Maci's 2 Month Check Up

Bad Mommy here who was so anxious about Maci's shots that I didn't take any pictures of her at the Dr's Office for her big 2 month Appointment!

We had the appointment on Tuesday, just a few days after the true 2 month birthday.  Maci weighed a solid 7lbs and 15oz, just shy of the 8lb mark that I guessed she would be.  This is great weight gain since she has gained 2 lbs in one month since her first month of life was spent just getting her back to birth weight of 5lbs 15oz - YAY Maci!  She is also 20 1/2 inches now, up about an inch from birth.  Her head was also bigger which is a great sign of all her brain development :-)  Maci's size is in the lower quartile but the Dr was happy to tell us she is on the charts so there are other babies at her age and size, she is just petite and good things sure come in small packages!!

After the standard weight, height etc.  I ran through my long list of questions and as usual the Dr did an awesome job of answering them and not making me feel like a crazy lady - man I love our pediatrician!  After we had fun hearing how cute Maci is, how advanced she is by her alertness, cooing and strength (she almost crawled during her tummy time check) we had to get ready for the shots.  Thank goodness Clint was able to leave work for the appointment because I could not be the one holding down those lil thighs for the shots =(  Maci had to get three shots and an additional one orally.  She was a real trooper but man did she scream her little head off.  It sure pulled on both mommy and daddy's heart strings.  Little girl was a total hot mess!!  She bled quite a bit from the one shot because the nurse may have hit a vein which I guess is common in the little legs but OUCH!!  In addition, little Maci peed when she got the shots but peed and wiggled so much that it all came out of her diaper.  So there was little Maci on a Dr office table with three band aids that were too big for her legs and pee soaked bloody tissue paper on the table - what a scene!

We are hoping for a less dramatic 4 month check up and hopefully Clint and I will be a little less tense as well!!  Maci and I are getting ready for bed and we have Mommy and Me lunch outing tomorrow!  Then when we wake up on Friday morning Nanny and Grandpa Mondell will be here!!!  We cant wait to spend the long weekend with Clint's parents to celebrate Easter, Clint's 35th Birthday and Maci!!!  Travel Safe Mondells!!

Lots of Love,
C, K & M

Maci is 2 Months!!

Before we get into the 2 month fun, I will update everyone on the rest of our week!

Wednesday - Maci had her 2 week check up with the leg brace for her hips.  The Dr feels they have gotten better already and she had to loosen the brace a bit because Maci has grown so much!  We are still very positive that at the 5 1/2 almost 6 week appointment, we will be able to remove the brace and potentially only wear it at night to ween her off the brace!!  Maci was quite the ham and kept showing off her new smiles to the Dr and Nurse!  She was also up a whole pound since her last appointment 2 weeks ago - BIG GIRL!!!!

Thursday - Clint had to go to Texas for a work trip with his new job.  So daddy got to play in warm weather and get a good night sleep in a hotel while mommy tried to watch NCAA games in the freezing cold with a baby :-)  Fortunately, a friend of mine from my team at work, Brenda, came over to meet Maci for the first time and brought some yummy pizza dinner for us.  It was nice to catch up with her and hear about her recent trip during her kids' spring break.

Friday - Maci and I had another fun outing with the Mommy & me group!  Today we went to the Amma center where we have our classes each Monday and we had Panera brought in for lunch.  It is much easier for 9 mommas and babies to eat lunch and hang out at a baby friendly location where cries, spit up and feeding are all welcome :)  Afterward, Maci and I made a quick run to Target for one thing but as usual these Target runs turn into a much more intense shopping experience :-)  We then watched some more NCAA basketball and realized my bracket is already ruined HA before Clint got home from his trip to Texas.

Saturday - Maci turned a big 2 months today!!!  In honor of it we ran errands and walked around Mall of America to also get some errands taken care of - YAY!  She is so much bigger than her 1 month pictures and much happier about having her picture taken!!!  What a difference one month makes with a baby!!  Maci is now a fully out and about baby, even though it is still COLD - where is spring?! 
Enjoy Her Pics & Recent Updates!!

