August 18th, 2012

This month Madison did something so cute I had to record it. She has Learned many farm animal sounds. One of her favorites is a kitty cat because she has associated the sound with the animal. Our neighbor across the street has a cat and a couple days ago Madison stood out on the front porch, put her hands on her hips and called "MEOW, MEOW" thinking the kitty would come. It was cute. She since has learned kitty comes better when you say, "kitty, kitty" but it was so fun I had to make a record.

August 18th, 2012

Maddie is on second day of recovery and still at Primarys Children's Hospital. Dr's feel she needs to stay over night again as she isn't drinking much, and she needs iv again to prevent dehydration. It's taking a little longer than most to be released from the hospital for removal of tonsils, adnoids and the installation of ear tubes, but we just want Maddie to be better and ready. She refuses to eat and she isn't really drinking much. She's now on oxygen and an iv again, but she has gone from the narcotic meds to tylenol so hopefully, this will mean her throat is feeling a little better so with more fluids she can be ready to prove she is strong enough and feeling good enough to eat and leave the hospital. So many are praying for you sweetheart. You are our little fighter. You have been from the beginning. We love you!

August 16th, 2012

Madison's tonsilectomy has been moved up to today. This has been very nerve wracking for mom and dad. So many are friends and family are praying for our little Madison. Last night daddy and Brandon gave Maddie a blessing we know Heavenly Father will help Maddie thru this experience and on to a speedy recovery.

We started early, 5am to get over to Primary's children. Madison seemed excited about all the kid cars and toys and wagons. The morning was off to a good start the meds they gave her before surgery relaxed her to a state of silliness. She kept saying "wow, Wow". It was pretty funny. Surgery only took 45minutes. Recovery room was tough for mommy to see her sweet little girl in so much pain. Daddy was getting very anxious and concerned because it took so long to move into the overnight post op room. Maddie needed an additional dose of pain meds so it took a little longer. It was a tough first night. Dr Grimmer , Maddie's Surgeon felt Maddie wasn't ready to leave just yet as swallowing was too difficult so the iv stayed in till we were admitted to the hospital for an additional stay.

August 2nd, 2012

Madison brought over to daddy an Ensign Magazine and pointed to the picture and said "Jesus". Wow! Out of the mouth of babes.

August 1, 2012

Every day Maddie brings the plant watering can into the kitchen to be filled. She loves to go outside.

July 28th, 2012

Took Madison to water park today and swam around the lazy river. Maddie said "wee" . She loved it!

July 25, 2012

Went to an Ear Nose Throat dr this month after talking to pediatrician about Madison's lack of appetite the past 2 months, her recent development of sleep apnea and her recent loss of weight (1.5 lbs in 2 wks)and her 6 ear infections over last year. ENT said Madison had enlarged tonsils that needed to come out. Tonsilectomy has been set for August 30th at Primary Children's Hospital. Mommy and Daddy are having a difficult time accepting the need for this surgery.

July 23, 2012

For the first time after dinner, Madison handed mommy her plate to show that she was done eating rather than throwing her food on the floor. YEAH Maddie Mommy is so happy about this.

July 16, 2012

Madison is starting to selectively repeat words we say. And, say them in correct context. She is so smart.

July 14, 2012

Today Madison said "I love you" to daddy after he said it to her. It was the cutest.

July 11, 2012

Madison played with side walk chalk today. She loved it! She loves to use different colors with each stroke. Each time we go outside now, she heads for her bucket of chalk so she can create another colorful masterpiece.

June 12, 2012

Madison still shows a love for music. She has learned new words because of song lyrx to a few songs she has grown fond of such as "Itsy Bitsy Spider", "Head shoulders knees and toes", "Wheels on the bus", "Twinkle Twinkle little star", "Old McDonald", "Jesus wants me for a Sunbeam". Also, her head bobbing to music is now accompanied by bouncing and wiggling her hips. She grows more fun everyday. We just love her so much.

June 10, 2012

Today was Madison's first day of Nursery at church.

June 4, 2012

Madison stood up and walked to mommy at daycare today. She's walking more and more and has great balance. It's so awesome to see her getting more and more confident about her walking.

April 25, 2012

Maddie took her first steps today! So exciting!

April 20, 2012

Maddie's verbal skills are really beginning to develop and she is really trying to communicate more. She will often point to things she wants or things she is looking at. Madison will often repeat a word we say and it sounds so clear. She Loves to Say "Up" "Hi" and "Eye".
Recently, when she was climbing the stairs she pointed in front of her and said "UP". She's really quick to catch on. She is so funny... She loves to watch Disney's movie 'Tangled' and has proved that even at a very early age you can be a movie line quoter. Right before Flinn Rider replies to Rapunzels question of "How did you find me?" Flinn's response to Rapunzel is "I don't know how I came to find you or who you are but can I just say.. "Hi"." Maddie will say, right before Flinn or at the very same time, "Hi", using the same tone Flinn Rider does. It's so funny. We often rewind that part over and over just to hear her again and again. We get such a kick out of it.
Maddie loves to show us where her eyes are so she can say "eye". She can also show you where her nose and ears are too. She is trying with a squint to close her eyes during prayer now too, it's pretty cute. She's probably just copying mom who is peeking to see if Maddies eyes are closed.
Music-Madison still shows a great love for music. Whenever she hears it her bobbing up and down has progressed into swaying of her arms and shrugging of her shoulders. We'll definately have to put her into dance. She loves to move to the music.
Maddie started daycare in March and has finally started to adjust. Mom and dad haven't adjusted to all the colds she keeps catching and bringing home to share. But, she seems to enjoy all the toys and kids. She definately has a social spirit and loves to be around others especially little children.
Next weekend Maddie and Mom will fly to SC to visit Grandma and Grandpa Barksdale and all of her cousins. It should be a fun time!
Next month Mom and Dad look forward to taking Maddie to experience Disneyland for the first time! Maddie may not remember this trip, but mom and dad look forward to seeing her excitement over the characters.

