Elsa Loves Football!!

Between the inaugural opener of the Golden Gophers at the TCF stadium and the season opener of NFL, one thing is for certain....Elsa loves watching football. We don't let her watch TV, so when we were both watching football this weekend, Elsa couldn't help but be intrigued!! She even got all decked out in her favorite football attire.

We were honored to be asked by our friends, Jim and Jean, to be their daughter's godparents.

We are certain Linnea will be one of Elsa's best friends. She was born on 16 Aug and had a "rough" welcome into this world. Not to mention Jean was in labor for over 36 hours and Linnea came in weighing 10 lbs 4 oz, but she had to spend a week in the neonatal intensive care due to swallowing meconium when she made her entrance. Fortunately, God watched over the Sattlers and Linnea is doing well now... Here is a picture of her baptism and of Aaron and I with Elsa before the ceremony

And, a little out of order...Aaron went golfing with our friends Jim, Tom, and Rick at Royal Cromer Golf Course on the Northern coast of England. He thoroughly enjoyed it!

Well, this is a rather abbreviated post...we are busy packing as we leave tomorrow morning for our two week holiday to Belgium, Germany, and Austria. It is amazing how much more stressful packing is when you are packing for an infant!! We will try to post while we are on our trip.

HOW BIG IS ELSA?.....SO BIG!

I can't believe Elsa bean is three months old! I started this last month, but here is a picture on her 3 month birthday with her bear in the rocker.

Highlights of the past month:

* Enjoys tummy time and is able to hold her head up for much longer periods. She is so close to being able to roll over!

* Will grab onto an object held in front of her

* Up to Size 2 diapers!

* Loves to laugh!

* She loves to have her feet kissed!

* Still loves to cuddle! I hope that never ends!

* Goes 4 hours between feedings

* Sleeps 9 hours at a stretch at night. Once she wakes up I will nurse her and she will go back to sleep for another hour.

* She enjoys being read to (see picture below)

* She loves looking at herself in a mirror.

* Wearing 6 months clothes

* She loves being in her bouncy chair in the kitchen, watching us cook, clean, etc.

* Her nicknames: Elsa bean, Cuddlebug, Pumpkin butt (don't ask...), Fartknocker (another way she takes after her father!!), Bumpkin

We took Elsa to her first pub a few weeks ago. "pub" is a British term that not only refers to what we would think of as a bar, but it is a family restaurant. Unfortunately, many pubs do not allow children (not to mention, infants). Elsa was fascinated with "something"....

that "something" is something she will not be allowed to have for a while.

I love the look of intent.

Here is us in our backyard. I love this little gator jumper! Our friend, Margaret, gave it to her.

Elsa loves her daddy. I love how she is putting her hand on his face. My mom planted several vegetables in our backyard and re-potted several of our plants. Our terrace looks much more welcoming!

We try to read Elsa a couple of books each day...

Here is her with Grandma Feder after her bath. She loves bath time...but it is starting to get messy as she loves to splash around!

Last weekend we took a trip to Warwick Castle. It is a medieval castle located about 2 hours from here. And, about 10 minutes from there is a village named Stratford-upon-Avon. It is the birthplace of Shakespeare. I must admit, I am not a big fan of his literature, but it was such a neat village.

And, some more random photos.

I am getting so excited. We leave for our two week German holiday on the 14th!! We will visit Brugge, Belgium; Germany (Namur, Munich (for Oktoberfest), Garmisch) and Austria (Innsbruck). Our stops will include several Trappist Monasteries, castles, beer festivals, hikes (to the highest point in Germany)...not to mention lots of scenic drives! I am interested in any travel tips you have with traveling with an infant....please feel free to leave a comment!!

2 Months Old!!!

This is the precious face I found when I went into her room this morning. Normally, if she is smiling, as soon as I whip the camera out, she will stop and stare at the camera. So, I had to be quick.

It was so fun this morning. After nursing her (she slept until 7am!!), I brought her into our bed and Aaron and I were just amuzed with all of her smiles. It was funny, everytime I said "What is that??!!" in higher pitch voices, she would smile from ear to ear and just laugh! Even though she smiles alot....she occasionally isn't happy.

But, for the most, she is such a great baby. She sometimes prefers play time on the floor to being held, which helps this momma get some things done.

Here is her at two months old... I should post all the pics because she kept tipping over when she would turn her head to look at the teddy bear--it was quite entertaining.

