Happy 1 month Macey

Our little Macey Joy turned 1 month over a week ago. Time has flown by, which makes me sad. I am enjoying our days together, and even though I'm only halfway through my maternity leave, I'm already dreading my return to work in a little over 6 weeks.

The Superficial: Macey has certainly grown over the past month. At what was supposed to be a 2 week MD appointment, but was more like 3 week, Macey topped the scales at 8 lbs, 11 oz, and was over 21 inches long. We fortunately didn't have to buy much newborn clothing. My friend and coworker, Beth, who has a baby 3 weeks older than Macey borrowed us her daughter's, which was much appreciated. Macey otherwise would have been sporting a lot of blue! Nonetheless, we have packed up and returned the newborn clothing, as she essentially is wearing 0-3 month clothing. Macey is also in size 1 diapers. She unfortunately has developed a bad case of baby acne over the past few weeks, but is still so beautiful. Her eyes continue to be blue, and I'm thinking they will stay that way. Her hair continues to be a light brown, and it's too early to tell if she's going to have her big brother's adorable curls.

Eating: I like to refer to our little lady as a "grazer". Unlike big brother, Micah, who could put down a bottle in no time, only to be looking for his next meal, Macey is a slow eater as she likes to fall asleep while eating, yet before her little belly gets full. Therefore, some feedings can take up to an hour! She's getting both breast milk and formula. I do not have a full milk supply - I didn't with Micah either - but I'm producing more this time around. I am determined to provide her as much of my milk as possible, which between nursing, pumping, and keeping up with a regimen of herbal supplements has occupied a lot of my time. It's difficult to say, but it seems like I'm able to meet 50% of her needs.

Sleeping: I feel like I may be jinking myself by saying that Macey is a descent sleeper. She generally goes to sleep around 11:00 pm and will wake up around 6:00 am. Some nights she wakes up for a feeding around 3:00, whereas other nights she will sleep a straight 6-7 hours. Right now, she sleeps in a "rock and play" in our bedroom. I don't anticipate that she'll transition into her crib at least for a few more weeks. Initially, she did not like being swaddled, but she's gotten used to it and calms down relatively quickly once in her swaddle sack. I don't have her daytime schedule down. She seems to sleep whenever she's tired. Sometimes I will put her in her crib, while other times she is perfectly content in my arms.

Personality: Miss Macey definitely is letting her likes and dislikes apparent. She loves being held in loving adult arms and isn't completely happy when she has to sit in her vibrating chair for any prolonged period of time. I'm contemplating buying a swing. She also cries when she has an empty belly or she's tired. Just this week, she's flashed me a few smiles, and has been cooing when being talked to. I LOVE those first few baby coos!

Development: Macey has descent head control. I can't say that I've been consistent about doing everything that I learned from Dr. Dorsi's Pediatric PT class, as Macey has only spent a few minutes on her tummy. But when being held or laying on my chest, she's great at lifting her head. She turns her head to track voices or faces.

Health: Macey fortunately has survived her first cold. We've all been sick in some capacity over the past month and she was bound to get it. She's well on the mend now, but it was definitely hard to see an uncomfortable, sick little girl. At her last MD appointment, she was tested for RSV, which was negative. She's also been dealing with a clogged tear duct, but is responding well to antibiotics.

I couldn't help myself from putting this last picture up. After 2 pictures, she was done!

Happy 2nd Birthday Micah

We officially have a 2 year old in the Raadt family. Last Saturday, Micah made the transition into his 2nd year. For him, this means that he can now drink out of a cup without a lid at daycare during lunchtime. For us, it provided time to reflect back on the past 2 years of our lives. We have laughed more, imagined more, encouraged more, and yes cried and have thrown our arms up in frustration more throughout the past 2 years than we have throughout our past 30 years. But, we wouldn't want it to be any other way. We are thankful for everything that Micah James has brought us over the past 2 years.

