2 Months!

Two months on August 11, 2013! 

Abigail...

• weighs 7 pounds 13 ounces (0 percentile)  You are a peanut!  The first month you gained and lost weight and ended up weighing your birth weight at the end of the month.  We're happy that you've gained almost 2 pounds this month.

• is 21.5 inches long (11th percentile)  You've grown 2.5 inches since birth!

• has a head circumference of 38 cm (41st percentile). 

• eats 7 - 8 times a day.  You never mastered nursing so you're drinking expressed milk from a bottle.  This month you started using "big" bottles rather than the small ones you used in the NICU.

• received your first round of vaccinations.  You were given three shots that contained multiple vaccines.  The nurse was very fast, but you screamed.  Mommy started tearing up, too.  For the next few days, you were fussy and didn't eat well.

• met with the pediatric surgeon and had another X-ray taken.  Dr. Hess wants to remove the CCAM when you're three months old so surgery has been set for September 10th.  

• wears newborn clothing still. (You can also wear some 0 - 3 month outfits.) It's a good thing your cousin, Brie, was small and borrowed you her clothing.  Some of your newborn PJ's are getting too short.  You also are still wearing newborn diapers.  Mommy tried the next size and it wasn't pretty when you filled your pants! 

• went to Fargo for the first time.  You slept the whole way! You took in your first Street Fair and were spoiled by grandma and mommy.   You also met great-grandma Burkhardt.  She could have held you all day! It was a fun filled weekend because you also went to Crystal lake for the first time and met some more family members.  Some of your cousins were there and they adore you!

•  loves to play in her "gym."  You stare at the hanging toys and smile and talk to them.  You are  squirmy so when your arms and legs are moving around you hit the toys. Sometimes, you even get mad when mom or dad remove you from the gym.
  
  

• smiles all the time.  You're extra happy in the morning after you've had a bottle.  You also LOVE laying on your changing table.  Here's some favorites.

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  First captured smile with a camera!

  

  SMILE!

   

   

   

  
  

  has a few nicknames.  We call you "Abs, Peanut, Peanut Butter, and Abbers." 

• sleeps in a bassinet next to mom.   

• snuggles with daddy on the coach almost every night.  Usually, you both fall asleep!

• loves to stretch! It's so cute to watch.

• has beautiful blue eyes.  We think they'll stay blue. 

• AH!  I can't get rid of this bullet!  It's not suppose to be here!

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

   
• went to Stillwater.  It was the first time mom and dad took you to a public place for the whole day.  You were a great baby and we realized we could start doing more things.
  
   
• is the biggest and best blessing in our life.  We love you so much!

Surgery Date Set

Smiley Abby!

Abby's already 7 weeks old!  She continues to be asymptamic in regards to her CCAM.  We're thankful for that!  However, after meeting with the pediatric surgeon on Monday, he would still like to remove it when she's three months old.  They took an x-ray that showed that the right lung (her good one) has been growing and developing since birth.  This is positive news because it had been smaller than normal due to it's shift against the chest wall.  They've had success removing masses with similar sizes at this age.  It will allow the heart to shift back into place and to give both lungs time to develop.  Lungs continue to develop until kids are about 7 so the more time she has the better.

I look so cute, but don't take my picture!

The CCAM is in the upper lobe of her left lung so they will remove the entire upper lobe of her lung.  The body is such an amazing thing that the lower lobe will take over and continue to develop in its place.  She shouldn't have any limitations once it's out.  The surgeon said you'll never know she had an issue.  We hope that's the case!  The surgery is set for September 10th at the University of Minnesota Children's Amplatz hospital.  She'll be in the hospital for only a day or two after surgery.  While we'd rather that she didn't need surgery so young, we think we'll feel a big relief that the mass is finally removed from her body and we won't have to worry about it anymore.

Abby's been doing well.  If you've met her, you know that she's still a little peanut.  We've had some problems trying to breastfeed.  I'm too stubborn to give up, but it's been a rough journey.  The first thing they should tell moms at breastfeeding classes is how hard it can be.  Our feeding schedule is a bit intense, but we've got her gaining weight now which is the important thing. 

We'll be sure to keep you updated the day of the surgery. 

Much love,

Scott, Sarah, & Abby (and Max - he's been feeling a bit left out) : )

C'mon, mom!  Enough with the pictures!