Markus (18th Month) & Kira (2 Week) Updates

Kira's 2 week check-up went very well. She weighed in at 8lbs 10oz and was given an overall good bill of health. She has dry skin, her feet and hands in particular, but our pediatrician told us not to use any lotions as they may cause irritations.

Markus had his 18 month check up and that also went very well! The doctor was pleased with his development. He's 31 lbs. 10 oz. and 34.5 inches. He is actually hovering on the top of the average growth chart, so he's not way off the scale. I think he's in the 97% percentile now.

He can say roughly 20 words and we're always amazed at his comprehension. For example, we can ask him to throw something away and he'll go the kitchen trash, open the door, pull out the garbage, throw the item away, close the garbage and clap his hands! We love it! Some of his words are:

• Juice (Gooo!)
• Ball
• Kaka
• Train (Choo Choo)
• Car
• Guitar (Tar)
• Mama (Ma!)
• Daddy (Da-dee!)
• Toothpaste/Toothbrush (Eeeyah -- from old McDonald)
• Socks (Dah!)
• Glasses (Dah!)
• Eat
• Bread (Pan)
• Apple (Ba-Bow)
• Water/Agua (Oowah)

We absolutely love watching Markus grow and learn! Kira continues to be quiet compared to Markus. Don't want to jinx it, but it's been good so far! Here is the first photo of all four of us together!

Born: Kira Marian Frydman

April 26th, 2010 11:30 p.m. - 7lbs 7oz.



Throughout the pregnancy, Sandra had been doing just fine. On the weekend before the 26th, her blood pressure went up to 130/90, which was high, but nothing critical. Since we were at 38 weeks and 5 days, we, along with our doctors, decided to deliver that day before it became an emergency. So, we gathered our bags and headed out the St. Luke's Roosevelt (St. Vincent's was already bankrupt and closed).

The c-section went very well. The anesthesiologists were incredibly nice and really made Sandra feel as calm as possible. One was nice enough to take photos of Kira's birth (in case I would faint) and he did a great job!

Kira's abgar scores were 9 and 9, and she is beautiful!

We stayed in the hospital just two days, as we wanted to get home to see Markus. (due to H1N1, no children under 12 are allowed to visit). Our doctor was okay with us going home early, as Sandra had plenty of help at home and her father is a doctor too.

We continue to stay at Sandra's parents house while Sandra recovers. Its been almost two weeks now since Kira's been born. We have her two week appointment tomorrow.

So far, Markus likes to point to his little sister and say, "et daaa?". =) He always smiles and giggles when she moves or hiccups.

Will keep the updates flowing now that we're full steam ahead!

Markus' 15 Month Check-Up

Yesterday Markus had his 15 month check up at the pediatrician. He is now 33 1/8th inches tall and weighs 31 pounds. He's two inches taller than his last check-up but he is basically the same weight. This was okay as he was way off the scale last time, but now he's just off the scale. =)

Markus has been eating less, and is basically eating three meals a day (not including milk). He's running around and is now very fond of climbing! This is normal for toddlers as they are excited to be up and about, but is, of course, nerve-wracking for us!

Markus also got his MMR (Measles, Mumps, and Rubella) and HIB vaccine this time. The MMR might cause him to have a fever in a week, the pediatrician informed us, but we knew from our unfortunate friends who had to find this out the hard way with their son a few years back!

All in all, Markus is doing great. The doctor also gave us a dose of reality when she said next time we visit, we'll be bringing TWO kids! And she was right! YIKES! We're excited, but also nervous!

Markus Walks!

Right before the New Year, Markus started walking! It took him a little over 13 months, but he finally took a few steps without holding on to anything. He's done it a couple of times and each time the room goes quiet with tension and excitement. Here's a short video where Markus demonstrates his talent (while acting like a little monster):

Happy 1st Birthday!

Markus' 1st birthday was yesterday and we had a tiny little celebration at home -- the big party is on Saturday. What an amazing first year it's been and, of course, we're shocked about how quickly it has gone. We're very proud of our little guy, and of ourselves, and I was so happy at work all day. I bought some Crumbs cupcakes to celebrate, and we even let Markus have some. Not too much, as it was almost time for bed, but he definitely liked it! It's no secret that I love the sweets, so it looks like Markus has this gene in him as well.

Here is a picture of us blowing out a candle with him.



Extra special thanks to Markus' aunt Natalie, who came over to celebrate with us and took this picture!

Looking forward to the big celebration we have for the weekend!

Massive Update

For this long-overdue, oft-requested, massive update, I thought it best to make use of a bulleted list.

But first: a flashback...just one, despite that at this point I owe 2 others. When you read what Markus has been up, you'll see why those others have gone missing indefinitely.