We chose not to throw Micah a big birthday party this year for a number of reasons. Our house is nowhere in the state of hosting a party. Plus, we've all been sick for the past 3 weeks with varying degrees of colds, sinus infections, croup, etc. Instead, we had a family day in Rochester. My parents watched Macey during the afternoon so that Kyle and I could take Micah to Bounce World.  Micah loved it!! I had taken him there in May, but spent the afternoon physically carrying him in the inflatable houses. I think I got more of a work out than Micah did at that time! This was not the case on Saturday. Kyle and I spent a few hours watching him bounce, go up and down slides, throw basketballs, laugh, and smile a lot. That evening, Micah had a pizza party at Mr. Pizza South with both sets of grandparents, Uncle Augie, and the Shaw's coincidentally happened to be back in Stewartville that weekend.

As far as presents, we didn't have to buy anything. Micah received so many presents at Christmas that Kyle and I saved a lot of the presents we intended to give him for his birthday. He also received some Sesame Street clothing and a DVD from Grandma Carol, Papa, and Augie, and a Vikings sweatshirt from Grandpa Larry and Grandma Dawn.

This will be my final monthly update on Micah, and will start going to a bi-monthly schedule.

1) Stats - weighs 32# 1 oz (90%), height 37" (97%), head circumference 20" (97%). Fortunate for Micah, he does not have to return to the doctor until he's 3 years old. This kiddo does not like going to the MD, despite having a great, personable pediatrician.

2) Wearing 2T clothes, and already starting to transition into some 3T and yes, even 4T depending on the brand. Shoe size is 8-9.

3) Vocabulary continues to progress. He talks in full sentences now. A few days ago, I was thinking out load when I asked myself "what did I do with Macey's bottle". He responded "Mom, it's on the counter."

4) His memory is going to be like his Grandpa Jim's. He can remember who he received every big brother gift from. When playing with his garbage truck, he'll tell me "this is from Jackie". Almost a week after going to the MD, Micah still talks about going to see Dr. Sarah. He also told me that he read a Big Bird book, which was correct.

5) "Let's go shoot some hoops, Daddy" is an expression that comes out of his mouth daily. He loves his basketball hoop in our basement.

6) He has formed a strong bond with Kyle which is awesome to see. He loves playing with Daddy whether it would be basketball, cars, reading books, etc.

7) Imagination is in full gear. A few days ago, I picked him up at daycare and asked the same question "what did you do today". Usually he responds "I play cars with Kyle and Logan". Instead, he told me that he went to go see the chickens. (There's a house close to the daycare that raises chickens). Knowing that it was well below zero windchill, I knew that they did not walk to see the chickens that day. Micah went on to tell me that he also foxes, lions, tigers, and bears at the house with the chickens.

8) Sesame Street remains a favorite.

9) Becoming more picky with his eating. This is most notable during supper. He'll still eat an adult sized breakfast...cereal (sometimes 2 bowls), 2 pieces of toast, fruit.

10) Peanut butter M&M's will get him to do about anything.

11) Better about taking coat and shoes off when asked.

12) Likes to pick out his clothes in the morning and his PJ's at night. Becomes angry if you try to put a different outfit on him than the one that he's picked out.

13) Loves music! Currently involved in a toddler music class in Rochester on Monday mornings. Will ask to listen to toddler radio on Pandora.

14) Sleeping has been hit or miss lately. He goes down great, but will wake up 1-2 times per night usually. I am so sleep deprived that I usually don't hear him in the middle of the night, as he goes to Kyle's side of the bed. Will take an afternoon nap still. If he's sleep deprived, he will ask to take a nap.

15) Daycare drop offs have been great. Pick ups on the other hand haven't been as marvelous. He is a dwaddeler, which isn't always a good combination with a hungry sister and an inpatient momma.

16) Knows the President, Vice President and now the Secretary of State ("Don Kerry")

17) Loves to run, jump, play on the playground. I wish the weather was more conducive to being outside with both kiddos.

18) Starting to independently play...at least for 15 minutes at a time. As I type this, he's putting a puzzle together. We are very thankful that this milestone is beginning to evolve.

19) Still is hitting Kyle and I, especially after he's been told "no" about something. Time outs seems to work best for punishment, and we've also started taking toys away too. He doesn't love it, but seems to better grasp the concept of time out these days

20) At this age, he becomes easily frustrated if something doesn't go his way. We're working on trying to teach him to be patient, and I know that this will come with time.