Key 2 Month Milestones/Notes* Is about to break the 8lb weight mark, hopefully does so at her 2 Month Dr Appt on Tues
* Was put in her Pavlik Harness to adjust her hips, hoping by the 3 month update she is out of it!
* Has made lots of other baby friends at Mommy & Me Class - Mommy has too!!
* Continues to LOVE her hands but scratches her face a lot!!
* Enjoys making lots of funny noises while she sleeps, we think she is going to be talkative =)
* Favorite Toy = Violet her Singing Dog which entertains her during diaper changes
* Stares in awe at EVERYTHING and Smiles much more frequently
* LOVES people and happily lets others hold her
* Sleeps regularly now in her crib for bed and naps
* Eats 4oz Like Clock Work at Every Feeding Every 3 Hours - Loves a Schedule Just Like Her Mom!!

Maci on her changing table with her Fav Toy Violet, Maci Dances to the Music!!

 Trying for a Smile

 Closer. . .

 There It Is!!!

SUCH A CUTIE!!!!

St Patty's Day & Other Fun!

Maci and I have been doing so much fun stuff lately that it has been hard to keep up on the blog!  Let's see what have we been up to. . .

Thursday - Maci and I did the mommy & baby massage class at Blooma in St Paul.  It was a fun time and very informative.  However, when I scheduled the class I had no idea what lil Miss Maci's schedule would be.  The class started at 1p which is usually when Maci eats so she let me massage her legs and feet and then MELT DOWN!!  Fortunately it is a class where the instructor is quite use to crying babies.  The rest of the class I listened to the techniques while Maci had her bottle.  Fortunately they give us a print out with the instructions of all the massages.  We also got some coconut oil so that we are all ready to do baby massage at home - Yay!

Friday - This was our mall walking day with our mommy and me class!  We went to Southdale Mall in Edina to meet at 10a.  It was a GROSS day with freezing rain when we arrived.  Maci did a great job with the walking part as I talked with Kelly and her baby Hank.  However, once we finished the mall walking portion and I attempted to do some shopping with Halston and her lil baby Harper, Maci had other plans =)  We did great at Gap when I got yet another adorable top for Maci.  Yet, once we got to J Crew where Mommy could finally do some shopping for herself after 9 months of wearing maternity clothes, Maci wanted none of it!!  She had a total MELT DOWN in the J Crew dressing room.  Fortunately Halston was with me as another mom with a 7 week old and she knew how I felt.  I finally got Maci calm, bought my two tops and we left the mall.  I hope Maci learns that when we shop, we buy for her and mommy!!!  That night we went to the Eden Prairie mall with Daddy and Maci did much better!!  We thought to bring the baby Bjorn carrier vs the stroller and she loved it because she got to lay on daddy the whole time!  This family is ready for spring and warm weather so we can walk around lakes and not just resorting to indoor malls :-)

Saturday - Maci made up to mommy for her two melt downs in public by doing a great job of sleeping in her crib Friday into Saturday!  Maci was in her crib when she first came home but once she got RSV, we had her sleeping in our room in her bouncy seat since it was upright and helped with the congestion.  However, she had gotten quite use to this chair and it was time for her to get back in her own room and use to the crib.  Maci only woke 2x for her standard two feedings at 230a and 7a.  Here are some great pictures of Maci in the morning on the monitor that Grandma & Grandpa Mondell got her ;-)

Sunday - Happy St Patty's Day!!  Maci didn't sleep near as well going into Sunday but that was ok because I was way too excited to put her in her St Patty's day outfit for church!  Check out this Cutie!  She got lots of attention at church and then the Mondell family had a very lazy Sunday since no one got much sleep the night before!  At least mommy was able to have a green beer on Saturday night!  This was a far different St Patty's day than last year when Clint and I went out bar hopping starting at 1p with our friends Trip/Lori and ending the night in St Paul!  We will get back to those kind of parties one day too but we loved our low key Patty's Day this year with our lil part Irish lady ;-)