This was the "real French breakfast" I ordered in our hotel just one day. I just wanted to see what they'd send. For the record: coffee with milk, orange juice, plain yogurt, honey, breads (croissants, rolls, etc.), butter, and various fruit jams. I ate the yogurt with honey and one roll with butter, drank the coffee and juice, then gave the rest of the bread to my sister and stuffed all the jams into my suitcase. :)















Raph and I are on the cruise on the Seine. What a great way to see the sights on our first full day in Paris! From there we could see:















Notre Dame,




















The Eiffel Tower, and















this here winged something-or-other on a tower.

Also, there was:














entertainment! And,















WINE!! There was actually a full luncheon, but let's face it. Only the wine was photographed!

I highly recommend Bateaux Parisiens to anyone visiting Paris.

And now, onto Markus, the reason anyone ever reads this blog! Bullets:

• Markus now has 6 teeth! Two more have grown in since his 9 month checkup on 8/22. They're the teeth to the sides of the bottom 2 in the middle. Not sure what they're called. Markus has interesting behavior patterns when he's teething. A lot of screaming in lieu of crying. Wakefulness at night (needs more comforting and rocking in the middle of the night). Not the biggest fan of being spoon-fed (requires a lot more time and patience as he continually bites the spoon).
• Markus is a crawling machine! He learned to crawl within a few days of his 9 month appt., at which we had told his doctor that he was just army crawling (pulling himself along on his belly with his arms). Now he's FAST. He can get across a room faster than I can (almost).
  
• Markus cruises along the furniture! He's been pulling himself up to stand for over a month. Now he is no longer content with staying in one place. He has gained the confidence to put his feet flat on the floor (he used to be on his tippy-toes!). He holds onto the coffee table and cruises all along it, the holds on with one hand while reaching for the couch, and shifts between the two. I've even observed him letting go with both hands for one second of free-standing! This baby is on his way to walking on his own, for sure!
• Markus is going to be 1! We've begun planning Markus's first birthday party. This is a huge milestone and we can't wait to celebrate!
• Markus likes to clap! Markus's babcia, Raph's mom, taught him a little clapping song, and now all we have to do is sing the song and Markus will clap. There is a video, but I don't know how to add the video to this post. I've asked Raph for a little tech support, when he gets a chance.

I think that's all for now. Any questions? :)

Markus' 9 Month Check-Up

On Saturday we went to the pediatrician for Markus' 9 month check up. No shots for the little guy this time, so it was an easy morning. He weighs 28lbs, 14 oz. (we were actually surprised it was under 30) and he is 29 and 3/4 inches tall. Not surprisingly, that is the 99th and 90-97th percentile for those categories.

We were concerned that he wasn't necessarily crawling (he's doing the army style crawl with his upper body -- see video a few posts back), but the doctor told us that many babies don't crawl and since he's pulling himself up that he is already past the crawling milestone, so that doesn't make sense according to traditional theory. We're also good with his food and other milestones.

We mentioned that Markus cries when he sees a new person with facial hair, most notably a goatee, and the doctor said that this is pretty common for children this age. So, no hard feelings Eddie and Mike D.! Glasses can also cause this, but since Sandra and I wear glasses at home, I think Markus is used to that change. In fact, he loves reaching for them/licking them (lol) despite our "No!" warnings.

Well, that's it for the check up. He's healthy and happy, just the way we like him!

Markus reaches 9 months!

Today is Markus' 9 month birthday.

By the way, do you prefer "Markus'" or "Markus's"?

Anyway, Markus is doing great and decided to show us a new trick today for his 9 month birthday:



He started crawling! Well, it's not the smoothest of crawls (it's more like pulling himself forward with his arms), but it's a forward motion with a specific purpose. According to other people with children, this is the beginning of the end! We are planning on going shopping to baby-proof the house asap. Markus loves to try to lift himself up and now that he's more mobile, he'll be everywhere he's not supposed to be in no time!

He's also been sitting up by himself for a little while now. Here's a video of him sitting up by himself and then focusing himself on the DVD player!



In other news, I've been working on fixing up the other bedroom/office. It's taking quite a long time and I'll post up pictures and the story soon.

Hope you enjoy the videos of the little guy!

Markus Flips!

This morning Markus reached a new milestone -- he turned himself over to his belly! I saw Markus in the morning laying in his crib and I gave him a few kisses and went to get ready for work. After I got dressed, I walked back into the room and there he was laying on his belly! Amazing! Sandra and I were so very excited. We've tried to capture it on video, but Markus gets so distracted when he sees the camera. In other news, Easter was a nice extended holiday for us. We spent it at Sandra's parents place and we all went to church in the morning. Markus was okay for about 10 minutes and then started getting fussy. We took him to "crying room" they have at St. Paul's in Congers, and stayed there with some other parents and kids. He also got a new jumperoo, which he enjoyed initially, but not too much these days. Anyway, here is a video of him in the jumperoo.