We have adjusted to life in the harness. For the most part Madelyn does not seem to mind. We just keep reminding ourselves that it's temporary. Heck she does not even know she has legs yet so how bad can it be to have them buttoned up for a few weeks?
Her new skills besides learning how to bat at things has been the ability to sleep for 5 hours at a stretch, wow. She is very curious about most everything in the house, turning her head around to get better views or to pinpoint a sound. Putting her down for a nap is usually a challenge, what is it about kids fighting to stay awake sometimes?
Two new videos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfX6v5oANhE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpSu9Q-xdiE
Well if we have learned anything recently it is that kids are anything but predictable. Madelyn had a mild case of Hip Dysplasia. Basically her hip joint at the top of her femur where it meets the hip, is loose. That's the bad news, the good news is that since her bones are still rather soft she can wear this harness for 6 weeks to reshape her joints. Karin had this condition as a newborn and it turns out that first born females are more prone to it as well. She can come out of the harness for 1 hour each day for playtime and baths etc...She's well taken care of, we've had a few visits to Children's hospital for Ultrasounds and to get the harness fitted.
Cute baby pictures will be slightly harder to come by, We will make the best of it. I'm trying to figure out a way to make a Paratrooper costume for Halloween.
Madelyn hates to be on her tummy, after 2-3 minutes she'll cry and fuss like no tomorrow. That was until this weekend. She almost is happy to have a new perspective on the world and when it happens it's a mad dash to turn the camera on and snap a cute photo like this one. Of course now her limit is more like 3-4 minutes before the head gets too heavy for her. She responds to sounds around the room and is always twisting her head around while being held. She had her two month appointment last week and all is well. We turn her around in the Baby Bjorn (Baby Carrier) now since her head control has improved so much. She still loves long naps in the Bjorn on walks with Dad. She's still on one feeding at night.
Our silly cat Simon has now decided that Madelyn's Bumbo (used for sitting) is really a great place to sit.
Why he thinks that and is it really comfortable for him? I think not, it's most likely another desperate plea from the cats for any type of human attention.
What a difference a few weeks make. Madelyn is much more expressive and aware of her environment. When we go on walks she just stares at everything as if she is saying, "What's that?" If you place a small toy in her hand like a plastic ring she might hold on to it for a few minutes and wave it around. Smiles are becoming more frequent and she seems to have a stronger sense of who her Mom and Dad are. Life is somewhat easier, it's not as much of a hassle to go out now, but we still long for the good old days where we just ran out the door or spontaneously decided to go somewhere. Whenever we feel sorry for ourselves we watch and episode on Discovery Health of a family who has 2 (6) years olds and 6 (2) year olds. Life never seems that bad after that :)