Monday - It was our weekly Mommy & Me Class Day!!!  This was week 3 so we are 1/2 way through, so crazy how time flies!  It is also crazy to see how much all the babies are growing each week.  This week we learned all about sleep and different tips and tricks to help our babies with sleep.  I was happy to hear we are doing most of the tips already and Maci is a fairly good sleeper :-)  We just want her to start going for longer than a 4 1/2 hour stretch at night but this is pretty good for a 7 week old!!  Maci loves going to class to see all her friends too.  Check out this picture to see just how happy she was when I said it was Mommy & Me Class Day!!!  Needless to say her smiles are still sporadic but are getting larger!!

Finally Today!  My friends from Cargill who I met 2 years ago during a HR Development Program are coming over!  We try to do a monthly happy hour and tonight we are hosting so that they can meet our lil miss!  Daddy will miss the fun because he has his own happy hour with his work crew.  We are quite the busy family today!  Maci really helped me out by taking two great naps in her crib so that I could tidy up for our guests =) 

We cant wait to share more fun happenings in the coming days!

Lots of Love,

C, K & M

Weekend Fun & Cargill Shower

Friday Night Clint, Maci and I ventured out to the craziest place, but best place to walk and people watch in the winter, in Minneapolis - Mall of America!!  It was nice for Clint and I to have dinner out together, even if it was in a crowded food court and with Maci sleeping in a stroller next to us =)  Little Maci did an awesome job and slept almost the whole trip, until the end when we were in Marshall's and she was DONE!  We had to feed her the 9p bottle in the car before heading home but again great to start getting out!

Saturday was another typical Mondell Saturday where we ran a ton of errands and tried to get everything done that we never get to through the week.  Maci is really adjusting to our go go go weekend schedule.  She sleeps in the car and when awake, seems to like to stare around at the people she is passing while in the stroller.

Sunday we did mass again and this time Maci was wide awake for the first part of the service but was a silent little lamb.  There was a 6 year old boy behind her that kept smiling and entertaining her.  It reminded me of what I use to do with babies when I was a kid in church.  I even heard him say "mom she is cute!" just like I use to say to my mom about all the babies!  Plus that kid has good taste, she sure is cute!

Monday was another mommy and me class and this time we were on time!  Maci was more awake for this one and like last week, it was a great time out of the house!  The moms and babes outside of class meeting this week is on Friday and we are mall walking for some exercise at the Southdale Mall.  Watch out for 9 mommas and 9 strollers!!  HAHA

Yesterday was a super fun day!  We had my rescheduled Cargill shower at work.  The shower had been scheduled for one week after Maci came and since she decided to arrive a little early at 38 weeks, she now got to be the guest of honor outside my belly :-)  Plus, with Clint working at the same company, daddy was also able to join the lunch shower fun!  We received so many nice gifts, the team was so GENEROUS!!  Maci got lots of nice clothes, baby gear and TOYS - we hadn't bought any toys so it was nice to see we have some stuff for when she hits the 3 month / 6 month mark!  Here are just a few pictures from the day!!

 Maci & Mommy in the Conference Room

Maci driving her new Bike/Car!!

The rest of this week is just as busy!  Today we are having our one lazy day but I am trying to get a lot done around the house, somewhat difficult with a poor napper ;-)  Tomorrow, Maci and I are going to a mommy and baby massage class where I will learn how to give Maci baby massages to help put her to bed.  Friday we have our mall walking with the mommy class girls.  Oh and this weekend is Patty's Day, a huge one for mommy with her Irish heritage!!  Wait for pictures, Maci has a great outfit!

Until then, Lots of Love!

C, K & M

Maci's 1st Date

As I mentioned in the last post, my friend Megan and Lisa from work came over yesterday, so FUN!  Lisa brought her lil boy Brody, such a cutie!  Brody is exactly 4 weeks older than Maci, yes she is still very little when you see these pictures of them side by side HAHA - Maci was not the best host and slept almost their entire 4 hour visit and when she would wake up for pictures, she wasn't quite into her boyfriend Brody!  This makes daddy quite happy but mommy wants Maci to socialize nicely with all kids, including boys =)  Let's hope her next outing with Brody is more successful!!

