2 Months Old!

Our sweet little Malin was 2 months old on March 25th.  Her 2 month stats: breaking into size 1 diapers, weighed in at a whopping 10lbs 1 oz, almost 22" long.  She's getting into a better sleep habit at night.  She loves her big sister Avery and thinks she's pretty funny.  She has started really looking at us and gives us the sweetest gummy smiles.  We can't get enough cuddles out of this little cutie.  She's now a little over half way through her 6 week harness treatment for her hips, and though we hate it, she is unphased by it.  Here are some pictures from her 2 month photoshoot:

In Avery news, she had her first modeling gig at Zulily.  She was very shy at first (don't know where this shy thing came from suddenly), but after we bribed her with ice cream she worked her inner diva and brought out her model pose.  She did great!  On the right is her picture that made the website.  Way to go Avery!



 My babies are growing way too fast.  Avery is already starting to look like a teenager. :(

I love you my sweet, beautiful girls!

Joined At The Hip

Poor little Malin has been in her Pavlik harness for almost 2 weeks now, we're all starting to get more used to it.  She has to wear it 23 hours of the day, we all look forward to that 1 free hour we get to cuddle with our tiny squishy baby.  Malin has DDH (Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip) due to being breech and being stuck in the womb with her legs in front of her face the whole time.  (Most babies get to sit criss cross).  Since Malin didn't get to be in that position, her hip sockets weren't formed enough, so the harness keeping her legs up and out pushes her femer and hip ball into the socket deeper.  Hopefully, this will only be a 6 week process to cure.  Luckily she's really cute and pulls off the pink harness well in her onsies and leggins. ;)

 

DDH has 4 main causes: Being breech, being a girl, genetics and being first born.  We hit 3 of 4.  (Ironically Avery was not breech and had no issues in the womb).  Nana was also born with DDH but also her right hip ball was not formed completely.  Back then, they put babies in full casts, and it wasn't diagnosed until she was around 6 months old.  Here's my Mom's 2nd cast, with a small opening for diapers.   Poor baby, but still has a smile on her face!  Malin's harness isn't looking so bad now!

Malin and Nana have a special bond through the hip now. :)

Say Ahhh!

Avery had her first check up at the dentist and to my complete surprise, was a PERFECT patient!  I'm so proud of my big girl, they did a full check up on her.  Way to go Avery!

1 Month Old

February 25, our baby is already 1 month old!  Here are her stats: she's up to 10lbs. (She likes to eat!) and is over 21 inches long! She's still in newborn clothes and diapers, but our time is limited on that.  She's sleeping in her bassinet next to Mommy at night, still on the 3-4 hour eating pattern.  We hope to stretch this out ASAP!  She's a sweet, cuddly girl, and we can't get enough of her!

It's funny how two girls can be so different.  Comparing pictures of Avery and Malin you can certainly tell that they are sisters (and Daddy's girls), but they are so different.  (Avery's 1 month pics here Avery 1 Month).  We can't get over Malin's baldness since Avery's had hair to spare from day 1.  We can't wait to see how this little angel grows and who she becomes.  Just don't do it too soon little one, Mommy's holding on to these precious baby moments for dear life!

Here are a few pictures of what we've been up to in the last month:

Sister Cuddles

Superbowl with Nanie, Opie, Grandma & Papa.

Bath time.

Valentine's Day visit with Nanie.

We got to meet baby Maddie!  Proud Grandmas Kathleen and Nanie.

We got a visit from Ambreen & Deka.

Cuddles with Oma and Opie.

Margie & Scott stopped by to meet Miss Malin with cutie Cole.

Our Friends Jen, Vail and Grey came by to play with us on our first day home without Daddy.  The girls had a blast and though each other's sisters were too cute.

Visit at Grandma and Papa's and got to play with cousins.

Went to the zoo on Mommy's birthday.

Checked out the Falls with the Ruhls.

Also, Avery has 3 new buddies!  Madeline Kearns was born 3 1/2 weeks before Malin.  We call the 2 M&M.

Katelyn Fleming was born 1 day before Malin and unfortunately lives all the way in Delaware so we haven't gotten to meet her yet.

And Henley Klisser was born 4 1/2 weeks after Malin, 2 weeks early.  We cannot wait to meet sweet, strong little Henley.

Congratulations fellow Mamas: Di, Maria and KK!



When life gives you lemons...

you're supposed to make lemonade.  Right now, Andy and I can't keep up with the lemons pouring in.  On top of an already challenging life: moving to a new house and wrapping things up with the old one, a stubborn toddler who is fighting change which includes sleeping in her big girl bed, and running on an average of 5 collective hours of sleep a night, this week has brought even bigger challenges.  On Sunday, Andy twisted his knee at work - MRI will tell us for sure still, but doctor is certain he tore his ACL and will need surgery.  This will be a 6 month recovery process and our strong, helpful Daddy will be needing help of his own.  And before my 6 week c-section recovery is over.

Today, we had a follow up ultrasound for Malin's cyst as well as an ultrasound to check her hips: routine procedure for all breech babies.  Unfortunately both scans turned us down.  The cyst that was originally found in utero and thought to be on her ovary, then scanned after birth and thought be on her intestines, is still present and now thought to be back on her ovary which hopefully will go away on it's own.  The other scan determined that our poor little baby has DDH, or hip dysplasia, in both hips, which is seen in breech babies and is also genetic.  My Mom had hip dyspasia and was in a full body cast as an infant.  Little Malin will be in a harness keeping her legs up 24/7 for a good 6 weeks starting tomorrow.  It breaks my heart to watch my sweet innocent baby be at the mercy of doctors. 

We try to count our many blessings every day, and we could sure use any other prayers coming our way.  Please keep Andy and Malin in your prayers for speedy recoveries!

Here's our sweet little "froggie" in her new harness.  She'll be in this for the next 6 weeks or so...

Say Cheese Malin!

Now that I have 2 cuties to photograph, we have the camera out all the time!  Here are my favorite pictures from my 1st and 2nd photoshoots with Malin (and her big sister). 

Photoshoot #1, at 2 weeks old.

 

I love this, sister love.

My sweet angel.


Photoshoot #2, at 3 weeks old.

Hermans Monkey toes!

I love these two little cuties and are so thankful to have them both in my life.

Bringing Malin Home



Sunday afternoon (1/27), we finally got to check out of the hospital and bring our new little angel home!  Nana, Opa and Avery were waiting for us.  (Opa built us a new storage area in our garage while we were in the hospital and Avery spent the weekend with them). 

 

The first week home involved lots of resting, cuddling, and relaxing.  I'm so thankful that I had my supportive and loving husband and Mom all week to help me out with these two cuties.  C-section is a way harder recovery than normal delivery.  The first day home was really rough.  It was so nice that we were able to spend some time as a family with our new budle of joy.

 

Avery has been the best big sister.  I'm so proud of her, she loves her little sister and has been very gentle and attentive with her.

 

Malin did lots of sleeping.

And got her first bath at home.

She was a trooper at her first doctor visit.

I'm such a lucky Mom to have these 2 cuties to cuddle with every day!

Thank you SO much to my Mom for all the amazing help she provided during the week she was here!  You/re the best Mommy!