February 2, 2012

Madison gets cuter and more beautiful every day. Her personality continues to develop as she explores the world around her. Her hair is really starting to grow too; little pigtails sure are cute on her. Her favorite things are bath time, crawling and most recently, climbing the stairs. She has traded in her favorite little bell for books and magazines-She loves to turn pages and tear paper. She now has 4 teeth with 3 others that have been slowly coming in. She really loves playing with Emery and Ashton during the day. And she loves mom and dad so much she doesn't want to even leave their side at bed time-sleeping in her own bed is not her favorite thing. We have recently found Maddie sitting up in bed and a couple times standing when we come to get her out. Eating vegetables not in a baby food jar has been a little challenging so mommy has introduced Maddie to the green smoothie which Madison gets very excited about. She is a green smoothie lover. This makes mommy happy! Weekends we look forward to spending time together. One of Maddies favorite things is to go visit the ducks at Sugar House Pond. Maddie is so fun! We love her.

January 8, 2012

Our little Madison is crawling! She's so awesome!
It's so fun to see the progression. She's so proud of herself. After a couple movements forward she'll look up at us just beaming with a smile.

We just adore this sweet little girl.
Love you Maddie.
Mommy & Daddy

November 11, 2011

Maddie's 1 yr dr visit went well. She weighed 18lbs 10.6 oz and was 28 inches long. After Maddie was pricked on the finger for her iron level, we found her sucking on the finger that was pricked. We found her chewing something and realized she had her bandaid in her mouth.
Daddy and Mommy thought we should journal one of Madison's favorite things to do at this age. She LOVES paper. She loves to tear it into tiny pieces and if she can get away with it, she loves to chew on it.

November 8th, 2011

Happy Birthday sweet baby Madison! You are truely our little princess.
It's amazing to think that 1 yr ago today you graced the world and our lives with your presence. You came in such a tiny frame weighing only 3lbs 7 oz, but you touched our lives in such a huge way. You have been such a light and a joy. Mommy and Daddy know of God's love because he gave us you. We love you so much!

November 7th, 2011

Madison is ever changing. She does some of the cutest things. Her new thing is shaking her head 'no'. I don't think she knows what it means yet. But she must like to move her head from side to side, and well sometimes in a circle because that gets in there too.
She is getting more and more hair. It's long enough now that it touches the back of her neck. She has fluffy hair and it stands up on end very easily. She wakes up with some really crazy hair dos. But, they're all cute on her.
We think Madison said "Hi" the other night. It wasn't in context of a greeting but it sure sounded like "Hi". She's so fun.
Her diet is now including formula, baby food veggies and fruits, and we've discovered that she LOVES cheerios and graham crackers for a treat as well as baby yogurt. She has also moved into babyfood meals and seems to eat those okay. She's got her 2 bottom front teeth and her top right tooth has broke thru the skin. Her little nose is runny and stuffy again and she's drooling so we think her left top tooth might be trying to make its way thru now too.
Madison is now rolling over on her own and this weekend, she took her first lunge forward towards crawling and both daddy and mommy jumped for joy. It was exciting to see!
It's hard to believe that our little Madison is turning the Big "1" tomorrow. It's been such a joy this past year and we've loved every minute of it. Spending time with our little sweetheart is mommy and daddy's favorite thing in the world to do.

October 19, 2011

We can hardly believe that in a few short weeks our little princess will be turning one. We will be going to Grandma& Grandpa Mortensen's for a princess party and to see her dig into her first Birthday cake. We are looking forward to that. Then 2 weeks later we'll be going to SC to Grandma &Grandpa Barksdale's house to celebrate again and then have Thanksgiving. It'll be the first time Mommy's brothers get to meet her, with the exception of Uncle Carter who drove out to Utah to see her after she got out of the hospital. Madison has so many little cousins that are super excited to see her. It'll be fun to see them all interact with one another.
Last weekend Madison learned to clap her hands. And for 2 days after she spent most of the day clapping to show off her new skill. Mommy and Daddy can't get enough of their little girl. She just brings so much joy. We love her so much.

September 9, 2011

Already Maddie is showing signs of being a part of a digital generation. Yesterday she reached out for Adrianna’s phone while we were talking and somehow found her daddy's phone number and was dialing it. Had his voicemail not come on it would have been interesting to see what she may have said in response. She loves her daddy.

August 22, 2011

Madison continues to change so much each week. It's fun to see her develop.
She is such a people person. She seems stimulated and energized being around others. We think she'll be an extrovert. It's not uncommon for her to reach out and softly touch the face of someone new she meets, especially if she senses that they are someone close to mommy and daddy. She also loves to JUMP in her jumper. Each week she does something new. She recently started grunting and pointing to a toy that is too far for her reach. Yesterday she started squinting really hard when she smiles. She's so cute. We can't get enough of her. She's so adorable.

