Baby Health Update, Weekend Report and (most importantly) New Pictures

Medical Report: Madeleine had her 4 month checkup today. She weighed in at 16 and 1/3 pounds (95 percentile) and was 27 and 1/4 inches long. The nurse told Hannah her length is "off the charts" and officially ranks in the 100th percentile. She also had four more shots and is pretty sore and fussy as a result of those.

The nurses and doctor all complimented Hannah on what a happy baby Madeleine is. One of the nurses made an interesting statement. She asked Hannah if she was staying at home with Madeleine. When Hannah replied that she was, the nurse said she could tell right away based on how happy the little girl is whenever we bring her in and the way she responds to her Mommy. I don't buy Hannah's being home with her as having a cause-and-effect relationship to Madeleine's sweet disposition, but it was an interesting (and somewhat controversial) observation from the nurse.

Still, we do have substantial photographic evidence of what a happy baby Madeleine is. Here's our little girl at her happiest - with Mommy....





Madeleine LOVES mommy. She also LOVES the latest weapon in our arsenal - the magic swing. It swings front-to-back like a playground swing and side-to-side like a cradle. Unfortunately, it's only good up to 25 pounds, which means it will only last us another week or two based on her current growth rate!




Madeleine also loves some of her new outfits, especially the ladybug ensemble that Mommy found in Ohio last weekend.




Mommy and Daddy once again proved their unsuitability for parenthood by taking the little girl out to a nightclub! OK, admittedly it was 2 in the afternoon and it was an event for kids. Madeleine's probably too young for this kind of entertainment, and we were in and out in less than 30 minutes, but it still made for some good pictures.....


Liquor bottles and baby stories named for our daughter - a bizarre combination!



But there's nothing like a full-sized mirror to make the little one happy.....

More Stories From Our Trip

OK, now that we've finally gotten the pictures and video uploaded, here's a little bit more of the backstory on our trip to Ohio.

We visited the extended B family and friends in Columbus so they could have a chance to see the little girl. En route to and from Northern Virginia, we also spent a night at one of our favorite resorts in Western Pennsylvania, which split the drive almost exactly in half. Mommy especially enjoyed the chance to get to the spa!

We stayed with Uncle Jack, who lives just outside of Columbus in scenic Dublin. Dublin is a nice little suburb that is very family friendly, but every subdivision in town has gray or beige houses and street names that are either Irish or vaguely derivative of the Robin Hood legend. So, it can be quite confusing to navigate when you're trying to remember if your destination is in the Woods of Dublinshire, the Shires of Dublinwood or the Sherwoods of Dublinham. The last time we stayed there, Hannah went for a quick run and wound up being AWOL for 3 hours - to the point that Jack and I had to go out looking for her. Thank God for GPS.

Madeleine got to spend lots of quality time with her great-grandmother (whose nickname is Grummy since that's what came out when my eldest cousin Sally was first learning how to talk). Pictures and video are below, but it's safe to say that the Madeleine fan club definitely includes Grummy and Uncle Jack. Uncle Jack is going to become a grandfather for the first time sometime in the next few weeks, which has him very excited.

Our friend Suzanne came up to meet Madeleine with her family, and we were able to sneak baby out and conduct the entire visit while the sleep-deprived Mommy was completely passed out on the couch in the living room!

We were also able to see our friends Brian and Amy and their newborn, Jacob. They live right around the corner from Uncle Jack in another subdivision with lots of street names ending in "woods" and "ways" and "shires." Brian has been a good buddy for a number of years - all the way back to when we became amigos in the dorm in college. It's always nice to have old chums back home, because it's fun having someone to pal around with in your old stomping grounds.

All in all, it was a good trip. Three observations:

1. Babies require a lot of stuff. By the time we were done packing everything for baby, Mommy and I had room for 1 small suitcase and a couple of duffle bags for the grownups. When the lease on Daddy's sports sedan runs out in June, I (unfortunately) think it might be SUV time.
2. The downside of upsizing the car is that we had our first encounter with $4/gallon gas on the way home at a Chevron at exit 208 off I-70 in eastern Ohio. Admittedly, it was premium, but the cheap stuff will catch up soon enough. Maybe it's hybrid SUV time?
3. Other than family and friends, the best part about being back in Ohio? Graeters!!! For those of you on the East Coast who consider the swill from Ben and Jerry's to be "good" ice cream (my opinion of it is even less generous than the ones found here and here), you haven't lived until you've tried Graeters. The double chocolate chip and mint chocolate chip flavors are especially sinful. And sorry, Texas friends, Blue Bell doesn't compare either. The funny thing is, some Cincinnatians swear that Graeters is only the second best ice cream in town.

p.s. Just before we left Columbus, we were pleased to hear that Grandpa Tom and Grandma Molly made it safely back home from their visit to South America, which included Machu Picchu and the Galapagos Islands. I asked Grandma Molly whether seeing the Galapagos Islands and being a part of the B family made her believe more or less in evolution. She seems to think that they cancel each other out.