21) Loves to look at pictures of himself on the camera, our phones, the computer, etc. My goal during the last half of my maternity leave is to make him some Shutterfly books.

22) We still read a lot of books, and I'm amazed at how many books he has memorized. It's great to see!

23) Favorite toys include cars, balls, play-doh, his shopping carts, my pots and pans, and anything Sesame Street.

24) Is a great big brother. A few days ago, I heard him tell Macey "I love you" out of the blue. It brought a huge smile to my face knowing that he's beginning to understand those emotions. He loves assisting with her diaper changes and baths.

Last day as a 1 year old

Below are pictures from his birthday

Jasper Shaw and Macey meet

Sesame Street singing Elmo books from Daddy and Mommy

Photodump Jan 7-13th

I'm still trying to keep my New Years Resolution and so far have been doing pretty good at it. But, I'm definitely slow at posting my pictures on the blog. There are never enough hours in the day! So, in my brief break from snuggling with a little girl wearing a warm fleece outfit, here are my pictures from Jan 7-13th

Grandma Carol (and her IPad) come to stay over night during Kyle's first day back to work. Micah and Grandma looking at Sesame Street videos on YouTube.

Sibling Love

Opening a generous present from my Mom's good friend from high school. Thank you Jim and Michele!

Peanut butter M&M's - how I hate you, but I love you. You are not helping me get back to my pre-pregnancy weight!!

7:10 - yep, the time that Micah was in bed. After being sick and cranky, bedtime was well received by all. Normally he goes to bed at 8-8:30.

My best friend from PT school, Jackie, comes down for a visit. Oh, how it was much appreciated by me! And, she brought us lunch including a chocolate chip cookie which Micah thoroughly enjoyed, and provided loving adult arms to hold Macey for the afternoon.

Snuggles with Grandpa Jim on a cold, Sunday afternoon.

New Years

I usually do not make New Years resolutions. If I do, they involve the typical eating better/exercising more and are quickly broken by mid-January. Reflecting back on last year, there are times when I wish that I had my camera with me to capture pictures of Micah or every day life in the Raadt household. I mean, I only took 2 pictures of myself during Macey's pregnancy versus monthly pictures while I was pregnant with Micah. So, this year, I've decided to take a daily picture of something - big or small - and write about it on a weekly basis. Below is a a week of pictures from January 1-6th

6 days old and I was able to catch a rare glimpse of her eyes

Another trip to the hospital for daily bilirubin checks

Micah loves it when Macey hangs out on his bed

Tower building

Go Vikes! 

He loves wearing our boots

Grandma Dawn meets Macey for the first time

  

Welcome Macey Joy

It's taken me nearly 3 weeks to write this post, but I've been enjoying a lot of snuggles, constant feedings, changing diapers, and taking care of a sick Micah while Kyle has been busy working. My house is a complete mess, and dinner has been either from the crockpot or left overs most nights, but I'm not complaining. Life is so good!! Our family has been blessed and obviously busier since we welcomed Macey Joy Raadt into our lives on December 28th.

Macey's birth story is relatively uneventful compared to Micah's arrival into the world. She was a planned c-section. Aside from my blood pressure tanking into the low 50's for a few minutes after receiving the spinal block, the c-section itself went really well. Macey Joy was born at 8:33 AM and she came out emptying her bladder on our doctor before opening her little mouth to exercise her lungs. I was so thankful that we waited to find out her gender. Our doctor showed her to Kyle, and he was the one who announced "It's a baby girl." We couldn't have been more surprised, as I was certain that we were having another boy based on the way that I carried her throughout this pregnancy.

Unlike Micah's delivery, I was able to stay with Macey throughout the entire recovery process. It was so nice to be able to hold her immediately following her birth. As mentioned above, she came out crying but once hearing our voices and feeling our touch, she immediately calmed down. Macey topped the scales at 8 pounds, 4 ounces and was 21.5 inches long. She was absolutely perfect!

Ironically, I was in the same hospital room as I was when I had Micah. I also had the same labor and delivery nurse during Macey's delivery. Although room 200 is probably the nicest labor and delivery room of the five at Winona Health, I was ready to check out a day early to get back to the comforts of home and my little Micah man. My parents and brother were generous enough to stay with Micah while were were in the hospital, and they stayed busy. We came home to a house that was cleaned, unpacked and decorated. Macey's nursery was painted and her crib assembled. Of course the laundry was done and a few days of groceries were purchased.