August 3, 2011

It's amazing how much little Madison changes in only a couple weeks. She has been sitting up on her own for a while, but yesterday was the first day she ever rode in the seat of a grocery cart. And, she loved it! She also went in the swimming pool for the fist time this month and she had a smile on her face the whole time. She LOVES to kick her legs and splash the water.
Maddie is a daddy's girl. She is always poking daddy's arm for attention whenever he is around. She loves it when daddy plays and sings to her.
Maddie loves her tongue. She has it sticking out often and she likes to smile with her tongue hanging out. She's a happy baby and is so fun to have around. She has really taken a liking to holding onto little toys. She really loves toys. Especially,ones that make noise. When she see's them she smiles and reaches out for them.
Madison's first tooth has finally broken through the skin! It's so fun to see her progress and grow.

JULY 11, 2011

It's been a while since Mommy and Daddy have made a posting. So... we'll try to give an abridgement of the last 7 weeks....
Little Maddison is growing and getting MORE HAIR every day! She just turned 8 months old and her cute personality is starting to really show. She is such a sweetheart. She still loves to cuddle, which Mommy and daddy love. No teeth just yet, but she's definately teething so any time now we expect we'll see some little baby teeth popping up. Madison loves to be entertained... She loves to watch little children, she loves to bounce and often giggles when she does. She loves to play with mobiles and loves toys that make sounds, she reaches out for toys and wants to try to pick things up and holds them for a pretty long time. She's getting to be so strong. She LOVES the movie theater. Her first movie was Kung Fu Panda2 and her eyes were glued the whole time. We were amazed at her attention span. Must have been the big movie screen. We love Maddies smile. There's a twinkle in her eye and that smile is so warm and adorable. She often sticks out her tongue while smiling too. She is full of love and joy. We love the sweetness that she brings to our life. Daddy and Mommy never knew life could be so sweet just by having sweet Maddie come to their life. She is such a blessing.
We're blessed to have 2 really wonderful friends who watch Madison during the day and Maddie loves to see their children each week. In fact, Adrianna has created a daily blog which we are so thrilled about. If you'd like to become a follower the blog website is as follows:
www.littlesistermaddie.blogspot.com/

MAY 20th 2011

It's hard for us to believe Madison is already 6 months old. She is doing really great. She's now a little over 12lbs and a very happy baby. She smiles all the time now.

Easter weekend Grandma & Grandpa Barksdale, and all of Daddy's family came out for Madison's baby blessing and many friends also acompanied this event as well as our family's sealing in the Oquirhh Mountain Temple. It was a very special weekend-one we will never forget.

Madison is so fun. She LOVES bathtime. We are sure she's going to love swimming. She also loves to see mickey mouse on the tv or daddy's phone or IPAD. It's been fun to introduce disney to her. A place we will definately visit when she is older.

Madison is is still working on learning to turn over and sit up on her own, but she is almost there. She has recently been introduced to rice cereal banannas and avocados. She seems to enjoy trying new foods. She especially seemed to enjoy the bannanas as she grabbed the spoon and tried to get it in her mouth quicker than she was being fed. That was pretty funny to watch. She's a sweetheart and now that she's here,Mommy and Daddy can't imagine life without their sweet Madison.

March 20th 2011

It's been a few months since our last update and so much has happened. Madison is healthy and growing like a weed. She is now 4 months old and 10 pounds. She is so alert and always moving. We love her energy! She is always moving her arms and legs. She's like a little bird flapping its wings. We think she might skip crawling and go straight to running or maybe flying. Her little personality is really starting to develop and she is so sweet and such a cutie. Every morning when we get her out of her crib she gives us a big smile-It just warms mommy and daddy's heart to see that sweet smile. She is starting to giggle now and we can tell already she's going to be a talker. She loves to hear her voice.
Grandma Barksdale left the first of February, and we miss her. Grandma Mortensen is here now to stay with Maddie till RSV season is over. It's been fun for her to bond with her granddaughter, and fun for Maddie to have her grandma play with her and sing to her and tell her stories during the day. We're certain by the time Grandma Mortensen leaves, Maddie will know how to blow a rasberry.
Maddie experienced her first Jazz game. Daddy's work reserved a suite at the Energy Solutions building. Madison fit right in with her Jazz bib, and even though she slept through the entire game, it was an exciting win for the Jazz that night!
Next month is a big month for our family. Madison will be getting blessed and we will be sealed as a family. So much to look forward to.

January 8th Update

Madison is doing great! She is growing big. She still looks like a little doll baby, but she is almost twice the size she was at birth. Mommy and daddy are learning each day Maddie's likes and dislikes. Different from the baby in the NICU who fell asleep in the middle of her feedings, this cute baby now tells us, like clockwork, when it's time to eat. Madison also loves to soak in a warm bath-she loves the water. She is definitely going to be a swimmer! Daddy can't wait to teach her how to swim. Madison is such a good baby. She hardly cries and she is good natured and so sweet. We just love her more and more every day.
A highlight of the past couple weeks was having Grandpa Barksdale visit from SC. This was his first time seeing little Maddie and he just loved her and kept saying what a pretty little girl and what a sweet little girl. Maddie loves grandpa too. She felt comfortable and fell asleep in his arms.
Also, posted on todays blog is a picture of Maddie with Grandma Barksdale who has been staying with mommy and daddy to help with Maddie. Grandma is always able to get Maddie to sleep. Grandma has been a life savor as she gets the 2am and sometimes the 5am feedings. Maddie loves her grandma, and loves it when grandma rocks her to sleep. Mommy and daddy have been so grateful for Grandma Barksdale's help. We're beginning to think that baby Madison might be the only one in the house getting any sleep, but we just think shes so cute and we just love her.