Video from Ohio Trip

At long last, we've resolved our technical difficulties with Blogger and can happily present some new video of Madeleine from our trip to Ohio.

Here's Madeleine playing with her great-grandmother. Note how much she's using her legs these days - we think she's going to be a runner just like Mom.

Madeleine also got to play with her crazy uncle and her new crinkle toy, which turned out to be a real lifesaver on the car ride home. I cut the video off too soon, but at the very end you can see how she's begun to figure out how to use her hands. She likes grabbing things (and putting them in her mouth!).

She also had a chance to show off some of her Ohio State paraphernalia and school spirit with her Grummy.

New Photos - Trip Report to Follow

Sorry for the lack of recent posts. We spent the last 5 days introducing Madeleine to her extended B family (including great-grandmother Grummy, above) and friends in Ohio.

We didn't have a chance to blog from the road and have been busy getting settled in back home. We'll follow up with a more fulsome trip report tomorrow - and hopefully some new video too. But, to keep grandmothers from boycotting the blog, here's a few photos from her latest adventure.

The road warrior gets a big smile when she knows we're headed to the car. Her new crinkle toy kept her occupied for hours - we could tell she was playing with it from the noises in the backseat!






She spent lots of quality time with Grummy and even learned about new animals from her!




She met Uncle Jack, who graciously put us up and promised us a kitty-free zone for the weekend.







She and Mommy had fun relaxing together, although I doubt the nuns are going to let her expose her midriff quite as much.







We brought the bouncy seat to keep her occupied - which turned out to be one of our best decisions.



And we got to try on lots of new clothes - including our fancy dress from Barney's in New York.

It was a great weekend - Daddy will follow up tomorrow with more details and hopefully some new video.

Weekend Update

We had a fun weekend with Madeleine. Our neighbors Phil and Deb had a group of us from our condo building down to their house on Lake Anna for a murder mystery weekend. Everyone has a character to play (complete with costume and motive) and you have to figure out whodunit by the end of the night. *** WARNING: PLOT SPOILER HERE *** This year, Daddy was the killer!

Madeleine was a good little traveler and even slept through the murder! That didn't stop her from screaming bloody murder at 11:30, 1:40, 3:15, 5:30 and 7:00, though.

Whenever we drive through Fredericksburg on the way to/from visiting friends, we have two rituals - a wine stop and a coffee break at our favorite local establishments.

Meanwhile, we've definitely made progress on getting Madeleine back onto the bottle. This has been the result of plenty of trial and even more error. After experimenting with literally 8 different kinds of bottles, she seems to like the Playtex Drop-Ins the most - in large part because of the nipple shape/texture. She also seems to like pre-made (read: expensive) Enfamil formula as opposed to the powdered mix that you can buy. Go figure - her palate is too refined at 14 weeks.

Madeleine's tolerance for tummy time is increasing as her neck muscles get stronger and stronger......



But it isn't unlimited.......



She also loves it when Mommy and Daddy read her a book.




Madeleine has developed a sudden case of camera shyness whenever the camcorder is involved. It's the surest way to get her to stop talking! We're having some technical difficulties with Blogger but will try to post new video as soon as they get their act together.

Madeleine Finally Turns a Profit

It's been a busy week, so it's been hard to keep up with blogging. Hope to post more pictures and videos this weekend. But there's one quick story from this week that we have to share.

We went to brunch the other day at a hotel down the street from our place where they have pretty good food and, more importantly, the servers are VERY kid friendly.

While we were eating, an elderly gentleman (even older than Madeleine's grandparents!) walked up and took a peak at the little one, who was in her stroller. He thought she was adorable and raved about how pretty she was before wandering off. Said she reminded him of Ingrid Bergman, who he met on a tour (I assume a USO tour) during "The War."

