First Photo Shoot...

Most of you know I HATE having my picture taken (maybe some repressed post-traumatic stress from having to do "sorority pose" eleventy billion times in college) but we just had the most amazing photo session ever with Maddie! First of all, big ups to Jake and Erica at Erica Joyce Photography for working so hard and with such difficult subjects. You can link to their website and blog under "Links" on the left. I wanted all you guys to be able to see how amazing the shots were, so here is a link to the slideshow...

www.ericajoyce.com/cust/greinerbaby

I am probably going to buy a CD that has all the pictures and the rights to reprint them, so if anyone would like a picture, just let me know and I will either email it you, or mail you a copy after I get the CD!

Also, just for giggles...during Day 1 of the two day shoot, Andy had to change his shirt FIVE TIMES in one day, due to the baby pooping, peeing, pooping again, and throwing up all over him. It was hilarious. He says he's going to dress as a toilet for Halloween now. He just hasn't learned that essential rule of parenthood: Handle a naked baby more carefully than a loaded gun!

On our own....

Oh No! GiGi (or G-Ma, depending on the situation) had to go home on Saturday! So the Greiners of Texas are going it alone. So far, so good. The biggest snag over the last week has been my bout with Mastitis. What is mastitis, you might ask? Well, the Mayo Clinic defines it as:

"...an infection of the breast tissue that causes pain, swelling and redness of the breast. Mastitis most commonly affects women who are breast-feeding, although in rare circumstances this condition can occur outside of lactation.
Often, mastitis occurs within the first six weeks after birth (postpartum), but it can happen later during breast-feeding. The condition can leave you feeling exhausted and rundown, making it difficult to care for your baby."

I define it as the sickest I have ever felt in my life, complete with a 103.5 degree fever, a swollen, red, agonizingly painful, knotted up boob, cold sweats, chills, and shakiness so bad I couldn't hold a glass, let alone a newborn. "Exhausted and run down?" That was obviously written by a man. I literally felt like I was going to die for about 36 straight hours. Thank God Andy is the best Daddy ever and was able to take care of Maddie.

Needless to say, my sickness made it hard on everyone when Mom had to leave, but I am feeling better and strapped to the hospital grade breast pump like a Mayfield cow. No wonder people give up on breastfeeding!

Because I was so sick, Labor Day weekend was sort of a bust, but two fun things did happen. First, Maddie got to meet her Auntie Audra and her friend Neely! Just because Neely is still in utero doesn't mean they shouldn't be properly introduced.




Second, she watched the Tennessee game with her Daddy, and he was so happy to be holding her he didn't even throw too big of a fit when the Vols blew it AGAIN.

There's always next week!