December 25th Update

Madison made it home in time for Christmas. It was definitely mommy & daddy's best Christmas ever. She was our little Christmas miracle. We are so thrilled to have this sweet little spirit in our home. It's amazing how our home feels complete in a way we never knew it could. We were missing our sweet little Maddie. We've updated our pictures with some of the highlights of our Christmas. A family picture on Christmas Eve of a very tired mommy and daddy and a growing little Maddie. She is now twice her birth weight. She's growing every day. The highlight of our Christmas was that Uncle Carter and Auntie Amber drove all the way from SC to see little Maddie and give her a special gift. They remodeled her bedroom and made it a room fit for a princess. She is so loved by her family. Also, we've posted some little gifts from Mommy and Daddy. Some apparel baring daddy's favorite sports teams, that's right Maddie is a Steeler and Jazz fan and she doesnt even realize it yet. Maddie also received her first Disney book Im sure she will be excited when she is old enough to hear all of these fun stories.

December 17 Update

Hey all! Maddie has been home for 3 1/2 days now and all is well for the most part. Daddy and Mommy are trying to get on her schedule as she is determined to continue to want to snack every hour or so. Mommy and Daddy are trying to be stringent and make sure she is feeding every 3 hours, but Maddie seems to counter with taking a half a bottle and then falling asleep. After scratching her head, rubbing her chin, and moving the bottle around in her mouth she occasionally will finish the bottle but it takes her an average of 45-50 mins to complete the process.

Sometimes she will surprise us and take more than her minimum. And so it seems to average out. Daddy and Mommy think she is just a prankster and is trying to play jokes on us. Anyway we are happy to have her home, even though she is keeping us on our toes.

We hope all of you enjoy the new pictures we posted. These were taken as she was being discharged. We will continue to try to post every few days or so, so those of you that have been following the blog will be able to keep up on how she is doing.

December 14th Update

Madison was discharged today from the NICU! She ate good through the night, but didn't gain as much weight as they would have liked so she had to stay for another couple of feedings and then weigh in again, now weighing 5 lbs 10.8 ounces, we finally got the green light to go home!! We were so thrilled. We felt like little kids on Christmas day-so much excitement. Daddy brought his video camera and recorded the whole event of Maddie leaving the hospital, getting into the car and being brought across the thresh hold of her new home. We couldn't stop watching her sleep when we brought her to her new bed. And,we practically drew straws to see who would get to feed her first. We knew the straw game would probably not be so appealing when the middle of the night came though. However, we were so thrilled our sweet daughter was finally home!

Now that the NICU journey has come to an end we will probably drop the entries to bi-weekly so that family and friends can still get an update on how sweet Maddie is doing. We will notify everyone when we choose a calendar date her baby blessing.

If you'd like to check out some pictures that were taken of Maddie with Mommy & Daddy at the hospital yesterday view the following website:
http://www.our365.com/NewbornPortraits/BabyDetail.aspx?birthid=42459e4b-e92d-4541-a33c-69ae8342b74d
password: 727301345630241

December 13th Update

Maddie is coming home! We get to bring our little bundle of joy home either tomorrow or Wednesday. We find out tomorrow morning! We are so excited we can hardly stand it. She's been off the feeding tube for 48 hours now and although her feedings are still slightly slow and sluggish, the doctor may release her tomorrow. We know it'll be a lot of work but we have been waiting for this day for a long time and we are up for the challenge and are so grateful for the opportunity and the sweet blessing.
Our hearts are full of gratitude at this time to so many who have given us support, encouragement and love during Maddie's journey. We are so blessed with so many wonderful friends and family. We will keep you posted as we learn more.

December 12th Update

Madison is such a sweetie. Daddy fed his sweet baby girl tonight. He's the "finisher"-kinda like in baseball. Mommy starts the feeding, and then when Maddie starts to fall asleep, daddy comes in and finishes it off. It works like a charm; however, it's not an ideal set up for the middle of the night feedings. Mommy and the nurses had fun dressing cute princess Madison up in fun Christmas outfits and taking a couple fun pictures tonight while her bottle was warming. Daddy thinks she'll love Mommy for those pictures when she's older.
This morning Madison's feeding tube was taken out. She has taken the bottle for 24 hours and she has gained more weight. She is now at 5 lbs 8.3 ounces. Maddie tuckered out again this evening with one of her feedings. Her nurse was threatening the tube again,but said she'd wait a couple more feedings to see how she does. We hate the thought of her having that tube being put in again, but we want to make sure she is eating. She's definitely gaining weight. So she seems to be doing good. Hopefully, a little more rest will give her the stamina she needs to finish her next bottle. Tomorrow Madison is at her 37 week mark. This is a common point that baby's seem to be stronger and get to go home. We are hoping that is the case for Maddie. We are anxious to have our sweet baby home.

December 11th Update

Maddie has taken most all of her feedings today by bottle. She's really picking up her stamina However, she doesn't quite have the vigor of a newborn, but she is a preemie, so she is still a sleepy girl. It takes so much energy for her to eat. We are finding that it does hep for Maddie to finish her bottles in a short amount of time because then she gets more rest time in between feedings. Madison did go back up in her weight today so that is good. Also, she is now 18 inches long and her weight is now at 5lbs 5.2ounces. Tomorrow is Sunday and Mommy and Daddy look forward to spending more time with little Madison.

December 10th Update

Maddie is so close to coming home! She is doing so awesome today! She took all of her feedings by bottle. She is really showing more energy-she finished her bottles within 10-20 minutes which is very timely. The NICU case manager says if she keeps this up, we could be looking at the beginning of next week for discharge! She went down a little in weight, but probably because she is using so much energy to eat each bottle. Her weight is now 5lbs 4.10 ounces. The nurses tell us she is a favorite in the NICU, and that they will miss her, but really look forward for her to be at home with her mom & dad. We can't wait to see how she does tomorrow!

