were/are a different story. About 6:00 each night we would start with our crying spell. Nothing we could do would calm her down. Mike and I spent our evenings walking around the circle of the house bouncing, shhhhing, and trying to calm her down. I am so thankful to have Mike to take this journey with. It seems like when one of us is at our wit's end the other one is refreshed and ready to step in.



The constant crying lasted for about a week until we discovered our new best friend.....the vacuum cleaner! It seems to be the only thing that will calm her down. The only problem is that when you shut it off....she starts crying again. So needless to say our carpets are really clean! We have even resorted to getting out the old sweeper to run just so we don't wear our regular one out (however that just might be the way to get that DYSON that I have always wanted).



Maddie seems to be doing a little better these last few days. She still spits up A LOT after almost every meal and doesn't seems to be in as much discomfort as long as she has her medicine. She has started sleeping through the night.....once we can get her to fall to sleep that is. I don't know if it's her feeling better or us just finding the 'tricks' that work best for us. In any case, we are still trudging along. This road called parenting is filled with bumps and roadblocks and twists and turns. Occasionally though, as we are driving along we see an amazing view that reminds us of God's special gift to us and why we love our little one so much.......no matter how sleep deprived, stressed or covered in spit up we are.

One Month Check Up

We had our one month check up today. The little one is up to 8 lbs. exactly and is now 19.5 inches long. I can't believe that she has gained a pound and a half in just 5 weeks. The doctor said that she is 'beautiful'.....and we would agree. Now, if we could only get this acid reflux in line. The medicine has seemed to help her pain when spitting up....but she still spits up ALL THE TIME. So, we have resorted to having burp clothes strategically placed around the house and a bib on her after feedings!

Next month we go back and she gets her shots. Mommy is not looking forward to that one. We'll have to make sure that Daddy goes with us to that one....for moral support for us both! Because as you can see Miss Maddie is a Daddy's girl.

This weekend we had our first trip to Coshocton. What else could we have done then to go to the County Fair? We had a great time seeing the animals, visiting with family and friends....and of course sleeping. Maddie did a great job at her first fair. We can't wait to go back next year when she is older and can really start to notice things like the animals, and pumpkins and smell all the yummy fair food.

This was also the first time that many of our family members on the Wells side of the family have gotten to see Maddie. Some people like Papa Joe and Gammie Gwen have visited before but it's always nice to spend more time with them. Here are some of the people that miss Maddie got to meet this past weekend.

Uncle Jimmy got to hold me....and I didn't even cry! He is expecting his own little one in March. I can't wait to meet him/her and have fun playing over the years.

Papa Joe loved my pumpkin feet and I loved the horse barn. Maybe in a few months I'll get to sit on one of the horses.


Aunt Jacquie knew just how to calm me down. My cousing JD got to meet me for the first time too. I hope that soon he will take me for a ride with his pony Tucker.

Gammie Gwen waited so patiently to hold me all day.....but when she did I decided I was hungry. I promise I'll be better next time Gammie!

I had a great time at the fair and met so many people and saw so many new things. I didn't pet any of the animals, so for now my cow lovey will have to do.

Our First Month

We have had a busy first month. Maddie is getting used to us....and we are getting used to her. I am amazed at how much she has changed in just 3 1/2 weeks now. Mike and I often sit and wonder just how much more she will change or what she will be like when she gets older. We love our little girl and are so blessed to have her in our lives. We know that she will bring us both joy and frustration in the weeks, months and years to come.....and we wouldn't have it any other way.

Maddie had many 'firsts' this month. One of her 'firsts' was a road trip to NY to visit her Great Grandparents and her cousins.

Great Grandma and Grandpa Porretta

Great Grandma Jane

'First' major blowout..........more to come I am guessing.

First college game day. Hanging out with Daddy and watching all of the games on a Saturday afternoon. Mommy really appreciates this because it gives her a chance to go to the store and pick up groceries or just catch a cat nap.

First bath! Miss Maddie didn't like it at first, but has quickly taken to the tub. She now starts crying when we turn the water off and take her out of the tub.

A long time coming

I know it's been a while since I've posted last, but things have just gotten away from me. Not that I plan on having much free time in the coming months, but I hope to be a little better about keeping the page up to date. So to catch everyone up on the BIG changes in our lives the past few months........we are no longer a family of 2 but a family of 3!

Madison (Maddie) Faith Porretta was born at 12:23 am on Sept. 2, 2009.

Our precious little one weighed in at 6 lb. 7 oz. and was 18 1/2 in. long.

Maddie looks A LOT like her Daddy and already has him tied around her tiny little finger.

While she has Daddy's looks, she has much of Mom's personality. She has a mind and a will of her own. She likes being in charge and to do things on her time and in her own way....often resulting in Mommy being tired from LONG nights up.

But Momma loves her little Maddie bug and wouldn't change her for the world!

We can't wait to share more pictures of Maddie over the next few months as she changes and grows. We know that there will be stories to share and memories to be made. Thank you in advance to all of out families and friends who will help makes those memories possible and for loving little Miss Maddie as much as we do.