Her two month stats:

Weight: 13 lbs 2 oz

Height: 24.5 inches

In other words...she is growing like a week. We made bets before going in what each of us thought she weighed. I won (although now that I think about it, we never negotiated a prize).

Aaron lost miserably...he thought she was 15 pounds. Geez, she isn't that chunky!

Our peds appointment was less than enjoyable. It was down right awful! Her assigned pediatrician is one of our friends, but she is "deployed" to Germany for two months. So, we were assigned to one of the others...will NEVER go back to him. As many of you know, we have made a very personal decision to not vaccinate at this time. We are going to do it gradually and spread them out. Now, I understand that this is very controversial and that there are some very strong opinions on both sides. As a health care provider, my job is to inform my patient of all options and the associated risks and benefits of each option. Each patient then makes up his or her mind for what is best for them. This pediatrician absolutely went off on us about how he could not believe someone with my medical background/training would ignore hard medical facts/sound medical advice. Everytime I would state our reasons for delaying/altering the schedule, he would request me to show him a peer reviewed article. I could even get a point in. Maybe I should tell him that intimidation, condescending attitudes and arrogance is NOT informed consent. I was so speechless. Then, he gave this smart ass look at Aaron and asked "do you agree with her decision"? Poor Aaron had smoke blowing out of his ears by this point and he said "100%". I kindly asked for the document to sign that said we are declining the recommended vaccines. He gave me an article from the American Academy of Pediatrics and suggested I read it. I did, but did not agree with all the points.

First, it states that some babies will experience a fever, pain at the injection site, ...and can have seizures...but, there are no longterm sequelae from these. I STRONGLY DISAGREE. My friend, Laura, had a son that was completely normal until his 2nd or 3rd vaccine series...after which he had seizures. He is now 3 years old and has significant motor delays since the vaccines. You can read her story here. Tanner's story really touched me and caused me to do a lot of research. There are so many stories out there of children who had obvious behavioral changes after vaccines...this to me is long term sequelae. Secondly, not all vaccine reactions are reported to a national database...how do we really know that they are safe. Tanner's pediatrician said that the reaction was not caused by the vaccines. Laura's point was that if she prescribed an antibiotic and a patient had a reaction later that day, it would be from the antibiotic. So, why the insistence that vaccines played no role...I doubt that pediatrician entered the "reaction" in the database. A book I read, and highly recommend is What Your Doctor May Not tell You About Children's Vaccinations by Stephanie Cave, MD. It is an excellent book. And, it does not take the stance that you should not vaccinate your child. Rather, it gives guidance as to precautions to take regarding safely vaccinating our children. I really think that some vaccines are unnecessary and that there are strong links to increased risk of autism, autoimmune diseases, etc. I don't necessarily believe that vaccines cause these illnesses, but some children are predisposed to them and the vaccines may push them over the threshold. Unfortunately, you don't know this until it is too late.

So, back to the pediatrician...I really was so speechless during the appointment. How can a provider talk to us like that? I know the AAP supports vaccines, but it is our choice. I can't imagine how we would have talked to me had I been an 18 yr old mother without a husband in the room. Once we left, I had to plea with Aaron not to go back and give him a piece of his mind. However, I now wish he would have. I wish I would have been more vocal about my beliefs, even though I don't have a peer reviewed article to necessarily support it. I just was in such disbelief that I was being talked to that way.

Well, I need to at least end on a better (less controversial) note...

This was taken before church. One of her favorite songs is "Jesus Loves Me"...so, she ignored mom's awful singing and loved the lyrics.

We hope you are all having a great weekend!!!

Back to work

Well, Monday I returned to work. I think the anticipation of the event was worse than it actually was. Sunday as I held Elsa, I was sad that I wouldn't just be able to pick her up and cuddle with her whenever I wanted; that she may start preferring the bottle to me; that I would be too exhausted at the end of the day to fully be present with her in the evening; that I will miss out on a lot of her firsts.... But, it wasn't that bad. Fortunately, she has been pretty much sleeping through the night since she was 4 1/2 weeks old. We usually put her down at 10ish and then she sleeps until 5:00 am (like clock work) and I am able to nurse her before heading to work. She immediately goes back to sleep until 8:30. Aaron and my mom brought her into work Monday and I have been able to come home every day during lunch hour to nurse her (a benefit of only living one mile from work). And, when I come home after work, it is all about her (and Aaron). I am 100% devoted to her when I am home, rather than being distracted with household things. That can wait. It does help having my mom her as she often helps with cooking meals!