December 9th Update

Maddie is really doing great! The day of rest yesterday really made a difference in her energy level. Today she finished each of her bottles in 10-15 minutes. She was wide awake and looking around,ready to eat. It's amazing how one day can make such a difference in these little babies progress. Because of her increased stamina this afternoon, the nurses increased the frequency of Madison's bottle feedings from 2 tubal feeding & 1 bottle to 1 tubal feeding & 2 bottle. Today her weight is up to 5lbs 5 ounces.
Little Maddie is in charge of when she comes home. When she is strong and ready, then it will be time. We think it will be very soon. She will definitely be our Christmas miracle.

December 8th Update

Today makes 1 month since Madison's birth! It's hard to believe that much time has already gone by. Mommy spent the entire day with Madison today.Daddy also came to visit twice today. We love seeing her every chance we get. Today her bottle feedings were weak so most of her meals went through the feeding tube. She went up again in weight. Today she was 5lbs 4.2ounces..
The nurses tell us that they're not really suppose to have favorites, but she is definitely a favorite because she's so sweet and so cute. Maddie is definitely one that will steel your heart.

December 7th Update

Madison continues to grow; she is now at 5lbs 2.4ounces. She is still resting and doing well on her couple bottle feedings during the day. Mommy and daddy came in to feed Maddie's bottles to her today and she was alert and finished her bottles in 10 minutes. The rest is helping her with her energy level. She will be home before we know it!

December 6th Update

It is apparent the feeding tube was needed and Maddie was needing more rest. She is on a feeding schedule of 2 tubal feedings and then 1 bottle feeding. Because of the needed extra rest, Maddie is wide awake at the hour of her bottle feeding. She is still so little and so young so she doesn't quite have the stamina to finish her entire bottle yet.Today Madison weighs 5 lbs 1 ounce.

December 5th, Update

Madison has made it to 5lbs!!! She is now big enough to fit into her car seat! Little Maddie is still struggling with having a vigorous feeding. She is still so young and it is common for preemies to take longer because they don't have the stamina quite yet. It's possible that because Maddie was doing so well with everything else, that maybe her feeding tube was taken out prematurely. And,now she hasn't been able to keep up to where the doctors want her to be so she can maintain her weight when she goes home. In order to give little Maddie a break and allow her more sleep time to grow and allow her bottle feedings to be more vigorous, the nurse will be putting Maddie's feeding tube back in tonight so she can rest longer in between feedings. They think that after a day or so she should be able to handle her bottle feedings a little better and have more stamina every 3 hours when it's time to eat. We weren't excited to hear the tube would be going back in, but we want Madison to be strong enough to eat on her own. And, we wouldn't want her coming home before she's ready. We love our little girl and are so proud of her progress.

December 4 Update

Madison is getting closer to coming home, although her feedings aren't going as well as the Doctors want yet. The Doctors have said that in order for her to come home she will need to take her feedings within 20-25 mins. Maddie has been finishing the feedings but she tires after around half of the bottle and has been falling asleep in the middle of the feedings. After much effort and about 40 mins she is downing the bottles. But she is a little bugger in that as soon as she is laid back in her crib she opens her eyes and wants to play. We can't understand why she cant be more awake while feeding? Maddie weighed in at 4 pounds 15.6 ounces which is also a concern for the Doctors as she is not experiencing a lot of weight gain once she has been on the bottle entirely. But for now she has stayed away from having her feed tube back so this is a good sign.

Mommy and Daddy brought in Maddies car seat for her test, which the Doctors say she shouldn't have a problem passing. The car seat test is essentially putting her into the car seat with all of her monitors and if she is able to maintain her oxygen for two hours she passes the test. This is the last remaining test she needs to pass in order to come home.

Decenber 3rd, Update

Madison is almost at the 5 pound mark! She is now 4 lbs 15.5 ounces! Her doctor says she's like a little miracle baby to be doing so well at only 35 weeks having been born at 32 weeks. And, it would definitely be something if she came home this early. Madison is still working on becoming a more vigorous eater. They've increased her feedings to 40 cc's, but she is tiring out before her bottle is through. Being a more active participant in the feeding process is the last thing on little Maddie's discharge list to accomplish. Our sweet little girl has worked so hard and has pushed to get this far. We love her and are so proud of all her progress. And, she's got a lot of family and friends who love her and are cheering for her too. We're so thankful for everyone's love and support.

December 2nd Update

Madison continues to grow! Today she only gained 15 grams, but she is still getting bigger. She is now at 4lbs 13.10 ounces. Before long she'll hit the 5lb mark and be able to fit in her car seat carrier.
Maddie is such a cutie. It seems every day we see her she looks a little different. It's amazing how fast they change. It's been fun to see her in clothes now. Her little outfits look like little doll clothes because she's so little still. She's so precious. We just love her so much.
It's been fun to talk to the nurses everyday and hear them give us updates. We are learning that many of the nurses, ones that don't even take care of her like to come over to her crib and watch her. They tell us Maddie is just so cute and they say she never cries unless she's being put on the weighing scale. Also, that she makes lots of cute faces and is very animated. Sounds like our little one will be very entertaining for mommy and daddy. We can't wait till she's home and we can enjoy her more.