Enjoy!

Maci Dr Appt Update!

Yesterday's Dr Appointments both went very well!!  The first appointment was with the orthopedic doctor for her hips.  The Dr agrees she sees enough abnormality that she recommended the brace for 6 weeks.  This is a developmental disorder so she could out grow it on her own.  However, if she wouldn't, it could get more serious and cause her pain in her hips when she starts to walk or even when she is in grade school trying to play sports and at that time it would be surgery for sure.  The Dr has been doing this for 30 years and she has never had a child that was successful with the brace regress later in life so it seems this really will be a memory for Maci!  Also, I was very happy to hear that Maci has what she would consider a mild case and her hips are not dislocated like some babies so she feels the brace has a 95% chance of being successful by week 6!!  I was also happy that we were able to get the brace on right then and there so that the 6 week window could start - YAY!  The last part of the good news is that because her case is mild, this Dr asks that we keep it on approx 22-23 hours a day but we are able to take it off to bath her, change clothes etc which was much more lenient than I had read in some places.  Maci LOVES her baths so we were quite thankful she can still enjoy tub time.  Once we had the brace on, I laughed because it really isn't that bad and Maci really doesn't seem to mind it.  We now go back at 2 weeks and 4 weeks for the Dr to adjust the brace with her growth and then at week 6 we have an ultrasound and an appt to review the results immediately afterward.  That 6 week appointment is on the Friday before I head back to work and I will say lots of prayers it is all resolved so I don't have to think about this once back at work or to have daycare deal with it!!

I took some pictures of our cutie in the brace this morning.  She will always have a onesie on under it just to help with any chaffing of her skin.  Then I can put any clothes on over it but tighter pants will be tough.  Looks like lots of dresses, skirts and leggings in this lil ladies immediate future :-)  We will be back in her regular 0-3 month clothes in no time =)  Also, as you can see, I finally catch a big toothless grin on our lil lady!!  She has started to smile when we talk to her and of course she does it in the brace!!!  I think this was her way of telling me it is all ok and that she doesn't mind it!!!!  Love this cutie =)

 

The 2nd Dr Appointment was just as great as Maci is up 1lb from her check 2 weeks ago!  So we are finally off the weight concerns.  While our lil Maci is still a peanut, she is trending appropriately with weight gain.  Therefore, we don't have another Dr appointment now until her 2 month check up with shots =(  I wont think about that for now since that isn't until the end of the month!!

Maci is very excited for her next set of visitors today!  My friends from work Megan and Lisa are coming over late this afternoon.  Lisa sits on the other side of me at work and had her own first baby Brody end of December.  I like asking Lisa all sorts of mommy questions since Brody goes through things about 4 weeks before Maci =)  Lisa is also bringing me a book I plan to read that gives you ideas on how to set a baby on a schedule.  This has worked great for Brody so I hope Maci adjusts to a schedule as well!!

Tomorrow we have a lunch date with the mommy and me class group and we are super excited for another weekend with Daddy!!!