She has developed such a personality the past two weeks! Although she had her first smile at 3 weeks/4 days, it is a much more frequent event; she even giggled yesterday! It was so cute. She loves being talked to and read to; she loves "You are my Sunshine" and "Yes, Jesus loves me" even though I can't carry a tune. She still hates tummy time, but is tolerating her car seat a bit more each day.

Here are some pics from this week. This one is on my lap. I think I had to take about 10 pictures and she was probably wondering why I kept making silly sounds/noises, but it was fun.

And, after Church today... She is always so well behaved during Church (only exception was Baptism). She loves the music and looking at the lights. Most of the time she falls asleep.

And, after Church, we went to the Knights of Columbus picnic where Aaron was sworn in as one of the officers. It was so cold and started to rain, but otherwise it was a fun afternoon!

Hope everyone has a great week! I will try to post again next weekend!

Baptism 11 July 2009

Elsa received her first sacrament yesterday. Father Max presided over the mass. And, Elsa wore the dress my grandmother, MaryAnn, made from her wedding dress. It was even wore by my mom at her baptism. It was so beautiful and Elsa looked so precious in it.

You can even see the cute rosary bracelet given to her by her Godparents.

She was so tired after a LONG day. Where do I begin. Let's just say that after Mass, I asked Father Max if he was sure he completed the exorcism part of the ceremony. Little Miss Elsa was not having a good day. She was fussy all day and feeding every 1 1/2-2 hours (normally every 3-3 1/2), hadn't napped all day, and hadn't pooped in three days...the making of a perfect storm. I fed her about 3:15 (mass was at 5pm). She had a major melt down at about 4:15 when we changed her into her dress. She was inconsolable for about 20 minutes. Fortunately, she fell asleep in the car seat on the way to mass. She slept through the procession in, the readings and Father Max's homily. As soon as he called us up for the actual Baptism, she woke up. And, the crying began. I put my knuckle in her mouth and I think the congregation could hear her sucking at the back of the church. When he rubbed the Chrism oil on her, her hair was all spikey and her face was bright red and she kept crying...my mom video taped and we couldn't even hear the priest over the screaming. Oh, well, Elsa made it a memorable event in two ways! I joked that the only thing that could have made it worse was that she had a blow out and poop all over me. Which occured when we got home (not the all over me part)...but she was a much more content baby after that. Too bad we couldn't go back to church and repeat the ceremony. Ah, the joys of parenthood!

Sweet Pea

I can't believe our little peanut is 6 weeks old! The past few weeks have flown by. As I was nursing her this morning, it made me sad to think that I am going back to work on Monday. I love spending time with her and seeing her change daily. But, I am savoring every minute of it and am so grateful to be her mommy! This is one of the few pics of just her and I (the tradeoff to taking most of the pics).

My sister, Lindsay, and her husband, Toby, flew in for 10 days. We selected them to be Elsa's Godparents, so they came to celebrate her Baptism (an entirely separate post!).

For those of you who know Lindsay, know how much she LOVES cake (she seriously needs to attend a support group)! So, Elsa wanted to welcome them to England with a special cake. It was their first trip across the Atlantic!
We celebrated the 4th of July at a local military base. It is ironic to be celebrating independence day in a country we were trying to become independent from! I was curious as to what the Brits thought of this. Aaron's boss is British, and he said the Brits are just glad they could give us a holiday to celebrate. Guess it is a good way to think about it. I think they are just in denial that we kicked their butts!
Here is Elsa in her Patriotic attire...GO USA!!!
All tuckered out...
Going for a walk with Grandma, sporting her MN fleece hat.
Wednesday, I took Lindsay and Toby to London. Aaron and my mom stayed back with Elsa since we didn't want to take her on the subway. Aaron ended up needing some help with Elsa since he injured himself at work...he crushed his hand between two kegs and wound up in the emergency room. fortunately, nothing was broken, but he has a finger brace on and can't work for 2-3 weeks since he can't lift anything too heavy.
Thursday, we traveled to the coastal village of Southwold. You can tell from the pics that it was a typical English day...cold, cloudy, and rainy. But, it was fun, nonetheless.

Check out these crazy beach huts. I guess it is their equivalent of an icehouse.

Well, I will post more about the baptism later. I am exhausted. Hopefully she will continue her sleeping trend! Three nights in a row of 7+ hours of straight sleep!! Especially after her LONG day today, I am hoping for another.