December 1st Update

Maddie's weight increased by 22 grams tonight putting her at 4lbs 13.6 ounces. She'll be at 5 pounds before we know it. Tonight daddy did his first bottle feeding with Madison. He looked like a natural! Maddie is proving to be a good eater. She is still hitting her goal of 38 cc's per feeding. This will keep the feeding tube from having to be put back in. However, she still gets a little tired near the end of her feeding, but she's making great progress. Mommy got to change Maddie's diaper for the first time tonight. She's such a petite little girl. We were excited when the nurses told us tonight Maddie will definitely be home before Christmas. This will be Mommy & daddy's BEST Christmas EVER!

November 30th Update

We have more exciting news to share!! Madison's feeding tube was taken out today! (See latest picture) We're so excited! Mommy's not sure if it's her changing hormones or her excitement about Maddie's latest improvement that made her cry tonight. It's so exciting to see her sweet little face with no tubes or wires. We are so proud of our little feisty girl who is working hard. Madison also went up an ounce today; She is now at 4lbs 13 ounces. We love our little Maddie.

November 29th Update

It's so fun to see Maddie in her open crib. She's just so cute and it makes taking pictures so much easier without the glare of her glass condo. We thought for sure after that diaper last night her weight would have jumped down, but she keeps surprising us. Her weight was up again today;Maddie weighed in at 4lbs 12 ounces. She continues to eat and grow!!! Those dreams of getting BIGGER are working! Daddy will have to keep whispering this in her ear.

November 28th Update

Our adorable little Madison has grown almost a whole inch since birth! She is now 17.25 inches in length! And, tonight the scale showed an impressive 5.50 ounce gain, but we are thinking she was filling her diaper at the time of her weigh in. Her weight went from 4lbs 5.7 ounces to 4lbs 11.2 ounces. We expect when they change that loaded diaper she'll be closer to yesterday's weight.

Now that Madison is in an open crib she is no longer wearing just a diaper, but is in cute little preemie outfits that look like doll clothes. Today mommy got to put an outfit on little Maddie. Mommy was excited and took her time to be very careful as Maddie is so tiny. Daddy caught it all on camera. Mommy will need to preview the video before she lets daddy post it on the blog. We look forward every day to seeing our sweet baby girl and hearing of her amazing progress. The nurses say she is a champ and is doing everything they would expect of her. She is so sweet and doing so awesome! We love her and are so proud of her.

November 27th Update

Today Madison made huge progress! She has been able to prove she can regulate her own body temperature so she has graduated from the isolett to an open crib! Mommy & daddy are so happy as this puts little Maddie that much closer to coming home. Daddy got to have the honors of moving her. It was an exciting moment.

Also, today little Madison showed off her eating skills when mom&dad came to visit. She ate 44 cc's from the bottle! This is the most she's eaten from the bottle or at one feeding yet. It's been a big day for baby Madison.

November 26th Update

Madison had a little set back on her weight today. She went from 4lbs 5.7 ounces to 4lbs 3.2 ounces. However, she's been using a lot more energy on practicing bottle feedings. The NICU nurses often remind us that its a "2 steps forward and 1 step backwards" process.But,overall, it was a good day for little Maddie. Mom & dad had a good day too as they got to hold little Maddie and love on her a little. Daddy got to put little Maddie in her crib and tuck her in. Mommy enjoyed watching as daddy smiled from ear to ear as he did it. It's amazing how much joy and happiness this little one brings.

November 25th Update

Happy 1st Thanksgiving to our little Madison! We can't think of anything we're more grateful for than you. And, we're so grateful to our wonderful Father in Heaven for blessing us with such a precious little girl. We're also grateful at this time for the wonderful nurses and doctors at St. Marks who have been so wonderful. And for sweet family and friends who have been praying for you and asking about your progress and who've been there all along the way offering their love and support. We are so blessed and truly recognize the hand of the Savior in helping our little family during this time. We are so humbled and so grateful.

Today mom, dad and grandma Barksdale spent their Thanksgiving with Madison. We spent time holding and loving her. It was such a special day. Madison is so adorable and sweet. We just love her. The nurses took Maddie's O2 off last night, and told us today that ironically her oxygen-saturation levels were better now with the O2 off than when it was on. She also ate 20 cc's from the bottle at 2am this morning, and then let mommy feed her 16 cc's from the bottle at 2pm, and then again at 8pm she ate another 16 cc's from the bottle. She is really pushing to get to the next level. She is continuously amazing mom and dad of her progress and with how strong willed she is. She is amazing to us. She is now up 36 cc's per feeding, and her weight today is now up to 4lbs 5.7 ounces. She's growing stronger..the nurses tell us also that she has strong legs. She is always kicking her legs and throwing her blanket off. We are thrilled with her progress and look forward every day to having her home soon.

November 24th Update

Maddie continues to grow like a weed. Her weight is now at 4lbs 4.7 ounces. Today she ate 12 cc's from the bottle. She is really trying to work on those sucking skills.Now to just regulate that body temperature so she can move from her glass condo, isolett, into the open crib. This will be soon if she keeps up her volume of eating and digesting. As Madison increases the volume of her food intake her body is more able to regulate it's body temperature.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and we're not thinking about cooking or eating till we're stuffed. All we can think about is our beautiful daughter and what a gift she is,and how grateful we are and how blessed we feel. She is our special little angel and we are so humbled to be her parents.

November 23rd Update

The day's visits with Maddie were cut short as a major storm threatened to hit Northern Utah. Daddy was rushing to get to the hospital from Tooele where he was working for the day and was only able to see her for a few minutes for the day as he was worried about the looming storm. But Mommy, Daddy, and Grandma were able to spend a little time with her and Kim held and fed her. She ate 10 cc's from the bottle which is the most thus far. We are really proud of her.