Lots of Love,

C, K & M

Maci's Busy Monday & Bath Tub Time

Maci had such a fun Monday!  We had our first Mommy and Me class.  It was exactly what I was hoping for.  There are 9 new moms and 9 new babies in the class.  The babies range in age from 3 weeks to 8 weeks and we will be together for the next 6 weeks.  There are about 1/2 boys and 1/2 girls.  Even though Maci is on the older end she is the smallest in the group :-)  The first class we went around introducing ourselves and our babies as well as sharing our birth stories, how we are feeding and the biggest surprise of being a mom thus far.  It was great to hear so many women having some of the same concerns, worries and surprises as me!  Two other moms had unplanned C Sections, several feel somewhat guilty for having to use formula vs breastfeeding as well and one mom had two friends who had daughters in the pavlik harness for hip issues and she made me feel even better about Maci's upcoming appointment!  Our homework assignment each week is to meet as a group with our babies outside of our weekly class at least one time a week as well.  This Friday we are all meeting for lunch to hang out and talk babies!  A large group of us hung back after class on Monday as well because we were asking each other questions and talking about our experiences thus far.  I also was able to feed Maci her noon bottle during this chat time.  The center we go to has a baby scale so I can weigh Maci if I want on a weekly basis.  So after feeding her and changing the diaper, I threw her lil nakey body on the scale and she was 6lbs 13oz.  That is almost up 1 full pound from 2 weeks ago!!  We will see what the Dr thinks of that on Wed but I was quite happy with our lil lady!  I was so happy after this class because I think we may make some good friends and it was so nice to realize you aren't the only one going through these "issues" or that everyone has something they worry about.  For example, one baby has colic and I was so happy and said some grateful prayers that our lil Maci barely cries, heck she slept through most of the 2 hour class!  We look forward to our Friday lunch!

After this class, we had my 6 week post delivery Dr appt.  The Dr once again apologized for the whole "breech last minute" thing :-)  She told me my C section scar is healing perfectly and that I am all "back to normal."  She was very happy that I brought lil Maci in tow and she told me that the whole office enjoyed her birth announcement YAY!  It is weird to think I will only go to this Dr on an annual basis again, it had become my home away from home especially towards the end HA

Today was a very chill day after all our fun yesterday.  We had no where to go which was a good thing because we got 8 inches of snow in Minneapolis today - ICK bring on spring and warm weather!  However on these lazy days, Maci and I get to take an afternoon nap together while watching Sex and the City reruns on E :-)  This is mommy's one lazy and guilty pleasure during her leave!  Once Clint got home we had dinner and then it was bath night.  We have been starting to do baths every other day because otherwise Maci starts to smell like formula and sour milk from all her dribbling - GROSS!  We had to take some pictures this time because she LOVES her bath tub and we aren't sure if we will or wont be able to take off her brace for baths over the next 6 weeks.  If we cant take it off, we are back to sponge baths and she didn't enjoy those near as much. 

Tomorrow is another busy day but this time with Dr appointments, boring!  We have a 8a appointment with the Orthopedic doctor and then at 11:40a we have an appointment for the "peace of mind" weight check with her pediatrician.  I have a long list of questions for both!  Even though I have a good idea of her weight, I am using this appointment as another way to ask my long list of new mommy questions including when we can try a more formal schedule with Maci as well as when we should move her to the crib :-(  We will be sure to keep everyone posted with how the Dr appointments go but we are quite positive!

Until Then. . . Lots of Love,
C, K & M

Maci's Dinner Party & First Time to Church!

This was a super fun and busy weekend for Maci!  On Saturday, Clint and I decided to bring her along for about 3 hours worth of errands.  At many of the stops one of us would stay in the car while the other one ran in but Miss Maci did get to go to Costco, Rainbow (our grocery) and lunch at Bruegger Bagel.  She was in her car seat sound asleep at all of these stops but it was nice to get out and about as a family.  We were still extremely cautious keeping her little blanket covering her from any strangers' germs but it was a nice step in the social direction :-)  Later Saturday night the Brubacher's came over for dinner and some Wii Bowling!  Lori was one of Maci's first visitors before we put the house on lock down after her RSV but Trip had yet to meet our lil lady.  Trip and Lori are two of our great friends in Minneapolis so it was nice to finally get to hang out with them again!  I especially enjoyed adult conversation and beverages as well as some fun competition with the Wii Bowling!  We look forward to seeing them again once they get back from their wonderful tropical vacation!!

Today we had planned to go to church as a family for the first time since Maci was born.  I was a little nervous about potential sick people sitting near us or lil kids peering in her car seat ;-) but Maci was great and once again slept through the whole thing.  Our church has a lot of young families with kids so fortunately the coos and occasional cries of little ones isn't very uncommon.  After eating a late breakfast/early lunch, mommy and Maci took a nice Sunday afternoon nap in our living room while Clint and Boomer went on a much needed walk.  Maci and Mommy cant wait to join them on more of these walks once it is warmer out!

