Happy 2 Months Henrik

Henrik had his two month appointment today. Man, I hate those yucky shots! Our big boy is doing great.

13lbs (75%)
24.75" (95%)

Happy 2 Months Henrik!

Rainy Day

We took advantage of a rainy day yesterday by being lazy bums...and making brownies! Annika was a great helper (though more of the batter may have ended up on her than in the pan)

We also enjoyed cuddling Henrik for a few minutes without his harness (we took it off so he could have a bath) and captured this adorable smile.

I'm loving every little moment home with these kiddos.

Annika's First Field Trip

This morning Annika, Henrik and I attended her first school field trip at Gull Meadow Farms. We enjoyed a hay ride, picking apples, munching on apple cider donuts, and picking out a pumpkin. It was a fun opportunity to get to know her teacher as well as the other kids and their parents from her preschool class. Annika is a little shy around the other kids, but nevertheless had a wonderful time. I'm just glad her coat from last winter still fit so she could stay warm on today's 40 degree morning.

Here are some pics from our day

Smiles!

Henrik, who is seven weeks old, is getting really smiley. Here is one of his golden grins from this afternoon.

First Day of School

Today Annika started preschool. She did fantastic: no tears at all! She looked so cute in her first day of school clothes from Aunt Jacki. How did she get to be such a big girl?

Henrik's Lederhosen

You know the test they do in the hospital on newborns where they rotate the hips back and forth? I never gave it much thought or knew what it checked for until now. When they did the test on Henrik his hips made a slight click on the left side.

Over the last month we have had two sets of ultrasounds to determine whether he has pediatric hip dysplasia. It turns out that he has a mild case - his hip sockets are a little shallow, so when he moves his legs, his hip joint slips around a bit (more severe cases involve hips that are dislocated or that easily dislocate). This could cause chronic hip pain as he ages and an early hip replacement if untreated. They aren't sure what caused it - the most common cause is being in a breach position, but he wasn't. The doctors think it could be due to his large size - his positioning in-utero could have impacted the development.

We are lucky that they caught his dysplasia early because it is very treatable. We went to see an Pediatric Orthopedic Surgeon yesterday and he said there is a 95%-97% success rate. The treatment involves Henrik wearing a Pavlik Harness 24hrs a day for 6-12 weeks. The harness keeps his legs in froggy position so that the hip joint can form around his ball joints as he continues to grow and develop. Though the harness looks uncomfortable and bulky, it really doesn't cause any discomfort for Henrik - he can still move quite a bit - it just keeps his legs from being fully extended. He still easily can feed, go in his car seat, be swaddled, etc.

The harness isn't exactly a stellar fashion statement, but I'm sure we'll find some ways to disguise it. We're thankful that they caught this early and that there is such a high correction rate. We're just praying that the harness works for Henrik.

Here is our happy boy in what I like to call his Lederhosen :)

One Month Old

Henrik is one month old today and we've been loving every minute. He has been gracious to me and Branden -- being a fantastic sleeper (6 or 7 hours most nights) and is just starting to show us a hint of a smile. Though I don't want to wish away any second of this new baby phase, it is exciting to dream about what he will be like as he gets older. For now, I will just enjoy his snuggles and coos.

Happy One Month Henrik!