Maddie is growing consistently and she weighed in at 4lbs 3.1 ounces. She is growing so fast and one of the concerns we have is that she would be ready to leave the hospital before she hits 5 pds because our car seat is a min of 5 pds. But at the rate she is growing we may not have to worry about that.

The nurse tonight mentioned Maddie has really strong legs as she has been kicking her legs out of the blankets and up against the door of the isolet. We believe this as we have seen those little legs go when she is excited. :)

November 22nd Update

Baby Madison is GROWING... today she weighed in at 4 lbs 1 ounce, she gained 2.2 ounces in 1 day! She is still maintaining her feedings at 34 cc's with no residual; she is digesting it all. She was still in a slumber all day today, and has been really sleepy the past 3 days. We're told she grows when she sleeps... and this little girl must be dreaming about being BIGGER because the scale is showing just that. Mommy got to hold little Maddie up to her skin for todays visit and it was a special bonding moment. Baby Maddie seemed to like it too as she cuddled up to mom, and gave a big yawn and stretch when the nurse took her back to her little warm house. Daddy said today, that he thought it was just him, because he was definately bias, but everytime we go to visit Madison someone new is telling us how beautiful or how cute our sweet little Maddie is. We definately think so. We love her and can't wait to have her home.

November 21st Update

Madison is such a sweetheart. She continues to get bigger and cuter everyday. Today she weighed 3lbs 14.8 ounces and her feeding has gone up to 34 cc's. We learned that her recent setback on having to put her back on oxygen is due to her increased food she is being given. The nurse explained that as she is getting bigger and having to digest more food it requires more oxygen and her little lungs aren't able to pump as fast to keep her saturation levels up. Although we also found out that the oxygen they are giving her is very small she is averaging about 10-15cc's which is almost their lowest setting.

She was really lethargic when we visited her today and we tried to feed her but she only took in 4 cc's. I guess she just wanted to sleep she only opened her eyes a few times to make sure we were still there watching her.

November 20th Update

Today was Madison's baby shower. We're so grateful for so many wonderful friends and family who came in honor of little Maddie. Thank you to our dear friends for your beautiful gifts. We so love and appreciate you. Maddie will be looking so cute with her new wardrobe. And, thank you to our sweet friends who planned and hosted the shower. We appreciate your kindness and generousity.

While mommy was at Maddie's shower, daddy took grandpa Mortensen to the hospital where he had fun taking some pictures of his 'Princess Madison'. Today Madison went up 50 grams in weight; she is now at 3lbs 13.7 ounces. She did have a tiny set back and was put back on oxygen for the evening to help increase her saturation level. But, this is pretty normal because she's so little still. We love our little Maddie, and know she's a fighter so she'll be off the oxygen again, in no time.

November 19th Update

Maddies greatest highlight of the day was to be able to see her Grandma and Grandpa Mortensen as they came to visit her from Wyoming. It was a special night as Grandpa was able to see her for the first time and has already nicknamed her "Princess Madison." Grandma was excited as she was able to hold her for the first time. Maddie had so much fun that she slept right through it, but she made sure she kept one eye open so she could see what was going on.

Maddie's doing well as she is up to her full minimum feedings of 30 CC's, until she gets a little bigger. She had gained only a few tenths of an ounce during her weigh in today.

November 18th Update

Madison is now up to 3lbs 12.3 ounces. She continues to grow and lengthen her stride. She is now up to 30 cc's, the minimum feeding to keep out her IV. She has progressed so much in such a short time.
The next steps for Madison is to continue working on maintaining her body temperature so she can be taken out of the isolett unit. She will then move into an open crib. Once there, she will continue to work at increasing her food intake while working on eating without the use of the feeding tube. After she is able to maintain in these areas all she has left to do is eat her way out of the NICU. Our sweet little girl is such a fighter and anxious to come home. We love her and are so proud of her.
Lance and Kim were able to spend some time with Maddie last night. Mommy got to hold her precious baby. What a sweet moment. She's so pure and innocent. Straight from heaven. It's so easy to feel peace and love from our Heavenly Father just looking at her.

November 17th Update

Madison is consistent in her progress. She is a super star!!! By this morning she was up to 24 cc's of food per feeding and is not being fed fluids thru her IV anymore. Mommy has been home 2 days now and is still battling high blood pressure numbers, but is so glad to be out of the hospital and in her own bed.
By evening Madison had made some new impressive progress. She had reached 27 cc's and gained 2 ounces from the day before. She is now weighing 3lbs 10.8 ounces. The nurses also took out Maddies IV and the only thing she has in now is her feeding tube. The suck, swallow, breathe skill is something babies are stronger at by their 34th week, but already little Madison is showing off this skill. The nurses try to bottle feed once a day to give her the opportunity to practice this, and she is already proving to have it down. However, because it takes so much energy she usually falls asleep before she's eaten her serving. Both Lance and Kim were able to hold Maddie for about 10 minutes yesterday. It was worth every second! She's such a little sweetie and we love her so much. Seeing her is all we think about now.