Tomorrow is also a busy day for us!  Maci and Mommy have their first Mommy and Me class.  We are excited to see how many Mommies and Babies are in our class and to get to know some new friends!  The class lasts 6 weeks and a good friend of mine is in the class currently with her lil one and she says it is a great way to get to know other moms and have some fun outside of the house.  In their class they have gone as a group to Panera for lunch, pedicure/manicures with the babies in tow and even mall walking at Mall of America.  We cant wait to socialize as I am sure Maci is an extrovert like her parents =)  After our class ends tomorrow, we have a quick break and then we head off to my 6 week post delivery check up.  With us keeping up on Maci and her progress, I really haven't paid attention to my own status.  My scar from the C section is feeling better so I hope everything has been healing as planned and I am almost back to normal!  As a quick update on Maci, we have a weigh in "peace of mind check" Wednesday afternoon and we are excited to see how much bigger she is now!  In addition, we have the evaluation with the orthopedic doctor on Wednesday morning.  Clint and I are anxious to meet with the Doctor to see what she has to say and to get her in her brace sooner rather than later so we can get it off that much sooner and let her move on!

Lots of Love,
C, K & M

Maci's Many Firsts & More Medical News

Maci has been a blast this past week!  She is even  more alert and stays awake longer post feedings.  Maci has started to smile but they are so sporadic that I haven't been able to catch one on film yet but trust us that it is adorable!!  In addition, Maci has been taking at least 3-4 oz per feeding which is huge because she was barely taking her 2 oz each feeding just last week!  Maci and I have also been working on "tummy time" to help strengthen her neck and help her to support her head.  The jungle gym from the Brandenburg's is the perfect mat to help her practice tummy time on.  After her last tummy time, I let her flip back over and just stare in awe at the animals and lights.  However, this time Maci found something even more exciting!  There is a mirror on the gym and she found her reflection in the mirror.  I am sure she couldn't tell who or what she was looking at but her reaction in this video is priceless!!

Also, since Maci is so much more vocal (cooing and gurgling) and alert (staring into space) she doesn't really like to be laying in her pack in play unless she is napping.  However, this can get quite difficult when Clint or I are trying to get things done because it is hard to do things one handed with her in the other!  So last night we decided to try out our baby Bjorn infant carrier.  Maci LOVES it!  She gets to stay close to us, staring around the house and we get stuff done!  It is perfect, plus it is a good position for her hips - more to come.

On a not so fun note, we had Maci's hip ultrasound today.  I swore it was going to be nothing more than a precautionary check.  Unfortunately, I got the call from the pediatrician later this afternoon and they said the radiologist saw some issues with her hips that show hip dysplasia and they would want an orthopedic specialist to review.  Maci will most likely need to be in a Pavlik Harness 24/7 for ~6 weeks.  This is the standard treatment for babies that are diagnosed with hip dysplasia.  The good news is that when you find it this early, the brace is extremely successful and it is typically off within 6 weeks so Maci will never remember this time of her life.  The brace will help to hold her legs in a certain position so that the hip socket and bones can form into the right position.  While they don't know exactly what causes hip dysplasia, it is more common in breach babies, girls and first born girls for that matter so Maci fell in all those camps.  If untreated, this can cause pain in walking later in life as well as arthritis in the hips so we definitely want to take care of it now.  This is extremely treatable and again should hopefully only last 6 weeks but it is hard at times to think of yet another thing our lil Maci has to deal with.  Yet, as Clint reminds me, these are by no means the hardships that many others have with their babies and fortunately all of her issues have been treatable conditions that she will not recall later in her life.  We go to the orthopedic specialist on Wednesday to see what they have to say.  We will keep you all posted through this blog and if she does need a brace, I think she could be the new Pavlik Harness model because she is pretty darn cute!!!

Lots of Love,
C, K & M