A few minutes later, he came back and put a $20 bill into the stroller with Madeleine. He said it was because she was so lovely and that he wanted her to have it for her college fund. We tried to give the money back to him but he insisted on her keeping it.

So, she's finally started to earn her fair share. Maybe next week we'll go down to the Ritz and the Four Seasons and see how she does there.

Another Medical Report - Baby Style

Madeleine made her trip to the cardiologist today. This was a recommendation from our pediatrician, who has heard a bit of a heart murmur since her first checkup back in January.

The cardiologist gave her an EKG and an ultrasound. He said that she has something called an atrial septal defect (ASD) - in layman's terms, a "hole in the heart."

The doctor said that the hole is small. That's good news because most babies diagnosed with this condition grow out of it - something like 90 or more percent - and the treatment options for those who don't are much less invasive than they were even a few years ago. Two more plain English articles on ASD here and here.

So, the doc said there's no particular cause for alarm. We have to schedule a followup appointment in 3 months and he'll want to see her again when she turns one.

When they got home from the doctor's office, Hannah and Madeleine decided to work off some extra energy with a good dance!



And, after a long and stressful day, there's nothing like a nice dip in the hot tub (or the closest facsimilie) to help you unwind.



Daddy capped the day off with a bedtime story, a new sleep ritual that we're trying to launch. For this initial foray into storytime, Daddy read a selection from the classic book Blankie - one of Mommy's favorite children's books. During the pregnancy, Mommy couldn't get enough of Daddy's dramatic readings of Blankie.

Freedom (sort of)!!!

A quick medical update. The doctor is very pleased with how things are looking and said that I'm even a little ahead of where he thought I would be. Don't need to see him again for a month, although I still have twice-weekly physical therapy sessions to keep me occupied.

I am also allowed to "wean" (doctor's term) myself off the crutches. What does that mean, you might ask? Basically, I can walk without them as long as it is comfortable, with a goal of dispensing with them altogether by the next time I see him. But, if my ankle gets sore or otherwise uncomfortable, I should use them.

So, it's not quite the "leave those crutches here" line that I was hoping to hear, but it's close enough for government work. As I write this, the crutches are sitting in the car!

One word of caution from the doctor. He told me to be very careful to watch where I'm walking because a misstep (or missed step, for that matter) could cause me to reinjure the tendon. Apparently this would be a quite unpleasant experience. So, if you see me walking around with my eyes focused on the ground instead of looking up, that's why.

Still, all in all, it feels good to be back on my feet again!

Long Awaited Florida Pix

Long-delayed by technical difficulties, we are finally able to post some pictures from Hannah and Madeleine's trip to Florida.

Here's Madeleine smiling because she's conned Mommy into doing all the work once again, using patented skills taught by Daddy.



Here's the girl plotting how many times she's going to wake Mommy up that night.



Madeleine with Grandma Kay.



Listening to one of Grandpa Bob's fish stories.



Here are my girls with their cousins.



And here are Madeleine and Hannah talking to Daddy before going out to dinner. Check out the fancy outfits!

A Wonderfully Frustrating Time

It's been great to have my girls back home. The day after their return from Florida, we went to scenic Lynchburg, Virginia where Hannah is serving on the alumni board of her alma mater.

We stayed in a delightful new hotel in a converted century-old shoe factory. It had interesting architectural elements like exposed brick and masonry - and shoe-related decor all over the place. The people there couldn't have been any nicer or more helpful, and they were exceptionally tolerant when The Monster made her appearances.

The girl was a real trooper on the car ride to and from Lynchburg. She even managed to squeeze in a brief visit to her first winery on the way home (she slept the whole time).

Unfortunately, Hannah wasn't kidding when she said that the little one refuses to take the bottle. My mom (who made the trip with us) and I found that out the hard way while Hannah was off at her board meetings. The little one would scream about being hungry, then scream bloody murder when we tried to give her the bottle. She would fight it for 30+ minutes, getting increasingly agitated the whole time. We tried 4 different brands of bottles and 3 different kinds of formula - same reaction each time.

Finally, on Saturday morning, we had a brief moment of "sucksess" when, while coming up for air in between screams, she decided to take a few slurps from the bottle. Unfortunately, she's still not doing much more than that, which means that Mommy is constantly on call.

Despite being difficult, she still can be pretty cute. She looked just like a Bunny Bear for her first run with mommy in the fancy stroller.