November 16 Update

Our sweet baby Madison continues to be such an inspiration to us as she makes diligent strides forward in the NICU. She is now up to 20 cc's per feeding. Each time her feeding increases she's that much closer to having her IV removed. And, her weight is almost back up to her birth weight again. She's up to 3.69lbs!
Mommy is now home and on bed rest trying to stabilize her blood pressure. Today it was too high, so daddy made the visits alone to see Madison. By his evening visit, Maddie's feeding was up to 23 cc's and her weight had gone up to 3.9lbs. She is now past her birth weight!!! We are so proud of her!!! She'll be off her IV before we know it.
We look forward daily to seeing her and hearing an update on her progress. She continues to amaze us daily with her constant improvement. We love to visit her and just watch her. Looking at her it is evident that our Heavenly Father loves his children. And, the way we feel for her it's so easy to have a glimpse of understanding how precious each one of us is in his sight.
We want to take the opportunity today to express deep appreciation for our family and our wonderful friends that have been such a support to us during this time. We love and so appreciate you more than words can express.

November 15 Update

We caught some more footage of Maddie today as the nurse was taking her out to weigh her which hopefully is not an indication at her future tantrums, she was not happy at all being woken up from her slumber, we will have this on the website soon. She is weighed 3.67 pounds which is almost her birth weight.

She is up to 18 cc's of food per feeding now and her IV is being turned down each time at feeding. The nurses think that by Tuesday she may be off her IV completely only leaving the feeding tube and her monitor lines that will be attached going forward. We were really excited to hear this.

Kim was discharged tonight at around 7pm. And is on bed rest at home, and the Doctors think it will be several weeks before her blood pressure will return to normal levels. We will keep monitoring her and she has promised to take it easy for a few weeks to get ready for Maddie to come home.

November 14 Update

Maddie our little sweetheart has been doing so well. The nurses have said that with preemies they will usually take two steps forward and one step back, but in Madison's case she has just been making strides forward. We are so proud that she has been doing so well.

Sunday was a day behind the camera for her as we were able to take some good footage of her awake, waving and smiling at the camera, look for the footage soon on the site. Andrea and Ryan also came on Sunday and she had a photo shoot for Mommies baby shower this weekend.

Kim is still in the hospital and we are hoping she comes home Monday. We learned that her case was the worse case of preeclamsia this week at St Marks. She has been still struggling to get her blood pressure down.

November 13 Update

Today has been another good day and Madison continues to improve. The nurses tell us she's a "Rock Star" down in the NICU, and we believe it! She's so amazing to us as she makes such quick progress. Today she came off her oxygen completely-she is now breathing entirely on her own. She is also up to (11) cc's of food, and continues to digest it all. Today she is also improving on regulating her own body temperature. Before we know it she'll be out of her isolette and in a crib.
Grandma Barksdale got to visit with Madison for about an hour today. She was also told by the NICU nurses what a "fiesty" little girl Maddie is. We are thrilled to know we've got such a fighter. She is so beautiful. Mommy and daddy can't get enough of her. We love spending every minute we can just watching her. She's a beautiful little girl. It's neat to think that she recognizes our voices. The nurses tell us her oxygen level and heart rate both go up when we are there because she's excited. That always makes us feel good to know that she can improve just because we're present.
She is such a precious and special little girl. We are so grateful for her. We feel so humbled and blessed to have her in our lives.

November 12 Update

We learned from the nurses yesterday that Maddie is now taking in 7 cc's of milk now during her feedings. And Mom was able to feed her for her first time with a bottle in which Maddie did really well at feeding but she was a bit slow, (I think she was just savoring every drop of milk).

Mom and Dad were able to hold her yesterday and after they put her in her bed she performed for us by smiling and waving for us in which you can see in the video footage that we have uploaded.

The nurses also mentioned that they perform a test to determine if she is digesting all of the food they have been giving her called a residual test. It appears that everything is looking good as she has been digesting her food well. The nurses have also mentioned that they have backed off the amount of oxygen they are giving her which is a sign that her lungs are working a lot better. All in all little Maddie is working really hard right now to get better and is doing really well.

Kim on the other hand has been having some continued problems with her blood pressure and on Thursday the doctors moved her back on the Labor and Delivery floor for 24 hr observation and help in flushing out some of her fluids. She is also struggling with keeping her oxygen levels in tact. However after this short stint in Labor and Delivery she is now back on the Maternity floor and it appears her body is finally on the road to recovery.

Thanks again all for your prayers and blessings... We really appreciate all of you.

November 11 Update

Many of you are aware we welcomed our little angel into this world on Monday, November 8, 2010 at approx 9:54 pm. Kim had gone to the hospital that morning for tests. She had been placed on bed rest the week before due to complications related to high blood pressure. Monday night the doctors decided to deliver her as her blood pressure was rising and they were not able to control it.

Maddie was born at the 32 week 2 day mark in the pregnancy which means she will be in the NICU until sometime close to Christmas. However she is doing really well. On the first day the doctors in the NICU put her on a ventilator but that was only in her for approx 5 hours while they coated her lungs with a steroid that helped fill in the tiny holes in her lungs so that she is able to breathe on her own. Since then she has had a little trouble with her breathing but she is doing really well.

On Wednesday night the doctors started feeding her and she has responded really well to feedings. By Thursday night she was up to 3 cc's of food every 3 hours and the doctors will up the amount every day.

Thursday they also put her into an isolet which will keep her temperature regulated. Her little body is doing what it can to keep warm but this will ensure she is kept at the right temperature to survive this ordeal.

Thursday she received a priesthood blessing by Lance and the Bishop and the most amazing thing happened during the blessing she reached up and grabbed onto the Bishop's pinky finger. She must have really loved the blessing she received.

We would like to thank you all for the support and blessings you have poured out on little Maddie and Kim. Please keep them coming and we will try to update the site daily so all of you can know of her progress.