All hooked up and ready to meet Baby Raadt

I love these pictures!!

First time holding Macey while in recovery

Meeting big brother Micah. His reaction - neither positive nor negative. He was more interested in all of the labor and delivery equipment in the room and playing hide-and-go-seek behind the curtain

Meeting Grandpa Larry. We skyped with Grandma Dawn who was hospitalized with some health problems at Mayo Clinic in Rochester

Proud Grandma and Grandpa. When my mom received the phone call from Kyle about having a Baby Girl, she cried!

Getting ready to watch the Vikings Game!

Getting ready to be discharged on Sunday night

So, how have the past 3 weeks been going?! They've gradually gotten better. Macey's bilirubin level was at an "8" when we left the hospital on Sunday, which was a little high. Her weight was also down about 8% to 7 lbs, 10oz, which was a little concerning as well; however, knowing that my milk had yet to come in and we were supplementing, we were allowed to go home with the understanding that we needed to have a weight check/bilirubin check the next day. Macey dealt with jaundice the first week of her life, resulting in daily trips to the hospital for heel sticks and a lethargic baby that we were struggling to wake up every 2 hours for feeds. Fortunately, her jaundice did not require any additional treatment. Three weeks later, her jaundice is well behind her and she is now up to 8 lbs, 11 ounces.

Watch for monthly updates on our little Macey. She has already changed so much in the past 3 weeks. I am enjoying my time home with her!

Christmas Festivities 2012

This Christmas season was crazy for our household with the move and preparing for Baby #2. While we didn't decorate much for Christmas this year, other than a small tree in the bay window of our old house and a few other decorations, and I did not get around to sending out a Christmas card, we still enjoyed everything about the Christmas season. Below is a bunch of pictures displaying our Christmas celebrations.


Holiday Train -

In early December, the Canadian Pacific Holiday Train rolled through Winona on a Monday night. Fortunately, Kyle and I were both off that night, so after picking Micah up from daycare, we loaded up the Bob and walked down to the train station. It was a chilly night, but Micah had a blast. They stopped in Winona for about 45 minutes and put on a concert. Micah also got to meet Santa Clause.

DayCare Christmas Program

We love Micah's daycare! They put on a Christmas program every year, but this was the first year that we attended, as the toddler room had a part in it. Both sets of grandparents even made the trip down for the performance.  In the few weeks before the preceding the program, Micah could be heard singing Christmas songs around our house. He also would say the phrase "the angel brought good news" repeatedly. While Micah put all that time into practicing his part, he didn't participate with his group in the program. As Micah's group walked out on stage at the church, I could see Micah's head swiveling, as he looked at everyone in the audience. When he spotted us, he quickly separated from his group and ran down the aisle looking for "Papa". It was pretty funny!

Christmas Eve/Christmas Day

Kyle worked Christmas Eve day, and I had a doctor's appointment in the afternoon. Micah's daycare was closed so my parents and brother ended up coming down to Winona to watch him in the afternoon. We all went to Christmas Eve Church in Winona before heading back to Stewartville for hors devours at my parents house.

Christmas day was difficult. I woke up to a voicemail that a former patient and friend of mine had passed away earlier that morning.  The news came as a shock to me, as I had just seen Jerry and his wife Vicki 6 months earlier and he was doing well at that point. I am so thankful that I was placed to be Jerry's student physical therapist during my first rotation on the 3 Mary Brigh Rehab Unit at St. Mary's Hospital. Jerry and Vicki are some of the kindest people that I know, and he will be missed. 

A majority of Christmas Day was spent up at Kyle's family's house where Micah enjoyed opening presents and spending time playing with his cousins.

We returned to my parents house in the evening where we had a wonderful prime rib dinner and anticipated celebrating with my family. Unfortunately, Micah caught a 24 hour stomach bug and fell asleep before opening his presents.

A sick, but snuggly Micah

New coffee mug from Micah Man

Feeling much better a few days later as he opened presents